104: The Quiet Between Patrols
The twelve held the small accumulating *upper-hills sub-base* of the master's hut through the eighth moon and the ninth moon of the thirteenth year.
By the small specific accumulating reading at the past two months' accumulating watching, the small accumulating Sui patrols had not, in the past eight weeks since the small accumulating *first holding* of the upper bend, returned. The small accumulating *eight surviving Sui* had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past peddler's accumulating saying at the small accumulating *southern fold's accumulating tavern* — returned to the Yang Yichen-shape's accumulating southern command and had reported the small accumulating *upper-hills holding force* at perhaps a sub-unit of forty under an accumulating *Wagang-affiliated staff-officer*.
Yang Yichen had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past peddler's saying — taken the report at the small accumulating *patient* shape. He was — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two months — at the small accumulating *consolidation* of the lower country. The upper-hills holding-force was, by the small specific accumulating reading at Yang Yichen's accumulating arithmetic, at the small accumulating *not-immediate* priority.
The next Sui patrol-attempt was — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past peddler — perhaps four to six months ahead.
The twelve used the small accumulating quiet.
They laid in further the small accumulating *moment*-teaching at every noon. They laid in the small accumulating *winter preparation* at the small accumulating *coming-back-of-the-old-cold-spring-camp's-arrangement* the lame brother had been laying at the master's hut for the past two months, with the small accumulating new lean-tos for the six veterans and the small accumulating new forge Wang Er had laid at the small clear ground's accumulating eastern edge of the master's compound.
The bog-iron of the small accumulating cold-spring camp had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two months — been replaced by the small accumulating *second bog-iron deposit* Wang Er had identified at the small accumulating *upper-hills bear-back's accumulating southern face*, a *li* below the foot of the path. The smith's son had laid in the small accumulating *new smelting* at the past month, with the small accumulating *forge-helper* Liu Wenchang at his side after the wound at the leg had — by the small specific accumulating reading at Ah Chou's salve at the past five weeks — closed.
By the small specific accumulating reading at the dusk of the first day of the tenth moon of the thirteenth year, the small accumulating *upper-hills sub-base of the master's hut* was — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two months' accumulating preparation — at the small accumulating *real* shape of a defensive sub-unit at its accumulating second formation.
By the small specific accumulating reading at the dusk of the first day of the tenth moon, an accumulating peddler — different from the small accumulating peddlers who had been at the master's hut at the past two months' accumulating saying — came up the path.
He carried small accumulating *news from the lower country* the small accumulating *staff-officer's eye* had not, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two months, been hearing.
He sat at the small banked fire of the *staff-officer's small specific accumulating new position* at the master's clear ground. He drank a small accumulating cup of warmed water. He said in the small low voice: *Heizi-zhang. By the small specific accumulating reading at the past four weeks at my accumulating peddler-route — Yang Yichen has, at the past three weeks, sent a small accumulating *small specific column* of perhaps three hundred Sui troops south to the small accumulating *eastern marshes' accumulating outer arc* against Li Mi's accumulating *new shape*.*
He paused.
"By the small specific accumulating reading at the past three weeks' accumulating saying — Li Mi has, at the past two weeks, taken the small accumulating *first major engagement* against Yang Yichen's accumulating column at a small accumulating *take-the-grain-and-hold* operation at a small accumulating town called Yongqiu — the same Yongqiu Li Mi had taken at the past tenth year's accumulating *first* taking. By the small specific accumulating reading at the past peddler — Li Mi has, in two weeks of accumulating engagement, taken the small accumulating column. The Sui has — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past three days — retreated. Li Mi has, by the small specific reading I am giving, defeated Yang Yichen's small accumulating southern-attack force."
Heizi looked at the peddler.
He said in the small low voice: *brother. The small accumulating *first major Wagang victory* against Yang Yichen.*
"Yes, Heizi-zhang. By the small specific accumulating reading at the past peddler — yes."
The peddler paused.
He said: *and Heizi-zhang. By the small specific accumulating reading at the past peddler — Li Mi has, in the past two weeks, sent a small accumulating *runner-with-letter* to Liyang's sub-camp asking for the small accumulating *Heizi-zhang's accumulating forty* to come east at the accumulating *full commitment* shape. By the small specific reading at the past four days' accumulating runner-route — the runner is, at the past four days, at the small accumulating *upper-hills coming-up* shape, perhaps a day from this hut by the small specific reading I am giving.*
Heizi nodded.
He filed it.
That dusk, the runner from Liyang came up the path.
He carried Li Mi's third letter.
The letter said in perhaps a hundred and fifty characters:
*Heizi-zhang. By the small specific accumulating reading at the past three weeks' accumulating Yongqiu engagement — the Wagang has, by the small specific reading at the past two weeks, defeated Yang Yichen's accumulating southern attack at Yongqiu. By the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — the Wagang's accumulating *real shape* is now at the small accumulating *winning-side* of the country's accumulating failure. By the small specific reading I am giving — the small accumulating *full commitment* of the lad's accumulating *forty* and of the lad himself at the small accumulating *new headquarters* will, by the small specific reading I am giving, be at the small accumulating *useful* shape of the next year's accumulating campaigns. By the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — the accumulating *not-yet* has, in the past year and a half, served. The small accumulating *yet* is — by the small specific reading I am giving — perhaps now at hand. The lad will, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, decide. — Li Mi.*
Heizi read it twice.
