124: The Wagang's Intervention

By the small specific accumulating reading at the dawn of the second day of the eight-day count, the runner from the cold-spring camp came up the path at a pace.

He was — by the small specific accumulating reading at his arrival — out of breath. He had — by the small specific reading at his accumulating run — come from the cold-spring camp at the small accumulating *real urgency* shape.

He stopped at the small clear ground at the front of the master's hut.

He said — at the small accumulating bowing — *Heizi-zhang. By the small specific accumulating reading at the past peddler's accumulating saying at the cold-spring camp at the dawn — Yan Wenshu has, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two days, been at the small accumulating *real* receiving of the small accumulating *Qu Tutong's accumulating five-hundred patrol's* news at the cold-spring camp.*

He paused for breath.

"By the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — Yan Wenshu has, at the past dawn, sent his accumulating *one runner-with-letter* up to the master's hut at the small specific accumulating *one-day-pace*. The letter is — by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — at this dawn at the small accumulating handing-over."

He held out the small folded paper.

Heizi at the small clear ground took it.

He read it.

The letter was — by the small specific accumulating reading at Yan Wenshu's accumulating careful even strokes — perhaps a hundred and twenty characters.

It said:

*Heizi-zhang. By the small specific accumulating reading at the past two days at the cold-spring camp's peddler-network — Qu Tutong's accumulating five-hundred patrol is, at this dawn, six days from the foot of the bear-back. By the small specific reading I am giving — the small accumulating *real* defense of the master's hut against five-hundred is, by the small specific reading at the past three years' accumulating reading, at the small accumulating *not-real* shape. The *nineteen* will not, by the small specific reading I am giving, hold. By the small specific reading I am giving — the cold-spring camp's accumulating *eighty* are, at this dawn, mobilized. We will, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, intercept the patrol at the small accumulating *southern fold's accumulating tavern's* approach at the small accumulating *third day from this dawn*. We will lay the small accumulating *bottlenecking-of-five-hundred* at the southern fold's accumulating cut. By the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — the *eighty* will, with the small accumulating *upper terrain* of the southern fold and with the small accumulating *prepared engagement* shape Wang Er's accumulating brother Yan Shaozhong has been laying at the small accumulating *fold-arrangement* for the past two months, hold against five-hundred at the small accumulating *real engagement* shape. The five-hundred will, by the small specific reading I am giving, take the small accumulating *cost-of-perhaps-two-hundred* at the small accumulating fold and will withdraw. The patrol will not, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, reach the foot of the bear-back. The lad and the *nineteen* will, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, hold the master's hut at the small accumulating *quiet* shape during the engagement. The master will, by the small specific reading I am giving, not need to walk down with the old militia officer's spear at this dusk. — Yan Wenshu.*

Heizi read it twice.

He folded it.

He went into the hut.

The master was at the cot, with the *Daxue's* tenth round at his old hand.

Heizi laid the letter at the master's accumulating cot's-side-bench.

He said in the small low voice: *master. Yan Wenshu's accumulating *eighty* will, by the small specific accumulating reading at this dawn's letter, intercept Qu Tutong's accumulating five-hundred at the small accumulating southern fold's accumulating cut. The master will, by the small specific accumulating reading at this dawn, perhaps not — at this dusk — walk down the path with the old militia officer's spear.*

Lao Wen looked at the letter.

He read it.

He looked up at Heizi.

He said in the small low voice: *yes, lad.*

He paused.

"By the small specific reading I am giving — Yan Wenshu has, at the small specific accumulating *cold-spring camp's accumulating sub-base*, become at the small accumulating *real seasoned commander* shape of an accumulating *Wagang sub-officer at his accumulating second year of independent command*. The small accumulating *eighty* will, by the small specific reading I am giving, hold."

He paused.

"And — by the small specific reading I am giving at this dawn — Yan Wenshu's accumulating intervention is, by the small specific reading I am giving at this dawn, the small accumulating *Wagang's accumulating reciprocal-shape* of the small accumulating *flank counter-attack* the Wagang laid at the past year against Pei Renji's three-hundred. By the small specific reading I am giving — the Wagang has, in the past year and a half, become at the small accumulating *real* shape of an accumulating *protector* of the master's hut at the small accumulating *recognized sub-base* shape."

