Chapter 2: Patrolling the Boundary Line

"This morning, as soon as the study was finished, the stationmaster sent Guo Yufeng, the platoon commander, to take five people to patrol the border, and I was among them. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 infoWe were ready, fully armed, lined up on the basketball court, and under the leadership of Platoon Commander Guo, we drove south along the path from the east slope of Tieqiu, bypassing the north corner of Gangguan Mountain, and came to our side of the Sino-Soviet border. In front of you is a twenty or thirty kilometers open Gobi Desert, and you can even clearly see the Alahu Lake located in the territory of the Soviet Union.

Platoon Commander Guo pointed to the No. 38 to No. 39 boundary points on the Soviet side of the Tierekti River, a few hundred meters away, and said to our two recruits, "The Soviet border line was originally at the other end of the Great Gobi Desert, a few dozen miles away, but after the 60s, the Soviet troops began to frequently approach and enter our borders, and even built improvised fortifications in the disputed areas. Subsequently, sections 38, 39 and 40 were established as the boundary lines between the parties.

After a while, we followed the patrol route to a large rock. This stone is 1.5 meters high, two meters long, and more than one meter wide. The weathering of the years and the erosion of wind and rain have made it smooth and smooth, as if it had been carved by an artist.

Platoon Commander Guo pointed to a gap in the north of the Nameless Heights and said to us, "This is the Independence Stone that was moved to this side by the Soviet Army from the west side of the Nameless Heights." 'Ah, that's the freestanding stone. I looked at it closely. It is like a weathered old man, silently telling the history of Cangsang, telling about the wantliness and scoundrels of the Soviet army, and telling about the humiliation and resentment of our border guards. Originally, it stood on the border line that had been demarcated between China and the Soviet Union, but now it was moved here by the domineering Soviets. As a result of its movement, the original Sino-Soviet border line was also advanced 2 kilometers to the east and 10 kilometers to the north and south. As a result, our country has lost a large area of land, and the nameless highlands have become disputed areas.

It was precisely because this freestanding stone was moved by the Soviet troops that the military district sent us here. I know very well that we have come to defend this stone of independence and to defend the territory and dignity of the motherland from being violated. However, such a large stone weighs at least one or two dozen tons, and it is not an easy task for the Soviet army to move it from the high ground to the bottom of this slope, which shows that the Soviets have put a lot of effort into it. It would not be easy for us to move this big rock to its original position on the mountain now. Moreover, forward posts of Soviet troops have already been set up there. With the forward posts of the Soviet troops, we could no longer go along the route of our original patrol, because then it would be easy to enter into a military clash with the Soviet troops.

It is said that from the time of Tsarist Russia to the Soviet Union, its country had an annual 'territorial revenue'. This kind of 'income' is of various kinds: first, it pushes a certain ridge or river on the territory of our country that Tsarist Russia imposed on us, with a certain ridge or river as the boundary; The second is to use the army and helicopters to shoot and drive away our herdsmen and sheep in the loose areas of the plains every year; The third is to privately set up boundary markers on the border. In the past, they have encroached on more than 1.5 million square kilometres of our country, an area equivalent to six Great Britain, three French and twelve Czech Republics. However, after the founding of New China, they can no longer continue to brazenly occupy China's territory as they did in the past, but they have adopted a sneaky way to change the border line, or they have continued to encroach on China's territory by forcibly occupying or restricting the entry and exit of local peasants by armed men. After coming to the border station, we often heard about the fact that Soviet Russia had committed crimes against our territory, and we soldiers were already filled with righteous indignation. In the past, we couldn't help it, and now we also have a strong People's Liberation Army, why should we endure this humiliation?

