75: The Scout
The first scout-trip went down at the dawn of the second day of the fifth moon of the seventh year.
Lao Wen had said, at the small wooden table at the noon of the previous day, in the small low voice: *lads. The small specific accumulating reading at the past two months has, by the small specific reading I am giving, reached the small specific point at which the household needs a small specific *eye* on the lower country at a small specific real distance — at a small specific small town, perhaps, where the small specific accumulating reading of the rebellion's small specific reaching can be observed at a small specific real source.*
He paused.
"By the small specific reading at the past four years' accumulating eye-station and the past year's peddler-traffic, the lame brother and Ah Chou have, between them, kept the household at the small specific accumulating reading of the lower contour and at the small specific accumulating reading of the road-network. The household has not, however — by the small specific reading at the past four years — sent a small specific eye to the small specific lower country itself."
He paused.
"By the small specific reading I am giving — the small specific eye should be the big brother and the boy."
Heizi looked at him.
He nodded.
"The small specific town to scout — by the small specific reading at the small specific peddler's saying at the third moon — is a small town called Yangzhuang, perhaps four days' walk south on the small specific path Ah Chou returned by at the spring of last year. Yangzhuang has — by the small specific accumulating saying of perhaps three peddlers — at the past two months had a small specific Sui-magistracy outpost set up at it, with perhaps thirty patrol-troops. The small specific reading at the small specific magistracy outpost is — by the small specific reading at the past two months' accumulating peddler-saying — at the small specific accumulating shape of a *reaction* outpost, set against the small specific accumulating bandit-traffic of the small specific surrounding country."
He paused once more.
"The big brother and the boy will, by the small specific reading I am giving, walk down to Yangzhuang in the small specific accumulating shape of two travelers — perhaps the big brother as a peddler's apprentice, the boy as a Sogdian peddler's son. The boy will speak. The big brother will look. By the small specific reading at the past five years' accumulating reading of the country, the boy can — by the small specific accumulating shape of his own father's small specific accumulating reading — be at the small specific accumulating shape of a young Sogdian peddler with the small specific knowledge of the small specific lower-country small markets the boy will need. The big brother will be at the small specific shape of an apprentice."
He looked at Heizi and An Ashi.
"By the small specific reading at the past five years' work — you are ready."
Heizi nodded. The boy nodded.
The two of them went down at the dawn of the second day of the fifth moon. They went with — by the small specific arrangement at the small wooden table the previous evening — a small bundle of trade-goods Lao Wen had assembled from the small wooden chest at the foot of his cot: a small folded length of finer hempen cloth, three small clay jars of the *huang lian* salve Ah Chou had been making, a small folded handful of dried mushrooms, a small folded packet of Cao Ergou's old kind of charcoal-burner's small specific thin pine slivers used for fire-starting at the lower country. The small specific trade-goods were — by the small specific reading at Lao Wen's saying — sufficient for the boy's small specific accumulating peddler-pretense.
They went without the *横刀*.
Heizi carried only the militia knife at his belt, hidden inside the inner sleeve of his small wadded coat. An Ashi carried his small light blade in the same small hidden way.
They walked four days south by the small specific path Ah Chou had returned by at the spring of last year. They walked at the small specific careful walking-pace of two peddlers' travelers. By the dusk of the fourth day, they came in sight of Yangzhuang.
The small specific town was — by the small specific reading at the lip of a low rise overlooking it — perhaps the size of a hundred houses, set in a small flat at the bend of a small wider stream. There was a small specific magistracy compound at the eastern edge — by the small specific look at the small thin column of smoke rising at perhaps half a *li* from the western lip — with the small specific outline of a small specific outpost wall. There were perhaps thirty horses at a small specific paddock at the south face of the compound.
Patrol-troops.
Heizi and An Ashi came down off the lip slowly. They came into the small specific town at the second hour of the dusk. They went to a small specific inn at the small specific southern edge — by the boy's accumulating peddler-eye — that had the small specific shape of an inn an old Sogdian peddler would have known: small, thin-walled, run by an old woman who had no men at the small front. They took a small specific room for the night for two strings of cash.
They listened.
They listened, in the small accumulating careful pace of the next three days at the inn and the small market and the small specific accumulating reading of small specific conversations at the small specific tables of the small specific inn, to what the small specific town said.
The small specific town said many things.
It said that the small specific Sui patrol — thirty horses at the magistracy compound — had been at Yangzhuang for two moons. It said that the patrol's commander was a young man called Wang Shichong who, by the small specific accumulating saying at the inn at the dusks, was — by the small specific reading at certain peddlers' tables — at the small specific accumulating shape of a young Sui officer who had, in the past year, taken at the small specific accumulating reading of perhaps four small specific bandit-bands in the lower country. The small specific Wang Shichong was, by the small specific reading at certain peddlers, the small specific accumulating *capable* — the small specific accumulating *one to watch* — among the Sui's small specific patrol-officers.
(Heizi filed it.)
The small specific town said that the small specific Wagang Rebellion, by the small specific reading at the past month, had taken another small specific town at the eastern marshes called Taitang. It said that Li Mi, by the small specific reading of two of the peddlers at the inn's evening tables, had — at the small specific *taking* of Yongqiu and Taitang — emerged as the small specific *real* leader of the rebellion, with Zhai Rang at the small specific accumulating shape of an older man at the small specific accumulating second seat. The small specific Wagang Rebellion was, by the small specific reading, at perhaps eight thousand men.
