150: The Empty Camp

The fourth moon of the twenty-third year of Da-ye gave way to the fifth.

By the small specific accumulating reading at the dawn of the seventh day of the fifth moon, Heizi walked down the path to the cold-spring camp.

He went alone.

By the small specific accumulating reading at the past twelve days since the brigade's accumulating departure — the cold-spring camp had been at the small accumulating *empty* shape. Heizi had — at the past twelve days — held the small accumulating *real watch* at the master's hut at the small specific accumulating *three-tier* arrangement of the past tenth moon (the small accumulating *outer eye*, the *middle-watch*, and the *inner-watch*). He had not, in the past twelve days, walked down to the cold-spring camp.

By the small specific accumulating reading at the past five days at his accumulating reading — the lad had laid the small accumulating *one walk to the cold-spring camp* at the small specific accumulating *real reading* shape. The walk was — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past five days at the small wooden bench — at the small accumulating *small specific seeing-the-empty-camp* shape that the lad's accumulating *one-mark-knowing* required at the small specific accumulating *real* moment.

He walked.

He came at the small accumulating *cold-spring's accumulating slab* at the noon.

The slab was — by the small specific accumulating reading at the lad's eye on it — the small same slab. The cold-spring at the small specific accumulating clear water still ran at the small accumulating *real running* shape it had run at the past nineteen years since the lad's accumulating tenth year.

The lean-tos of the past two years' accumulating *one-hundred-and-twelve* were — by the small specific accumulating reading at the lad's eye — at the small accumulating *empty* shape. They were not — by the small specific reading — at the small accumulating *abandoned* shape. The brigade had laid them at the small specific accumulating *cleaning-up-after-the-departure* shape. The fires had been laid at the small accumulating *real banking* shape that would, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past three years' accumulating watch-keeping, leave at the small accumulating *no-further-fire* shape at perhaps the second day after the brigade's accumulating leaving.

The fire-rings were — by the small specific accumulating reading at the noon's eye — at the small accumulating *cold ash* shape.

The forge — Wang Er's accumulating *second bog-iron's-forge* at the small clear ground's accumulating eastern edge — was at the small accumulating *cold* shape. The bellows had been laid at the small accumulating *real cleaning* shape; the anvil had been laid at the small accumulating *covered* shape with a small accumulating *thick wadded blanket* the brigade had laid at the small accumulating *preservation* shape.

The combined drilling ground at the small accumulating *flat clear* below the slope of the bog-iron's accumulating second deposit was — by the small specific accumulating reading at the noon's eye — at the small accumulating *cleared and empty* shape.

The burial slope on the bear-back's accumulating southern arm — where the brigade's accumulating *forty-three named names* of the past four years' accumulating engagements had been laid — was at the small accumulating *real* shape it had been at every season's accumulating *quiet* of the past four years.

Heizi sat at the slab.

He laid one hand briefly at the slab's accumulating edge.

He filed.

By the small specific accumulating reading at the past nineteen years at the cold-spring's accumulating slab — this was the third time the lad had laid the gesture (the first at the small accumulating *first night of the cold-spring camp* of the past tenth year; the second at the small accumulating *second laying of the cold-spring camp* of the past eleventh year of the brothers' accumulating *forty's* withdrawal; the third at this dusk of the empty camp).

He thought.

He thought, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past nineteen years on the road and at the past six years at the master's hut, about the small accumulating *small specific real shape* of the past nineteen years.

The small accumulating *forty boys at the village*. The small accumulating *six-of-seventeen* of the past raid. The small accumulating *four boys at the cold-spring's first laying*. The small accumulating *five-of-seven* through Lu Jingzhi's accumulating joining. The small accumulating *forty* of the *fifty's accumulating bottlenecking*. The small accumulating *cost-of-ten*. The small accumulating *return to the master's hut*. The small accumulating *twelve-and-master*. The small accumulating *nineteen-and-master*. The small accumulating *cold-spring brigade of one-hundred-and-twelve*. The small accumulating *first wave's accumulating cost-of-fourteen*. The small accumulating *second wave's accumulating cost-of-forty-five*. The small accumulating *Mangshan-line's accumulating real defeat*. The small accumulating *brigade's accumulating departure*. The small accumulating *empty camp* at this noon.

