Chapter 8: Fangs

Before Long Jianhui could give him orders, Zhan Xiagoge cut off the communication.
Zhanxiage's voice grew more and more exhausted day by day. By the afternoon of the seventh day, when Long Jianhui had decided to order the emergency rescue team to deploy immediately, his communicator came through: "Report...... I've already dug them out! ”
Hearing this, Long Jianhui felt a lump in his nose, and tears nearly burst out in front of more than twenty trainees. He understood all too well the true meaning behind the word 'scoop' in the war chivalry song! Long Jianhui could hardly imagine a soldier who had lost all tools and even dug out bayonets to break them. What method did he use to dig out two heroes who had slept for half a century on that mountain, frozen all year round?
Long Jianhui handed the communicator to a trainee beside him, who almost connected his vocal cords to the communicator. He shouted out the same question Long Jianhui wanted to ask: "Zhanxia Ge, how are you doing now?" Are you cold? Hungry? ”
"Nonsense, try going up there for a week and see what happens!" Zhan Xiagege gave a weak chuckle and said, "Right now, I'm so hungry I could swallow an entire cow." I haven't had hot water for five days, but it's worth it! I poured all the gasoline from the gasoline stove and the small oil drum I brought into the ice I had dug up. Just a small flame burned it down to five or six inches thick. Otherwise, I'd have to dig for two more days, hahaha...... I really am a genius! But I really didn't have the strength to use the rope to slowly lower the two men from the mountaintop. If I'd known, I would've carried a few more packs of compressed biscuits. Please tell the instructor to send a helicopter. I've already tied up the two guys with ropes. All they need to do is put down a sling and they'll be able to save all three of us together. ”
When the helicopter landed together with the bodies of the two heroes and Zhanxia Ge, Long Jianhui rushed forward. Instinctively, he reached out his hands, wanting to hold this soldier—who had only been apart for seven days, so thin and barely recognizable, his hands so bloody and heartbreaking—that soldier was so weak it was almost heartbreaking. But his gaze fell on Zhanxia Ge's collar—the three Jungle, Earth, and Mountain Medals representing the honor of the Fifth Special Forces trainees. Long Jianhui gritted his teeth, withdrew his hands, and kicked Zhanxia Ge, who was barely able to stand. Zhanxiage only let out a weak, miserable groan before being kicked and rolling three or four times on the ground.
All the trainees were stunned.
"Song of the Hero!" Long Jianhui pointed at Zhanxiage and roared angrily, "I admit you're a man, a man who dares to risk his life and is loyal and righteous!" But I want to tell you, first and foremost, you are a soldier. You are China's proudest and strongest professional soldier in the Fifth Special Forces! When you wear this uniform, you are no longer just a man who can act recklessly with your own passion, but a soldier who must abide by discipline and take obedience as your duty! ”
Zhan Xiaoge took a sharp breath, lay on the ground, and suddenly let out a violent cough. Then, as if opening a folding ruler, he slowly propped up his already swollen body, slowly standing up in front of Long Jianhui. He shouted hoarsely, "Understood, Instructor!" ”
"I'll give you two weeks of confinement. Will you accept it?"
"Respect!"
"Alright!" Long Jianhui shouted angrily, "Take the plane back to school with them, report to the military medical office immediately, get yourself ready to look human, then get yourself into the detention room!" ”
Two unknown heroes were buried in the Kangxiwa Martyrs' Cemetery, and their grand burial was carried out two weeks later.
Pure white khatas and evergreen pine and cypress branches surrounded the coffins of the two heroes, each with a snow lotus—the most precious on the plateau—placed on top.
Although no formal notice was made, on the day of the burial, Kangxiwa Martyrs' Cemetery was packed with people. There were soldiers in uniform, elderly people nearing seventy who needed support to stand tall, residents who had grown up in this icy world for generations with the resilience of yaks, and drivers passing by on the road. Everyone's face was filled with solemn light.
