74: The Monk's Errand
Ah Chou went down at the spring of the sixth year.
It was Lao Wen's small specific suggestion at the small wooden table at the noon of the first day of the third moon of the sixth year. He had said, after the morning's reading, in the small low voice: *brother.*
"Yes, grandfather."
"By the small specific reading at the past year and a half, the household has — by the small specific reading I am giving — been at the small specific accumulating reading of the country's small specific accumulating slope, by the small specific reading of the lame brother's eye-station alone. The lame brother's eye-station gives us the small specific reading at the lower contour. It does not give us the small specific reading at the lower country — at the small specific accumulating reading of the lower-country towns, the magistracy's small specific accumulating slips, the rebellion's small specific accumulating shapes."
He paused.
"Brother. By the small specific reading at the small specific accumulating reading of an old monk's small old network at the upper hills' lower country — you have been, in the past three and a half years, at small specific small charcoal-burners and small old hermits and small specific lower-country households. You have, by the small specific accumulating reading, the small specific eye and the small specific accumulating tongue of the lower country at the past three and a half years."
"Yes, grandfather."
"The household will — by the small specific reading I am giving — send you down at the spring. For perhaps a moon. You will go to the small specific lower country at the path the master traveled at his small specific outbound thirty-five years ago. You will not — by the small specific reading at the small specific accumulating discipline of the past three and a half years — give your name. You will give the small specific accumulating saying of an old monk's accumulating road. You will, in the small specific moon of your traveling, hear what the lower country has to say. You will, by the small specific accumulating reading of the past four years' work at this hut, bring it back."
Ah Chou nodded.
"Yes, grandfather."
He went down at the dawn of the third day of the third moon. He went down with the small wooden bowl at his belt, the small staff at his right hand, a small bundle of dried hare and the small grey salt and a small piece of the salt-pork from the household's stores. He did not, by the small specific reading at the morning fire of the third day, take any small specific weapon. He went, by the small specific reading at his saying at the morning, in the small specific accumulating shape of an old monk's small accumulating road.
He was gone for thirty-two days.
He came back at the dusk of the fifth day of the fourth moon.
The household, by the small specific reading at the lame brother's eye-station, had marked his small specific accumulating absence at every dawn. The lame brother had — by the small specific reading at the past thirty-two days at the eye-station — also seen the small specific accumulating cooking-fires of the lower contour increase by perhaps another factor of two over the past moon.
When Ah Chou came up over the upper bend of the path at the dusk of the fifth day, he was — by the small specific reading at the small thin grey of the dusk's last light — thinner than he had been at his going-down. He had, by the small specific reading at his small specific careful pace, walked perhaps the small specific edge of his small specific accumulating energy.
He came into the hut.
He sat at the small low pad at the western wall.
He drank the small wooden bowl of warmed water Heizi had drawn at the dusk.
He ate the small portion of millet and dried hare and wild greens An Ashi had laid for him.
By the second hour of the dusk, he was ready.
He said in the small low voice: *grandfather. The lower country.*
"Yes, brother."
"By the small specific reading at the past thirty-two days, by the small specific accumulating saying of perhaps fourteen lower-country households I had been at and perhaps three small specific peddlers I had at the small specific roads and one small specific encounter at a small specific tavern with a man who had been at the eastern marshes for three years — the lower country, grandfather, is at the small specific accumulating shape of an actual rebellion."
He paused.
"By the small specific reading I am giving — the small specific Wagang Rebellion in the eastern marshes is — at the past two years — at the small specific accumulating shape of perhaps three thousand men. Led by a man called Zhai Rang, by the small specific accumulating saying of the lower country's peddlers. The man called Li Mi has — at the past spring — joined Zhai Rang. Li Mi was — by the small specific accumulating saying of one of the peddlers — a Sui official's son who had been at a small specific magistracy court and had at the past two years gone over to the rebellion. He has — by the small specific reading at the past spring's saying — perhaps the small specific accumulating leadership at certain shapes of the rebellion."
He paused.
"And there are, grandfather, small specific other rebellions also. The small specific Dou Jiande movement in southern Hebei. The small specific accumulating bands at the lower country of southern Henan. The small specific accumulating bands at the eastern marshes' edges that have not yet joined Wagang. The country, grandfather, is — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past thirty-two days — at the small specific shape of perhaps five small specific local rebellions, each of which is at the small specific accumulating shape of perhaps a thousand or two thousand men."
He paused once more.
"And the Sui — by the small specific accumulating saying of a peddler at the small specific tavern — has at the past spring sent a small specific accumulating accumulation of patrols to the lower country at the eastern marshes and at southern Henan. The patrols are — by the small specific saying — at the small specific accumulating shape of perhaps five thousand men, at the small specific accumulating shape of suppressing the small specific local rebellions."
Lao Wen, at the small wooden stool, looked at him.
He nodded slowly.
He said in the small low voice: *brother. The Sui has begun to send patrols.*
"Yes, grandfather."
"By the small specific reading at the small specific accumulating arithmetic — the patrols, brother, in the small specific accumulating reading of an old officer who has watched the small specific old shapes of the country at the past forty years, are — by the small specific reading I am giving — the small specific shape of a reign that has gone past the small specific *holding* into the small specific *reaction*. The reign is — by the small specific reading I am giving at this dusk — past the small specific point at which the small specific failure is, by any small specific accumulating measure, recoverable."
He paused.
