Insufficient balance

  In the Indian army base, we found a large quantity of compressed biscuits and canned beef. In the kitchen, there was also a deer that had been hunted by an Indian soldier, its skin had just been removed and it hadn't been cooked yet. In a separate officer's bedroom, Yang Qing surprisingly found several bottles of fine wine, a pack of cigarettes, and some erotic paintings.

  We smashed open several crates of ammunition, lit a bonfire on the mountain top, and eight of us gathered around the fire, passing bottles of liquor back and forth. Several types of strong alcohol mixed together in our stomachs, and before long, each person's face was flushed with a bright color. Suddenly, there were a few explosions from the fire, and Yang Qing used his bayonet to pull out several cans of beef that had burst open due to the heat, releasing an enticing aroma that wafted into our noses. Everyone cheered loudly, picked up their blood-stained bayonets as makeshift spoons, scooped up the beef, and shoveled it into their mouths.

  I never smoke, but at this moment, I, like everyone else, held a cigarette in a sloppy manner, puffed out smoke rings with an air of pretence, and gathered around the bonfire to savour and critique the physiques of Indian beauties in spring palace paintings.

  The marmot on the bonfire was almost cooked, big drops of oil slid into the fire, making a "sizzling" sound, bringing out a unique fragrance of wood and roasted meat. Until this moment, we could find ourselves still feeling like humans. After experiencing the brutal war that ordinary people can't even imagine, we need this kind of release and relaxation so much.

  Less than twenty meters below us was the battlefield, where the bodies of soldiers from both sides were scattered all over the place, stretching all the way to the foot of the mountain. A finger that had been blown off by a grenade lay quietly beside me, and I raised my bottle in a silent toast to it, not knowing who its owner was.

  The guys who didn't drink much had already started to slur their words, with golden sparks flying out of their eyes. Suddenly a soldier jumped up and flipped over his rifle, using the butt to heavily strike the ground.

  "What am I doing? Hehe, of course, I'm digging sweet potatoes!" He called out with a smile: "I've been helping my family with farm work since I was six years old. My favorite thing to do is dig up sweet potatoes. Every time, I'd secretly hide a few and then call on other friends to sneak out at midnight to roast them on the mountain, just like we're doing now."

  "Cut!" The seven of us gave a thumbs up together, and this kid who still looked so young had already killed six Indian soldiers with just his bayonet on the battlefield. He was able to annihilate three opponents in close combat without getting hurt himself. It turned out he had already treated those Indian heads as mere pumpkins?!

  Another soldier stood up, shaking and holding his submachine gun to the sky, firing a burst of shots. "When I was young, my favorite thing to do was set off firecrackers," he shouted. "I still love it now. Is there anything more fun than this?"

  We all shouted in unison: "No!"

  "Hahaha......" Yang Qing was also drunk, he took out a hand grenade and threw it directly into the bonfire, shouting: "This kind of thing is fireworks!"

  I immediately broke out in a cold sweat, frantically pulling the grenade out of the fire and feeling its scorching heat. I hastily grabbed the grenade and threw it away with all my might. Before it even hit the ground, the grenade exploded loudly in mid-air. Shrapnel whizzed over our heads, but we didn't bat an eyelid, continuing to drink and eat with gusto.

  Yang Qing clapped his hands and laughed: "Release the firework, let heroes from all over the world evaluate it, how's my firework?!"

  We were all cheering and whistling, setting off firecrackers, playing with sparklers, holding wine bottles as microphones to perform level-three songs in public, we are now completely disheveled, simply a few drunken hooligans, where is the image of professional soldiers who have received the strictest training?

  "Hey, Commander Lian, tomorrow we don't know who will be done for. Do you have any last wishes? If anyone can make it back alive, they'll definitely find a way to fulfill them for you."

  I shook my head repeatedly, laughing wildly: "My greatest regret now is that I didn't do it with my own sister. Who dares to help me fulfill this wish? I'll let him make a dying declaration for me right now."

  Several little guys were stunned at first, then simultaneously pulled out their bayonets and frantically hammered the water bottle, creating a chaotic "ding-dong" sound on the mountain top. Yang Qing stretched out his thumb and shouted: "High, really high! The boss is indeed the boss, damn it's high!!!"

  "Listen to me, everyone!" Next to me was a guy named Liu Kangnan, who had been silent since the dinner party began. I was quite annoyed and used my authority as the host to order him to have a few shots of strong liquor with me. His face flushed red after drinking, and he finally couldn't help but join in. He stood up, stretched out his hands, and showed some demeanor of a professional politician. Clearing his throat, he said loudly: "Brothers, has everyone heard of the four irons in society?"

  We all shook our heads in unison, "No."

  "The four irons refer to the most tested brotherly love in today's society, they are brothers who have been soldiers together, gone to the countryside together, read books together, and been imprisoned together. Only friends with such experiences can be considered as good brothers who have passed the test. But now I want to say that true iron is a good brother who has fought battles together, entrusting each other's lives!"

