Chapter 75 end

At noon on a spring day eight years later, another small group of soldiers climbed up to Height 634 on the southern border. The leader is Jiang Tao of a certain group army.The second is Liu Zongkui, the commander of Division L.Next is Shangguanfeng, commander of the engineer battalion of the division. They stopped on the main peak, which had been desolate for many years, and gazed at the vast land on both sides of the national border covered by lush tropical rainforest for a long time. Down the mountain behind them was a whole battalion of engineers on standby.Their task was to use various machines to clear mines in the Gongmu Mountain, Feicui Ridge, and Tianzi Mountain areas after the commander on the main peak of the highland gave an order.Make them a safe area where border residents of the two countries can freely walk, conduct trade and exchange activities.

Eight years later, Jiang Tao has a few gray hairs on his temples, but his expression has the composure and majesty of a general.He finally looked away from the Gongmu Mountain and Tianzi Mountain area, turned around and glanced at Liu Zongkui, and said: "Old Liu, let's start—" Eight years later, Liu Zongkui had visibly gained weight, and his cheeks, which had collapsed so badly, were bulging and glowing red as if they were about to breathe fire.So much so that every time Jiang Tao saw him, he always thought: Liu Zongkui had a good life in the past few years. Since the Battle of Gongmu Mountain, he married the family of the martyr and had a wife and daughter, as if he had become another person.

Standing beside Liu Zongkui was Shangguanfeng.Eight years later, Shangguanfeng had fully grown up. Not only did he unexpectedly become a burly man, but he also grew a disheveled beard.The Shangguan Peak that conquered the main peak of the 634 Highland was nowhere to be seen. "Notify the troops to start action!" Liu Zongkui said to Shangguanfeng. Shangguanfeng answered "yes", turned around and used the radio to send an order to start the operation to the mountain. Soon, more than a dozen road rollers at the foot of the mountain roared one after another; then, from these roars, there came the tiny sound of countless landmines exploding under the crushing, which was as intense as firecrackers on New Year's Eve.

Clouds of flames and explosion smoke also burned and lingered on the hillside and among the valleys. On the main peak of the highland, the serious and heavy atmosphere at the beginning eased a lot.Jiang Tao looked back at Liu Zongkui, took out a cigarette and handed him a cigarette.Liu Zongkui lit it with a lighter, and both of them took a long puff. Jiang Tao turned his attention to the land that was once ravaged by war. "Old Liu, what do you think today's action means?" After a while, he asked thoughtfully. "Turn hostility into wealth." Liu Zongkui replied, with a gloomy expression on his face.As a participant in the Battle of Gongmu Mountain, the army commander asked him to take charge of the mine clearance work in this area today, and he was not in a very relaxed mood.

Jiang Tao was silent for a while, then said: "And that's not all. Our actions today mark a historic change in the relationship between our two countries. A time of war ends and a time of peace begins.  … It shows to the other side both our sincerity for peace and our strength ——Since we can clean up the landmines at the gate of the country and let others come in with confidence, we can firmly guard it!" "Today's action is not easy for the commander." Liu Zongkui thought.He glanced at Jiang Tao, and was about to continue talking—there is no peace in the eyes of real soldiers; peace can only be regarded as an interval between two wars; if you look at the history of human civilization, you will find that no nation perishes by itself in peace The earth is too small, especially today's earth, and there are too many human beings, and the will and desire of each nation to survive are too strong; etc.—but he didn't say it.The commander's heart may be more painful than him. For Zhang Li who died in Gongmu Mountain, the commander is still living alone.It's not easy being a soldier, going into war you feel pain, going into peace you still feel pain.

"Commander, I met our teacher, Commander, in the military region before accepting the mission," he changed the subject and said to Jiang Tao, trying to make the atmosphere calmer, "Deputy Commander Chen told me that Mrs. Qiu's wife Another call came from Beijing, asking about your attitude towards their family, Qiu Wen." Jiang Tao remained silent. "Deputy Commander Chen said that he was a Yuelao who was forcibly arrested by others." Liu Zongkui looked at his expression and continued, "But he also said that he still has to fulfill his responsibilities. ... He asked me to tell you , if you are not too dissatisfied, he will call the old lady back and say that you have agreed to this marriage."

Jiang Tao glanced back at him, the meaning in his eyes was not so much to stop this topic, but to beg him not to continue talking.Today, only Liu Zongkui dares to enter his private life so deeply.After the Battle of Gongmu Mountain, everyone up and down knew that the two of them were the closest friends. "Old Liu, this matter...let me think about it again," Jiang Tao said, sitting down in a raincloth spread by the guards on the ground.Liu Zongkui realized that his efforts to change the subject had worked: the army commander was clearly freed from his heavy thinking about war and peace.

For a moment Jiang Tao thought of the woman named Qiu Wen.He met his mother when she returned to Beijing last winter for her funeral.Qiu Wen's family background is good, and she is pretty. She divorced her husband who went abroad a year ago and has no children. Many people think that they are a good match. But he still couldn't forget Zhang Li in his heart.After the Battle of Gongmu Mountain, he swore in front of Zhang Li's tomb that he would never fall in love with another woman and marry her again in this life.If he agreed to marry Qiu Wen, it would be tantamount to betraying Zhang Li again.

