121: The Year That Held
The eighteenth year of Da-ye went by, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past twelve months at the master's hut, at the small accumulating *long-quiet* shape the master had named.
By the small specific accumulating reading at the past year — the small accumulating Pei Renji at the southern garrison had — at the past spring's accumulating opening — laid in a small accumulating *new offensive* against the small accumulating Wagang's accumulating advanced lines. The offensive was — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past nine months' accumulating peddler-saying — at the small accumulating *real-Tujue-veteran's careful campaign* shape of an accumulating six-thousand-troop coordinated push at the small accumulating eastern marshes' accumulating outer perimeter.
Li Mi's accumulating Wagang had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past nine months — held the perimeter at the cost of perhaps three thousand troops on the Wagang side and perhaps two thousand on the Sui side. The small accumulating *outer line* had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past three months — at last been broken, by the small specific reading I am giving at the past peddler, at a small accumulating *southern crossroads* called *Daliang*. Pei Renji had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past peddler — taken Daliang at the past second moon. Li Mi had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past peddler — fallen back to a small accumulating *secondary line* perhaps thirty *li* further north.
The Wagang was, at the past three months' accumulating reading, at the small accumulating *partial-defeat* shape.
The Wagang held.
By the small specific accumulating reading at the past three months — Pei Renji had, by the small specific reading at the past peddler, sent the small accumulating *follow-up* of his accumulating campaign east at the small accumulating *secondary push* against Li Mi's new line. He had not — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past three months — addressed the small accumulating *Wén Déxiū* yet.
The patrols had, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past nine months, not come up the bear-back's western face.
The master held.
By the small specific accumulating reading at the past twelve months — the master's accumulating cough had, at the past twelve months' careful tea, held at the small accumulating *stable* shape. The blood had not returned. The master sat at the small wooden stool at most fair-weather mornings. He read the *Daxue's* eighth round at the cot. He coughed at the cot at perhaps three times an hour, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past twelve months' careful watching, without further worsening.
By the small specific accumulating reading at the dusk of the first day of the eleventh moon of the eighteenth year, the household at the master's hut had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past twelve months' accumulating training — been at the small accumulating *nineteen-and-master* at the small accumulating *seven-of-ten* shape against the Sui-veteran-shape.
Heizi at the small wooden bench had, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past twelve months, written perhaps four further small accumulating *small accumulating careful pieces* on the small accumulating *political philosophy* the master's accumulating eight teachings had laid. The pieces were, by the small specific accumulating reading at the master's careful eye on each, at the small accumulating *real* shape of an accumulating apprentice's accumulating eighth-and-ninth-year writing.
The household held.
The country held.
By the small specific accumulating reading at the dusk of the first day of the third moon of the nineteenth year of Da-ye, a peddler came up the path with the small accumulating *spring's news*.
Pei Renji had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past peddler — at the past second moon's accumulating *secondary push*, broken Li Mi's accumulating *secondary line* at a small accumulating *eastern-marshes' accumulating fold*. The Wagang had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past peddler — fallen back further, at the cost of perhaps two thousand more troops. Li Mi had — by the small specific accumulating reading — withdrawn to the small accumulating *eastern marshes' accumulating central headquarters*, the small accumulating *original* headquarters of the rebellion.
The Wagang's accumulating *real* shape was — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past peddler — no longer at the small accumulating *winning-of-the-rebellion* shape it had been at the seventeenth year's accumulating defeat of Yang Yichen. The Wagang was, at the past two months' accumulating reading, at the small accumulating *holding-the-headquarters-against-Pei-Renji's-accumulating-real-offensive* shape.
By the small specific accumulating reading at the past peddler — Pei Renji had, at the past month, addressed the small accumulating *Wén Déxiū slip* at last.
He had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past peddler — sent a small accumulating *real* patrol of perhaps three hundred Sui troops south from his accumulating southern garrison, with the small specific accumulating *Wén Déxiū execution* shape, at the past three weeks. The patrol was — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past peddler — at the small accumulating *staging area* perhaps four days south of the bear-back's foot.
Three hundred.
Lao Wen at the cot — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past peddler's saying — nodded.