  "We started with five hundred people, but in less than five days, only a few of us were left. We've been through trials that ordinary people can't even imagine in their lifetime. I find a bond between us that's tighter than blood ties. Why don't we just become sworn brothers, not seeking to be born in the same year or month, but to die in the same year and month?"

  Everyone suddenly fell silent, staring at me with eyes full of longing. Although it's said that "tigers and brothers are on the battlefield, fathers and sons are in the army", but in the military, this kind of small group activity is a big taboo. I tilted my neck and poured all the wine from the bottle into my stomach at once, throwing the bottle far away into the dark mountains below. Standing up, I shouted loudly: "Great, let's count Long Sunting too! Today we'll emulate the ancients and make a Snowy Plains Nine Heroes' Oath! Who knows, maybe us brothers will also be able to create a booming career like Liu Guan Zhang!"

  Everyone's eyes lit up, a crate of artillery shells was moved over, and nine ignited cigarettes were placed on top. We cut our fingers to mix our blood into the liquor, each picked up a can filled with the blood wine, and together we knelt down facing east.

  "I am Fu Yuxue!"

  "I am Yang Qing!"

  "I am Liu Kangnan!"

  "I am Cheng Yu Xia!"

  "I am Zhao Wei!"

  "I am Xie Ping!"

  "I am Zhao Jun!"

  "I am Shen Shengyang!"

  "From now on, we'll be brothers of different surnames. In the future, we'll share good fortune and face difficulties together. We don't seek to be born in the same year, month, or day, but we do seek to die in the same year, month, and day! If anyone breaks this oath, heaven and earth will punish him!!!"

  Our eight voices echoed repeatedly on the desolate mountain peak, listening to the echoes and whistling in the wind. Suddenly, a strange emotion surged up in my heart - if we can make it back alive, these nine dragons who have survived the most brutal elimination will surely be able to carve out our own sky! Eight powerful hands clasped tightly together, and we suddenly burst into loud laughter. To have found one true friend is enough for a lifetime, let alone having gained so many sworn brothers in this life-and-death struggle.

  Although I'm not the oldest, I was inevitably pushed by all my brothers to be the eldest brother. Long Sun Ting's outstanding performance on the battlefield, plus his close relationship with me, made him win the second place even though he wasn't present. The others were ranked in order as Liu Kangnan third, Zhao Jun fourth, Yang Qing fifth, Zhao Wei sixth, Shen Shengyang seventh, Xie Ping eighth, and Cheng Yuankai, that kid who used a submachine gun as a hoe, was last.

  We returned to the bonfire and started dividing the roasted gazelle, at this time the atmosphere between us became more intimate. Cheng Yu Xia held the roasted meat, hesitated for a moment, and finally couldn't help but ask: "Big brother, can we still make it back alive?"

  Everyone stared at him, and Cheng Yu Xia's face turned red as he shouted: "I'm not afraid of death! If I were afraid of death, I wouldn't have signed up for this assault team! Whether it's the big brother or the company commander, as long as you give the order, I'll charge to the front line of the battlefield! Today I've gained eight brothers, and I want to follow behind you all, to do even more earth-shaking things. I've never felt less like dying than I do now!"

  "Lao Jiu's words I agree with, whether it's Big Brother or Lian Zhang, as long as you give the order, I'll rush to the front lines!" Lao San Liu Kangnan, who was also the one who suddenly jumped up and asked for an oath of brotherhood, said in a deep voice: "Big Brother is a true hero, whether you choose to retreat or fight the enemy to the end, I will accompany you to the end."

  Seeing me lost in thought, Liu Kangnan walked over to sit beside me, gazing at the fire heap and said in a low voice: "Does big brother really think China is ready?"

  "Huh?"

  "In the 1962 Sino-Indian War, China achieved a great military victory but voluntarily withdrew from the battlefield, ceding 90,000 square kilometers of land. This was not because the leaders at the time did not want this land, but rather they were forced to make sacrifices due to the circumstances. Now, the Indian government has moved large numbers of people into this land that should belong to China, assimilating the local Tibetans. Is it possible that by attacking the spiritual symbol of the Tibetans, you are trying to undermine the Indian government's control over this region and create an opportunity for China to recover its lost territory?"

  I stared at the man in front of me in amazement, he had easily detected my innermost thoughts and could accurately grasp the changing situation, how could someone like him end up as a commando?

  Liu Kangnan's face suddenly turned red, his voice getting lower and lower. "I was a student at the Nanjing Military Academy class of '98, originally considered a good student with excellent grades. But during the graduation party, I got drunk after being forced to drink too much by my classmates. The instructor asked his daughter to send me back to the dormitory, but I couldn't control myself that night and... did it with her. As a result, I was caught in the act by the instructor who had sent his daughter to escort me back to the dormitory. At that moment, I was at my most excited state, and in front of the instructor and other students, I continued to... thrust several more times. The next day, I was expelled from school..."

