Close to the guardian of heaven

This is a heavenly road embedded in the snowy plateau-the railway line goes straight up along the back of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, across the grassland, across the river, across the mountains, and reaches the beautiful distance behind the snow-capped mountains.

It is human nature to come. In the past long time, in order to reach, we learned to climb in front of high mountains and trudge in the unpredictable abyss.

However, there are such a group of people who choose to park on the side of the road.

The whistle blared and the train sped by. Those standing numbers have been like a day for decades. Since the first phase of the 1984 project was opened to traffic, generations of armed police officers and men have silently guarded this nearly 2,000-kilometer-long plateau "lifeline" along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway.

Guanjiao is the only place where the heavenly road passes-Tibetan means "the ladder to heaven". As soon as I entered Guanjiao Mountain, I entered a high altitude area with thin oxygen. Known as "the longest tunnel at high altitude in the world", Guanjiao Tunnel is a great mark left by human beings here.

Along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, we approached the officers and men of the armed police guarding the Guanjiao Tunnel, approached the guardian of Tianlu, and felt the significance of persistence in the footsteps of arrival.

Approaching the officers and men of the armed police stationed in the longest tunnel at high altitude in the world-

Youth sees happiness flying.

Along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, officers and men of a squadron of Qinghai Armed Police Corps are on duty in Guanjiao Tunnel. Photo by Wang Jinxing

The window reflects the scene inside the train, the darkness outside the window is constantly refreshing, the wall lamp flashes regularly, and the echo between the train and the wall is persistent and low.

In the carriage, the passengers' conversation was shrouded in dark reverberation.

10 minutes later, the "Kunlun" intercity train is still passing through the dark mountains.

"I'm not finished yet. This tunnel is really long!" A young man is talking to his companion with excitement on his face. It seems to be a first-time tourist to the Qinghai-Tibet line.

"This is the Guanjiao Tunnel, 32.69 kilometers, which is the longest tunnel with high altitude in the world." Jiang Hongwei can't help but pick up the words.

As an armed police veteran stationed in Guanjiao Mountain 12, Staff Sergeant Jiang Hongwei, who returned from vacation, talked about the customs of Guanjiao Mountain.

This kind of scene is not uncommon in Jiang Hongwei's military career. The first squadron of Haixi detachment of Qinghai Armed Police Corps, where he is located, is guarding the Guanjiao Tunnel in front of him. The tunnel introduction he blurted out was written in big red letters on the way from the camp to the sentry post.

After more than 20 minutes of darkness, the train instantly jumped into a large area of light. On the highway, the figure of railway, sentry tower and armed police soldiers flashed by.

Seeing the white barracks surrounded by mountains not far away, Jiang Hongwei said to himself, "Guan Jiao, I'm back."

The light band that the train passes by at night is like the neon lights of the city.

Back to the first night of squadron vacation, Jiang Hongwei didn't fall asleep. When the altitude rises above 3000 meters, the sudden decrease of oxygen evokes the body's memory of Guanjiao Mountain.

He lay in bed and waited quietly.

At 23: 30, a train roared through the sleeping valley. Jiang Hongwei knows this is a bus. During the tourist season, there are about 1 1 to 12 cars. When the bedplate stopped shaking slightly, everything was calm again.

Every officer and soldier in Guanjiao Squadron has a familiar train schedule in mind.

23: 30, 65438+ 0: 00 am, 4: 00 am ... Every time it is difficult to sleep because of the thin oxygen, they will wait in the dark to confirm the whistle.

On the vast grassland of the plateau, the river flows slowly, and flocks of cattle and sheep walk with their heads down under the idle clouds. Not every officer stationed in Guanjiao Tunnel can see such a leisurely scene.

The tunnel with a total length of 32.69 kilometers divides the officers and men guarding it into two squadrons, east and west. The officers and men near Xining are waiting for the grassland to turn from yellow to green and from green to yellow all year round; The officers and men near Lhasa can only see the surrounding barren hills and rock walls.

