Strong Army Journey | The Fourth Company of a Frontier Defense Brigade of the Northern Theater Army: "Hero Tree" Standing in the Northern Xinjiang

Officers and soldiers on duty swear. (The picture is provided by the fourth company of a border defense brigade of the northern theater army)

The fourth company of a frontier defense brigade of the Northern Warfare Zone Army is stationed in the northern border of the motherland and the Alshan port area of Inner Mongolia——

This is an extremely cold area, covered with ice and snow for more than 6 months throughout the year, with a minimum temperature of - 52 ℃ and a maximum wind force of 11. Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica, called "hero tree" by herdsmen, is the only green plant in the cold winter here.

Here is the key point of the frontier fortress. The Sanjiaoshan outpost under the jurisdiction of the company is known as "the first outpost of the eight thousand mile frontier defense".

This is where the commander is concerned. On January 26, 2014, Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, President of the People's Republic of China, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, braved the freezing cold of more than - 30 degrees Celsius, came to the company against the wind and snow, boarded the border guard post and stood guard with the officers and soldiers, went deep into the platoon dormitory to ask for warmth, encouraged officers and soldiers to study and implement the goal of building a strong military, and vowed to take root in border defense, guard border defense Contribute to border defense. A year later, he wrote back to the officers and men of the company, encouraging them to make efforts to strengthen the overall construction of the company, promote the goal of building a strong military in the company and take root in the border defense, and make new contributions to building a safe and stable barrier in the northern part of the motherland.

Cold border hot blood. The officers and soldiers of the fourth company remember President Xi's entrustment to take defending the country and its borders as a matter of utmost importance. Defending the land will not lose an inch of land. Defending the country will not lose a cent of dignity. They stand like "hero trees" in the snowy north of Xinjiang.

Melt ice and snow in northern Xinjiang with youth

At the end of 2021, Ma Yuchao, the instructor of the company, told the recruits about the example of "not bowing down in front of bitter words, not shaking their heads in front of difficult words, and not turning back in front of dangerous words". Xiang Heng, a private soldier who had just come down from the company, was not impressed. However, he soon realized that "pain is really bitter, difficulty is really difficult, and danger is really dangerous".

The next day, the outdoor temperature was - 40 ℃. Xiang Heng's face was frostbitten because he forgot to wear a cold mask. Before long, the first patrol by horse, the war horse stepped into the snow hole and Xiang Heng almost fell into it with his horse. For a long time, he still had lingering fears.

In the vast snow sea that is almost isolated from the rest of the world, he is accompanied by snow and white wind all day long. With endless snow huts and endless posts, this private soldier is deeply confused and plays a retreat drum.

On that day, the company organized officers and soldiers to revisit President Xi's inspection route, review President Xi's speech, and reread President Xi's reply. Xiang Heng was very excited when he walked on the patrol road, singing the Lian Song of "The President Comes to Me". Next to a boundary stone, Xiang Heng took the pen handed by the squad leader, painted the word "China" red with each stroke, and then saluted to the boundary stone. At that moment, he was deeply shocked. "That was the first time since I was so old that I felt I was connected with my motherland and military duties."

"From that day on, my mind has been full of the motherland and boundary markers, and I can't get rid of them." Xiang Heng is determined to take root in the Triangle Mountain and become a real border guard. From that day on, in the tactical training, if someone else climbs once, he will come twice; if he lurks in the snowy night, he will rush on without complaining about pain or fatigue.

Like Xiang Heng, the officers and soldiers of the company shouted, "Our will is stronger than the wind, and our spirit is stronger than Blizzard." They stood guard and stood guard in the vast snow sea.

The Fourth Company paid attention to guiding officers and soldiers with Chairman Xi's earnest instructions of personally inspecting and replying to letters, and carried out practical activities with the theme of "learning from President Xi's speech, thinking about the responsibility of guarding the border, and being a defender of the northern frontier", encouraging everyone to take the faith of "guarding the border for the people, defending the motherland" and put the oath of "every inch of land, every inch of gold, every inch of heart, and persevering firmly and firmly" into action.

It is because the root is deeply rooted and the soul is firmly cast. Li Changyue, a recruit who ate at the same table with President Xi, was a college student. He applied twice to retain his student status and continue to serve in the army. He has been working for more than seven years. Now he is the chief of the company. Although he did not get a college diploma, he never regretted it. After Wu Jingwei, the soldier whom President Xi visited and received, was escorted to be promoted, he took the initiative to return to the company and was willing to guard the border with the wind and snow when the lights were shining.

Guard the peace of northern Xinjiang with excellent skills

There is no smoke of gunpowder at the border here, but the words "border is the battlefield, and sentry is the battle position" are firmly engraved in the minds of the officers and men of the Fourth Company.

