"I will also carry the steel gun and defend the country like you..." Read the letter from afar again, and Chen Tongjie, a private soldier of the second company of a brigade of the 77th Group Army, could not help recalling the swan geese who passed the letter thousands of miles apart these days.

In early spring, the plateau is still cold. The brigade's field training site is a scene of intense military training. During the training break that day, Liu Cheng, the officer of the Security Section of the brigade, came over with a cardboard box and said to the officers and soldiers, "This is a gift from thousands of miles away." He looked forward to it, opened it and found a whole box of letters. To count 455 letters, the recipient was "the most lovely person in the plateau" and signed as "Xianyang Qidi Middle School".

Not long ago, Qidi Middle School in Xianyang City, Shaanxi Province showed the pictures and short videos of the brigade officers and soldiers climbing on ice and lying on snow on the campus, which deeply affected the teachers and students of the school. On the campus network, students left a message: "Seeing the appearance of brother Bing's hard training, we better understand why the years are quiet. We must study hard and make progress every day. When we grow up, we will go to the military camp to make contributions."

Touch, let education go deeper. Tus Middle School seized the opportunity to organize and carry out the "Feeling for Border Guard Officers and Soldiers" consolation activity. Many students, with their love for soldiers and yearning for the military camp, wrote down warm words and touching feelings. The Xianyang Double Support Association sent these letters to several border defense forces, some of which were sent to the brigade's training officers and soldiers.

"The cold moon above the border, guard the lights of thousands of families, and salute the most lovely people" "You look the most handsome when climbing on ice and lying on snow and practicing your skills to kill the enemy, which is the most beautiful scenery in our hearts"... Read the sincere and enthusiastic letters, and looked at the fiery training scenes outlined on the stationery with watercolor pens, the flying five-star red flag, and so on, the officers and soldiers were inexpressibly moved.

"Transform the students' understanding, support and encouragement into the motivation of military training." Immediately, the brigade organized officers and soldiers to discuss and exchange with the theme of "Please rest assured, I will be in the military camp for meritorious service", and proposed that everyone should write back to the students of Enlightenment Middle School thousands of miles away in class or in personal name, and tell them the most beautiful defense stories.

When he wrote that day, Chen Tongjie felt that he had a lot to say. In September 2022, he graduated from college and enlisted in the army. In September last year, he signed up to select and change the sergeant in advance, but failed to achieve his wish because he failed the professional examination. Although a man is indomitable and a little setback is nothing, it really made him depressed for a long time.

"The letters from the students, like a warm sunshine, dispelled my inner loss and let me understand the meaning of perseverance." Chen Tongjie secretly resolved to continue to work hard and train hard to become the leader. He wrote: "Thank you, this is the best gift I have received. My comrades in arms and I will work hard to build military camps and defend national defense!"

A thousand miles away, heart to heart. Before long, Tus Middle School received more than 100 replies from the brigade and organized a class meeting on the theme of "pay tribute to the officers and soldiers on the plateau and foster family and national feelings" in time.

"We are responsible for protecting our family and protecting our country, and you are responsible for studying hard." The author saw on the blackboard in Class 1, Grade 8 that continuous snow mountains and hard trained officers and soldiers were painted with chalk. Under the auspices of the head teacher Bai Jingjing, the students read the letters from the officers and soldiers on the plateau with deep feelings, accompanied by the melody of the song "Clear Love, Only for China". During the discussion, everyone actively communicated. Yu Guo, a student, said excitedly, "Reading these letters, I seem to feel that I am communicating with my brother soldiers face to face. Through their words, I have a deeper understanding of 'clear love, only for China'."

"The words are like face to face, sharing the national conditions of the calligraphers." Han Lei, director of the Student Growth Center of Tus Middle School, said that by carrying out national defense education activities with border guards and soldiers, students' patriotic feelings and love for the army were not only cultivated, but also let them understand the significance of strengthening national defense. In the next step, the school will establish normal contact with the brigade, continue to carry out joint construction and education activities, and constantly expand the new front of national defense education.

Above: The officers and soldiers use the break time to reply to the students of Enlightenment Middle School. Photographed by Zhang Mingzhi and Yang