Therefore, I said to Platoon Commander Guo impassionedly, "As soldiers of the motherland, it is our sacred duty to defend the territory. Seeing that the Independence Stone was moved by the Soviet army and our territory was occupied by the Soviet army, why didn't we go-for-tat and fight for an inch to take it back from the hands of the Soviet army? ’

Platoon Commander Guo thought for a moment and said, 'The head of the military region has known about this matter for a long time, otherwise, how could he send so many of you here?' I think the head of the military district will definitely think about it. ’

Leaving Independence Stone, we walked all the way forward. Platoon Commander Guo continued to tell us the history of the Tielekti border, saying that in the past, this was a peaceful border between China and the Soviet Union, and there were no patrols or checkpoints on both sides, and there was no armed conflict. The border line is almost close to the side of the mountains on the Soviet side, that is to say on the other side of the Gobi Desert. That was the border line that the Russians drew in the thirties at that time. However, by the sixties, Sino-Soviet relations had broken down, and the border had become unstable. Because there was a Soviet railway line here, in order to protect the railway, the Soviet army began to set up posts here, and set up posts on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control between China and the Soviet Union. As a result, the Sino-Soviet border line suddenly expanded several hundred meters to the east, and one-third of the Gobi Plain, which was twenty or thirty kilometers in front of him, was drawn on the Soviet side. Since then, our country has also begun to set up the Tielekti border station here to guard the border line from being occupied by the Soviet army. In 66, the Soviet army pushed the Sino-Soviet border line eastward to the middle of the Gobi Desert, and only a year later, that is, in 67, the Soviet army again advanced the border line to the east by several hundred meters, and included two-thirds of the Gobi Desert area into the territory of the Soviet Union, and used this as the boundary line, and drew a median line between the Gobi border on the Chinese side to determine the boundary line between the two sides. This line in turn included Chinese territory several hundred meters wide into the territory of the Soviet Union. This is also a relatively clear border line between China and the Soviet Union in recent years, and it is a straight line that is ploughed out by the armed soldiers of China and the Soviet Union standing on the border of their own countries with Dongfanghong tractors. This line is our plough this year, and they plow next year. After that, we built a metre-high pile of rocks every kilometre and poured lime water on them. Boundary points 38, 39 and 40 are the landmarks on this boundary line. However, after May 2, 69, the Soviet army squeezed the Chinese border on the east side of the Gobi Desert and under the slopes of the hilly and rocky mountains by secretly moving boundary pillars and changing the boundary line, so that the No. 38 boundary point on the side of the Tierekti River, the No. 39 boundary point only a few hundred meters away from Alahu Lake, and the No. 40 boundary point only a few dozen meters away from the Soviet railway line were all included in the territory of the Soviet Union. A month ago, our patrol detachment was on our side of the border line in the Gobi Plain, but now we can only walk on the slopes under the hills and rocky mountains. Moreover, they have set up observation posts and improvised fortifications on the hillside heights in the disputed area, and have dug up many bunkers and tunnels in some of the dangerous places through which our patrol detachments have passed. In order to maintain the stability of the border, our patrols can only patrol the border that has been altered.

In the past, in the course of political study, we often heard that Soviet Russia had invaded and occupied more or less of our country's territory, and we were so angry that we gritted our teeth, but now we are so angry that our country's territory is being invaded and occupied by others one by one. I can't figure it out, we have 700 million people and 700 million soldiers, and we have millions of troops armed with the invincible Chairman Mao thought, why can we endure this breath and endure this humiliation?

At this time, the sun has risen, the wind is light and cool, and the sky is clear. Looking at the mountain from here, the mountain is bare and barren. In front of me, the open and flat Gobi Desert occupied by the Soviets looks particularly desolate and cold, bleak and gloomy, and the beautiful Alahu Lake also seems to be secretly weeping, gloomy and sad, looking forward to returning to the embrace of the motherland with attached eyes. But when will they truly return to the arms of their motherland?

