In Yushu, Qinghai, at an altitude of more than 4,000 meters, there is such a group of fighters——
I am on the plateau with the army and horses (New Era·Face)
Our reporter Jiang Feng
The appointed time has come, but the monitor is late.
"Changed clothes and wasted time", 28-year-old Cangluoji made a shy smile.
When the horse was released in the afternoon, a horse got stuck in the river. The river flooded the horse's head, only his eyes were exposed, "I hurried into the river to rescue the horse."
The thrill of hitting the water in the middle of the stream was just taken lightly by him.
Having been a "wrangler" for 7 years, garrisoning the plateau and caring for the army horses, he made the only way ordinary.
Here is the Batang grassland at 4200 meters above sea level. The military and civilian service team of the Qinghai Yushu Independent Cavalry Company is stationed here all year round.
Once, to improve your life on your birthday, you just "whole a bowl of instant noodles and put a marinated egg"
Zhao Xuechao, the old monitor of the monitor.
Yuanyuan's face was tanned red, and if he did not listen to his accent, it would be difficult to tell that he was a soldier from Henan.
During the annual training period, he returns to the duty class as if he is visiting: here are the soldiers he brought out, and the horses he trained.
"Walking with hoofs and dancing" and performing "face-to-face rituals"-as soon as we meet, the war horse "Little Dragon" is still the closest to Zhao Xuechao.
In 2010, when the 19-year-old Zhao Xuechao first arrived in the duty class, "Little Dragon" was only 1 year old, "like my baby".
The company stationed on the grassland for several months of training each year, and returned to the camp in Yushu Prefecture at other times. The duty class responsible for caring for the army and horses must be stationed in the grassland with constant cold and heat all year round. It is not an exaggeration to say that they "depend on each other for life" with the army and horses.
Zhao Xuechao can't forget that the duty class 10 years ago had only 3 tents.
"Every week, the company sends people to the grassland to give them food and drink water from the river." In order to improve their lives on birthdays, they "whole a bowl of instant noodles and put a brine egg."
Now, the company has built barracks in the grassland training point, and the water and electricity are all heated.
Every time during the training, Zhao Xuechao couldn't help giving the recruits a "sweet lesson" when he saw the young soldiers in the class.
Don't think that the soldiers in the duty squad are all "delegated": because of their difficult environment and heavy responsibilities, "the soldiers with the best physical fitness and the strongest thinking in the company will be selected."
The hardware is changing, the cold and hypoxic environment has not changed, and the mission of guarding the army has not changed.
Cang Luojia was feeding the horse.
Photo by our reporter Jiang Feng
A few shades of black, changes in skin color are all signs of growth
Xiao Haihong, from Gansu, is 21 years old this year.
The name is gentle, and the person looks delicate: thin and tall, with handsome eyebrows.
Seeing strangers, ask one question and answer one sentence, blushing, and don't say much.
This hurts me: all the duty classes are like this, and interviews are frequently cold.
Zhao Xuechao then rounded off, "It's no wonder that the soldiers can't communicate, because they talk less at first, and deal with horses every day!"
In the two years since he was in the duty class, Xiao Haihong's complexion had darkened several times, and he became more and more like an old soldier.
Changes in skin color are traces of growth.
Putting horses, cleaning stables, repairing horseshoes... it sounds ordinary and monotonous, but at first, Xiao Haihong, who had grown up on the yellow earth, was at a loss.
"One time when I was on the way to release the horse, I came down to relieve my hand and tied the rein to my wrist." Who would expect that he and the horse hadn't developed a relationship yet, "The horse turned around and ran away, dragging me away. "
Gradually gained experience: Putting a plastic bag in his pocket, "It rustles and makes the horse think it has food, so it's stable."
The harsh working environment is even more challenging.
At the beginning of 2019, the Yushu area was hit by a snowstorm, the mountains were blocked by heavy snow, and the company's supplies could not be delivered. "All the soldiers in the duty class have only supported on stored food for more than half a month. Everyone is hungry, but no one has eaten more. "
Together with comrades in adversity, advancing and retreating together, this is the growth experience taught by the military camp to young soldiers.