Jiang Hongwei's post belongs to the latter. "In fact, it makes no difference! After a snow, everything is white. " He said.

The figure of officers and men adds a complex and colorful emotional background to the regular and boring scenery of Guanjiao Mountain.

Soldier Wang Cong stood warily on the sentry post, watching a coal truck drive into the tunnel. Later, he picked up the intercom and reported the passing of the train to the duty room.

Wang Cong, 26, has worked on the railway for nine years. As long as he hears the whistle, he can tell different types of trains. At the beginning, he stood guard for a long time, and he would count the cars unconsciously. Wang Cong was also moved by the train's fading away.

"When I first saw the train passing by, I was particularly homesick. Especially during the Chinese New Year, every window of the carriage is affixed with a blessing. " Wang Cong, an only child, entered the military camp at the age of 17. When I was a child, I saw the movie "Far Away" and learned about the Shengfeng checkpoint. I wanted to be a soldier in the snowy plateau.

Only when he came to Guanjiao Mountain did he really appreciate the other side of the holy land in his heart. Red and swollen, full of cracks, nails broken and sunken due to long-term lack of nutrition-Wang Cong stood straight on the sentry post, his hands with guns on his chest covered with traces left by the plateau.

Sometimes, seeing the scene inside the car from the sentry will make the officers and men feel hot.

Corporal He Zengcheng said that once a train passed the post and was about to enter the tunnel, a little boy stood in the aisle facing the window and gave him a military salute. At that time, the train had just started slowly, and he could even see the little boy's expression clearly.

At that moment, He Zengcheng, standing on the sentry post, was full of pride.

The plateau is desolate, but youth is not desolate. In the lonely tunnel life, Wang Cong likes photography and singing.

"The light belt that the train passes by at night is like the neon lights of the city." Away from the prosperity, Wang Cong observed Guanjiao Mountain from his own perspective and learned about Guanjiao Mountain. In his lens, there are dense starry sky on the plateau and continuous snow-capped mountains, which record the tenacious growth of small trees in the camp and retain the precious memories of laughter and tears of officers and men.

How many relaxed or solemn moments, he and his comrades sang the song "Singing in Guanjiao Hill" over and over again. That's the picture in his lens, that's their youth-

"Guanjiaoshan, a long tunnel, a small post station. Looking up at the eagle soaring, there is heaven at the foot of the distance ... "

Day after day, they walk on this road and guard it.

We started from a squadron and drove to another squadron at the other end of the tunnel. On the winding mountain road, I passed a narrow and old tunnel, the entrance of which was sealed by stones.

Here, it used to be the Guanjiao Tunnel.

For nearly 40 years, officers and men of the armed police guarded the Laoguanjiao Tunnel left by the earliest construction of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. 20 14 new mountain tunnel, with the grand record of "the longest mileage at high altitude", directly shortens the time for trains to travel on Guanjiao Mountain.

Speeding up witnessed the leap of the times. Today's officers and men have never forgotten the struggle spirit of their predecessors.

"Nothing in the camp is old now, but in the former squadron, nothing is new ..." Dai Peng, a veteran who has been guarding the Guanjiao Tunnel for four years, recalled, "In the past, the lines in our room were seriously aging and could not move, which was particularly dangerous; The walls in the yard are never refreshed to prevent loose bricks from falling. "

In winter, they will go into the tunnel to clean up the snow blown into the hole by the strong wind. Sometimes, water drops will fall from above the cave and hit you. These tunnel water with excessive minerals will also flow into officers and men. They didn't drink pure water until they moved into Xinguanjiao camp.

This old tunnel is more than 5000 meters long. Every day, officers and men cross the Jiao Shan, making a round trip of more than 10 kilometers, and walking from one end to the other to patrol. Thin oxygen drags along, and every footprint falls on the heavy snow, accompanied by deep breathing. Stepping on slippery stones, Dai Peng and his comrades arrived at the other end of the tunnel. After careful inspection, they marched in the direction they came from. Day after day, they walk on this road and guard it.

