Stick to "5418 altitude"

At an altitude of 5,418 meters, the Hewei Beach Border Defense Company is the highest outpost in the whole army. Here there is snow in all seasons, frozen all year round, and the officers and men of the whole company insist on this extremely cold and oxygen-deficient place where the wind and snow are howling: patrolling in the temperature of minus 30 degrees Celsius, the altitude is too high, the dumplings are not cooked and can only be steamed, the wind interference signal makes the television broadcast intermittent, and the domestic water comes from the snow pool and the car transportation outside the mountain...

On the eve of the Spring Festival, we crossed the Ban, waded through the glaciers, resisted the severe cold, and lacked oxygen in the war, and drove to the Heweitan Border Defense Company of a certain border defense regiment of the Southern Xinjiang Military Region in the depths of the Karakoram Mountains, patrolled and worked with the officers and men, and felt their fearlessness and perseverance in the "forbidden area of life."

One

At about 9:30 Beijing time, the border city of Zepu had just been illuminated. Between the vast eastern skylines, a brilliant morning glow rises.

Hu Honglin, director of the Regiment's Political Work Office, told us that five years ago, the regimental leading organs and the support and support battalion were ordered to move to the defense, and despite the harsh climate and harsh environment, the officers and men of the regiment moved at the behest of the orders, obeyed the orders, and advanced into the Karakoram Mountains. From preparation to stationing, it took only 30 days for the regimental leading organs. Time is set, responsibilities are clarified, and troops are stationed on time and work quickly.

For breakfast, we prepared oxygen cylinders, put on snow chains, packed highland medicines, and marched towards the Karakoram Mountains.

The road area is snowy and icy, the road conditions are complex and changeable, and the plateau in winter can be described as a thrilling step. Our group drove about 30 kilometers to the starting point of the 219 National Highway on the Xinzang Line - "0 kilometers" in Yecheng, Xinjiang. It is an important transportation route from Xinjiang to Tibet, and it is also an important landmark for border officers and soldiers of the Southern Xinjiang Military Region to enter the Karakoram Mountains.

Coincidentally, Zhou Jianjian, the instructor of the Hewei Beach Border Defense Company, had just returned from vacation to prepare to return to the team, so we went all the way. Zhou Jianjian said: "Yecheng's '0 km' is still nearly a thousand kilometers away from the outpost, and along the way, it will be over a number of wind and snow Dasaka at an altitude of thousands of meters. ”

"The last trip to Kunlun Mountain was like breaking through a 'ghost gate'!" Zhou Jianjian said that the several plateaus along the way to the checkpoint this time have their own characteristics and hidden risks: Kudi Daban is 3,500 meters above sea level, known for its danger, and the road is completely circling in the mountains; Maza Daban is 4,000 meters above sea level, known for its length, the whole journey is nearly 80 kilometers, and there are nearly 100 turning backs; Heika Daban is nearly 5,000 meters above sea level, known for its height, and the altitude sickness of personnel is generally relatively strong.

Due to the slippery snow road, the driver Zhou Kai was worried about driving safety and signaled to stop and install snow chains.

Zhou Jianjian, who enlisted in the army from Binzhou in Shandong Province, volunteered to stay in Xinjiang and came here for 8 years. Now, he is a standard highland man. As soon as he got out of the car, he quickly installed the snow chains with the two drivers. The wheels rolled against the snow and made a "creaking" sound.

In the 15 years of enlistment, from the Khlong Kazan Pass Border Defense Company at an altitude of 5,040 meters to the HeweiTan Border Defense Company at an altitude of 5,418 meters, along the way, Zhou Jianjian's defensive company has become higher and higher, and the environment has become more and more harsh. "Is it bitter?" For such topics, Zhou Jianjian always reciprocates with a smile.

Due to the long-term defense of the plateau, Zhou Jian's body was seriously overdrawn, suffering from kidney stones, hydronephrosis and rheumatoid arthritis and other diseases. As a platoon commander, Zhou Jianjian worked in the Khlong Kazan Pass Border Defense Company for more than a year, completed more than 140 patrols, reported more than 110 border information, and accumulated more than 2,100 hours of observation. In his post, he loved his post, selfless dedication, and exemplary leadership, becoming a benchmark in the eyes of the Shubian soldiers, and his company was awarded the second class of collective merit in 2013.

In Zhou Jianjian's heart, there are two families: one in Shandong, where there are his parents, wives, and children; the other on the plateau, where there are his comrades-in-arms, his brothers and sisters. In his opinion, two homes are equally important. On the way back to the company from the regimental headquarters, he seized every opportunity to "sweep the goods" for his home on the plateau: passing by the hardware store, buying electric soldering irons and welding rods; passing by the logistics vegetable base, the trunk of the car had been stuffed with him, but he kept saying: "Re-decorate, re-decorate"; passing by the military station, seeing that the aloe vera on the windowsill in the corridor grew well, he "unceremoniously" asked for two sticks, in order to go back to the company to decorate the rare green... "The mountain is short of materials and transportation is inconvenient." So every time we return to the team, we can bring more points and bring more points. Zhou Jianjian said.

