The wild boar well is located in the hinterland of Honghaizi, about ten kilometers away from the camp, here was once a dense shrub, white fruit thorn, red willow, yellow hair firewood grow all over the world, in the middle of the shrubs, spread a thick layer of shallots, people are still five miles away, you can smell the wild fragrance of shallots. At that time, the wild boar relied on this treasure in the desert to eat vigorously and powerfully, and dominated this piece of shrub into its own world, and other animals did not dare to approach it at all. Time has passed, the shrub has become a pile of dry firewood, in the wind and sun, it has melted away with the years, and the wild boar is no longer there, leaving only such a nostalgic name.

When Luo Zhengxiong followed Xiaolin to the wild boar well, it was already three o'clock in the afternoon, the wind was blowing lightly, the clouds were drifting, and the desert showed a different style. Xiao Lin looked solemn, he didn't say much along the way, this is a young soldier who is easy to put things in his heart, he has been a scout for five years, and has made a lot of achievements, what Luo Zhengxiong appreciates the most is that he successfully intercepted the intelligence of the Kuomintang spies planning the Hotan rebellion in Hotan that year, and won time for Luo Zhengxiong's independent regiment. Luo Zhengxiong led the independent regiment and resolutely crossed the Takla Desert from the Zhihotan River in Awati County to Hotan. They walked through poplar forests, over dry lakes, into the vast sea of sand, and went through countless hardships, overcoming unimaginable difficulties and dangers, and stepping on a path of life on the rolling quicksand. When the troops reached Sirkule, 200 kilometers from Hotan, they again received information that the rebels were preparing to move ahead of schedule and wash Hotan with blood. Luo Zhengxiong changed his marching strategy, ordered the troops to concentrate on horseback, form a cavalry detachment, and gallop towards Hotan. Finally, he rushed to Hotan a day ahead of schedule and smashed the enemy's rebellion plot in one fell swoop. This move was later praised by Wang Zhen and ***, saying that they had created a human miracle.

Xiao Lin jumped off the camel, pointed to the sand nest not far away, and said, "It's right there." Luo Zhengxiong looked around vigilantly, the desert was quiet, nothing unusual. Walking over quickly, I found that there were indeed many footprints in the sand nest, and judging from the footprints, there were still people here two days ago!

The so-called sand nest is actually an abandoned nest, which has been around for some years, and should have been dug by hunters who entered the desert in the early days. Luo Zhengxiong bent down and walked in, and saw a pile of ashes. He picked up an unburned stick of firewood, looked at it carefully for a long time, and determined that the fire had been set off three days ago. Around the ashes, someone deliberately swept it with burrs. With a gentle pull of his hand, Luo Zhengxiong saw a pool of blood. There was nothing in the nest except for a bloody bandage and a naan the size of a palm.

"How did you find out?" Luo Zhengxiong turned around and asked Xiaolin. Xiao Lin was standing at the mouth of the nest, looking around vigilantly, and when he heard Luo Zhengxiong's question, he turned around and said, "I was brought by a wild boar." ”

"Wild boar?" There are still wild boars here, Luo Zhengxiong doesn't believe it.

"It's a big pig, and it looks like it's wounded in the leg."

"What about pigs?" Luo Zhengxiong was a little nervous.

"I ran towards the northern desert, and I didn't catch up."

This is a new situation, it reminds Luo Zhengxiong that he must be cautious, the attack power of wild boars is very strong, and if people are attacked by it, they are almost powerless to resist. Luo Zhengxiong came out of the nest, looked around carefully for a long time, and found no new suspicions, so he said to Xiaolin: "What do you think? ”

"I suspected that someone had been attacked by a wild boar, and after bandaging here, they ran north."

The north is a vast desert, and if you pass through the desert, you will reach the Sino-Mongolian border. Luo Zhengxiong calculated the time, if he walked from here, if he wanted to walk through the desert, it would take at least a month. For a month, if you don't die of exhaustion, you have to die of thirst.

Will the other party really choose this path?

