Persevere, may the mountains and rivers be safe and sound
Latent duty to guard the lights of thousands of families
■Our reporter Chen Dianhong correspondent Zeng Haoyun Lulun
New Year's Eve is approaching, and the Yunnan Hekou Port is festive and peaceful.
The officers and men of the “Red River Outpost Steel Second Company” of a certain border brigade of the Army’s border defense brigade in the Southern Theater Command stationed on the hills near the port were more vigilant than usual.
The reporter climbed to the outpost on the top of the mountain and saw two soldiers on an observation mission.
"There is a busy estuary bridge, and the neighboring country is across the river." Li Hui, a soldier on duty, told reporters.
Last Spring Festival, in the watchtower, Li Hui and his twin brother Li Jun, who joined the army in the same year, were on duty together.
At the end of last year, the brothers faced the difficult choice of leaving.
Go, leave behind the border monument; stay, there are sick parents at home... Finally, Li Jun reluctantly made a decision: "I will guard the home, you will defend the country." Li Jun took off his military uniform and returned home to take care of his parents.
"I am not alone!" Li Hui said, with the encouragement and expectation of his brother, he worked hard and gradually grew into a "outpost" of the company.
In the middle of the night, a rush of whistle sound came from the camp area, and the fully armed officers and soldiers gathered and set off to patrol the boundary river and perform a lurking mission near a certain passage.
On the march, clusters of fireworks bloomed into the night sky.
Sergeant Qiao Renfei looked at the fireworks and thought of his family in the distance-this was his 11th year at the gate of the country.
He said: "We have a heavy responsibility to defend the country. Although we can't go home for reunion, I think relatives will understand."
"The guard team, quickly occupy the guard position on the front line of the hillside." After more than an hour of walking, officers and soldiers came to the scheduled passage, and the instructor Sun Tianlong clarified the incubation area and signal regulations.
The night by the river was chilly.
The lurking officers and soldiers were a hundred times more vigilant, guarding the lights behind them.
Glacier patrols, feelings about the glory of guarding the border
■Zuo Nanxing Feng Yakun Special Correspondent Yan Liang
At the foot of Mount Everest, a gust of wind passed by.
On February 10, in the first ray of sunlight in the morning, officers and soldiers of a border defense company of the Tibet Military Region marched towards the boundary marker No. 62 of the Lambala Glacier at an altitude of 5711 meters.
"This patrol, we have a new comrade in our team." Liang Yixin, the company instructor who led the team, cast his sights on Sun Zhimeng, a new soldier who was not long in the company.
"This year has thick snow and complicated road conditions. We must pay attention to safety." During the march, squad leader Xiong Denghu repeatedly urged Sun Zhimeng to pay attention.
The patrol climbed one steep slope after another, and finally arrived in front of the Lambala Glacier.
In the glacier, the ice cracks and ice caves that are several tens of meters deep, the turbulent river under the glacier, and the ice slope covered with sharp ice all put the patrol officers and soldiers facing many challenges.
During the march, Sun Zhimeng slipped and accidentally slid down the ice slope. His comrades beside him pulled him up, which turned the danger into peace.
"Look at it before you settle down!" Xiong Denghu reminded in time.
As the altitude is getting higher and higher, the symptoms of hypoxia of officers and soldiers are becoming more and more obvious, and every step is very difficult.
"The front is the boundary marker." The comrades cheered each other, one step, two steps...Finally, they arrived at the boundary marker.
After completing the scheduled task, the officers and soldiers braved the wind to unfold the national flag in front of the boundary monument.
"The country is at your feet, and the motherland is behind you. Standing here can feel the mission and glory of the soldiers on the border." Sun Zhimeng excitedly took a photo in front of the boundary monument.
Taxue set off to patrol the border of the plateau
■Tang Shuai Guo Shuai Special Correspondent Zhang Qiang
In the early morning of February 11, the breath became ice.
Cui Yangyang, the instructor of the Heweitan Frontier Defense Company of the Southern Xinjiang Military Region, led the detachment to a certain point 5800 meters above sea level.
The top of the snow-capped mountain at an altitude of 5,800 meters is usually only reachable by professional mountaineers. Cui Yangyang and his comrades patrol regularly.
When the car reached the foot of the mountain, the officers and soldiers got out of the car and continued on foot.
The cold wind is whistling and the snow is knee deep. Walking on the Karakoram Plateau is equivalent to carrying a weight of 20 kilograms on the plain.
As the altitude got higher and higher, Guo Zheng, the first-class soldier who accompanied the team on a patrol mission, developed symptoms of altitude sickness such as shortness of breath and lack of physical strength.
Squad leader Wang Chenyang immediately took out the portable oxygen cylinder from his rucksack, let Guo Zhengping lie down and inhale oxygen and told him to restore his physical strength.
After Guo Zheng's physical strength recovered, the patrol continued to advance.
"Be careful on the road ahead." Wang Chenyang reminded him when he came to a horizontal mountain beam, "The height difference is about 30 meters and the length is about 50 meters. The best way to pass is to'slide down'."
Guo Zheng followed Cui Yangyang and slid steadily with his hands on his head.
Seeing him pass smoothly, Cui Yangyang breathed a sigh of relief.
After more than 2 hours, the patrol team arrived at the predetermined point.
"Patting on the top of the snow-capped mountains is our way to bless the Chinese New Year to the motherland." Cui Yangyang said.