A Certain Brigade's "Red Ninth Company" of the Tibet Military District: A 99-Year-Old Company Charges Again
A Certain Brigade's "Red Ninth Company" of the Tibet Military District Inherits the Red Gene and Concentrates Strength to Overcome Hardships—— A 99-Year-Old Company Charges Again
■ Mi Jiujiang, Qi Haocheng, PLA Daily Reporter Ma Jialong
"I am a soldier of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, and I swear: to obey the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, to serve the people wholeheartedly…" On the eve of "August 1st," on a plateau training ground at an altitude of over 4,000 meters, the "Red Ninth Company" of a certain brigade of the Tibet Military District organized a ceremony to revisit the enlistment oath. Facing the crimson military flag, all officers and soldiers of the company solemnly swore the oath, their voices resounding and forceful.
This is a heroic unit of the same age as the People's Army.
As a Red Army company distinguished by outstanding battle achievements and a long line of heroes, the "Red Ninth Company" has traveled a 99-year journey through wind and rain. The company's predecessor unit was reorganized and formed from the Nanliang Guerrillas. Having passed through the Land Revolution War, the War of Resistance Against Japan, and the War of Liberation, it participated in more than a thousand engagements of varying scale and has been acclaimed as a "sharp cutting edge." In 1950, the company's officers and soldiers actively responded to the Party's call, pioneering the road into Tibet, and have garrisoned the border ever since.
Victory is a soldier's finest answer to the call of duty. As soon as the oath ceremony concluded, a round of combat-realistic training immediately got underway. Combat vehicles raced deep into the wilderness, churning up waves of dust and sand.
"Enemy unmanned aerial vehicle detected to the northwest!" Inside the company command vehicle, Sergeant Huang Xin reported at the first opportunity. "Drive it off immediately!" The commander issued the action order without hesitation. Huang Xin and his comrades swiftly operated a certain type of counter-UAV system to neutralize the threat. Shortly afterward, the red dot on the system's display screen representing the "enemy" signal disappeared, and the danger was successfully resolved. Company officers and soldiers maneuvered to the designated area and, as planned, carried out verification of a certain type of tactical method (战法).
In recent years, faced with the new situation of accelerating weapons and equipment iteration and rapidly evolving operational patterns, the company has focused on accelerating the generation of new-quality combat capabilities (新质战斗力). Political Instructor Tong told the reporter: "In the early period of transformation, we also went through a phase of setbacks."
That year, the company was ordered to undertake a trial task for a certain new type of equipment. Upon receiving the notice, every officer and soldier in the company was eager and ready to show what they could do. What they did not expect was that when the equipment trials actually began, reality threw cold water on them without mercy—the supporting parameters and training lesson plans for the new equipment were entirely based on a plains environment; under plateau conditions, much of the data was distorted and invalid, making it extremely difficult to complete the task.
"As inheritors of the 'Red Ninth Company,' we must forever maintain the posture of charging forward and forge ourselves into a sharp blade for overcoming hardships and difficulties." At a company-wide military assembly held not long after, Political Instructor Tong said with resolve: "Soldiers must have a spirit of fighting to the very end; no matter what difficulties are encountered, one must never speak lightly of giving up." In order to complete the trial task, the company's officers and soldiers packed their gear and pressed deep into the plateau hinterland. Through days spent in the company of wind and snow, they overcame the effects of the harsh natural environment and continuously explored the performance boundaries of the new equipment.
To better accomplish the mission, the company's Party member backbone personnel spontaneously formed a shock team (突击队). The shock team's deputy leader, Platoon Leader Losang Danzeng, devoted himself to researching methods for equipment calibration and test firing, collecting large volumes of data to optimize firing tables. Shock team member and technical backbone Yang Lu worked overtime to carry out trial breakthroughs, summarizing and compiling theoretical lesson plans and simulated training programs. Sergeant Lei Xiongfei, through repeated deduction and verification, determined the performance boundaries of the new equipment and achieved outstanding results in the first nighttime training exercise…
In the end, after round after round of integration, verification, and after-action review, the company's officers and soldiers successfully completed the equipment trial task.
"From the 1950s, when we relied on 'iron soles' (铁脚板) to conquer the treacherous terrain of the snow-covered plateau, to the new era of striving boldly and concentrating strength to overcome hardships—through 99 years of wind and rain, the charging footsteps of the company's officers and soldiers have never stopped." Political Instructor Tong told the reporter that, building on the foundation of the earlier trial breakthroughs, they proactively linked up with sister units and jointly carried out combat-realistic subject training in joint reconnaissance, fire coordination, and other areas, completing multiple pilot breakthrough tasks.
"This year marks the 99th anniversary of the founding of our army, and also the 99th anniversary of the founding of the 'Red Ninth Company.' These two numbers constantly inspire us to fulfill through concrete action the solemn pledge: 'The gun listens to me, and I listen to the Party.'" said Company Commander Wang.