But I also know that although my country has taken advantage of Zhenbao Island, it has suffered greatly in many places. I heard that the Soviet army has deployed more than 1.5 million troops on the Chinese border, with more than 14,300 tanks and more than 4,200 aircraft. I also heard that the Soviet tank army would drive from the Mongolian steppe to blitzkrieg Beijing under the cover of aircraft, and it would take three days to capture Beijing. And although the number of our army is quite large, the weapons are too far behind others. Our troops were almost all infantry, and most of our weapons were squad light machine guns, submachine guns, and semi-automatic rifles. Since the whole country is engaged in a special period, three armies and two armies, and political commandery, the military is basically still at the level of amateur training, not to mention anything else, let's just say that I am from a cavalry battalion, I have been in the army for half a year, and I have never ridden a horse until now. If you really start a fight with others, it is reasonable to fight guerrilla warfare, but if you really fight a positional war with others, you will definitely suffer a big loss. Moreover, it was heard that Beijing, a number of large cities in the Northeast, North China and Northwest were being evacuated for war in preparation for the Soviet attack.

We followed the newly established patrol route through a stretch of slope until we reached the side of our Line of Actual Control near Boundary Point 40. Here you can see not only the Soviet railway line a few dozen meters away, but also two Soviet outposts standing right in front of our eyes, almost close to our border line. At this time, Platoon Commander Guo asked us to prepare for battle, because our patrols were often blocked by Soviet troops here. So, we loaded our bullets, turned off the safe, and walked vigilantly along our patrol line.

Sure enough, before we could get to the front of the Soviet outpost, we saw more than a dozen Soviet soldiers, wearing big caps, led by a commander, suddenly pouring out of the outpost, standing in a row on the way we were going to pass, shouting at us, not allowing us to pass. The patrol line is relatively wide, and you can pass a truck, which can make them stop for a dozen or so people, and they are strictly blocked.

Platoon Commander Guo said to everyone, 'Chairman Mao taught us that we are not afraid of hardship, and we are not afraid of death. Make up your mind, not be afraid of sacrifice, overcome all difficulties, and strive for victory. Comrades, rush over. This was the first time I had seen a Soviet soldier, but I didn't feel scared at all, and followed Platoon Commander Guo to meet the Soviet soldier.

When the Soviet soldiers saw that we were going to force our way through, they ran into us with their shoulders. We collided with them. They took advantage of the outnumbered numbers and scattered the five of us, and then two of us were caught in the middle of each of us. Standing in front of me were two large Soviet soldiers, armed with AK-47 automatic rifles. They were older than me, and they approached me with a provocative look, trying to push me back. Don't look at them as two against me, I'm not afraid of them at all. I acted like I wasn't afraid of death, bumped them in the shoulder, pushed them in the ribs of my arm, and even stabbed them with the butt of my gun. After a while, a Soviet soldier smashed the butt of his rifle on my nose, and my nose hurt so badly that blood flowed immediately. I got frustrated, picked up the butt of my rifle and smashed it into the head of the big Soviet soldier who had hit me. When he saw that I was going to fight hard, he was so frightened that he hurriedly ducked backwards. I saw that he was dodging, so I threw the butt of my rifle at another Soviet soldier. When the man saw that I was like crazy, he hurried backwards. So, I really went crazy and smashed the Soviets when I saw them. As a result, their people quickly dispersed. Platoon Commander Guo took the opportunity to wave his hand and shouted, 'Rush over'. So, the five of us took advantage of the situation and quickly passed through the road. When the Soviets saw us passing by the road, they didn't chase after us, but just stood there and stared at us.

As we continued to walk towards the southern border, when the Soviets did not come after us, a veteran soldier named Zhang Jili wiped the blood from my nose and face with gauze and helped me stop it. Platoon Commander Guo said to us, 'The Soviets were afraid that we would sabotage their railway line, and they did everything possible to stop us from patrolling through the railway line. However, this is our border, and if they stop us in this way, we will not dare to pass through it, and in time they will say that this is their place, and they will never let us patrol and pass through it again. ’

I said angrily, 'If they want to invade our territory in this way, we will not agree to it even if we spill our blood and bones.' A soldier named Jing Changxiong, who was on patrol with me, also said, "That is, if they want to invade our territory, it depends on whether I agree to this gun or not." ’

We walked to a small hill and arrived at the turnaround point of the patrol and began to walk back. The sun was overhead, and the temperature was noticeably warmer. The sun shines on the sand and gravel on the ground, and the sand and gravel are hot. In fact, it is not very hot, and by two or three o'clock in the afternoon, the stones and gravel on the ground will be hot from the sun, as if you are in a steamer.