Two

The duty stations of the Hewei Beach Border Defense Company are all above 5,000 meters above sea level, and the roads in the defense area are difficult to navigate, and the oxygen is less than 40% of the plain. Company Commander Ju Zhengmiao introduced: "Due to the high altitude, the officers and men here have to make defense adjustments once a year, so it can be said that everyone has a 'record of life and death', and everyone has an adventure!" ”

On the second day of the company's interview, we had the privilege of following the officers and men on a border patrol, mainly by car and foot.

Snow began to drift outside, the temperature had dropped to minus 27 degrees Celsius, and the wind was blowing through the windows. According to the plan, more than 20 officers and men, under the leadership of company commander Ju Zhengmiao, will go to a certain point at an altitude of 5468 meters to patrol. This patrol passes through a very steep hill. Previously, when two soldiers were patrolling this point, due to extreme lack of oxygen and physical exhaustion, resulting in plateau pulmonary edema, they were urgently rescued by the helicopter of the military region to get out of danger of life.

The road from the company to the point was very difficult, the patrol car drove less than 10 kilometers, and when passing through a glacier, the wheels suddenly slipped, fortunately, the driver was experienced and grasped the direction, so as to avoid the danger of overturning. Helplessly, the wheels were trapped in the ice cave. So, all the staff got out of the car and pushed the cart forward. On the slippery ice, walking is still slippery step by step, and the difficulty of the load-bearing cart is imaginable. Coupled with the extreme lack of oxygen, it was not long before the patrol members gasped for breath. In this way, all the way to stop and go, 3 hours later, a "straight nose" mountain finally crossed in front of the patrol.

The car could no longer move forward, and the next road could only be walked by the patrolmen's feet and climbed with their hands. "Brothers, everyone put every foot firmly on it, pull up your hands and climb up!" Ju Zhengmiao commanded while walking in the front to lead the way on the snow. "I'll explore the way for everyone in the front, after the first class leader Fang Zongqing is broken." The officers and men of the patrol lined up in a line and climbed up the slope with difficulty.

At 2 p.m., the wind blew harder and harder, blowing on the face like a knife. The patrol members lowered their bodies, clinging to the slope, breathing heavily. After a short rest, Ju Zhengmiao encouraged everyone: "As a border guard, no difficulty can stop us from measuring every inch of the motherland's land. ”

An hour later, the patrol finally climbed to the top of the hill, and smiles appeared on the faces of the members.

For the officers and men of the Hewei Beach Border Defense Company, such patrols can only be regarded as an ordinary "ordinary day" that can no longer be ordinary. There are many more dangerous situations encountered during the patrol. One day in July last year, instructor Zhou Jianjian led a patrol team to a certain point to patrol, on the way encountered a sudden heavy snowfall, the snow fell more and more, when returning the snow has not passed the knee, the team members have to use all their strength to pull their legs out of the snow with all their strength. Later, the team members simply gave up "walking" and changed to "climbing". So, everyone crawled 2 kilometers on the snow.

"It was getting dark and we were finally on the ground, and everyone was exhausted. Since then, everyone has become a friend of life and death. Zhou Jianjian recalled.

Three

Without border defense, I did not know the hardships of the officers and men in defending. Although our group only stayed in Hewei Beach for three days and two nights, we had already learned the cruelty and ruthlessness of the plateau. It is surrounded by deserts and is a veritable "snow sea island" and "forbidden area of life".

Guarding the highest outposts at the highest altitude, everyone is a hero and a good man. In the days of the company, we have met several ordinary people in "special" positions, who may not be magnificent and their deeds are not so dazzling, but they are loyal to their duties and resolutely shoulder the heavy responsibility of border defense of the motherland with their shoulders.

Li Kehong, non-commissioned officer of the HeweiTan Border Defense Company, joined the army from Qingyang, Gansu Province in December 2006, and was awarded the third class merit 3 times and the outstanding non-commissioned officer 6 times. Recalling the appearance of the outpost when it was first built, he also remembered it vividly: "The first time the company moved in, the road was very snowy, I remember turning a corner and another, I felt that the road was getting farther and farther." When we arrived at the scheduled station, it was getting dark and everyone was busy unloading supplies from the car. It was already the early morning of the next day when the tent was set up, and the mood at that time was really not easy to describe. Without heating equipment, everyone huddled together and warmed each other up all night..."

Fang Zongqing, a squad leader who had just turned 24, enlisted in the army from the Altay region of Xinjiang. He felt that he had a great sense of honor in defending this highest outpost at the highest altitude, "the more bitter the place, the more it can sharpen the will of man." The deep affection for the company also allowed him to stay firmly in the face of the choice of walking and staying. An experience of going out to fetch ice and water made him remember deeply: "We went out to fight ice in one car, and the result was that the car broke down, we were trapped in the cold wind for more than 3 hours, and we relied on a pack of squeezed vegetables, you insisted on one by one, I insisted, until the company commander brought someone to rescue us back..."