  I couldn't help but burst out laughing and patted Liu Kangnan's shoulder, shouting: "So Old Three is also a charming guy! You still dare to do such things in front of your dad and your instructor, you really are reckless and daring, no wonder you're my brother Fu Yinxue!"

  Liu Kangnan smiled wryly and shook his head, cleverly avoiding the topic. He raised his head and cast his piercing gaze far into the dark world on the other side, saying: "Now our troops on the Indian border, whether it's the air force, artillery or electronic countermeasures system, are all far inferior to the enemy. China needs more time to rest, recover and accumulate national strength. Except for some hawkish figures in the military, neither the people nor the politicians in power want to spark an unlimited war of attrition with India over 90,000 square kilometers of land. If we charge into Tawang, there will certainly be many who applaud and cheer, but our actions can only be described as terrorist acts. Even if we shake India's control over this region, China will still hold back its troops and let the opportunity slip away, and may even publicly condemn our actions on the diplomatic stage."

  I quietly asked: "Then what do you think we should do?"

  "Fall back!" Liu Kangnan said resolutely: "Being able to return alive is the greatest victory. A commando team that has infiltrated deep into Indian territory, successfully escaped under the siege of tens or even hundreds of times more troops, is equivalent to slapping the Indian military in the face on the international stage. Although there is no evidence on the surface to show our origin, any country will re-evaluate the combat effectiveness of the Chinese army. Our outstanding performance may even become a potential pressure point on China's diplomatic platform. Even those guys who shout for Taiwan independence every day have to think twice about whether their ragtag troops and Japan's uncertain support can withstand our full-force attack."

  Upon hearing these words, I finally realized why Liu Kangnan could survive to the end on the battlefield despite being only mediocre in military tactics during the assault team's training.

  In the past few days, Liu Kangnan had never spoken more than a word, he was an extremely taciturn person. But at this moment, he seemed like a peerless strategist who had traversed the world, with unmistakable wisdom shining in his eyes, speaking confidently: "Now we only have a few people left, each of us is a super elite with excellent military skills, using the dense forest as cover to detour and infiltrate. Within five days, we may be able to return to the area controlled by the Chinese army. According to my estimation, the success rate will be 40%. If the Military Region Headquarters can dispatch a helicopter to rescue us due to someone's relationship, our success rate will reach 85%."

  I couldn't help but nod my head, this Liu Kangnan is indeed a rare talent, his judgment and my estimation are basically consistent, and he handles things calmly, not like me who becomes reckless and crazy at every turn, if he hadn't been distracted by the instructor's daughter's overly prominent chest, he should have grown into an excellent commander long ago.

  Liu Kangnan let out a long sigh and said, "I will never forget the faces of those classmates from four years ago. They looked at me with an air of triumph, as if they had finally eliminated a strong enemy. I even suspect that my relationship with the instructor's daughter was also orchestrated by someone behind the scenes. Otherwise, everything wouldn't have fallen into place so perfectly. With my self-control, I shouldn't have made such a low-level mistake. I rejoined the army as a small soldier, hoping that one day I can show those guys where Liu Kangnan is and turn my fate around!"

  "As long as I can return to China, with Elder Brother's illustrious military achievements, plus Second Brother's unpredictable great potential, Elder Brother will surely have a smooth career in the army. It wasn't until I saw Elder Brother that I realized there are still heroes like you who can never be surpassed under the sky! I propose that we become sworn brothers for life and death, not only to admire Elder Brother's character but also to find a shortcut to success for myself. After the war subsides, given Elder Brother's nature is not suited for the officialdom and the petty squabbles with those small people in the army, I can be Elder Brother's pioneer, clearing all dangers and obstacles!"

  Liu Kangnan has already put everything on the table, hoping to eliminate the gap between us in the shortest time and truly trust each other. I patted his shoulder and said calmly: "Liu Kangnan is my brother, not my vanguard. A man's words are like nails on the wall, forever unchangeable, no matter how the situation changes, we nine brothers share good fortune and bad fortune together!"

  Liu Kangnan looked at me with emotion, he slowly stood up and before he bowed, I jumped up and hugged him, whispering in his ear: "I also don't believe that someone like you would be controlled by bodily desires and do the most foolish thing. When we have accumulated enough strength, no matter where those classmates of yours are, I will dig out the truth of this matter and clear my brother's name! A man's promise is like a nail on the wall, it will never change!!!"

  "Big brother!!!!!"

  Liu Kangnan tightly hugged his sworn brother, who was four years younger than him. He felt his heart surging with emotion and could hardly contain himself. In his mind, he kept repeating one sentence: "This is the true hero, a real dragon that can stir up storms!"