Luo Zhengxiong shook his head gently, he believed that the other party would not be so crazy. So? Suddenly, a black shadow jumped out of Luo Zhengxiong's mind, which was the black shadow he saw that night in the camp. Will?

Luo Zhengxiong didn't dare to think about it, if this was the case, it would be terrible, and it might even become the number one joke in the world. He tried to drive this thought out, and calmly said to Xiao Lin: "Let's go back first, everything we see here, don't go back and tell anyone." ”

Back at the camp, it was already dark, Luo Zhengxiong suddenly changed his mind, got into the ground, quickly wrote a letter, and handed it to Xiao Lin: "You go out of the desert overnight and hand over this letter to the division commander." ”

"Yes!" Kobayashi saluted, and the shadow disappeared into the night.

The night is dry and sleepy, and people can't breathe in the ground, so they can only sit on the sand beams in twos and threes, longing for a cool breeze from God. Luo Zhengxiong sat in the dark night, his heart heavy. He didn't eat the night meal, he couldn't eat it, and the strange thoughts in the day jumped out again and again, which made his heart burn. If things turn out as he expected, the operation of the Second Special Regiment will have to be canceled, and this newly formed team must be disbanded. What a terrible thing this is, if it spreads, the entire corps will be discredited, Luo Zhengxiong can't help but sweat for himself and the division headquarters.

Political commissar Yu Hai came over and stood next to him lightly, and after a long time, Luo Zhengxiong moved and asked, "Something?" ”

Yu Hai sighed: "There is not much water, I am thinking about who to let go back to get water." ”

Luo Zhengxiong also thought about this question, and after the cooking class told him that the water was about to run out, he was considering candidates. It's a simple thing to do, and it seems like it's okay to send anyone, but that's often the case, and the simpler it is, the more laborious it is to decide. After all, water is the lifeblood of a man, and if something goes wrong with it, the consequences will be terrible.

"Are there any mature candidates?" Luo Zhengxiong asked Yu Hai.

"I want to let the fifth master of the camel and the soldiers of the third class go, of course, this is my personal opinion."

Luo Zhengxiong didn't say he agreed or disagreed, in fact, he also wanted to let the fifth master go. After all, he is familiar with the desert, and besides, Luo Zhengxiong wants to support the fifth master for a while. These days, the fifth master has complained a lot, and he has already lost his temper with several people.

"In this way, you discuss it with the deputy head of the regiment, this matter must be decided as soon as possible, and there can be no further delay."

The logistics support is in charge of Liu Wei, the deputy head of the regiment, and Luo Zhengxiong doesn't want to have the final say in everything. Yu Hai took the order and left, and Luo Zhengxiong was stunned again in the dark night. Just as he was about to turn around, he suddenly saw two black shadows walking towards Sha Liangzi. Luo Zhengxiong snorted: "Who?" The shouting alarmed the sentry, the sentry ran towards the black shadow with a gun, and for a long time, there was a sound of clattering footsteps on the sand, and with the light from the bonfire, Luo Zhengxiong saw clearly that it was Xiucai Wu Yipeng and the guide Ahargul who were summoned back by the sentry.

How did these two get together? Luo Zhengxiong just flashed this doubt in his heart, and listened to Xiucai say: "It's not allowed to take a walk at night, this discipline is too strict, right?" Ahargul didn't speak, a pair of dark eyes stared at Luo Zhengxiong, and she couldn't see any uneasiness.

"It's okay to walk, but not too far." Luo Zhengxiong said.

"We haven't gone far, regiment commander, I'm learning Uyghur from the Ahar girl, and learning Uyghur is also a task assigned to me by the division commander."

Luo Zhengxiong sighed. For this white-faced man from the division headquarters, Luo Zhengxiong gave special care in many places, for example, he was originally in the ruler group, and after running for two days, he shouted that he was tired and couldn't persevere, so Luo Zhengxiong transferred him to the life group, which was specifically responsible for getting water or materials for the comrades. After a few days, he didn't want to work in the life group anymore, saying that life was too boring, and he wanted to engage in propaganda and enrich the cultural life of this team. Luo Zhengxiong thought that this was good, he could not only give full play to the expertise of Xiucai, but also enliven the atmosphere in the group, so he asked him to set up a propaganda group and use his free time to compile some programs and perform them for everyone.