He folded it.
He laid it at the small wooden bench beside the small accumulating earlier Li Mi letters.
He looked at the brothers and the master.
He said in the small low voice: *master. Brothers. Li Mi has called for the *full commitment*.*
Lao Wen at the small wooden stool looked at him.
He said in the small low voice: *lad. By the small specific accumulating reading I am giving at this dusk — the small accumulating *full commitment* would, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past three months' accumulating Sui patrol-traffic at the southern fold, leave the small accumulating *holding-of-the-hut* without the lad and the *forty*'s small accumulating six brothers and six veterans. The hut would, by the small specific accumulating reading at the next year's accumulating Sui patrol-traffic, be without its accumulating *holding-shape*.*
He paused.
"By the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — the master is, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two months, at the small accumulating *recognized* shape of the Sui's accumulating tracking. The Sui has — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past peddler's saying at the past four months — laid the small accumulating *Wén Déxiū* at the *recognized rebels-in-hiding* ledger. By the small specific reading I am giving — the Sui will, by the small specific accumulating reading at the next year, send larger patrols. The hut without the small accumulating twelve will, by the small specific reading I am giving, fall."
He paused.
"That is — by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — the small accumulating *cost* of the *full commitment*."
He looked at Heizi.
"By the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — the lad will decide. The master, by the small specific accumulating reading at sixty-three and one-quarter, is at the small accumulating *carrying-no-weight* in the small accumulating *real* decision. The lad's accumulating *one-mark-knowing* of the master is, by the small specific reading I am giving, the lad's accumulating responsibility. The lad's accumulating *one-mark-knowing* of the *forty* and of the country and of his accumulating sister's accumulating instruction is — by the small specific reading I am giving — the lad's accumulating responsibility also. The decision is — by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — the lad's."
The brothers were quiet.
Heizi looked at the master.
He looked at the brothers.
He thought.
He thought, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past nine years and ten months on the road, about the small accumulating *small specific question*.
He said in the small low voice: *master. By the small specific reading I am giving at this dusk — the lad will, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, defer the small accumulating *full commitment* once more. The small accumulating *not-yet* will hold. The lad will, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving at this dusk, write to Li Mi the small accumulating *the master's accumulating life is at the small accumulating Sui patrol-tracking; the lad and the twelve are at the small accumulating holding of the master's hut; the small accumulating *full commitment* will be at the small accumulating moment after the master's accumulating end; that moment is — by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — perhaps a year ahead, perhaps two, but not at this dusk*.*
He paused.
"The decision is — by the small specific reading I am giving — the lad's. The lad chooses the small accumulating *holding-the-master* over the small accumulating *full commitment* of the rebellion. By the small specific reading I am giving — that is the small accumulating *correct* answer."
Lao Wen looked at him for a long beat.
He nodded — slowly.
He said in the small low voice: *yes, lad. By the small specific accumulating reading I am giving at this dusk — the master accepts the lad's decision. The master is — by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — grateful, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past sixty-three years, that the small accumulating *not-yet* will hold a year longer.*
Heizi nodded.
He wrote, that evening at the small wooden table, the small accumulating *third reply* to Li Mi.
It said in perhaps a hundred characters:
*Master Li Mi. By the small specific accumulating reading at the past two months — the master at the upper hills' grove of twelve pines is at the small accumulating *recognized* shape of the Sui's accumulating tracking. The lad and the *forty's accumulating twelve* are at the small accumulating *holding* of the master's hut. By the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — the small accumulating *full commitment* will be at the small specific accumulating moment after the master's accumulating end. That moment is — by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — perhaps a year ahead, perhaps two. By the small specific reading I am giving — until then, the lad's accumulating *not-yet* holds. The accumulating *forty* at the cold-spring camp under Yan Wenshu remains at the small accumulating *recognized sub-base* of the rebellion's accumulating arrangement. — Heizi-zhang.*
He laid the letter at the small accumulating runner's accumulating outgoing.
That night Heizi at his watch sat at the small banked fire of the *staff-officer's tent*.
He listened.
The shape of the silence on this watch was — by the small specific reading at this evening — the shape of a small specific *staff-officer* who had — at the dusk — laid the small accumulating *not-yet* one more time, against the small accumulating *full commitment* of an accumulating winning rebellion, to hold the small accumulating master's hut at the small accumulating *recognized-tracking* of an accumulating Sui-court ledger.
He filed it.
In the small lighter catalog of moments, beside the small specific noon of the first holding, he set: *the small specific dusk of the first day of the tenth moon of the thirteenth year, when the lad chose the master's hut over the rebellion's accumulating full commitment.*
The lighter catalog stood at perhaps eighty-six items.
The dark catalog stood at twenty-two named names plus the *unnamed thousand*.
He sat his watch through.