Officers and men on patrol went up the river valley. Photo by Ma Jun.
Ma Jun Yang Zhenkun.
*Motuo is located in the lower reaches of the Brahmaputra River, the southern foot of the eastern end of the Himalayas, the terrain in the territory is fragmented, the peaks are vying for dominance, the forest and the sea are reckless, it has a unique three-dimensional climate zone, the natural environment is harsh, it is called the "Secret Land of the Plateau", *The "Motuo Border Model Battalion" of the Military Region is stationed here. In addition to daily combat readiness training, officers and men are also responsible for patrolling many mountain passes and points.
One day during the Spring Festival, officers and men of a certain company of the "Motuo Border Model Battalion" once again set foot on the patrol road in the face of snowfall.
The target of the patrol was a point located deep in the primeval forest. Despite the heavy snowfall, this forest in the southern foothills of the Himalayas remains green. There are all kinds of dangers hidden in the inaccessible no-man's land, and the patrol area belongs to the mountainous cold temperate dark coniferous forest zone, with harsh climate and complex terrain, and dark ravines, gullies, and glaciers have become "roadblocks" on the patrol road.
At the head of the line is Jiayang Langjie, a Tibetan squad leader with rich patrolling experience, wielding a machete to make a way for everyone to navigate through the thorns.
On the border defense line of Metuo, the mountains are high and dense, the roads are dangerous and the slopes are steep, and the officers and men are accompanied by danger in every patrol mission. Walk through dense forests, cross glaciers, climb cliffs, ......The officers and men could not count how many such dangerous areas were on the patrol road.
Zheng Zongzhao, the cadre who led the team, is a "veteran border guard" who has been guarding the border for more than 10 years, and he said: "There is a strange phenomenon in Metuo, everyone is well aware of the difficulty and danger of patrolling the road, but every time they patrol veterans or recruits, everyone rushes to go, and the officers and men deeply love the land under their feet. ”
The cold wind blew the snowflakes on the cheeks, and it was difficult to even open their eyes, and the officers and soldiers walked through the trees and thorns, widening their eyes in search of a foothold. "Hold on to the branches, hold on to the branches! Suddenly, on a "single-plank bridge" covered with dense vines, Private Liu Xinyu, who had not been in the company for a long time, stepped on the air, stumbled on his body, and fell straight to the thorn rattan net next to him. In the exclamation of the soldiers, Liu Xinyu quickly grabbed the bushes beside him, and his body was stuck on the big branch so that he did not fall.
Although his hands were covered with blood, Liu Xinyu continued to move forward after checking the equipment. He said: "Although the days of the border are bitter and sweet, patrolling the border defense line of the motherland and guarding the great rivers and mountains, this is what youth should look like. ”
After graduating from university, he joined the army and came to the border of Mexico as he wished, and soon won the opportunity to participate in patrols.
Thinking of not being able to go home for the New Year with my parents for the first time in more than 20 years, I was disappointed for a short time, but at the same time, I also understood more about the meaning of protecting my family and defending the country. Liu Xinyu said.
During the patrol, there are four seasons in one mountain, and ten miles of different days. It may seem picturesque, but in fact it is dangerous. Potholes covered with vegetation, muddy and soft swamps, and snow nests intertwined with rocks all caused a lot of trouble to the officers and men on the march. The officers and men sometimes trudged on moss-covered paths, and sometimes jumped forward on dead trees and rocks lying on the ground.
It didn't take long for a steep slope more than 20 meters deep to block the steps of the officers and soldiers. Squad leader Sun Wanhong explored the way first. I saw him grasping the roots of the tree, moving the center of gravity of his body downward, constantly probing, and then moving towards the bottom of the cliff step by step after his feet were steady. Watching Sun Wanhong explore the road with difficulty, the author's heart rose to his throat.
Finally, Sun Wanhong reached the safety of the valley floor. Amid his reminders, the officers and men passed through the steep slope one after another. It seemed "easy" to watch the officers and soldiers descend the slope, but when I stepped into the socket of the steep slope, my eyes looked down, and my heart was straight. "Straighten your legs, step on your feet and move again" "Grab the ...... of the tree branch next to you."The reminders of the officers and soldiers came and went. Suddenly, the author's feet slipped, his butt hit the ground, and he slipped down. Fortunately, there was no danger, and he was blocked by Sun Wanhong below. Patting the dirt on his body, the author glanced at the deep ditch at his feet, and felt scared for a while.