Xiucai hasn't made up a program so far, and now he said that he wanted to learn Uyghur language, Luo Zhengxiong couldn't help but sigh, he didn't understand why the division headquarters wanted to send such a man to the special second regiment.

Xiucai was still muttering, and Luo Zhengxiong waved his hand impatiently, motioning for the sentry to take them back. He regretted that he didn't add a sentence to the letter to the division commander and recalled this Xiucai.

Early the next morning, the guide camel Wuye and the two soldiers of the third class took the camel and went back to fetch water. Listening to the sound of camel bells gradually fading away, Luo Zhengxiong prayed in his heart, hoping that the water could be transported back on time.

At noon, another scout, Qi Shun, rode a fast horse and came to report, saying that a mysterious camel team had been found more than 30 kilometers away from the camp.

Caravans? Luo Zhengxiong was startled at first, and then he thought that Honghaizi was a famous post station on the ancient desert road in the past, and many camel riders had to stay here. Thinking so, he flew on his horse and said to Qi Shun: "Lead the way ahead, go and see." ”

Two fast horses crossed the desert, and in a short time they caught up with the caravan. It was a caravan that crossed the desert from north to south, with twenty-two camels in size and half of them carrying stuff on them. At first glance, it looks like an escape team that has lost its armor and rushed to the interior of the territory. Luo Zhengxiong drank his mount, jumped off his horse, gave a simple salute to the old man sitting on the camel, and then asked them in simple Uyghur where they came from and where they were going. Unexpectedly, the old man could not understand the Uyghur language, Qi Shun immediately communicated with them in Kazakh, only to learn that this was a camel team moving south, and on the head of the camel sat the head man Azbaiyi, who took a family of twelve people to the direction of Kuitun. "The grass in northern Xinjiang is drought, and people can't survive." The head man said in Kazakh.

Luo Zhengxiong stared at the camel team carefully for a while, there were women on the camel, there were children, and two old men who looked like people, and on the camel in the middle, there was a pregnant woman, who looked like she was about to give birth, and a felt coat wrapped most of her body, seeing Luo Zhengxiong looking at her, she hung her head shyly. The rest of the camels were full of felt quilts, as well as pots and pans and other daily necessities. It seems that this is really a moving camel. Due to the national policy, Luo Zhengxiong did not dare to take any measures, but rubbed with them with polite gestures and smiles for a while, and took the opportunity to carefully judge everyone on the camel, who was far from the target of his suspicion. Luo Zhengxiong glanced at Qi Shun and exchanged views with him, Qi Shun was also vigilant, but obviously, this camel team made people suspect nothing. The two of them looked at it again from beginning to end, and were sure that there was nothing unusual, so they waved their hands and said goodbye to the caravan.

It seems to be a false alarm, it seems that it is not, in short, the two people are strange in their hearts, they feel that they have caught something, and they stretch out their hands, but they are empty. With a layer of unfinished regret, the two rode on horseback and walked on the sand, without talking or asking each other, both wondering, will this camel team hide something?

