Chapter 6: Blood-Red Twilight

On November 22, 1963, Chen Yi, then Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, and Abdul Kayum, the Minister of Interior of Afghanistan, signed the "Boundary Treaty between the People's Republic of China and the Kingdom of Afghanistan" in Beijing, delineating the border including the Wakhan Corridor. According to the agreement, the border line of the two countries starts from the snow peak at an elevation of 5,630 meters in the south and extends to the snow peak of Kulkara Qole at an elevation of 5,698 meters in the north. This border line is the land border with the most significant time difference in the world (with Afghanistan and China differing by 3 and a half time zones) and is also one of the highest land borders in the world.

The two scouts at the front occasionally stopped to observe the surrounding situation. From their movements, it was evident that they were a group of seasoned veterans with extensive experience in mountain warfare. After confirming safety, one of them waved his hand backward, and after a moment, four more individuals emerged from the foot of the mountain, leading five horses, each carrying a heavy wooden crate.

The sound of fragmented footsteps pierced the silent air as a group of over ten armed personnel slowly approached around the foot of the mountain. These individuals were dressed differently, most wearing leather-soled boots, leather hats, long robes, and carrying short knives at their waists. Their faces, adorned with thick beards, appeared fierce and robust, as they walked slowly, holding various models of AK-47 assault rifles in their hands.

Let this go! A soldier named Man Niu, holding a machine gun, looked at an armed man lying on the ground with his chest blown apart, muttering to himself. He turned to glance at several pack horses that had long since died: "What a pity!" He stepped forward and kicked open a wooden box on the horse's back, revealing a brand new AK47, still coated with gun oil. After checking, he found two boxes of AK47s, one box of Russian-made Makarov pistols, three boxes full of rifle ammunition, one box of pistol ammunition, and one box of Russian grenades.

Watching the team members swiftly set up bombs on each wooden crate, Xiao Nan commanded: "Dalin, take the lead; Ai Hu, cover the rear; the entire team, form a line and retreat"

What these people never expected was that, a hundred meters away, behind a gun barrel painted in snow camouflage, a pair of cold eyes was watching them

"Exercise caution and prepare for battle," Xiao Nan said coldly into the individual combat tactical radio

In a moment, a group of young men dressed in snow camouflage vanished into the vast sea of snow, behind them a series of intense explosions echoed as if bidding them farewell

The armed squad advanced cautiously, slowly entering the encirclement

Although these armed militants are all seasoned veterans, most of whom have come from the battlefield in Afghanistan, and possess rich experience in mountain warfare, today they are up against a group of experts, a group of iron-blooded warriors born for war. Even the least qualified among them, the 'Marauding Bulls,' have participated in over a dozen battles of varying scales, and the others are similarly experienced. Within a few minutes, the battle is nearing its conclusion

Thud thud... At the same time, Daling and Aihu fired their grenade launchers, and the Russian-made BR-25 40mm grenade launcher mounted under the AK74U assault rifle unleashed its power. "Boom..." A grenade exploded among the enemy ranks, instantly turning one armed militant into a mist of blood from the waist up. The nearby militants were either dead or injured; one militant had his left leg blown off, and the excruciating pain caused him to roll violently on the ground, his agonized cries drowned out by the sounds of gunfire and explosions. One militant was instantly turned into a mist of blood from the waist up, and the nearby militants were either dead or injured; one militant had his left leg blown off, and the excruciating pain caused him to roll violently on the ground, his agonized cries drowned out by the sounds of gunfire and explosions.

The RPK74 machine gun roared with a relentless barrage, forcing the enemy to lie flat on the ground, unable to raise their heads. The soldiers swiftly and effectively harvested the lives of the armed militants

Recently, arms trafficking activities along the Xinjiang border have become rampant, with most of the weapons used by insurgents flowing into the region through the Wakhan Corridor, posing a serious threat to social security in Xinjiang. These insurgents have attacked border outposts, armed themselves to rob military supply vehicles, and even brazenly infiltrated county towns to rob banks in broad daylight, openly engaging in gun battles with armed police. Their activities have been exceedingly rampant, causing great anger among the higher authorities, who have mobilized a large number of armed police for a crackdown. However, these individuals lead lives similar to ordinary Uyghur residents, engaging in farming and herding during the day, while secretly taking up hidden weapons to engage in terrorist activities. Despite multiple crackdowns, the results have been minimal. Consequently, the authorities have decided to tackle the issue from the source, first cutting off the supply of weapons to the insurgents, and then gradually conducting internal cleanups to thoroughly investigate the insurgents.

