The duty team of the Sanjiaoshan Border Defense Company of a certain army brigade maintains the barbed wire fence along the border (photographed on January 27th). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Bingxuan: The southern foothills of the Greater Khingan Mountains are covered in white snow. The sunlight crossed the camphor pine forest and slanted onto the small square in front of the Sanjiaoshan Border Defense Company of a certain army brigade. A few hurried assembly whistles sounded, and Wang Ting, the leader of the duty team and second level sergeant, gathered to prepare for the day's patrol. The outdoor temperature has reached minus 30 degrees Celsius. The soldiers were wearing leather hats, cold masks, and combat boots, ready to go. "Today's patrol point is at Boundary Monument 1379, and some sections of the road are obstructed by trees. Everyone should pay attention to observe. Is it clear?" "Clear." "Get on the bus and set off." Wang Ting gave the command simply. The "Mengshi" off-road vehicle is driving on the asphalt road, heading towards the direction of the boundary marker. Private Mou Wenfeng, sitting in the back row, observed the situation outside the window. This was his third time participating in a duty patrol. The patrol road under his feet was newly paved before he enlisted in 2023. During a patrol by the duty team of the Sanjiaoshan Border Defense Company of a certain army brigade, Second Class Sergeant Wang Ting cleared snow at an unmanned monitoring point (photographed on January 27th). "Earlier, the platoon patrolled on dirt and gravel roads. Now that the roads are good, the speed of reaching the point is faster, and it is more convenient to observe the situation," said Wang Ting, a reporter from Xinhua News Agency. On the way to rest, Wang Ting told everyone the story of the "Acacia Tree". In 1984, when company commander Li Xiang'en was leading a patrol, he encountered a flash flood and sacrificed himself to rescue his comrades. My wife Guo Fengrong planted a camphor tree next to the outpost to accompany her sleeping lover. The officers and soldiers named it "Acacia Tree". "The patrol conditions are getting better and better now, but we can never forget the spirit of the old platoon leader rooted in the border defense and dedicating himself to it," said Wang Ting. The off-road vehicle continued to move forward and drove all the way to the foot of the mountain where the boundary marker was located. The road is steep and the snow is deep, so the soldiers got off and changed to hiking for patrol. The duty group of the Sanjiaoshan Border Defense Company of a certain army brigade patrols on foot along the border line (photographed on January 27th). Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Bingxuan photographed the snow as deep as half a meter. Wang Ting and his comrades held hands and walked through the birch forest, leaving behind snow nests. A string of marks on the snow caught Mou Wenfeng's attention. "It was recently left by Huangyang. It can be basically concluded that there is no suspicious activity in this area," Wang Ting said after identifying it. After 11 years of guarding the border, he had already become familiar with the traces of wild animals frequently appearing. At the Sanjiaoshan outpost several tens of kilometers away, Sergeant Li Changyue, who was on duty, monitored the situation of his comrades through a remote video surveillance system. Sergeant Li Changyue (left) and his comrades stand guard on duty at the Sanjiaoshan Border Defense Company of a certain army brigade (photographed on January 26th). In 2013, Li Changyue, a college student, joined the military with a pen. That year, an old squad leader with 12 years of military service was about to retire. Before leaving the team, he made his last request to the company: to stand guard at the outpost. Despite being injured, the old squad leader still completed the last shift with high standards. Before leaving, he earnestly said to his young comrades, "I'll leave this to you in the future." Li Changyue, who had originally planned to retire from the military and continue his studies in two years, decided to act like an old class monitor,