After walking for less than half an hour, the two horses stopped almost at the same time, and the two pairs of eyes looked at each other, and it seemed that in an instant, the two remembered something, and invariably turned their horses and chased after the camel caravan. After the camel team met them, the speed suddenly increased, as if this was a well-trained camel, fast and slow, and handy in the desert. By the time Luo Zhengxiong and the others caught up, the sunset had already dyed the entire desert red. Hearing the sound of horses' hooves, the leader Azbaiyi jumped off the camel and bowed down to greet him. This action made Luo Zhengxiong, who was congested in his heart, hesitate instantly, and after entering Xinjiang, the most emphasized by the troops was the national policy. The vast territory, the distribution of several ethnic groups, the different beliefs of each ethnic group, and the complex political environment have determined the complexity of the revolutionary situation in Xinjiang. The successive bloody conflicts of the past few years have proved that the slightest carelessness can lead to major conflicts. Luo Zhengxiong calmed down his emotions for a while on the horse, jumped off the horse, and bowed to Azibai in return. The smile of the head man Azibayi is like the sun blooming on the grassland, and his etiquette to the troops is really in place, the left is a comrade of the People's Liberation Army, and the right is a comrade of the People's Liberation Army, so that Qi Shun can't be majestic at all. While Qi Shun was talking to Azibaiyi, Luo Zhengxiong once again examined the camel team from beginning to end. It is still a twenty-two camel, or a family of twelve people, one is not more, one is not many, and even the expression on his face is the same as when he met before, kind, like a gentle wind, which blew the doubts in Luo Zheng's ambition gradually dispersed. He really couldn't see any change from just now, not even the slightest change. It's really weird, Luo Zhengxiong clearly feels that this camel team has changed, changed in a key part, it seems that something is missing, but he really can't find it.

Scout Qi Shun felt the same way, he looked at it twice from beginning to end, even the camel's hooves, knowing that the camel team had exposed flaws, but he just couldn't find the flaws. The two of them invariably stared at the pregnant woman, the woman smiled lightly, her eyes were rare calm and calm, seeing Luo Zhengxiong and they stared at themselves, and slowly pushed down the felt, revealing her tall belly wrapped in a dress. Luo Zhengxiong and Qi Shun had to retract their gaze, there was no reason to stare at a woman.

After that, the two exchanged glances, a little frustrated, a little unwilling, but there is really no better way, even if the principle search is broken at this time, there will definitely be nothing to find.

The head man's smile was still very bright, the setting sun stained his face, and that face became more and more shiny, and the others were obviously impatient, Luo Zhengxiong didn't dare to stalemate, so he had to hug his fists and say that he was disturbed, and he had a good trip.

The head man breathed a long sigh of relief, jumped on the camel, swayed, and went away.

The desert is silent. Even the sound of camel bells was suddenly inaudible.

After a long pause, Luo Zhengxiong said, "You have to follow them." ”

Qi Shun nodded heavily, he thought so in his heart. Luo Zhengxiong quickly gave an explanation to Qi Shun, asking him to follow the camel team and find out where they were going after leaving the desert. In addition, Luo Zhengxiong asked Qi Shun that if he found an unexpected situation, he could request support from other units of the corps nearby. After speaking, he took off the water from his body and looked at Qi Shun with expectation: "The road is difficult and dangerous, you must protect yourself." ”

Qi Shun didn't speak, he answered Luo Zhengxiong with his eyes, this is a trustworthy comrade, I believe he will have a way to spend his days in the desert.

Leading the two horses and returning to the camp, Luo Zhengxiong didn't say a word, and the doubts brought to him by the mysterious camel team were always trapped in his mind and lingered. Political commissar Yu Hai walked in and reported to him on the day's work, Luo Zhengxiong suddenly asked: "Will the Kazakhs take their wives in labor to run around, including moving?" Yu Hai shook his head, indicating that he didn't know, and at the end, he asked vigilantly: "Why did you suddenly remember to ask this?" ”

"It's okay, I'm just curious, I want to know more about national customs."

The two then talked about work, and Yu Hai reported that today he approved Xiucai Wu Yipeng.

"Why?"

"I suspect that his purpose is not pure for Akhalgul."

"Oh?" Luo Zhengxiong raised his head, his gaze resting on the sea's face in surprise.

Yu Hai said that in the morning, halfway through the second group of measurements, an instrument was broken, and the instrument was repaired for half a day, but it was not done well, and there was no other person in the group who knew the instrument better, so he asked Wu Yipeng to take the instrument to the first group, and wanted the instrument engineer of the first group to repair it as soon as possible. He was gone for most of the day, and he didn't come back lazily until it was dark and he finished work. When I asked him about the instrument, he said that he had handed over the first group, and he would not be able to repair it for a while. When asked where he had been for a long time, he did not answer, and when he continued to ask, he learned that he was with his guide, Akha Gul, and that the two had violated discipline and ran to the bushes deep in the Red Sea.

