119: The Thirty's Ambush

The ambush opened with Heizi's first arrow at the small accumulating *first rider's small specific window of the heart* at the third minute past the noon.

The first arrow took the rider clean. The rider fell at the small accumulating *bend's-far-side's small specific bottlenecking* before the second rider could, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past quarter minute's accumulating watching, draw his accumulating saber.

The next two arrows from the high ground — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two years' bow-training — took the second and the third riders at the small accumulating *similar* shape.

By the small accumulating fourth minute, three of the thirty Sui were dead.

The remaining twenty-seven moved.

They moved at the small accumulating *real* discipline of a Sui scout-patrol's accumulating reaction. Six of the twenty-seven dismounted at the small accumulating *northern lip* of the fold and began to climb at the small accumulating *return-fire* shape against Heizi at the high ground. Wang Er at the *thrust-and-set* came down at the small accumulating *first-line* against the small accumulating six dismounting at the moment of their accumulating second step on the slope. He took two of the six at the *thrust-and-set's accumulating quarter-circle*. The remaining four — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past minute's careful work — came up at Wang Er's accumulating *moment*-engagement.

Wang Er held. He took two more.

By the eighth minute, twelve of the thirty Sui were dead.

An Ashi at the *circle-and-thrust* at the eastern lip came down at the small accumulating *second-line* against the small accumulating *eight* of the remaining Sui who had moved to the eastern flank. He took three of the eight at the small accumulating *Sogdian variant's* careful work. The remaining five — by the small specific accumulating reading — broke at the eastern lip and retreated south at the small accumulating *first wave's accumulating panic* shape.

Five of the original thirty had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the eighth minute — retreated south.

The remaining ten — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past minute — engaged at the small accumulating *thirteen-vs-ten-now* shape with the recruits' first-and-second-line.

The recruits held.

By the small specific accumulating reading at the past two minutes, the recruits — at the small accumulating *six-of-ten* shape Heizi had drilled — held the *first-and-second-line* against the ten Sui's accumulating engagement. They took perhaps four of the ten at the *quarter-circle* and the *thrust-and-set* and the *circle-and-thrust*. The remaining six — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past minute — broke and retreated south at the small accumulating *second wave's accumulating panic* shape.

By the small specific accumulating reading at the tenth minute, the small accumulating thirty was at the small accumulating *eleven retreating south* shape and the small accumulating *nineteen dead at the bottlenecking* shape.

The small accumulating *thirteen-minus-Lu-Jingzhi* — by the small specific accumulating reading at Ah Chou's accumulating immediate medic's eye — had taken two wounded.

*Cao Pingsheng* (the recruit at the *circle-and-thrust* of the eastern lip's first-line) had taken a Sui saber at the small specific accumulating *outer thigh* at the small accumulating *first wave's* accumulating panic-stroke. The cut was — by Ah Chou's accumulating immediate eye — at the small accumulating *deep but not at the bone* shape. Ah Chou laid the small accumulating *huang lian* and the small accumulating *binding* at the small accumulating *immediate-on-the-field* shape — what the brother had not, by the small specific reading I am giving at the past nine years and ten months, ever laid at any small specific accumulating immediate engagement-moment.

This was the small accumulating *battlefield-medic's* small specific accumulating new shape Ah Chou had — by the small specific reading at the past two years — been at the small accumulating *understanding* of, but had not, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two years, laid at the small specific accumulating *real* engagement-moment.

The small accumulating *Cao Pingsheng's accumulating cut* held under Ah Chou's accumulating immediate binding.

The wound would, by the small specific reading at Ah Chou's accumulating eye, perhaps heal at the next two months at the small accumulating *limp-but-functional* shape.

The second wound was *Liu Sanlang the second*. He had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past minute — taken a Sui arrow at the small specific accumulating *upper arm* during the small accumulating *six-dismounting* climb at Wang Er's accumulating *thrust-and-set*. The arrow had gone through the muscle and out the other side. Ah Chou — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past minute — laid the small accumulating *immediate-extraction* of the arrow and the small accumulating *immediate-binding*. The wound was — by Ah Chou's accumulating eye — at the small accumulating *will-heal* shape.

Two wounded.

No dead.

The thirteen-minus-Lu-Jingzhi had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past ten minutes — taken nineteen of the thirty Sui at the small accumulating *cost-of-two-wounded*.

By the small specific accumulating reading at the dusk of the seventh day of the fifth moon, the small accumulating *eleven retreating Sui* had — by the small specific accumulating reading at Ah Chou's accumulating eye-station's accumulating watching at the past four hours — gone past the small accumulating *southern fold's accumulating staging-area* at the small accumulating *fourth hour after the noon* and were, at the dusk, at perhaps four *li* further south retreating to Yang Yichen's accumulating southern garrison.

The small accumulating *thirty-Sui-ambush* had — by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — held.

Lao Wen at the cot — by the small specific accumulating reading at the dusk's accumulating saying from Heizi at the cot's-side — nodded.

He said in the small low voice: *yes, lad. By the small specific accumulating reading at the past day's engagement — the *thirteen-minus-Lu-Jingzhi* held against thirty at the cost-of-two-wounded. The brothers and the recruits laid in the *moment*-teaching at the small accumulating *real-engagement* shape. Ah Chou laid the *battlefield-medic's* role at the small accumulating *immediate-on-the-field* shape for the first time.*

He paused.

"By the small specific reading I am giving — the brother Ah Chou is, at this dusk, the household's *real* battlefield-medic. By the small specific accumulating reading at the past nine years and ten months — the brother had been the household's *camp-medic*. The two are, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past day's engagement, at the small accumulating *different* shape. The brother has, at this dusk, at the small accumulating *real* shape."

Heizi nodded.

He filed.

He laid the small accumulating *Cao Pingsheng* and the small accumulating *Liu Sanlang the second* at the small accumulating *one-mark-knowing's accumulating wounded* of the small accumulating *thirteen*.

That night Heizi at his watch sat at the small banked fire.

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-and-apprentice* whose accumulating *thirteen-minus-Lu-Jingzhi* had, at the noon, held the small accumulating *thirty-Sui-ambush* at the cost-of-two-wounded, with Ah Chou's accumulating *battlefield-medic's role* established at the small accumulating *real* shape.

He filed it.

In the small lighter catalog of moments, beside the small specific dusk of the recruits' arrival, he set: *the small specific noon of the seventh day of the fifth moon of the seventeenth year, when the thirteen-minus-Lu-Jingzhi held the thirty-Sui-ambush at the cost-of-two-wounded.*

The lighter catalog stood at perhaps one hundred and twenty items.

The dark catalog stood at twenty-five named entries plus the *unnamed thousand+*.

He sat his watch through.