In addition to the officers and men of the Armed Police Squadron, a group of veterans are also keeping in touch with the Guanjiao Tunnel. On 20 17, Staff Sergeant Wang Guosheng went back to his hometown in Qinghai to visit relatives, and met Guo Zhongan, a railway soldier who built the Laoguanjiao tunnel in those years.

When Wang Guosheng mentioned that he had been a soldier in Guanjiao Mountain, the old man's expression suddenly became serious. Wang Guosheng thinks he said something wrong. Then, the old man's voice trembled: "We built that tunnel! Before it was named, we all called it' Erlang Cave'. "

Laoguanjiao tunnel was built by the older generation of railway soldiers with blood and sweat. The old man told Wang Guosheng that there was no machinery before, and it was all done by hand. They used hammers and iron drills to cut mountains a little, and each person smashed a basket of stones every day. During the construction process, there will be the danger of mountain collapse at any time.

"One day at noon, my monitor went into the cave and came to see me for dinner. I just walked out of the cave a few steps later, there was a loud noise behind me ... "The veteran who was over 60 years old held Wang Guosheng's hand tightly and asked again and again," Please keep it safe, there are my comrades there ... "

Later, after a vacation, I returned to the squadron and submitted an application for the election of the sergeant. "We are guarding the tunnel, which is easier than they built. If you don't keep it well, you will be ashamed of those old railway soldiers. " He said.

Until now, the old railway soldiers often return to Guanjiao Tunnel. In 20 12, when Staff Sergeant Zuo Zhi was on sentry duty, a veteran gave him a bronze commemorative medal of the Railway Corps, which he has always treasured.

For this group of armed police officers and soldiers, they are not only guarding the bright future carried by this railway, but also the fruits of the hard work of their predecessors. The spirit of the old and new Guanjiao was passed on to them and shone brilliantly.

The whistle sounded and the train sped, guarding heaven and happiness.

September is the season of parting. The railway on the plateau came to the military camp with youth, and when it left, it carried long memories of veterans. The train ran to a distant place and finally arrived at different stations in life.

After leaving the army, veterans usually go to Xining by train. Seeing that it was about to pass through Guanjiao Tunnel, the veteran sent a short message to his comrades-in-arms to say goodbye. Therefore, the officers and men of the squadron came to the railway in advance, stood in a row and watched the train carrying their comrades leave.

Inside the car, the veteran looked at the camp that he stuck to day and night. As the train approached, they only had time to take a last look at the lined-up comrades and were pulled into the deep hole.

Once, he came to the squadron through this long tunnel; At this moment, he used the same darkness of more than 20 minutes to bid farewell to his military career.

At the moment of seeing the light again, the story of Guanjiaoshan has been engraved into the life of veterans and has become an unforgettable memory for a lifetime.

Guanjiao Mountain brings growth to everyone. Young officers and men set out from here and headed for a better future.

Liao Zhongquan was born in Dazhou, Sichuan, and grew up listening to the story of the Red Army. He signed up for the army only to do something meaningful. Although the days of guarding the tunnel are different from the imagined military life, he said, "I will do well as long as it is worth doing."

In addition to carefully standing on each sentry and training hard, Liao Zhongquan also picked up books. "You can calm down and learn something here." He never felt how lonely Guanjiao Mountain was.

Before long, Liao Zhongquan, who has been promoted, will go to Urumqi to study in a military school. He will go to school by the train ahead and come back here by the same railway after graduation. Regarding the future, he said: "No matter what position, as long as it can release energy, it is worthwhile."

Railways are related to personal destiny and national development. For many years, officers and men have been sticking to the two ends of Guanjiao Tunnel, and they are also feeling the changes of the times through the speeding train.

"In the past two years, the number of railway express trains has obviously increased," said Liao Zhongquan.

With the rapid development of national Internet, traffic and logistics are getting busier and busier. After speeding up, the train was loaded with goods and went all the way along Kunlun Mountain to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The data shows that since the opening of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, the economic growth rate along the railway has increased year by year.