"What is he doing there?" Luo Zhengxiong suddenly became vigilant, wasn't that the place where Xiao Lin found out about the suspicious situation.

"He didn't say anything, I asked Akha Gul, and she said that the two of them walked and walked, and they got there."

"It's so unbelievable!" Luo Zhengxiong got up suddenly, wanting to ask Wu Yipeng for an explanation, but Yu Hai stopped him: "Forget it, I have criticized, after all, he is from the division headquarters, I think this time it will be like this, let him write a review, and review it once at the cadre meeting." ”

Yu Hai walked for a long time, Luo Zhengxiong was still thinking, who is this Wu Yipeng, he went to the wild boar well with Ahargul, was it unintentional, or? A slight sound of footsteps came in, and Luo Zhengxiong came back from his thoughts, and unexpectedly found that Wan Yue was standing in front of him. "Sit down." A layer of surprise welled up on Luo Zhengxiong's face, and he said politely.

"Thank you." Wan Yue sat down on the small earthen platform opposite as she spoke, Luo Zhengxiong turned on the horse lantern, and under the swaying light, Wan Yue looked solemn, as if she was troubled by something.

"I'm going to give you a suggestion." Wan Yue stroked her hair and said calmly.

"Say, say quickly, if you have any good opinions, just put them forward." This is the first time since arriving in Honghaizi that a soldier has taken the initiative to come to make suggestions, and Luo Zhengxiong is of course very happy in his heart.

"I suggest that the camp be properly separated from the work site, and the survey points are getting farther and farther away, so that running back and forth is not only a waste of time, but also prone to accidents on the way."

"Oh?" Luo Zhengxiong glanced at Wan Yue with great interest, although he had thought about this question, he had never been able to make up his mind. According to the regulations, when the team arrives at a fixed place, there must be a camp, so that it is convenient for centralized management, and at the same time, water, food, and camels can be taken care of in a centralized manner, and the disadvantages are what Wan Yue said. Luo Zhengxiong was the first time to lead a surveyor, and many problems he encountered were the first time, and he was afraid that after setting up a temporary camp at the survey point, the team would lose management, and once he encountered an unexpected situation, it would be even more difficult to solve.

"My opinion is to choose flexibly according to the situation of the measurement point, and some points need to be measured for a few days, so they will temporarily set up camp there, which can save a lot of troubles."

"Okay, that's a good idea, we'll study it right away, and if it's feasible, we'll do as you say." Luo Zhengxiong's tone overflowed with a layer of appreciation for Wanyue, which was heartfelt and undisguised.

"Also," Wan Yue paused, as if she had made up her mind, "The division of labor in the team is unscientific, and the personnel matching is unreasonable, if it goes on like this, after a long time, it will hurt the enthusiasm of the entire team." ”

This is a new problem, Luo Zhengxiong has not realized this, after Wan Yueyi reminded him, he suddenly understood that the original division of labor, there was indeed arbitrariness, through this period of running-in, the contradiction in the personnel match was exposed.

"You go on." Luo Zhengxiong affirmed Wan Yue in an encouraging tone, he really wanted to hear more of her opinion.

"Also, you can't be too laissez-faire with individual people."

As soon as these words came out, Luo Zhengxiong immediately understood that Wan Yue also had an opinion on Wu Yipeng.

"You mean Wu Yipeng?"

"I didn't refer to anyone, but this phenomenon does exist in the regiment, you are the regiment leader, you have to think about the whole team." After Wan Yue finished speaking, she got up to say goodbye, Luo Zhengxiong wanted to keep her for a while, but Wan Yue obviously didn't mean to stay longer. Luo Zhengxiong felt a little regretful, listening to Wanyue's footsteps go away, and a trace of strange things were born in his heart again.

Later, he realized that this thing is called love.