(Heizi filed it.)
The small specific town said that the small specific *recruiting* of the rebellion — at the small specific lower country of southern Henan and eastern Hebei — was at the small specific accumulating shape of a *takes-everyone* recruitment. Any young man who came to the small specific Wagang stronghold and offered himself was — by the small specific accumulating saying of the peddlers — given a small specific portion of food and a small specific weapon and laid into a small specific small unit at the small specific accumulating shape of the Wagang army. The small specific small units were — by the small specific reading — at the small specific accumulating *assembly* of the rebellion's small specific accumulating shape into a small specific real military.
(Heizi filed it.)
By the dusk of the third day at Yangzhuang, the small specific eye had, by the small specific reading at the past three days, gathered what the household needed.
Heizi and An Ashi went out at the dawn of the fourth day. They walked north back to the hut. They walked in the small specific careful pace of two peddlers' travelers who had — at the small specific reading of the past three days at the small specific inn — laid in the small specific accumulating reading of a small specific *real* country.
By the dusk of the fourth day after departure from Yangzhuang, they were at the hut.
That night, at the small wooden table after the small portion of the evening meal, Heizi and An Ashi laid out — by the boy's small folded scrap of pine bark with the small thin charcoal sliver — the small specific accumulating reading of the past seven days.
Lao Wen, at the small wooden stool, listened.
He did not, at the small specific accumulating saying, interrupt.
By the second hour of the late evening, the saying was done.
Lao Wen sat for a long beat.
He said in the small low voice: *lads. By the small specific reading at this evening — the small specific shape of the lower country is, by the small specific accumulating reading, exactly at the small specific shape of a country at its small specific failure's small specific accumulating opening.*
He paused.
"The Wang Shichong at Yangzhuang is — by the small specific reading at his small specific accumulating *capable* shape — the small specific kind of Sui officer who will, at the small specific accumulating shape of a failing reign, attempt to hold the lower country by the small specific *capable* method. He will, by the small specific reading at the next two years, become — by the small specific accumulating reading — one of the small specific real opponents of the small specific Wagang Rebellion. He will be — by the small specific accumulating reading of an old officer's careful saying — perhaps the *most capable* opponent."
He paused.
"The Li Mi at the small specific Wagang stronghold is — by the small specific reading at the past two takings of Yongqiu and Taitang — the small specific kind of rebellion-leader who has, by the small specific accumulating reading of a Sui official's son at a court, the small specific *political accumulating reading* the small specific older Zhai Rang does not. He will, by the small specific reading at the next two years, take the small specific accumulating leadership of the rebellion from Zhai Rang. The small specific way of the small specific *taking* will — by the small specific accumulating reading of an old officer — be by the small specific accumulating *political* method, perhaps. Perhaps by the small specific accumulating violent."
He paused.
"And the small specific *takes-everyone* recruitment at the small specific Wagang stronghold — by the small specific reading I am giving — is the small specific *door* through which the lads, at some specific year, will enter the small specific failure if the small specific failure becomes the small specific opportunity."
He paused once more.
"Lads. By the small specific reading I am giving at this evening — the household has, at the small specific reading of the past seven days, the small specific *real* reading it needed."
The brothers nodded.
That summer, Lao Wen at the small wooden table at the long evenings began the small specific final accumulating teaching of the small specific *political philosophy* of the country. He laid out, by the small specific accumulating reading of the *Mencius* and the *Zhongyong* and the small specific small folded papers from the small wooden chest, the small specific accumulating shape of the country's small specific *Mandate of Heaven* and the small specific *people are the foundation* and the small specific reading of how a young man's small specific accumulating reading of these classical concepts would, at the small specific entry into a rebellion, shape the small specific accumulating decisions he would have to make.
By the dusk of the eighth moon of the seventh year, Heizi was — by the small specific reading at his own small specific accumulating reading — at the small specific accumulating shape of a young man whose small specific *political* eye on the country's small specific *failure* had been, by the small specific accumulating reading at five years and eight months at the hut, set.
He was twenty.
By the dusk of the first day of the ninth moon of the seventh year, the lame brother — at the eye-station at the small specific accumulating dawn watching of the past six months — reported: *master. Big brother. By the small specific reading at this dawn — at the lower contour, perhaps three *li* east — a small specific accumulating bandit-band of perhaps thirty men. By the small specific accumulating saying of the lame brother's eye, this is no longer the small specific accumulating local-rebellion. This is — by the small specific accumulating shape — the small specific accumulating *military reach* of the small specific Wagang Rebellion's small specific *outer arc*.*
Lao Wen, at the small wooden stool, looked at the lame brother.
He nodded.
He said in the small low voice: *yes, lame brother. The small specific *outer arc* of the small specific Wagang Rebellion has — by the small specific reading at this dawn — reached the small specific lower contour at the bear-back's east face.*
He paused.
"The small specific accumulating reading of the household's small specific *eventual shape*, lads — by the small specific reading at this dawn — has, in the small specific accumulating arrangement of the country, become a small specific accumulating *months ahead* of a year ahead."
The brothers were quiet.
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 small specific eventual shape had — at the small specific accumulating reading of the past seven days — drawn a small specific accumulating month closer.
He filed it.
The lighter catalog stood, at this dusk, at perhaps forty-three items.
The dark catalog stood at six names.
He sat his watch through.