I am with you at the border, please rest assured that our motherland

People's Daily

The snow-capped mountains in the Pamir Plateau are endless; the biting cold wind blows from the valleys, making a whistling sound.

Yuqitash, the Kirgiz language means "three stones". The Yuqitash border defense company in the Kizil Soviet Army Division in Xinjiang is located between three snow-capped mountains. It is also the place where China and Kyrgyzstan Where Stan meets. The company's station is located at an altitude of 3,059 meters, nearly 200 kilometers away from the nearest county seat. The mountains are covered with heavy snow for five or six months every year, making it known as the "Snowy Island."

12 kilometers of life passage

"Today's road conditions are pretty good." Wang Caiyun, the squad leader who picked us up the mountain, said, "The border inspection station just now is 12 kilometers away from the company. When it snows, The car can't drive up, so people and food can only be delivered there, and then the company uses horses to pick them up. No matter how heavy the snow is, the horses can't go, so people can only carry them on their backs. The mountain road is the 'transit passage' of life."

Speaking of this "passage of life," Sergeant Major Wang Caiyun, who has been involved in border defense for 15 years, has endless stories to tell.

Before the Spring Festival the year before last, in order to ensure that the officers and soldiers celebrated the New Year, the regiment coordinated with the local area to push snowmobiles to transport supplies up the mountain. Wang Caiyun and his comrades had been looking forward to it since the twelfth lunar month, but in the end they were looking forward to bad news: the construction vehicle pushing snow accidentally ran off the road in the heavy snow and fell into the glacier. The driver jumped out of the vehicle and was rescued, but the supplies were left halfway.

So the company formed a "food-receiving team", put on backpacks and mounted military horses and went to rescue supplies.

"I remember it was minus 35 degrees Celsius that day, the snow was deep, the road was difficult, the wind was strong on the top of the mountain, and there were avalanches that constantly tested the response of the officers and soldiers. If they couldn't run, they would be buried." Wang Caiyun said that in order to maintain concentration, the officers and soldiers While walking, take turns telling jokes.

Wang Caiyun was walking behind the team and suddenly found the soldier Xiao Kereti sitting on the horse, motionless and without saying a word. Wang Caiyun sensed something was wrong and ran forward to pat him on the shoulder. Unexpectedly, Xiao Kereti fell off his horse and fell into the snow. The officers and soldiers hurriedly picked him up and called his name while rubbing his hands to keep him warm. It took a long time to wake him up.

The officers and soldiers walked for eight hours that day before they saw the supply truck. There was no way to save the snow pusher that had fallen into the glacier, so everyone began to pack supplies into their backpacks: tomatoes that were as frozen as stones, eggs that couldn’t be cracked after a long time, cans of drinks that were frozen into various shapes...

The horses couldn’t carry the burden, so everyone took up their backpacks and walked. The snow was so soft that it was up to the knees to step on, and it was very difficult to walk with dozens of kilograms of supplies on my back. In order to save energy, everyone stopped talking and just kept their heads down and hurried on. If you can’t carry your backpack, take it out and give it to others. If your feet can’t move, use your hands to pull out a carrot and walk.

"Everyone carried it back and forth at least twice that time, and it was only on New Year's Eve that all the supplies were carried back to the company." Wang Caiyun said.

Patrol at an altitude of 4,000 meters

The snow was shining brightly in the dazzling sunlight. A group of border guards waded through knee-deep snow to patrol the border line on the top of the mountain.

Fully equipped with snow suits, sunglasses, and cold-proof boots, we set off with the patrol. Soon, we discovered that these preparations were far from enough on the mountain snow road.

The snow was too thick and the last 3 kilometers could only be walked. The snow gets thicker as we go up, starting from knee-high and slowly approaching waist level. Every time you take a step forward, you have to do a "high leg" movement, pull your feet out of the snow, and then step hard on the frozen snow in front of you.

Looking back at Liu Yuan, who was walking at the end, I saw her leaning over with her hands on her knees, breathing heavily, and her bangs formed into ice strips hanging on her face.

"If you can't hold it any longer, I'll send you back!"

"No! You can't hold back the patrol once you're here!" Liu Yuan took a sharp breath and pulled you back with the help of her husband Jin Xinxin. Pulling, he pulled his legs out of the snow with difficulty, and stepped hard into the snow pit in front of him with a crunch.

"One! Two! Three!..." "Come on, sister-in-law!" The whole team's cheers for Liu Yuan resounded throughout the valley. Jin Xinxin walked in front and stretched out her hands to hold her lover.

As the sky gradually darkened, strong winds blew at the mountain pass, and the temperature dropped to minus 43 degrees Celsius. At this time, the team finally arrived at the patrol duty point on the border. The last 3 kilometers of walking took me 6 hours.

"This patrol road is not easy!" Liu Yuan was so excited that she cried, "I have been guarding the motherland's border defense line for many years. I am so proud of the border defense officers and soldiers!"

"Border defense has I ask the motherland to rest assured!" At the duty station, company commander Wei Wei led the patrol team to swear an oath to the national flag, and his high-pitched voice echoed in the mountains.

Colorful "Vegetable Exhibition Hall"

Rows of vegetable seedlings are scattered in an orderly manner. The sunlight shines in through the greenhouse, making the seedlings look particularly strong.

"In the past, the company had to transport vegetables from the mountains once every 10 days to eat vegetables. Once, a heavy snowfall surrounded the company into an 'isolated island'. The vegetable truck reached halfway and had to go back. In the end We have even finished eating cabbage, radishes, and potatoes, and everyone can only stand at the door of the vegetable cellar and stare." Sun Hongfa, a soldier on the side, said, "A few years ago, in order to let the officers and soldiers at the outpost eat fresh vegetables, the superiors built a building for the company. We built a new insulated vegetable cellar that can be stored in winter and kept fresh in summer, and a new vegetable greenhouse with an insulating layer. Now, the company's officers and soldiers can eat several dishes, both meat and vegetable."

"Border defense is very hard, but if we can use our own efforts to improve a little bit of living conditions, it will also make the soldiers feel more at ease on defense." Coming out of the greenhouse, Wei Wei pointed to a row of small buildings and said, "Last year we The barracks have Internet signals again, and now a basketball court and table tennis room have been built. The officers and soldiers can also relax and have fun when they are resting."

Liu Yuan saw the soldiers posting Spring Festival couplets. Jin Xinxin pulled aside and took out her mobile phone, "When you come here, your parents recorded a short video for you."

In the screen, Jin's mother said: "Liu Yuan protects our little family. "My son is protecting our family and the country. He is protecting everyone in the snowy mountains." Jin's father, who never talks much, said: "Xinxin will try to go home for the New Year next year!" Looking at their parents' greetings, the two young people were all excited. Eyes red.

Surrounded by snow-capped mountains, the entire company blended into the brilliance of the setting sun. This light slowly spread throughout the snow-capped mountains, illuminating the barracks and the border guards of the officers and soldiers...

(Liu Nansong and Chen Shengsheng participated in the interview)

"People's Daily" 》(Version 06, February 9, 2020)