Besides, he still felt that he would never meet a woman as good as Zhang Li.A woman not as good as Zhang Li can hardly make him happy, and the other party will also not be happy. He dare not care about that kind of make-shift marriage.But there are also unavoidable things: before the death of his mother, his younger sister went abroad with her husband to settle down. After her death, he didn't have a home to return to during his vacation in Beijing and even in the whole of China. Marry Qiu Wen and he will have a new home in Beijing.The obstacle was that after marriage he couldn't really guarantee that he would love her.Marrying a woman without loving her is undoubtedly deceitful.

But there were times when he really wanted to say yes to the marriage.Time flies, life and death are separated, and after eight years, the initial pain has gradually faded away.It's just that when I think about saying goodbye to Zhang Li completely, my heart hurts like a knife again. Before setting off for the Gongmu Mountain area this morning, he went to the Martyrs Cemetery in the west of S County.In the years after the war, every Ching Ming Festival, he would visit Zhang Li's tomb. He was too busy after becoming an army commander, so he didn't come for several years.Standing in front of Zhang Li's grassy tomb again, he once again thought painfully: he could never forget this war, and it cost him too much.

"Old Liu, after I go back, I want to make a report and ask the local government to erect a monument in the martyrs' cemetery in County S." He said to Liu Zongkui, and then pondered for a while, "The inscription is—'Gregorian Era 19×× From × month × day to × month × day, the Chinese army fought a border war with the army of × country in order to recover the Gongmushan area. The two sides invested ×× million troops, and the Chinese killed ××× names, and the × phalanx killed × ×× name.'...The border trade will expand, and there will be more exchanges of people between the two sides. Not only the people of our country, but also those who come across the other side can see the inscription on it....This is not for war, but for peace .” He stared directly at Liu Zongkui with tears shining eyes, the expression on his face was solemn and serious, which made Liu Zongkui's heart burn in an instant.He didn't lead the army commander to think about war and peace just now, but at this moment, Jiang Tao was waiting for his answer. "I agree." He met the other party's gaze, nodded and said. Afterwards, the two people turned their eyes away, feeling a little excited after all... But Shangguan Peak, who had gone down the mountain just now, went up to the main peak again, and asked the messenger to take out wine, three wine glasses and a few cans for appetizers from the satchel Put the food in front of the army commander and division commander, happy but a little embarrassed to say: "Today I invited the two chiefs to drink.... I just received a letter from my wife this morning, saying that she gave birth to a son for me!" "Son?!" Jiang Tao and Liu Zongkui yelled almost at the same time, their eyes shining brightly. They were all happy for Shangguan Feng. The latter had been married for many years. With an excited smile on Shangguanfeng's face, he handed the correspondent's filled glasses to the two chiefs respectively.The three of them clinked glasses together. "Shangguan, congratulations!" Jiang Tao said loudly. "I would like to congratulate Yunxia and Shangguan's son," Liu Zongkui said loudly, "it's not that Yunxia has a way, where is his son!" Shangguan Feng blushed violently.The three of them drank the wine in their cups in one gulp, then sat on the rain cloth in the ground and drank slowly. "Did you get a name?" Liu Zongkui asked Shangguanfeng.Since his remarriage, the only dissatisfaction in Liu Zongkui's life is that he has no son, so he likes to name other people's sons very much. "Today we're here to clear the mines. I think we'll just call it minesweeping," Shangguanfeng said.Having a son is the most important thing, what to name him is unimportant. "It's not good, it's too rustic!" Liu Zongkui objected, "We're not doing minesweeping for the sake of minesweeping, we're doing minesweeping for the sake of peace. . . . Let's just call it peace!" "There are too many people calling for peace!" Jiang Tao cut in slowly, objecting to Liu Zongkui, "Besides, there is no peace for soldiers. Since he is the son of a soldier... just call it preparation for war!" "No, no, your name sounds like a warmonger," Liu Zongkui vehemently objected after drinking a glass of wine, "It's still called peace!" "Call for battle!" "Call it peace!" When the three soldiers drank only half of a bottle of liquor, they decided to write the three names they gave the baby as three lots, and send them back to let the child pick the name himself. "This is more democratic," Liu Zongkui finally concluded, "People's own names will be used for a lifetime, and they should express their opinions!" ... After this dispute, Jiang Tao's painful mood changed a little. Looking at Liu Zongkui and Shangguanfeng who was immersed in happiness, he suddenly felt a little jealous.Liu Zongkui had a daughter, and Shangguanfeng had a son. As an army commander, he didn't even have a home. "...a child's name should be called history," Jiang Tao thought after drinking a glass of wine, picking up an anchovy with distiller's lees with a fork, and slowly chewing in his mouth, "whether war or peace is history.  … Even if I go back and ask someone to erect a monument in the Martyrs Cemetery, the Battle of Gongmushan and the victims of Zhang Li and the others will still be obliterated by time. Not only the dead will become history, but we living people, together with those from Shangguan Peak A son just born will become history....The history of human beings is the history of war and peace, and the history of a nation is the history of war and peace with the surrounding nations and within the nation. We are obliterated by time, but precisely because I was annihilated and became the main body of history. I still don’t have an heir, which is not good. Liu Zongkui has an heir, and Shangguanfeng has an heir, so I should have one too.…In this way, in the main body of national history, There will be a thread of my life that will continue from generation to generation.  …” He felt that his mind had broadened a lot, and some things that he valued in the past suddenly faded away.Love is nothing, and whether life is happy or not is nothing, the important thing is to have a son or daughter, let him or her and their children and grandchildren replace you and live forever in the long river of national and human history, so that you can live forever in the long river of national and human history. pain and sacrifice have real value.So the wine was not finished, and he was determined to marry Qiu Wen who was far away in the capital.