That year, when Sun Wanhong passed through the "tiger's mouth", his feet did not step steadily, and he was about to slide to the edge of the cliff, and the veteran Zhu Hongyan behind him grabbed his backpack and got him out of danger. With that adventure, Sun Wanhong became more vigilant when walking on the patrol road, and often took the initiative to ask Ying to explore the way in the dangerous area first.
The canyon is deep, the trees are towering, the team is difficult to descend along the mountain, the snow falling on the ground is significantly reduced, and the veterans are observing the situation in the defense area while teaching their new comrades patrol experience.
Descending to the bottom of the valley, the officers and men ushered in their first major rest. Everyone sat on the ground and sang the familiar song "When the Soldier Guards Motuo": "Let's come to **, be a soldier and guard Motuo, the mountains accompany me to stand guard, the river accompanies me to patrol, the wind comes, the rain goes, youth is quenched in the hot barracks......”
As sung in the song, a stubble of border guards wrote a loyal oath of "having a country in their hearts, and thousands of miles of mountains and rivers are their homes" with their youthful blood. In addition to the attacks of leeches and poisonous bees, there are also the threats of natural disasters such as mudslides and landslides.
The patrol road weaves through the rolling mountains and valleys, winds through the glacial rapids, and the officers and men advance step by step towards the target point. As the patrol detachment continued to go deeper, the vegetation in the forest became denser, and the officers and men moved forward with difficulty with their hands and feet, and everyone had hot air on their heads and beads of sweat on their faces.
When carrying out patrol tasks, officers and men need to carry more than 20 kilograms of combat readiness and daily necessities, and climb mountains and mountains in a no-man's land with a drop of nearly 1,000 meters, which is a great test of their physical skills. Walking through the dense forests of the plateau, the physical exertion of the officers and soldiers was very fast, and during the march, the soldier Zhang Bin had calf cramps.
Relax, don't push, relax ......After a simple **, Zhang Bin's leg cramps were relieved, and he gritted his teeth and continued to set foot on the patrol road. The author understands that every officer and soldier has to walk on such a patrol road dozens of times a year, and everyone will have large and small scars on their bodies due to various accidents along the way.
In the Medog border pass, for more than 60 years, 30 officers and soldiers have been buried here, but none of the latecomers flinched, and they marched forward bravely and sprinkled their loyalty among the mountains and rivers, because everyone had a belief in their hearts -- to guard every inch of the motherland's territory.
The rushing water was icy and bitterly cold, and the patrol detachment went up the river valley. After passing through the canyon, the patrol team plunged into the vast forest, and the officers and men marched firmly towards the patrol point. Patrol roads winded through the mountains, and officers and men climbed up and down dense geographical contours. As far as the officers and men on the border are concerned, their youth has long been intertwined with the border defense line.
Zhu Hongyan is the oldest soldier in the company, and this year is the 17th year that he has been guarding the border, and it is also the 15th Spring Festival spent in the army. At the end of 2023, his service period will expire, and because he is reluctant to give up the mountains and people here, he chooses to stay in the team, is promoted to ** sergeant major, and continues to guard this long border line. He said: "I can't go enough on this patrol road, and I want to keep going." ”
There is no shortage of love in the distant border passes, and there are wind and snow in the border passes, as well as romance. The author found that every time he went to a rest point, Zhu Hongyan would take out his camera to take a few photos of the scenery along the way. He told the author that his wife, Bi Xiaoli, had never been to the border line or walked the patrol road, so he recorded the beautiful scenery of the border pass and shared it with her family when she returned home.
Although every time he goes back on vacation, Zhu Hongyan never mentions the hardships and dangers of border defense, but his military sister-in-law Bi Xiaoli knows the hardships of guarding the border, and she once said to Zhu Hongyan: "The azaleas on the patrol road are accompanied by the mountains, so I will be your 'azalea' and love you forever ......."”
The officers and men said that because of the silent support and selfless dedication of their families, the will of the plateau soldiers to defend the border will be stronger; With the casting of this love, the Great Wall of Border Pass will be more indestructible.
After a five-hour arduous trek, the officers and men finally arrived at the destination of the patrol. They unfurled the national flag and solemnly swore an oath: "The place where I stand is China, and I will defend and protect it with my life." We will never keep our territory small, and we will never lose our sovereignty. I am here at the border, please rest assured that the motherland. The sonorous oath echoed in the snow-capped mountains and forests, high-pitched and majestic.
*: China Youth Daily.