82: The Outer Arc's Reading
The first weeks at the small specific outer-arc camp went by, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two weeks, at the small specific accumulating shape of the brothers' first reading of the rebellion's small specific *real* daily life.
The small specific accumulating shape was — by the small specific reading at the past two weeks — at the small specific accumulating shape of a small specific Wagang sub-unit at its small specific *holding* posture.
The brothers were, by Bing Yuanzhen's small specific arrangement at the noon of their second day at the camp, kept at the small specific accumulating *household* shape — that is, by Bing Yuanzhen's small specific accumulating saying, *brothers. The small specific seven of you are — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past three years' accumulating sending of the old man at the grove — at the small specific accumulating shape of a small unit. I will not, by the small specific reading I am giving at this noon, break you up at the small specific *intake* of the camp's small specific accumulating other recruits. I will keep you at the small specific *seven-man unit* of your own. You will, by the small specific reading I am giving, take your small specific *small unit's* daily watching and patrol and small specific accumulating training-and-adapting at the small specific reading of an old officer's old saying.*
The brothers had bowed.
By the small specific reading at the past two weeks, the brothers had — at the small specific accumulating *seven-man unit* — taken in the small specific accumulating shape of the camp.
The camp was — by the small specific reading at the past two weeks — at the small specific accumulating shape of perhaps a hundred and twenty men. The men were — by the small specific accumulating reading of An Ashi's small specific *political eye* — at the small specific accumulating mix of perhaps half rebellion-veterans (men who had been at the small specific Wagang for two or three years) and half new recruits (young men who had — at the past month's accumulating recruiting — come up at the small specific *no questions* method).
The veterans were — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two weeks — at the small specific accumulating shape of small specific *seasoned* fighters. They had been at perhaps three small specific engagements at the past three years. They knew the small specific accumulating *Sui patrols* by the small specific accumulating reading at certain small specific banners. They had, by the small specific reading at their accumulating saying at certain dusks at certain small specific small fires, the small specific accumulating reading of *Wang Shichong* as the small specific accumulating *most capable* opponent — the small specific accumulating reading Lao Wen had given the brothers at the small wooden table at the noon of the past year.
The new recruits were — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two weeks — at the small specific accumulating shape of young men who had been on the road for some specific accumulating moons. They had — by the small specific accumulating saying at certain dusks — small specific accumulating stories: a young man whose father had died at the canal in Da-ye eight; a young man whose village had been burned in the past spring's small specific Sui patrol-engagements; a young man whose sister had been on a white-cord list and had — by the small accumulating saying — done what the small specific Mei-er had done in Da-ye one. Heizi heard the small specific accumulating sayings at the small specific small fires at certain dusks and filed them.
He filed each one.
He filed the small specific accumulating reading: *the country had — at the past nine years — laid the small specific accumulating shape of the small specific unrecorded death-and-disgrace of the small specific accumulating peasants at every small specific accumulating valley of southern Hebei and southern Henan. The recruits at the camp were — by the small specific reading at this dusk — the small specific accumulating *survivors* who had been at the small specific accumulating *no choice* of going on a road or at a small specific persimmon tree.*
He filed it.
By the dusk of the third week at the camp, the brothers had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past three weeks — done the small specific accumulating shape of: two small specific *patrol* runs (one at the small specific accumulating eastern fold, one at the small specific accumulating southern lower-country crossroads, neither encountering any small specific Sui force at the small specific accumulating engagement), three small specific *training* sessions at the small specific accumulating *moment*-teaching the brothers had, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past five years at the upper-hills hut, brought down with them.
The training had — by the small specific reading at the third session — drawn the small specific accumulating *attention* of perhaps four of the camp's accumulating veterans, who had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the third dusk's small specific small fire — come over to the brothers' small specific *seven-man-unit* fire and asked, in the small specific accumulating saying of a Wagang veteran's accumulating curiosity: *brothers. The small specific accumulating *moment* you are practicing — what is the small specific accumulating reading of it.*
Heizi had, at the small specific small fire, given the small specific accumulating reading of the *quarter-circle* and the *cut at the recovery* in the small specific accumulating words of an old officer's saying.
The veterans had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past quarter hour — listened.
One of them, a man perhaps thirty, with a small specific accumulating scar at the right cheek that — by the small specific accumulating reading at the lower country's small specific accumulating saying — was the small specific accumulating *Wang Shichong's small specific recognizing-mark* at certain Sui patrol-engagements, said in the small low voice: *brother. The small specific accumulating *moment* you are saying is — by the small specific accumulating reading at my own past three years — at the small specific accumulating shape of a small specific old militia officer's saying. I have not — by the small specific reading at the past three years — heard it at any small specific accumulating Wagang sub-officer's saying.*
He paused.