On the way back, I thought the Soviets were going to trouble us again, but when we passed the road in front of their post, no one came out. So, we swaggered and walked past their outposts. However, when we walked to the front of the nameless heights, we saw a Soviet soldier wearing a big cap coming out of the Soviet outpost, standing in front of the outpost looking at us with a triumphant look, and even stretched his waist to us. However, I could not shoot without orders from my superiors.

"When I returned to the camp, my comrades praised me like a hero when they heard that I had successfully passed the patrol line because I had fought so hard with the Soviet soldiers that they had frightened the Soviet soldiers. The webmaster also praised me. I made a request to the station manager and said, 'I'm going back on my next patrol.'" But the stationmaster just smiled and said, 'The enemy has done this today, which means that they are about to make a new move.' We have to find a way to understand the enemy's movements. ’

The next day, the station commander sent Gao Chunlin, a platoon commander, to take a squad of soldiers to patrol. Because yesterday's incident in which the Soviet troops prevented our patrol group from passing through the patrol line normally, everyone is worried about what will happen today. Under normal circumstances, it usually takes more than two hours for the patrol detachment to go out for patrol, but this time, the senior platoon commander and his team went out for nearly three and a half hours before returning. I heard from the soldiers who came back from the patrol that this time, when the Soviets saw that we had a squad of people coming, they rode over to stop us. Riding on horses high on the Don River, with automatic rifles on their shoulders and cavalry knives in their hands, they stood in a long row and waved their bayonets at us condescendingly, not allowing us to come closer. But our fighters also loaded their bayonets, stabbed their sabers with their spears, tangled with them, and finally broke through their defenses and successfully carried out border patrols. But unfortunately, two of our fighters were wounded, one of whom had a mark on his face with a saber from the Soviets, and was seriously wounded. Another person had his hand cut by a Soviet saber and was slightly injured. The more seriously wounded soldier had been taken to the Tacheng Military Sub-district Hospital on horseback.

In order to prevent the fighters from being injured and to carry out the patrol smoothly, the leaders of the station held a long meeting that night. On patrol the next day, we saw platoon commander Li Yongqiang leading 10 heavily armed personnel out of the border station on horseback. However, they did not use sabers. Because our fighters are also not very good at using sabers. Because two soldiers were injured during the patrol yesterday, the leaders were quite worried, so they were still on the high ground of our front and observed the patrol through binoculars. However, this time, the Soviets did not send a cavalry team to stop our patrol, but sent a military vehicle to block our cavalry. Soviet soldiers stood on military vehicles at our cavalry, waving guns and bayonets. In the end, our patrol had no choice, so we dismounted and led the horse past the side of the road, so that we were not stumped by the Soviet troops.

The Soviets used military vehicles, putting our cavalry at a disadvantage, and if we continued to patrol on horseback like this, it was obvious that we would suffer. Therefore, the leader of the border station made a report to the Tacheng Military Sub-district and requested that a military vehicle be sent to come to support, and then sent platoon commander Li Guozhen to lead a squad of soldiers to patrol along the border line in military vehicles. The Soviets did not expect that our army would send military vehicles for patrols and were not prepared. Because the patrol route itself is narrow, it is not suitable for vehicles. But the driver of our army's military car was highly skilled, and he drove the car in front of the Soviet outpost. The Soviet cavalry tried to block it, but our driver drove forward on a rampage, which frightened the Soviet cavalry to dodge, so the patrol was a complete success.

A few days later, when we were again patrolling in military vehicles, we found that the Soviets had brought in a bulldozer and dug two one-meter-wide pits on the road through which our patrol vehicles were going to pass. And the bulldozer was right in front of us, and the Soviet soldiers, with their guns, got carried away and looked at us, shouting and laughing. We had no choice but to turn the military vehicle around and drive back.

Since then, patrols have suspended patrols on that stretch of the line to avoid clashes and casualties. “