81: The Outer Arc Approached
The lower contour came up to them at the noon of the third day of the going-down.
The brothers had — by the small specific reading at the past two days' walking — gone south past the eastern saddle of the long low ridge, past the foot of the bear-back's old country, and down through the small specific lower terraces of the upper hills. By the dawn of the third day, they were at the small specific contour-line An Ashi had named on his bark-copy of Lao Wen's cloth map as *the lower contour proper*. By the noon of the third day, they had come around a small wooded bend and could see, perhaps a *li* east, the small specific *holding camp* — by the small accumulating reading at the past three years' eye-station — in its small specific accumulating shape under the small specific accumulating leadership of Bing Yuanzhen.
Heizi stopped them at the small wooded bend.
He raised his hand.
The brothers stopped.
Heizi watched.
By the small specific reading at the past two months' accumulating reports, the small specific *holding camp* had broken up at the eighth moon of the eighth year and reformed as three small specific recruitment-camps. The *holding camp* at the small specific lower contour was — by the small accumulating reading of the past month's reports — at the small specific accumulating shape of perhaps the small specific *first* of the three recruitment-camps.
By the small specific reading at the small wooded bend's vantage, the camp at the noon was — by the small specific careful reading of An Ashi's eye on it from beside Heizi — at perhaps eighty men, with perhaps fifteen at the small specific *recruiting* posture at the small specific accumulating eastern edge of the camp where new young men, by the small specific reading, were arriving.
"Boy," Heizi said in the small low voice.
"Yes, big brother."
"What is the small specific reading."
The boy looked.
He looked for perhaps a quarter hour.
He said in the small low voice: *big brother. By the small specific reading at this noon — the camp is at the small specific accumulating shape of a recruitment-camp at perhaps the third week of its accumulating recruiting. The leader at the small specific eastern edge — the man with the small specific accumulating *banner* at his small specific accumulating gesture — is the small specific accumulating *recruiting officer*. The recruiting officer is — by the small specific reading at the past quarter hour — taking new young men at the rate of perhaps two or three an hour. The young men are — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past quarter hour — coming up from a small specific path that runs east, perhaps, to a small specific lower-country town that may be Yangzhuang or another small specific accumulating town.*
He paused.
"By the small specific reading I am giving — the camp will, by the small specific accumulating arithmetic, take perhaps another two weeks of recruiting before it is at the small specific accumulating *full*. By the small specific reading at the past quarter hour — the camp's small specific accumulating *full* will be at perhaps a hundred and fifty to two hundred men."
Heizi nodded.
He filed it.
"Brother." (To Lu Jingzhi.)
"Yes, big brother."
"By the small specific reading at the small specific *political* eye of a young aristocrat — what is the small specific accumulating shape of the recruiting we should observe before we approach."
Lu Jingzhi looked.
He had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past eight days at the hut and the small specific accumulating reading at the past three days on the road — begun, by the small specific careful reading at his small accumulating attention, to lay in his small specific *political voice* alongside the boy's small specific *political eye*.
He said in the small low voice: *big brother. By the small specific reading at this noon — the small specific accumulating shape of the recruiting officer's banner is the small specific accumulating shape of a Wagang sub-officer's banner. The banner is — by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — at the small specific accumulating *Bing Yuanzhen* banner, by the small accumulating reading I had at my father's small specific accumulating reading of the small specific *Wagang banners*. The recruiting officer is, by the small specific reading I am giving, one of Bing Yuanzhen's three small specific accumulating sub-officers.*
He paused.
"And — by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — the recruiting officer is taking the young men at the small specific accumulating *no questions* method. The new young men are — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past quarter hour — being asked perhaps three small specific questions before being entered onto the camp's small specific accumulating roll. The questions are perhaps: *can you hold a saber? can you walk twenty li in a day? have you eaten in the past two days?* The new young men, by the small specific accumulating reading at the small specific accumulating *yes-yes-yes* answers, are entered onto the roll at the small specific *no further reading*."
