145: The Court Collapses
By the small specific accumulating reading at the dusk of the first day of the tenth moon of the twenty-second year of Da-ye, a peddler came up the path with the small accumulating *political news from Luoyang*.
He sat at the small banked fire at the *senior sub-officer's* accumulating bench at the master's clear ground.
He said in the small low voice: *Heizi-zhang. By the small specific accumulating reading at the past three weeks at my accumulating peddler-route through the lower country and at the small accumulating *Wagang-controlled town of Yongqiu* — the Yang-Tong-court at Luoyang has, at the past two weeks, been at the small accumulating *real political collapse* shape.*
He paused.
"By the small specific accumulating reading at the past two weeks — a small accumulating *senior sub-officer of the Yang-Tong-court's accumulating *imperial guard*, a man called *Wang Shichong*, has, at the past three weeks, taken the *real* shape of the accumulating *senior-most political-and-military officer* at Luoyang at a small accumulating *court-internal coup* — by the small specific reading at the past peddler. Wang Shichong has — at the past two weeks — laid Yang Tong at the small accumulating *house-arrest* shape. By the small specific accumulating reading at the past peddler — Wang Shichong has, at the past three weeks, become at the small accumulating *real* shape of an accumulating *post-Yang-Tong-political-power* at Luoyang."
He paused.
"By the small specific accumulating reading at the past peddler — Wang Shichong has, at the past two weeks, laid the small accumulating *real* reading at the regional Sui-loyalist commands. He has — by the small specific reading at the past peddler — laid the small accumulating *real consolidation* of the regional commands' accumulating troops at the small accumulating *real campaign* against Li Mi's accumulating Wagang. The accumulating *first major engagement* of Wang Shichong's accumulating real campaign is — by the small specific reading at the past peddler — perhaps three months ahead, perhaps four, at a small accumulating *real engagement* at the small accumulating *Mangshan-line* near Luoyang."
He paused once more.
"By the small specific accumulating reading at the past peddler — Pang Yu's accumulating *southern command* and Pang Yu's accumulating *third wave's mobilization* have, at the past two weeks, been at the small specific accumulating *real political shape*'s accumulating *Wang Shichong's accumulating real reading*. By the small specific reading I am giving — Wang Shichong has — at the past two weeks — laid the small accumulating *real reading* that Pang Yu's *third wave's regional supplement* of the past two months' accumulating preparation would, by the small specific accumulating reading at Wang Shichong's accumulating *imperial-guard's accumulating arithmetic*, be at the small accumulating *real* better shape if it were laid in the small accumulating *Mangshan-line's accumulating *real campaign* against Li Mi*."
He paused once more.
"By the small specific accumulating reading at the past peddler — Wang Shichong has, at the past three weeks, recalled Pang Yu's accumulating *regional supplement* of two hundred to Luoyang. Pang Yu's *third wave* is, at this dusk, at the small accumulating *suspended* shape. The wave will, by the small specific reading at the past peddler, perhaps not lay in until the small accumulating *post-Mangshan-line's accumulating real engagement* — perhaps six months ahead, perhaps a year, depending on the *Mangshan-line's* accumulating outcome."
Heizi at the small clear ground at the dusk read the small accumulating *peddler's reading* twice.
He filed it.
He went to the cot's-side at the dusk.
He said in the small low voice: *master. Wang Shichong at Luoyang. Yang Tong house-arrested. Pang Yu's third wave suspended. The Mangshan-line's accumulating real engagement at three or four months ahead.*
Lao Wen at the cot looked up from the *Zhongyong's* fourth round.
He laid the book at the cot.
He said in the small low voice: *yes, lad.*
He paused.
He paused for a long beat.
"By the small specific accumulating reading at this dusk — the country has, in the past two weeks, moved at the small specific accumulating *real* shape. Wang Shichong is, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past forty years' Sui-court reading, the small accumulating *real* late-Sui-political shape — an accumulating *imperial-guard senior-officer who has, at the small specific accumulating real moment of an accumulating Sui-court's accumulating Mandate-collapse, taken the small accumulating *real political-and-military power* at the small specific accumulating coup-shape*. By the small specific reading I am giving — Wang Shichong has, at the past three weeks, become the small accumulating *real* shape of the *Yang-Tong-court's accumulating real-shape-after-Yang-Tong* — at the small specific accumulating *fictional-Sui-name* shape with Wang Shichong's accumulating *real* power."
He paused.
"By the small specific reading I am giving — the *Mangshan-line's accumulating real engagement* will, at the small accumulating *real* shape, be the small accumulating *real* contest for the eastern Mandate. By the small specific accumulating reading at the past peddler's reading of Wang Shichong's accumulating *imperial-guard's accumulating real military shape* and the small accumulating *Li Mi's accumulating Wagang's accumulating *real weakening* of the past four months at the *Yongqiu-line's accumulating *real strain*'s accumulating reading — Wang Shichong will, by the small specific reading at the past forty years' political reading, perhaps win the *Mangshan-line*."
He paused.
"By the small specific reading I am giving at this dusk — Li Mi's accumulating *real* shape would, at the small accumulating *Mangshan-line's accumulating real defeat*, be at the small accumulating *real political-and-military collapse* shape. Li Mi would, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past forty years, perhaps survive the small accumulating *real defeat* but at the small accumulating *real-fugitive* shape rather than the *real-leader-of-the-rebellion* shape. The Wagang would — by the small specific reading I am giving — at the small accumulating *real defeat at the Mangshan-line*, at the small accumulating *real political collapse* shape, fragment at the small specific accumulating *real* shape — perhaps a third surrendering to Wang Shichong, perhaps a third going to Li Yuan's *Tang* at the west, perhaps a third holding the eastern marshes at a small accumulating *splintered remnant* shape."
He paused once more.
"By the small specific reading I am giving — the lad's accumulating *new headquarters at Wagang-zhai* and the lad's accumulating *Li Mi's welcome* would, at the small accumulating *post-Mangshan-line* shape, perhaps be at the small accumulating *no-longer-existing* shape. The lad's accumulating *real political shape* would, by the small specific reading I am giving, perhaps lay in at the small accumulating *Tang* of Li Yuan rather than at the small accumulating *Wagang's accumulating fragmenting remnant*."
He looked at Heizi.
"By the small specific reading I am giving — the country has, at the past two weeks, perhaps moved at the small specific accumulating *real* shape that the lad's accumulating *moment after the master's accumulating end* will, at its accumulating arrival, lay in at the small accumulating *real Tang-or-Wagang's-fragmenting-remnant's-decision* shape rather than at the small accumulating *Li Mi's straightforward welcome* of the past four years."
He paused once more.
"By the small specific reading I am giving — the small accumulating *real moment* of the master's accumulating end is, at this dusk, deferred at the small accumulating *post-Mangshan-line and post-Wang-Shichong's-Mangshan-victory and post-Wagang's-fragmenting* shape. By the small specific reading I am giving — that is at perhaps eight to twelve months ahead, perhaps fifteen."
Heizi nodded.
He filed it.
He could not — at the small wooden stool — say more.
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 *senior sub-officer-and-apprentice* whose accumulating *moment after the master's accumulating end* had, by the small accumulating *Wang Shichong's accumulating coup at Luoyang*, deferred again at perhaps eight to twelve months ahead, and whose accumulating *real political shape* of an accumulating *post-master decision* would, at its arrival, lay in at the small accumulating *Tang-or-Wagang-fragmenting-remnant* shape rather than at the small accumulating *Li Mi's straightforward welcome*.
He filed.
He sat his watch through.