On this plateau "lifeline", officers and men of Guanjiao Tunnel Guard Squadron always stick to their posts. Stop the destruction, rescue in the tunnel, rescue in the debris flow ... they ruled out all dangers and hidden dangers before the whistle sounded, just to watch the train pass smoothly.

Besides Guanjiao Mountain, there are Kunlun Mountain, Kaixinling Mountain and Tuotuo Mountain. ...

Armed police officers and men hold their heads high, and the Qinghai-Tibet Railway beside them crosses the plateau and extends to the distance.

The whistle sounded and the train sped by. They guard heaven and happiness.

Thank you, Li Chuanlong, Qiu Guozhen, Fu, Zhang Bin, Wang, Li Zhenchao and Yue for their strong support to the interview. )

Warm and desolate blood

On the land of China in September, most areas have just sent away the heat of the hot summer, and the autumn wind blows at first, and the cold dew drops.

September has a more special significance for the officers and men of the armed police who guard the roadside on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: it means the end of a short three-month summer and the beginning of a long winter; It means that the grass outside the window will turn yellow again, and it will not turn green until at least next June; It means that the mountain may be closed by heavy snow at any time, so we should be prepared for the interruption of material supply. ...

Standing at the checkpoint of Guanjiao Tunnel at an altitude of 3,380 meters, the soldier's eyes were firm. He remembered that at this time three years ago, he was pulled to Guanjiao Mountain by a military vehicle. From "Jiangbei Watertown" to "Ladder", 18-year-old's "arrogance" of "not loving home" was blown out of sight by the plateau gale. In the past three years, he has been guarding the railway under his feet every day, watching the passing trains again and again, and watching the people talking and laughing in the carriage.

Beside the Kunlun Mountain Tunnel at an altitude of 4,868 meters, the warrior Wang Shang sat in the greenhouse and enjoyed the afternoon sunshine. Behind him, the "cloud checkpoint" stands tall, and the Qinghai-Tibet Railway winds on the "roof of the world". Since being frostbitten to save people's feet, the winter in Kunlun Mountain seems to be colder. The temperature will soon drop to MINUS 30 degrees. At that time, standing and walking are like stepping on a blade. He rubbed his legs, trying to catch the last warmth before winter came.

At the edge of the Yangtze River source bridge at an altitude of 4,650 meters, Tang Bing and his comrades began to patrol after a hasty lunch. This is the 1 1 year he walked in the no-man's land of Hoh Xil. Accustomed to traveling more than 300 kilometers every day and interacting with Tibetan antelopes, he is familiar with every vein of this land. In the vast wasteland, he can only identify his position with a small piece of water margin.

These armed police officers and men stationed on the plateau and guarding the heavenly road are only 18 years old, with crooked smiles and a little innocence in their faces; Older people are here 14 years, which is almost the whole of a person's youth. Depressed nails, chapped hands and receding hairline are the deep memories left by the plateau to these young officers and men.

When asked if he would feel lonely, Qi Bin of Bing County was silent for a long time. His red and swollen face all the year round reveals a trace of loneliness: "When you are homesick, just stand outside and look at the distance, and the sky will light up slowly."

For eight years, I don't know how many late nights, the old soldiers stood in the dark, staring at the endless wilderness in the distance and staring at the moon like their hometown.

The answer of more officers and men is: "I am used to it."

They are used to the discomfort of breathing at high altitude; Accustomed to the wind and snow of the years, they carved traces of the years on the skin; Accustomed to the unchanging scene outside the window; Accustomed to "interacting with cattle and sheep during the day and keeping company with Xinghui at night"; Accustomed to the loneliness away from fireworks and no one to talk to. ...

Therefore, embracing loneliness with youth has become a habit. As a result, the desolation of the plateau was warmed by blood.

In the light at the end of darkness, we will meet those sentries again. ...

Photo photography: Wang Jinxing, Yang Hao, Peng Tao.