He paused once more.

"By the small specific reading I am giving — the master accepts the small accumulating *Wagang's accumulating intervention*. The master will not, at this dusk, walk down the path. The small accumulating *drawing-away* will, by the small specific reading I am giving, defer once more."

He looked at Heizi.

"By the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — the small accumulating *Wagang's accumulating reciprocal-shape* will not, by the small specific reading I am giving, lay forever. The Wagang's accumulating *eighty* are, at the small specific accumulating *cold-spring camp*, at the small accumulating *one major engagement* per year's accumulating reading. By the small specific reading I am giving — at the next year's accumulating Sui patrol of accumulating *real shape*, the cold-spring camp's *eighty* may, by the small specific reading I am giving, be elsewhere — committed at the eastern marshes at Li Mi's accumulating campaign of the next spring. The Wagang's accumulating *intervention* of this dusk is, by the small specific reading I am giving, at the small accumulating *one-time* shape. The next time, by the small specific reading I am giving, the master will walk."

He looked at Heizi for a long beat.

"That is — by the small specific reading I am giving at this dawn — what the Wagang's accumulating reciprocal has bought. One year, perhaps two."

Heizi nodded.

He filed it.

He went out of the hut.

He laid the small accumulating *eight-day-preparation* at the brothers' accumulating evening fire — the *holding-the-quiet* version. The *nineteen* would not, by the small specific reading I am giving, lay the small accumulating *first wave of bottlenecking*. The *nineteen* would, by the small specific reading I am giving, hold the master's hut at the small accumulating *normal day* shape during the small specific accumulating *southern fold's accumulating engagement*.

The brothers nodded.

By the small specific accumulating reading at the dusk of the fourth day of the count, the small accumulating *southern fold's accumulating engagement* came.

By the small specific accumulating reading at the runner's small accumulating *post-engagement saying* at the dusk of the fifth day — Yan Wenshu's accumulating *eighty* had, at the noon of the fourth day, intercepted Qu Tutong's accumulating *five-hundred* at the southern fold's accumulating *cut* (a small accumulating *bottlenecking* perhaps a *li* up from the small accumulating tavern, where the road narrowed at a small accumulating cliff-and-stream's accumulating arrangement). The *eighty* had, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past peddler's saying, held the small accumulating *cut* against the *five-hundred* through the noon and the afternoon. The *five-hundred* had — by the small specific reading I am giving — taken the small accumulating *cost-of-perhaps-two-hundred-and-twenty*. The *eighty* had taken the small accumulating *cost-of-twelve*.

The *five-hundred* had, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past peddler — at the dusk of the fourth day — withdrawn.

The patrol had not — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past dusk — reached the foot of the bear-back.

The master's hut held.

Heizi at the small clear ground at the dusk of the fifth day stood at the small wooden bench.

He laid the small specific accumulating *one-mark-knowing* of the small accumulating *eighty's accumulating cost-of-twelve* at the dark catalog (twelve more named names — by the small specific reading I am giving, twelve men of Yan Wenshu's *eighty* whose names the runner laid at the dusk's accumulating saying).

The dark catalog now stood at thirty-five named names plus the *unnamed thousand* plus the small accumulating *unnamed Sui dead* (perhaps four hundred fifty so far across the past six years' engagements).

The lighter catalog stood at perhaps a hundred and thirty items, with the small specific accumulating *dusk of the fourth day of the second moon of the twentieth year of Da-ye, when the Wagang's accumulating eighty held the southern fold's accumulating cut against Qu Tutong's accumulating five-hundred and the master did not walk down* set, by the small specific reading at this evening, at the small accumulating *real* item.

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 master had, by the Wagang's accumulating reciprocal intervention of an accumulating *eighty* at the southern fold's accumulating cut, been at the small accumulating *one more year* the master himself had named at the past dusk.

One year. Perhaps two.

The next patrol — by the small specific reading I am giving — would, at the small specific accumulating *unfound moment* the master had named at the small accumulating *fourth moon of the fourteenth year*, perhaps not be at the small accumulating *Wagang's accumulating reciprocal-intervention* shape. The Wagang would, by the small specific reading I am giving, perhaps be elsewhere. The master would, by the small specific reading I am giving, walk.

Heizi did not weep.

He filed.

He sat his watch through.