"Brother. The country is — at this dusk — at the small specific shape of a country whose reign is, by the small specific reading at the past forty years' watching, perhaps a year ahead of the small specific failure. Not a year and a half. Not two and a half. A year."
The brothers were quiet.
Heizi, at the small wooden table, said in the small low voice: *master.*
"Yes, lad."
"A year is — by the small specific reading at the past four years and four months at this hut — perhaps the small specific spring of the seventh year."
"Yes, lad."
"That is — by the small specific reading I am giving at this dusk — the small specific accumulating reading of the small specific eventual shape."
"Yes, lad."
Heizi nodded.
He filed it.
That summer, by the small specific accumulating reading at the small clear ground at every noon and at the small wooden table at every long evening, Lao Wen began the small specific final accumulating teaching of the lads at the small specific shape of a six-man scouting unit at its small specific third formation.
He taught the small specific accumulating reading of the country's small specific *political philosophy* — the small specific accumulating reading of the *Mencius* in its small specific philosophical chapters at the small wooden table at the long evenings, with the small specific accumulating reading of an old scholar's small specific careful saying about the small specific *Mandate of Heaven* and the small specific *people are the foundation* and the small specific *if the ruler is not a ruler the people will not be people*. He taught the small specific accumulating reading of the small specific old saying *tian shi bu ru di li, di li bu ru ren he* — the small specific old reading: *the timing given by Heaven is not equal to the advantages of terrain; the advantages of terrain are not equal to the harmony of men.*
He taught the small specific accumulating reading of the small specific *moment* at the saber at the small clear ground.
By the dusk of the third moon of the seventh year — Ah Chou had been at the household for two and a half years; the brothers had been at the hut for six; Heizi was twenty-one — Heizi was at the small specific reading of seven of ten on certain days at the *cut at the recovery*, at six of ten on certain days at the *quarter-circle*, and at five of ten on certain days at a small specific compound move he had — by the small specific accumulating reading of his own evenings at the small slab — drawn from the small specific combination of the *cut at the recovery* and the boy's father's *circle-and-thrust*. Lao Wen had, at the small specific moment Heizi had first laid the compound at the small clear ground at the noon of the first day of the third moon of the seventh year, watched in silence for a long beat. He had then said in the small low voice: *lad. There.*
He had not said more.
Heizi had filed it.
By the dusk of the first moon of the seventh year — five years and four months at the hut — Heizi was at the small specific reading of a young man whose hand the country, by the small specific reading at this dusk, would, in the next several months, need.
He was twenty.
He had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past five years and four months — added to the lighter catalog of moments perhaps another twelve. The lighter catalog stood at perhaps forty.
The dark catalog stood at six names still.
By the small specific reading at the lame brother's eye-station at the dusk of the second moon of the seventh year, two new bandit columns had — at the past month — moved up from the lower country in small specific eastward and northward sweeps. By the small specific reading at Ah Chou's small specific accumulating reading at the past three years' lower-country travel, the bandits were — by the small specific accumulating shape — at the small specific accumulating reading of *the small specific accumulating coalescence into a regional rebellion*.
By the small specific reading at the dusk of the fifth day of the third moon of the seventh year, a single peddler came up the path of the bear-back's western face for the first time in seven years. He was an old peddler. He had — by the small specific accumulating saying — known Lao Wen at the small specific past, by the small specific reading of a peddler's old ledger. He had — at the dusk — sat at the small wooden table with the master and had, in the small specific accumulating reading of a peddler's saying, given the news.
The news was that the small specific Wagang Rebellion had — at the past spring — taken a small specific city in southern Henan called Yongqiu.
The small specific *failure* of the Da-ye reign had — by the small specific reading at the dusk — begun.
Lao Wen, at the small wooden stool after the peddler had gone, said in the small low voice: *lads. The small specific failure has begun.*
The brothers were quiet.
Heizi, at his place, said in the small low voice: *master.*
"Yes, lad."
"What — what is the small specific accumulating shape of the next moons."
"By the small specific reading at this dusk, lad — the small specific accumulating shape of the next moons is the small specific shape of the household's small specific final accumulating preparation. The lads will, by the small specific reading I am giving, be at the small specific full *moment*-teaching by the small specific dusk of the seventh year's eighth moon. By the dusk of the seventh year's tenth moon, the lads will be at the small specific accumulating reading of the small specific accumulating *political philosophy* of an old scholar's small specific final readings of the *Mencius* and the *Zhongyong*. By the dusk of the seventh year's twelfth moon, the lads will be — by the small specific reading at the small specific eventual shape — at the small specific accumulating shape of a small specific six-man unit at its small specific full third formation."
He paused.
"By the small specific accumulating reading at the dusk of the first day of the eighth year's first moon, lads — the lads will be ready."
He paused once more.
"And the lads will, by the small specific reading at the small specific eventual shape, decide."
The brothers nodded.
That night Heizi at his watch sat at the small banked fire ring inside the south face.
He listened.
The shape of the silence on this watch was — by the small specific reading at this evening — the shape of a small old hut at the grove of twelve pines whose old officer had, at the dusk of the fifth day of the third moon of the seventh year, named the small specific *failure* of the Da-ye reign as begun.
He filed it.
In the small lighter catalog of moments, beside the small specific dusk of Ah Chou's saying at the household's first reading of the country's accumulating shape, he set: *the small specific dusk of the fifth day of the third moon of the seventh year, when an old peddler came up the path for the first time in seven years and named the small specific city of Yongqiu.*
The lighter catalog stood at perhaps forty-one items.
The dark catalog stood at six names.
He sat his watch through.