The small accumulating *Tie-zhu* who had fallen at the past sixth year's accumulating *defense-of-the-master's-hut*. The small accumulating *forty-three named names* the brigade had laid at the burial slope across the past four years' accumulating engagements. The small accumulating *three more named names* of the *nineteen-and-master* at the past six years' accumulating *upper-bend's* and *first cut's* engagements (Bai Mengxin of the *first wave* and Wu Zenyu and Xie Tongmiao of the same wave; the *second wave's* dead had all been at the cold-spring brigade's accumulating sub-units, not at the *nineteen*).

The small accumulating *Heining* and *Heitiao* at the village.

The small accumulating *master at the cot*.

The small accumulating *unfound moment* — at the small specific accumulating *late summer or autumn's accumulating Pang-Yu's-restored-real-moment* — perhaps three to five months ahead.

He sat at the slab for a long beat.

He filed.

He stood.

By the small specific accumulating reading at the past hour at the slab — the lad had laid the small specific accumulating *full reading* of the past nineteen years at the small accumulating *real* shape.

He walked back up the path.

He came at the master's hut at the dusk.

Lao Wen at the cot looked up.

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

He paused.

He had not asked where the lad had been. He had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past five days' reading at the small accumulating *small specific seeing-the-empty-camp* shape — known.

He said in the small low voice: *the lad has, at the past one walk, laid the small specific accumulating *full reading* of the past nineteen years.*

"Yes, master."

"By the small specific reading I am giving — the lad is, at this dusk, at the small accumulating *real* shape of an accumulating *senior officer who has, at the small specific accumulating real moment, become at the small accumulating *one-mark-knowing* of his own accumulating *full real shape*. By the small specific reading I am giving — the *complete apprenticeship* is, at this dusk, at the small accumulating *real* shape."

He paused.

"By the small specific reading I am giving — the *Zhongyong's* fifth round and the *expanded memorial* will lay in the next moons at the small accumulating *steady* shape, but at the small specific accumulating *real reading* — the *complete apprenticeship* is, at the dusk of the lad's accumulating walk to the empty camp, at the small accumulating *real* shape."

He looked at Heizi.

"By the small specific reading I am giving — the lad has, at twenty-seven and a quarter, become the small accumulating *real* shape of an accumulating *senior officer-of-state-in-the-rough* whose accumulating master had, at the past forty years' accumulating reading, laid in the *full eight teachings* and the *real political reading* of the country's accumulating failure of Da-ye and the small accumulating *real-not-this-not-this* shape of an accumulating *correct* answer."

He paused once more.

"By the small specific reading I am giving — the lad will, at the small accumulating *moment after the master's accumulating end*, walk to the *Tang* at Chang'an at the small accumulating *real* shape of what the lad is."

Heizi nodded.

He filed it.

He could not — at the small wooden stool — say more.

He laid one hand briefly at the master's accumulating hand at the cot.

By the small specific accumulating reading at the past three years' cot's-side — this was the seventh time the lad had laid the gesture.

He held it for one beat.

He let go.

He went out of the hut.

He stood at the small clear ground for a long beat.

He filed.

That night Heizi at his watch sat at the small banked fire of the *senior sub-officer's accumulating bench* at the master's clear ground.

The wind was — by the small specific reading at this evening — at the small accumulating *late spring's accumulating quiet* shape.

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 officer-and-apprentice-of-twenty-seven-and-a-quarter* whose accumulating cold-spring brigade had — at the past two weeks — departed at the *real coordinated surrender to the Tang*, and whose accumulating *nineteen-and-master* held the master's hut at the small accumulating *isolated independent shape*, and whose accumulating master at the cot had — at the dusk — named the lad's accumulating *complete apprenticeship* at the small accumulating *real* shape.

He filed.

He sat his watch through.

The small accumulating *late spring's quiet* held.

The small accumulating *real moment* — at perhaps three to five months ahead — was, at this dusk, at the small accumulating *waiting* shape.

The lad waited.