Because it is stationed at a high altitude area where "there is not enough oxygen to eat and wears cotton jackets all year round", the border defense company of Hewei Beach needs to be heated all year round. Ma Lei, 22, joined the army from Yinchuan, Ningxia in September 2018. He recalled that before coming to Hewei Beach, just by listening to the name, he thought it should be a place with water and trees. "After coming, the reality is very contrasting, even greatly unexpected." He now had to get up every night to add fire to the boiler 3 times, and each time he brought coal into the boiler room with a cart would still make him breathless, but he was willing. "To be a soldier is to be able to afford this hardship, and if I have the opportunity to transfer to a non-commissioned officer, I will definitely stay."

Wei Wu, who joined the army from Dunhuang, Gansu Province, in December 2011, is now the third squad leader and company oiler. He said that there was no mobile phone signal when the sentry was built, and the company had to send a car to the Sweetwater Marine Station more than 100 kilometers away every 10 days to pull vegetables back, so the company arranged for everyone to take turns to pull vegetables. "There, you can talk to your family on the phone, and that's when everyone is happiest. However, everyone is limited to reporting safety to their families, and they will not say too much about the hardships of the conditions of the company, because they are afraid that their families will be worried. ”

In the cooking class, we met Corporal and Cooker Zhu Zebin. The long-term presence on the wind and snow plateau has left a deep mark on him: his face is black and purple, his lips are chapped, and his nails are sunken. Although he talked early and slept late, he always felt very happy.

The interview began with a dinner prepared by Zhu Zebin. The drinking water was urgent, so we first followed him to the glacier in front of the company to fight the ice. Zhu Zebin walked to the middle of the river, held up a long steel braze and struggled to chisel it for half an hour, before the surface of the pool was smashed open into an ice cave. Then he inserted the water pipe into the ice cave and started the motor to pump the water, and he was exhausted and panting.

Back in the canteen, Zhu Zebin washed vegetables with water floating with ice ballast while chatting about his experience as a soldier. He enlisted in the army from Changsha, Hunan Province, in September 2014. There are no people here for hundreds of miles, and the wind above level 8 blows for more than 120 days a year, and even in the middle of summer, there are often wind, frost, snow, rain and hail. When he first went to the plateau, he tightened his head with a backpack strap, and after more than a month, he gradually adapted to the environment.

"I said that I adapted, and later I learned that our heart and lungs had enlarged." Zhu Zebin said that the comrades-in-arms of the company have a heavy task and a large physical consumption, so it is the responsibility and mission of the cooks to let them eat enough and eat well.

It was getting late, and we could clearly hear our own heartbeat, and we couldn't stand up and sat down. Zhu Zebin was busy chopping chicken nuggets and preparing to braise them. "The river tail beach has a high altitude and low air pressure, and cooking must use a fuel oil stove and a pressure cooker. Braised chicken nuggets are cooked quickly in the pot, and here they are simmered in a pressure cooker for at least 40 minutes. It takes two hours to make a meal, and I stand sore. Zhu Zebin said. One day in July last year, Zhu Zebin suddenly sat on the ground when serving food at noon, and his heart was as uncomfortable as hanging a stone. Upon examination, he was diagnosed with cardiac apical regurgitation and severe varicose veins ...

Zhou Jianjian was born in 1988, and soon after taking up his post at the Border Defense Company of Hewei Beach, he caused a high-altitude pulmonary edema due to a cold, and was urgently sent to avoid the danger to his life. The experience of the test of life and death still vividly remembers: "I was stationed with the soldiers in the outpost, and at first I did not take the illness seriously, and in the middle of the night, my chest hurt badly, and my heart rate reached 160 at one point." The warriors stood by my side all night. I thought about it a lot that night, and even thought about what I would do if I couldn't see the sun tomorrow. In fact, I had thought about leaving the plateau before, but after that life-and-death test, I was determined that I would stay and fight with these lovely warriors. ”

Nowadays, when it comes to these young soldiers, Zhou Jianjian still has a lot of feelings: "Every time the company opens a meal, I always have to be the last to go to the rice, and I am relieved to see the soldiers putting the rice into the bowl." Because in the highlands, everyone has no appetite. Only by urging them to eat more can they maintain a strong physique and truly guard against it! ”

The Spring Festival of the Year of the Tiger in the Lunar Calendar is approaching, and the material support of the Border Defense Company at Hewei Beach is sufficient. On the side of the dormitory building, several soldiers happily brought the wrapped dumplings outside for quick-freezing preservation. "Hewei Beach is cold all year round, and although the harsh environment has brought many inconveniences to the lives of officers and men, it has not affected the good mood of officers and men in the slightest to welcome the New Year." Platoon leader He Hancang told us that in addition to frozen dumplings, there are also frozen tangyuan and frozen chicken nuggets, which are the favorite of the soldiers for the Spring Festival. As the Spring Festival approached, the morale of the officers and men defending the country was high. That upright military posture and firm steps tell the loyalty of officers and men to the party and the blessings of the mother of the motherland! (■Wang Ning)

(Jiefangjun Daily)