He said in the small low voice: *yes, lad. The small accumulating *Pei Renji's three hundred* are, at this dusk, at four days from the foot. The small accumulating *Wén Déxiū's accumulating real-end* has, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, been called.*
He paused.
"By the small specific reading I am giving — the *nineteen-and-master* will not, by the small specific reading I am giving, hold against three hundred. The bottlenecking will, perhaps, take eighty or a hundred at the *cost-of-five-or-eight*. The grove's accumulating defensive shape will, perhaps, take another fifty at the cost-of-five-more. The remaining hundred-and-fifty will — by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — break through and reach the master's hut."
He paused once more.
"By the small specific reading I am giving — the lad and the *nineteen* will, in the next four days, lay the small accumulating *real* defensive-shape at the bottlenecking and the grove. The lad will, by the small specific reading I am giving, take the small accumulating *cost-of-ten or twelve* at the engagement. The master will, by the small specific reading I am giving, hold the cot at the back."
He paused.
"By the small specific reading I am giving — the master will not, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two years' accumulating cough, hold the cot at the small accumulating *real* engagement-moment. The cough will, by the small specific reading I am giving, return at the small accumulating *real-stress* of the engagement. By the small specific reading I am giving — the master will, by the small specific reading I am giving at this dusk, perhaps go before the engagement is done."
He looked at Heizi.
"Or — by the small specific reading I am giving — the master will, by the small specific reading I am giving, lay in the small accumulating *other* shape: the master will, by the small specific reading I am giving, *draw the patrol away*."
Heizi looked at him.
He said in the small low voice: *master.*
"Yes, lad."
"Draw — the patrol — away."
Lao Wen nodded.
He said in the small low voice: *yes, lad. By the small specific reading I am giving — the master will, at the small accumulating *correct moment* of the engagement, take the small accumulating *old militia officer's spear* and walk down the path alone, into the accumulating Sui's accumulating front, with the small accumulating *peddler's accumulating-old-Sui-court-recognition-of-the-Wén-Déxiū-name* at his accumulating shouted self-identification. The Sui will, by the small specific reading I am giving, focus their accumulating force on the master. The lad and the *nineteen* will, by the small specific reading I am giving, withdraw at the small accumulating *northern face* of the bear-back, taking the brothers and the recruits and Lu Jingzhi and Ah Chou and the boy and the smith's son to the small accumulating *upper hills' accumulating further-north* country, where Pei Renji's accumulating force will not, by the small specific reading I am giving, follow."
He paused.
"By the small specific reading I am giving — the master will, by the small specific reading I am giving, die at the engagement. By the small specific reading I am giving — that is the *real-end* the master has, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two years, been preparing for."
He looked at Heizi.
"By the small specific reading I am giving — the lad has, at this dusk, the small accumulating *final decision*. The lad can — by the small specific reading I am giving — accept the master's accumulating *drawing-away* and live. Or — by the small specific reading I am giving — the lad can refuse, and the *nineteen-and-master* will hold against three hundred at the small accumulating *real* shape of the engagement, and all twenty will, by the small specific reading I am giving, die."
He paused.
"By the small specific reading I am giving — the master is asking for the *drawing-away*."
Heizi looked at the master for a long beat.
He nodded — slowly.
He could not — at the small wooden stool at the cot's-side — speak.
He filed.
He said in the small low voice, finally: *yes, master.*
That night Heizi at his watch sat at the small banked fire.
He did not weep.
He had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past nine years and ten months — not wept since the low rock at the hamlet of two wells.
He filed.
In the small lighter catalog of moments — but no, by the small specific reading I am giving at this dusk, the catalog was no longer at the small accumulating *lighter* shape — beside the small specific dusk of the master's *deferral*, he set: *the small specific dusk of the first day of the third moon of the nineteenth year of Da-ye, when the master named the *drawing-away* as the *real-end*.*
The lighter catalog stood at perhaps one hundred and twenty-eight items.
The dark catalog stood at twenty-five named entries plus the *unnamed thousand+*.
The master would, by the small specific reading I am giving, in four days, draw the patrol away alone.
He sat his watch through.