He paused once more.
"By the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — the small specific household's seven young men, at the small specific accumulating shape of three sabers and three bows and a spear and a small wooden staff and the small specific accumulating reading of the past six and a half years at an old officer's hut, will — by the small specific accumulating reading at the small specific *no questions* method — be at the small specific accumulating *taken-on* at the small specific moment of approach."
Heizi nodded.
"Yes, brother."
"And — and by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — the small specific *taken-on* will be at the small specific accumulating *small specific unit* at the small specific Bing Yuanzhen's small specific accumulating *holding camp*. We will, by the small specific accumulating reading, not be — at the small specific moment of approach — sent to the Wagang main stronghold. We will be — by the small specific reading I am giving — kept at the small specific *outer arc* for some specific accumulating period, perhaps four to eight weeks, before being moved further east."
"Yes, brother."
Heizi paused.
He thought.
He had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two months' planning at the small wooden table — laid the small specific accumulating shape of the household's small specific approach as: *go to the recruiting; be entered; serve at the small specific *outer arc* for some weeks; move further east at the small specific accumulating Wagang stronghold; lay in the small specific accumulating reading of the rebellion's small specific accumulating shape from the inside.*
The plan was — by the small specific reading at the noon — the plan.
"All right," he said. "We will approach. By the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — we approach as a household of seven, with the small specific *seeking-recruitment* of the small specific accumulating *no questions* method. The smith's son will speak first, by the small specific accumulating *yes* of the recruiter's three questions. The boy will be the small specific second voice. The brother — Lu Jingzhi — will be at the small specific accumulating *political voice* of an aristocrat's son, but only at the small specific accumulating moment of any small specific *political* question. The lame brother will be at the small specific accumulating *quiet*. Ah Chou will be at the small specific accumulating *medic's* identification, which will, by the small specific accumulating reading, give us the small specific accumulating *value* the recruiter will recognize. I — myself — will be at the small specific *eldest* and at the small specific accumulating *leader* of the household's small specific seven."
The brothers nodded.
They came around the small wooded bend at the small specific accumulating walking-pace.
They walked at the small specific seven-man line of the small accumulating shape of the past three days' walking, with Heizi at the front, Wang Er second, Lu Jingzhi third (by the small specific arrangement Heizi had revised at the morning of the third day for the small specific approach), An Ashi fourth, Tie-zhu fifth, Ah Chou sixth, and the small specific accumulating supply at each of the brothers' bundles in the small specific accumulating shape of seven travelers.
By the small specific reading at perhaps a quarter *li* from the camp, the small specific accumulating eastern edge of the camp's perimeter began to be visible.
A man with a banner — by the small specific reading at Lu Jingzhi's identification — stepped out from the small specific perimeter at perhaps fifty paces.
He raised the small banner.
He said in the small low voice that carried at fifty paces: *travelers. Stop.*
The brothers stopped.
The man came forward at perhaps thirty paces.
He stopped at twenty.
He said in the small low voice with the small specific accumulating accent of a southern-Hebei lower-country man: *who are you and what do you want.*
Heizi stepped forward at the small specific *first-position* of a small specific seven-man unit's leader.
He said in the small low voice: *brother. We are seven. We come from the upper hills. We have walked three days. We are asking — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two months' accumulating reports — the small specific *recruiting* of the small specific Wagang Rebellion's small specific accumulating *outer arc*.*
The recruiting officer looked at him.
He looked at the brothers.
He looked at the small specific accumulating shape of three sabers visible at the brothers' belts (Heizi's, Wang Er's, An Ashi's; Lu Jingzhi's was at the small specific accumulating *covered* position under his coat, by Heizi's small specific arrangement at the morning), at the small specific old militia officer's spear at Tie-zhu's hand, at the small wooden staff at Ah Chou's right hand, at the small bundles, at the small specific carriage of the seven.