"Brother. Where did you learn it."
Heizi looked at him.
He said in the small low voice: *brother. From an old man at a hut at the grove of twelve pines on the bear-back's western terrace, who had been — by the small specific accumulating reading he gave us — a small specific accumulating militia officer at the watch in Wen-di seventeen.*
The veteran nodded.
He looked at the small specific accumulating seven brothers at the small fire.
He said in the small low voice: *brothers. By the small specific accumulating reading I am giving at this dusk — Bing Yuanzhen will, by the small specific accumulating arithmetic of the camp, recognize the small specific accumulating *moment* in the next two weeks. He will, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, send the seven of you east at the small specific accumulating moment of the camp's next *moving* to the Wagang main stronghold.*
He paused.
"And — by the small specific accumulating reading at the Wagang main stronghold — Li Mi will, perhaps, see the seven of you at his own small specific accumulating *intake*."
He paused.
"Li Mi has — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two months' accumulating saying — at the small specific accumulating reading of every small specific accumulating *moment* he can find at the small specific accumulating young recruits coming up. He has — by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — taken to the small specific accumulating *small specific units* of the rebellion, and is at the small specific accumulating shape of building the small specific *real military* of the rebellion at the small specific accumulating reading of the small specific accumulating *talented* small specific units."
He paused.
"The seven of you, brothers, will — by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving at this dusk — be at the small specific accumulating *Li Mi's eye* at the small specific accumulating moment of the camp's next *moving*."
The brothers were quiet.
Heizi nodded.
He filed it.
Two weeks later, at the noon of the second day of the seventh moon of the ninth year, Bing Yuanzhen came to the brothers' small specific small fire at the small specific evening of the *moving* — by the small specific accumulating reading at his approach — to the Wagang main stronghold.
He said in the small low voice with the small specific accumulating accent of a Wagang sub-officer: *brothers. The camp moves at the dawn of tomorrow. The seven of you will, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, move with us. By the small specific accumulating reading at the past two weeks' training, you are — by the small specific accumulating shape of a small specific *ready* unit — at the small specific accumulating shape of going to the main stronghold's small specific *intake*.*
He paused.
"And by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — Li Mi will, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past three months' accumulating saying, want to see you."
He looked at Heizi.
"Brother. By the small specific reading at the past three weeks' accumulating watching — you are, of the seven, the small specific *eldest*. You will be — by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — the small specific *one* Li Mi will, at the small specific accumulating moment of the *intake*, address."
Heizi nodded.
"Yes, brother."
That night Heizi at the small specific watch at the small specific *seven-man unit* fire sat at the small banked fire ring of the small specific accumulating outer-arc camp.
He listened.
The shape of the silence at this watch was — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past three weeks at the camp — the shape of a small specific *Wagang* small specific unit's small specific accumulating evening. It was full of the small specific accumulating sounds of perhaps a hundred and twenty men's small specific accumulating breathing, the small specific accumulating banked fires of perhaps thirty small specific small units, the small specific accumulating low voices at certain small specific small fires of veterans saying their small specific accumulating stories.
It was — by the small specific reading at this watch — a country.
He filed it.
In the small lighter catalog of moments, beside the small specific dusk at the recruiting-camp's first reception, he set: *the small specific dusk of the second day of the seventh moon of the ninth year, when Bing Yuanzhen named the small specific accumulating *moving* to the Wagang main stronghold, and the small specific accumulating reading of Li Mi's small specific accumulating eye.*
The lighter catalog stood at perhaps fifty items.
The dark catalog stood at six names.
By the dawn of the next day, the household — at the small specific accumulating *seven-man unit* of the small specific Wagang outer arc — would move east toward the small specific accumulating Wagang main stronghold.
By the small specific accumulating reading at this dusk, the small specific *real* engagement with the small specific accumulating rebellion's small specific accumulating shape — and with the small specific accumulating *Li Mi* whom Lao Wen had named at the noon of the seventh year as the small specific accumulating *kind of leader the rebellion would, by the small specific accumulating reading, become* — would, by the small specific accumulating reading, begin.
Heizi sat his watch through.
The owls of the lower country called once — at the small specific accumulating different shape of a lower-country owl on a lower-country branch, by the small specific accumulating reading of the past three weeks at the camp.
The country had — at this dusk — let the brothers into the small specific *real* shape of its accumulating failure.
The work, by the small unhurried way of the country, went on.