Camp 1 is below the snow line, which is actually a platform with an area of about 500 square meters on the mountainside. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info

Not a campsite for climbers, but a military camp.

It is said to be a camp, but in fact there is nothing, but the ground is leveled, which allows helicopters to take off and land, mainly to provide a temporary place for border officers and soldiers to go up and down the mountain.

It took a lot of effort for the helicopter to fly onto the platform.

Three helicopters did not stop and flew away immediately after dropping off the personnel.

From here, you can only walk on foot.

At this time, Wang Dong understood why he couldn't take the "blood and tears trail".

Camp 1 is northwest of the Kargil Pass, and you have to climb the peak in front of you, while the better "Trail of Bloody Tears" bypasses the peak from the south.

To the south is the Indian-controlled area.

At Camp 1, it is clear that the Indian army has built outposts on the hillside facing the side of the "Trail of Blood and Tears", and there are many positions that look like machine-gun forts.

Because the terrain of the Indian army post is slightly higher, it can effectively suppress the "blood and tears trail".

On the other hand, on the side of Pakistan-controlled areas, there are no such ideal conditions.

The distance is less than two kilometers, let alone snipers, and only a few heavy machine guns need to be deployed to block the "blood and tears trail", so that the Pakistani army has no return.

The "Martyrs' Trail" is on the other side of the mountain, avoiding the Indian army outpost.

It's just that the conditions are extremely harsh.

According to Musharraf, during the artillery battle of the Kargil Pass that year, because the "blood and tears trail" was blocked by the Indian army, in order to transport ammunition and affairs to the outpost on the mountain, the engineers disregarded their personal safety and took great risks to open up this trail, and more than a dozen officers and soldiers were martyred for the country.

After the artillery battle, the Pakistani military built a martyr's cemetery here.

Hence the name "Martyr's Trail".

Compared with the "Blood and Tears Trail", the "Martyrs' Trail" has to climb over three passes, the slope is extremely steep, and the difference in the road surface is also larger.

Among them, the pass, which is called the "mouth of the storm" by the Pakistani army, has an altitude of 5,100 meters above sea level, exceeding the snow line.

Even in the middle of summer, the snow at the "storm's mouth" does not melt.

Compared to snow, the constant winds are the real threat.

The problem of turning over is not very big, but due to physical limitations, the weight must be controlled within 20 kilograms, and special forces are no exception.

If you bring too many things, even if you climb up, you will get tired and lie down.

In peacetime, to be precise, when there was no conflict, the Pakistani army used the "Blood and Tears Trail" to deliver supplies to the outposts on the mountains.

Suffice it to say, no one wants to risk the Martyrs' Trail.

It is precisely because of this that the Indian army has never been clear about the specific situation of the "Martyrs' Trail", only that there is a road up the mountain here.

In fact, in Camp No. 1, Wang Dong clearly realized how small human beings are in front of nature.

The Indian army's outpost was on the opposite hillside, and it seemed to be within reach, but it was more than 2,000 meters away, and no one could cross this moat.

The Pakistani army could not fight it, and the Indian army could not fight either.

Separated by a valley thousands of meters deep, all the officers and men on both sides can do is to fire their guns coldly, create some trouble for the other side, or show their own existence.

After some preparation, the team set off.

According to Musharraf's request, Wang Dong and others kept their loads within 20 kilograms, and the main reduction was ammunition and rations.

The outpost had all ammunition depots stockpiled with enough ammunition in stock.

As for the food, it can be kept here for years.

All of the unloaded ammunition was left in Camp 1 in a depression and then pressed against rocks and swept away by the wind.

The Indian army can't get over, so there is no need to worry about the ammunition and materials being stolen by the enemy.

Because they had to reach Camp 2 at an altitude of 4,500 meters before dark, the team was moving at a high speed.

From Musharraf, Wang Dong learned that because he had to cross the "storm pass" and other passes, it would take a whole day to reach the outpost from Camp 2.

If you can't get to Camp 2 before dark, you'll have to wait another day.

In fact, this is also one of the reasons why the Pakistani army does not take the "martyr's trail" in peacetime, because it only takes half a day to walk the "blood and tears trail".

It's already afternoon, and there are still four hours left until dark.

In the evening, Wang Dong and the others successfully arrived at Camp No. 2.

It is still a platform on the mountainside, but it is even more cramped, with an area of about 100 square meters, which can accommodate the officers and soldiers of a company at most.

Along the way, Wang Dong found that the so-called "trail" did not exist at all.

No one would have thought there was a mountain road without the signposts left by the Pakistani engineers and the steps carved out of the rocks.

With such harsh conditions and so harsh conditions, what's the point of building this road?

Could it be that the outpost on the hill has great strategic value?

We had to go on our way tomorrow, so after dinner, we went to rest.

The Pakistani special forces led by Major Hussein are very disciplined and experienced, and must have come here regularly to carry out missions.

The first principle of mountain warfare is to conserve physical strength.

Don't say that doing meaningless things, even if it's talking, it will be a waste of energy.

Perhaps, this is the reason why Major Hussein is taciturn, and Musharraf is usually not very talkative.

Fortunately, most of the operatives brought by Wang Dong are from the Pakistani special forces, and Xie Chuyue and others are elite special forces in China.

If before that, Hussein still had doubts about Wang Dong's ability.

Having walked all the way during the day, at least he no longer worried about the physical strength of Wang Dong and the others.

In the middle of the night, a loud noise woke Wang Dong from his sleep.

At first, he thought he was dreaming.

It's just that seeing that all the people around him woke up, Wang Dong immediately realized that he was not dreaming.

"Don't panic, everyone stays where they are."

"What's going on?" Wang Dong asked Musharraf, who had already gotten up.

"I don't know, maybe it's an avalanche."

Avalanche?

Wang Dong was secretly surprised, it is early summer, the temperature is warmer, and the hot air flow from the Indian Ocean is heading north, which is the period of high avalanche.

In fact, this is also the key reason why the border guards on both sides like to do things in the middle of summer.

In a little more than a month, after the snow melts, the probability of avalanches will be greatly reduced, and it will be easier to transport supplies to the mountains.

Half an hour later, two special forces ran back.

Musharraf was right, an avalanche ahead, the trail was blocked, and there was a high probability of a landslide and other geological disasters.

Even if there is no geological disaster, it will not be possible to get to the outpost in a day.

If you want to spend the night in the mountains, especially stop before turning over the "storm mouth", I am afraid that no one will make it to the outpost on the mountain alive.

Quite simply, in the vicinity of the "storm mouth", the temperature at night will drop to minus 30 degrees Celsius, and the cold suits of the Pakistani special forces will lose their warmth when the temperature is below minus 20 degrees Celsius, and in addition, when you get to the mountains, do not expect to raise a fire to keep warm.