Especially at the moment of life and death.
The soldiers pastured horses in the snow.
Photo by Zhao Bo
There are prairie wolves from time to time, and the danger is around them
Soldiers often say, "It is our mission to guard the army horses." During the company's training period, in order to ensure that the army horses are fat and strong, the service team must also put night horses: from midnight to the next morning, this is a chore, and There are prairie wolves around from time to time, and the danger is all around.
Only then did Cangluojia tell me that he has encountered wolves four times in seven years.
Just after the beginning of the spring this year, he took Xiao Haihong and other soldiers to organize the release of the night horse for the first time.
In the middle of the night, the horses suddenly roared.
"Not good!" Cairan told her instinct and encountered wolves.
He quickly turned on the bright flashlight-at the foot of the mountain 20 meters away, several pairs of green eyes, shining cold in the dark night.
The young soldier met the wolves for the first time, and he suddenly panicked.
"Gather the horses! Light a torch!" Only when he was in danger, he drew his saber while commanding.
The horses gathered together.
The flames were fierce, the sabers swayed, and under the confrontation, the wolves that could not take advantage retreated.
However, "in broad daylight, there are also prairie wolves wandering around the barracks." It was worth it, so that the wolves were chased for more than 30 kilometers without mentioning the saber and riding horses, until the wolves ran without a trace.
It has been a habit for many years to go to the stables every night before going to bed
There are thrills and more ordinary persistence.
Li Guangyue, a military and horse health worker, has been on duty for 7 and a half years, and is currently the longest garrison in his class.
Li Guangyue, who graduated from a pastoral school and directly recruited from university, is not responsible for herding night horses, but it has been his habit for many years to go to the stables every night before going to bed.
Just last winter, at night, he found an old horse in the stable that kept hitting the wall with his head, his belly swelling like a cauldron.
"The stable floor is damp. I'm most afraid that the horses will get cold and flatulence when lying on the ground." After deflating and filling medicine, I was busy for most of the night. At any rate, Li Guangyue took the army coat and put it on the horse. Spent the whole night.
At the beginning of work, the family introduced a partner, "companion, nurse." His girlfriend worked in a large hospital in Xining, while Li Guangyue stationed in the grassland every day to treat horses.
Seeing that it was not up, his girlfriend was furious and rushed to the duty station.
The difficult environment not only did not scare his girlfriend away, "After returning, she told her mother that this soldier is reliable and I am married!"
Li Guangyue's daughter is now over two years old.
He hoped that the baby would be older and take her to ride a horse on the grassland.
"Depending on each other for life" with the military horse, the horse became a close "comrade-in-arms" of the soldiers
Duty class, the "post-90s" of Yishui.
The face that was supposed to be immature was made rough and tough by the plateau.
It was Cangluoji who wanted to be a tank soldier when he first joined the army, but now he keeps horses and works hard and enjoys it.
Ma Zhengming, born in 1996, has been promoted to deputy head of the duty team.
"Inadvertently fell off the horse and suffered two fractures. Both his left and right shoulders were hit with steel plates, and he never yelled pain. As soon as he was discharged from the hospital, he immediately ran back to report. It was really hard."
This is how steel is made.
All year round, with the army and horse "depending on each other for life", the horse became a close "comrade-in-arms" of the soldiers.
Last year, 15 military horses were retired, and the soldiers of the duty squad held the old horse with tears in their eyes for a long time.
Unexpectedly, after a week, the retired military horse "Miscellaneous Hair" ran hundreds of kilometers by himself and found it back here.
When a soldier was riding the "Little Four" passing a cliff, he accidentally fell off his horse and overturned the cliff. Fortunately, the soldier clung to the reins and did not let go. The "Little Four" dragged the reins and pulled them back, finally saving the soldiers. A life...
(Fan Wenbin and Zhang Lei participated in the collection and writing)