"Eight lawbreakers are attacking the outpost, attempting to cross the border..." Late one night in March 2021, the company duty room suddenly sounded an alarm, and a border drill was immediately launched. The officers and soldiers of the whole company immediately went out, armed with guns and guns, rode on horses, and arrived at the designated area in a neat manner, 11 minutes ahead of schedule, which made the brigade leaders who watched the scene applaud. Behind the "moving like wind" is the company's insistence on standardized construction, combat oriented organization, and box organized loading. The officers and soldiers put their training clothes beside their pillows, put their combat shoes under their beds, and change their water bottles before going to bed all the year round to maintain the "always ready" combat readiness.

"Stand well for the motherland, set up sentries and guard the border" was President Xi's earnest request when inspecting the company. The officers and soldiers of the fourth company always keep in mind and practice their frontier defense skills. Once it was snowing heavily, the duty officer suggested changing the outdoor training to indoor training. Company commander Wang Yubo disagreed and insisted on organizing tactical training as planned. Some people did not understand, "Company commander, it is not war, and we are in a place almost isolated from the rest of the world. Is it necessary for you to be so strict and show it to anyone?" Wang Yubo told him, "Can you choose the weather for war? We are soldiers guarding the border, and training is needed for guarding the border, not for others."

Soldier Yang Qing wrote down the words of the company commander. In order to practice his sniping skills, he used hair to pierce needles, chopsticks to clip glass balls... In particular, the veteran said that it took more than two hours to pierce a hole with a needle on a grain of rice. Once, Yang Qing spent all day to pierce four holes on the same grain of rice until his eyes were swollen. In the end, Yang Qing, who was successful in every way, participated in the army competition and was rated as the "sniper gun king".

In view of the complex geographical environment of the border management section under the jurisdiction of the company, many lawbreakers often try to reach the border and cross the border. The officers and men of the fourth company pool their wisdom and innovate, and many new high-tech observation methods, such as video monitoring systems, border surveillance radars, infrared night vision devices, UAVs, have been settled in the company.

Where you can see, you are your opponent; where you can't see, you are worried. The officers and men of the Fourth Company have tightened the "string". Now, the jurisdiction under their jurisdiction has realized full visibility and seamless link, forming the ability to deal with emergencies in an all-weather and all-round way.

Help each other to create peace in northern Xinjiang

Arshan, the residence of the Fourth Company, is a residential area of 13 ethnic groups, including Mongolia, Hui and Xibo. President Xi expressed his expectations during the company inspection, hoping that everyone would earnestly implement the party's ethnic and religious policies, maintain military and civil unity and national unity, and contribute to promoting economic and social development, social harmony and stability in border areas. One after another, the officers and soldiers of the Fourth Company regarded the garrison as their hometown and the masses as their relatives, playing the frontier concerto of the army loving the people and the people supporting the army.

Once, a mountain fire broke out in the station. After receiving the help from the local government, the officers and soldiers rushed to the scene. In the face of the raging fire, the officers and soldiers lined up and rushed into the fire side by side, slapped with shovels and hit with branches, and fought hard for three hours to subdue the "fire devil". Many officers and soldiers have burnt eyebrows, scalded hands and scratched faces. When the officers and soldiers returned, the herdsmen along the way gave them thumbs up, and the resident government also sent the banner of "military and civilian work together to fight against the fire devil".

The rescue on the snowy night was the most widely praised by the residents. Late one night, Xu Zhongxiao, a herdsman, was in urgent need of medical treatment due to a sudden cerebral thrombosis, but it was snowing and freezing outside. In an emergency, the family members called the company for help. Soon, the whistle of the then company commander Bao Lin sounded, and all the officers and soldiers of the company took up shovels and headed for Xu Zhongxiao's home.

The night was too dark and the snow was too deep. The officers and soldiers took off their cotton coats, shook off their arms to dig and shovel snow in the freezing cold of minus 40 ℃, opened a "life passage" for the vehicles behind them, and saved the herdsmen. Xu Zhongxiao was finally saved.

The company also devotes itself to helping the residents out of poverty, signing poultry meat, eggs and vegetables purchase agreements with poor households, and contacting e-commerce platforms to help farmers and herdsmen sell agaric and mango. Nowadays, "finding four companies in difficulty" has become the mantra of the residents.

Those who care about a troop will sincerely support and support it. The resident people spontaneously became the "border informants" of the company. As soon as there was a disturbance on the border, the "border informants" immediately informed the company, and yurts became the frontier "outposts" for the company to manage and control the border. In recent years, the company has been praised as "Demonstration Unit of National Unity and Progress" and "Model Collective of National Unity and Progress" by the superior.

The ten thousand mile border is the barrier of a country. The officers and soldiers of the Fourth Company have faithfully supported the sacred mission of defending the country and guarding the border, and forged a safe and stable barrier at the border of the motherland with their blood. They always remember President Xi's entrustment, carry forward the glorious tradition of patriotic defense of the border, and let Xi Jinping's idea of building a strong military take root in the border.