Zhanxia Ge, who had just jumped out of the hospital bed and hadn't had time to report to the confinement room, was fortunate enough to attend this grand and simple funeral. He had just stepped out of the car when with a crash, and his neck was covered in a pure white khata.
A Tibetan elderly man in his seventies tightly held the war hero's song with his withered hand, his lips twitching for a long time before his voice trembled as he said, "What a good kid!" ”
The old man pointed to a Mao Zedong badge on his chest, then pointed to the Kangxiwa Martyrs' Cemetery, the rows of tombs where heroes rest, and said, "We are all Mao's good soldiers!" Back in 1962, I had led the soldiers on the road. Some of the young men lying here had even tasted the naan I made myself and affectionately called me 'big brother'! Back then, we were truly as close as one family to the soldiers. When the soldiers came, we would leave all the delicious food for them. Whenever we had difficulties, we didn't need to ask—the soldiers who saw them would quietly help us cook. ”
"We're all mountain folks, we don't understand big principles. We only know one thing: whoever treats us well, we will open our hearts and treat them well!" It was so cold at the time, but when the soldiers entered our place at night, to avoid disturbing our rest, they slept outside our house. Where else could you find such a good soldier? The old man pointed at a man in his forties with a simple smile and shouted, "Back then, transportation couldn't keep up, and the soldiers were hungry fighting the Russians at the front." We used yaks to transport, carried on our shoulders, and braved bullets to deliver the food and shells the soldiers needed! At that time, my son was only six years old, and even he accompanied me to deliver grain. He was small and weak then, but he could always carry two cans of food on his head and deliver them all the way to the soldiers! ”
"Now I realize that our soldiers are still the same as before...... No change! "Cloudy tears streamed from the old man's eyes as he cried out hoarsely, "Good, good, really good!" Those two soldiers are impressive, and you soldiers are also impressive! ”
Looking at the old man before him, already sobbing uncontrollably with tears streaming down his face, and then at the thick stack of white khatas on his own neck, Zhanxiage fell into a long silence.
He and Long Jianhui rode the same car back to the base. Long Jianhui asked Zhan Xiaoge what he was thinking, and Zhan Xiaoge replied in a low voice, "Responsibility!" Without a sense of responsibility and mission, without discipline as inviolable as steel, our soldiers decades ago would not have been regarded by the local people as brothers, nor would anyone be willing to risk their lives to transport supplies for our army. Instructor, I think I've begun to understand the importance of discipline. I can guarantee this is the last time I acted on my own and violated discipline! Although I know saying this now is pointless, I still want to say to you, I'm sorry! ”
At the snow training base, Long Jianhui wore two medals on the collar of the war hero song in front of all the teachers and students at the base.
"I am the only instructor who can award two medals to outstanding trainees. One is called the Snowfield Medal, and the other is the Courage Medal!" And you're the first trainee to receive two medals from me before finishing your training! I can tell you, among cadets who can earn five medals at once, there have never been more than three in the Fifth Special Forces since its founding! You elite among elites have a very resounding codename: ...... Fangs! ”
Long Jianhui swept his gaze over all the trainees in front of him and shouted loudly, "Next, I hereby announce that any student of our school's Battle Hero Song who violated military discipline during training and acted without authorization is egregious. From now on, they will be sentenced to two weeks of confinement, and the punishment will be reported to headquarters for public criticism!" ”
All around was silent; everyone understood that the Battle Hero Song was a merit and a fault, with merit outweighing fault!
But Zhanxiage didn't enjoy his two-week confinement. Just as he was counting on his fingers that there were still two days before he could get out, the door to the confinement room suddenly opened. Among the same group of trainees, Yan Jun, who was closest to Zhan Xia Ge, gasped for breath and shouted, "Zhan Xia Ge, come with me! Something's happened!" The instructor ordered all trainees to gather, especially to call out names. The situation is urgent, and the punishment against you is being revoked. You are ordered to return to your unit immediately! We have a combat mission to come ahead! ”