The Wakhan Corridor, also known as the Afghan Corridor, is a mountainous and narrow region located in northeastern Afghanistan, extending east to west. It is bordered to the north by the southern edge of the Pamir Plateau (adjacent to Tajikistan) and to the south by the steep eastern section of the Hindu Kush Mountains (connecting with Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir). It begins in the upper reaches of the Amu Darya River at the Panj River and its tributary, the Pamir River, and extends eastward to the Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County in Xinjiang, China. On March 11, 1895, Britain and Russia signed the "Agreement on the Sphere of Influence in the Pamir Region," delineating the boundary of influence between the two countries in the Pamirs. This agreement designated the narrow strip of land between the northern foothills of the Hindu Kush and the southern edge of the Pamirs as a "buffer zone" between the two nations, which is the Wakhan Corridor. Consequently, this area became a political buffer zone among Russian Turkestan, British India, and China.

Damn it, buying so many guns, are these bastards going to fight us?" Upon seeing this, Da Lin beside him muttered while placing a timed bomb on the ammunition box

Finally, you have arrived... Looking at the cautious arms dealer through the scope, Xiao Nan thought silently

With a soft sound of "pa ... ... pa ... ...", Xiao Nan eliminated the last armed assailant rushing towards the mountain pass and quietly spoke into the throat microphone: "Snipers provide cover, the rest clean up the battlefield, prepare for withdrawal ... ... "

Xiao Nan hid in a pile of withered grass covered with remnants of snow, glancing sideways at the setting sun on the distant horizon, gathering his thoughts and continuing his wait

Boom... Immediately, the second stray bullet struck the ammunition box on the horse's back... Amidst the tremendous explosion, the detonation of the ammunition mixed in, and in an instant, stray bullets were flying everywhere

Seeing that the hair was on fire, Da Lin stuck out his tongue and did not dare to speak. The expression on his face, with his tongue out and his face covered in camouflage paint, appeared somewhat comical

"Less talk, get to work," Xiao Nan scolded, continuing to speak loudly: "The bomb is set to detonate in three minutes, prepare to retreat"

A militant hiding behind a horse, preparing to throw a grenade, had his head blown apart. Lin Xiao calmly pulled the bolt of the SV98, ejected the spent cartridge, and began searching for the next target. It was as if this chaotic battlefield had nothing to do with him.

In an instant, seven soldiers leaped from their respective hiding spots, entered the battlefield, and swiftly delivered finishing shots to each of the armed militants lying on the ground

"Bang, bang." With two crisp gunshots, Xiao Nan fired first, and a militant positioned in the middle of the group, armed with a Russian-made PK general-purpose machine gun, fell to the ground. This group of militants were seasoned veterans, and almost simultaneously with the gunfire, they quickly dispersed, dropping to the ground. "Tat-tat-tat..." The AK rifles erupted instantly, bullets sweeping directly towards Xiao Nan's concealed position. The sound of gunfire intensified as the team members opened fire, resulting in the deaths of seven or eight militants.

This well-equipped team consists of a group of Afghan arms dealers disguised as Uyghurs. Most of them are former guerrilla fighters from Afghanistan, veterans of the eight-year war against the Soviet Union and the subsequent civil war lasting over a decade. These individuals possess extensive combat experience. Currently, they are taking advantage of the turmoil in Afghanistan to profit by selling arms to various resistance groups. This time, they are smuggling a batch of weapons to the Chinese border to sell to insurgents in the Xinjiang region. These individuals possess extensive combat experience. Currently, they are taking advantage of the turmoil in Afghanistan to profit by selling arms to various resistance groups. This time, they are smuggling a batch of weapons to the Chinese border to sell to insurgents in the Xinjiang region

The Wakhan Corridor at dusk, the air is icy and biting, the mountains undulate, the world after the snow is silent and vast, the red sun in the western sky slowly disappears, sunset is approaching, the cold wind cuts like a knife, the remnants of snow dance in the air, stirring the tranquil dusk into a haze, an ordinary day is about to come to an end

Not long ago, an agent codenamed 'Crouching Tiger', who had infiltrated the rebels, transmitted intelligence detailing the time and location of this arms deal. The superiors decisively initiated a military operation codenamed 'Wolf Capture'. The two contacts sent by the rebels were captured by a small team as soon as they arrived at the rendezvous point, and were secretly escorted back to the base by two team members

The entire corridor is approximately 300 kilometers long from east to west, with the narrowest point in the north-south direction measuring only 15 kilometers and the widest point being about 75 kilometers. The two countries, China and Afghanistan, are adjacent at the eastern end of the narrow Wakhan Corridor, where the border line is only 92 kilometers long