He said in the small low voice: *the upper hills. From where in the upper hills.*
Heizi paused.
He had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two months' planning at the small wooden table — agreed with Lao Wen on the small specific answer.
He said in the small low voice: *brother. From a small specific old hermit's hut at the grove of twelve pines on the bear-back's western terrace, where seven of us have been at the small specific accumulating reading of an old man's small specific accumulating teaching for some specific accumulating years.*
The recruiting officer looked at him.
He nodded — slowly.
He said in the small low voice: *the old man at the grove of twelve pines.*
"Yes, brother."
"That old man has — by the small specific accumulating saying of certain peddlers at the small specific accumulating lower-country roads of the past three years — been at that hut at the small specific *sending* of small specific accumulating young men for some specific accumulating recent years. The Wagang has — by the small specific reading at the small specific Bing Yuanzhen's small specific accumulating saying at certain dusks — been hearing the small specific accumulating *sending* in the past three years. The seven of you are — by the small specific accumulating reading at this noon — the first small specific accumulating *sending* I have seen at this small specific accumulating recruiting-camp."
He paused.
"You are — by the small specific reading at the past three years' accumulating saying — *expected*. By the small specific accumulating reading at my own small specific accumulating reading at this noon, brother — you are the small specific accumulating *first* of a small specific accumulating *several*."
He paused once more.
"The Wagang has — by the small specific reading at the small specific Bing Yuanzhen's small specific accumulating saying — been waiting for you."
He stepped back.
He gestured the seven into the camp.
The brothers walked in.
They walked at the small specific accumulating shape of the small specific seven-man line.
The small specific *holding camp* at the small specific accumulating eastern edge — perhaps eighty men at small specific small fires, with the small accumulating *recruiting* at the small specific accumulating eastern edge — opened around them.
They walked into it.
By the small specific reading at this noon, the small specific household had — by the small specific accumulating arrangement of the past nine years and the small specific accumulating reading of the past two months' planning at the small wooden table — entered the small specific *failure* of the Da-ye reign at the small specific accumulating *first door* of the small specific Wagang Rebellion.
That afternoon, at the small specific accumulating *intake* tent at the small specific recruiting-camp's small specific accumulating eastern edge, Bing Yuanzhen himself came out.
He came out — by the small specific reading at his arrival — at the small specific accumulating shape of an officer at perhaps thirty-five, with the small specific accumulating reading of a man who had been at the rebellion for perhaps three years and at a small specific accumulating leadership for two. He wore the small specific accumulating *plain* hempen-and-leather of a Wagang officer, with no small specific accumulating insignia beyond the small specific accumulating banner of the small specific accumulating unit. He looked at the seven brothers at the small specific *intake* tent.
He bowed — at the small specific *equal-stance* bow of a sub-officer at the small specific accumulating *received* of seven new recruits.
He said in the small low voice: *brothers. By the small specific accumulating reading at the past three years — Bing Yuanzhen of the Wagang's small specific accumulating outer arc. I have been waiting — by the small specific accumulating saying at the past three years — for the small specific *seven*.*
He paused.
"Welcome."
Heizi bowed back at the small specific *equal-stance*.
He said in the small low voice: *brother. The small specific accumulating *seven* is, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, here.*
The household had — by the small specific reading at this dusk — entered the small specific Wagang Rebellion.
The small specific accumulating *failure* of the Da-ye reign was — at this dusk — the small specific accumulating road the household would, in the next several years, walk.
Heizi filed it.
In the small lighter catalog of moments, beside the small specific dawn of the going-down, he set: *the small specific noon of the third day of the going-down, when the household was received by Bing Yuanzhen at the small specific accumulating recruiting-camp at the lower contour.*
The lighter catalog stood at perhaps forty-nine items.
The dark catalog stood at six names.
The small specific accumulating *failure*, at this dusk, was at hand.