83: The Patrol on the Path
The Sui patrol came at the small specific accumulating *moving* on the third day east of the outer-arc camp.
The small specific *moving* had — by the small specific reading at the past two days — gone slowly. Bing Yuanzhen's small specific accumulating column was perhaps a hundred and twenty men, with perhaps eight small wagons of the camp's small specific accumulating supplies, with perhaps fifteen horses at the front and the rear. The brothers' small specific *seven-man-unit* had been assigned, by Bing Yuanzhen's small specific arrangement at the dawn of the first day, to the small specific *flank* position — perhaps thirty paces north of the column's main line, with the small specific accumulating reading of *small specific scouts and side-watchers* who would, by the small specific reading at certain accumulating moments, see what the small specific main column did not.
The flank position was — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past three years' eye-station and the past five years' tactical training — the small specific position the brothers had been trained for.
By the noon of the third day, by the small specific reading at the lame brother's small specific careful eye on the small specific accumulating tracks at the path's small specific edges, the brothers — at the small specific flank — saw the small specific accumulating sign of perhaps thirty horse-prints at the small specific northern slope of the path, perhaps a quarter hour old.
The lame brother stopped.
He raised his hand at the small specific *sign* arrangement Heizi had laid for the column's small specific *flank-warning*.
The brothers stopped.
Heizi came up.
He looked at the small specific accumulating tracks.
He said in the small low voice: *thirty horses. By the small specific accumulating reading at the small specific shoeing and the small specific accumulating spread of the prints — Sui patrol. Quarter hour ago. Moving — by the small specific accumulating reading at the foot direction — east. Toward the column's small specific accumulating direction at the path.*
He paused.
"They have — by the small specific accumulating reading — gone past the flank position to the north. They have not, by the small specific reading at this noon, come at us at the small specific flank. They are — by the small specific reading I am giving — at the small specific accumulating shape of cutting in front of the column, perhaps a *li* east of where the column will, by the small specific accumulating arithmetic of the column's pace, be at the second hour after the noon."
The brothers were quiet.
An Ashi said in the small low voice: *Wang Shichong's pattern.*
"Yes."
"He is, by the small specific reading at the past three weeks' accumulating saying of the veterans at the camp, at the small specific accumulating shape of taking a Wagang column at the small specific *cutting in front* method. The Sui patrol will, by the small specific reading I am giving, lay an ambush at the small specific accumulating natural narrowing of the path perhaps a *li* east — at the small specific accumulating reading of the bend by the small specific accumulating fold."
Heizi nodded.
He thought.
He thought slowly, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past five years' tactical teaching at the small wooden table.
He said in the small low voice: *we will warn Bing Yuanzhen.*
"Yes, big brother."
"The boy — go. Run to the head of the column. Tell Bing Yuanzhen what the lame brother has read. The Sui patrol is at the small specific cutting in front. They will be at the natural narrowing in perhaps a quarter hour. The column should — by the small specific reading I am giving — stop at the small specific accumulating *current* position and lay a counter-flank at the southern slope, where the brush is heavier and the small specific Sui patrol's horses cannot, by the small specific accumulating reading of the southern slope, follow at any specific speed."
An Ashi nodded.
He went.
He went at the run — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past five years' accumulating fitness, the boy was at the small specific accumulating shape of a Sogdian merchant's son who could, by the small specific reading, run a quarter hour at the small specific full pace of the country.
Heizi looked at the brothers.
"And the small specific seven-man-unit will — by the small specific reading at the past five years' training at the *moment* — set at the small specific *flank's flank*. By the small specific reading I am giving — we will not, by the small specific accumulating reading, take the Sui patrol at any small specific direct engagement. We will be at the small specific accumulating *side-eye* of Bing Yuanzhen's small specific accumulating *counter-flank*. If the patrol's small specific accumulating *cutting in front* breaks, the small specific seven-man-unit will, by the small specific reading I am giving, take the breaking riders at the small specific *narrow place* of the small specific eastern fold's lower edge, where they will, by the small specific accumulating reading of their own scattering, come past us in small specific groups of two and three."
The brothers nodded.
They moved into the small specific accumulating shape of the small specific *flank's flank* at the small specific narrow place of the eastern fold's lower edge — perhaps four hundred paces east of where they had stopped — by the small specific accumulating careful reading of an old officer's small specific accumulating *moment*-arrangement. They moved at the small specific careful walking pace, low, with the small specific accumulating bows nocked.
By the second hour after the noon, the small specific Sui patrol's *cutting in front* met Bing Yuanzhen's column at the natural narrowing of the path.
Heizi heard, at the small specific accumulating *flank's flank* position, the small specific accumulating sound of perhaps the first arrows from the column's main line, then the small specific accumulating shouts of perhaps the first horses' wounded cries, then the small specific accumulating heavy sound of metal-on-metal — the small specific saber-and-sword work of perhaps a hundred and fifty men engaging.
He waited.
He waited at the small specific accumulating *moment*'s patient reading of an old officer's saying — *the moment is what comes at the small specific instant, not at the small specific anticipation*.
The small specific accumulating breaking came perhaps a quarter hour after the first sound.
The small specific accumulating sound of horses moving fast at the small specific eastern direction — the small specific accumulating *retreat* of the Sui patrol's small specific accumulating *cutting in front*, broken by Bing Yuanzhen's small specific accumulating counter-flank — came up the small specific small narrow place of the eastern fold's lower edge.
The brothers were at the small specific accumulating positions Heizi had laid.
The small specific *first* riders came past at perhaps two of them riding side-by-side — by the small specific accumulating reading at the small specific narrow place's small specific *bottlenecking* — at the small specific instant of their accumulating retreat.
Heizi loosed.
The arrow took the rider at the small specific window of the heart at perhaps fifteen paces.
The rider fell.
Wang Er, at the small specific *thrust-and-set* position behind the small specific narrow brush perhaps eight paces from the path, came forward at the second rider — at the small specific *quarter-circle* the smith's son had been training for five years — and met the rider's small specific accumulating downward saber-stroke at the small specific *quarter-circle's* meeting-point. The rider's saber went past Wang Er. Wang Er's saber took the rider at the small specific *side window* of the rider's chest. The rider fell.
The next two riders, by the small specific accumulating reading of the path's small narrow bend, came up at perhaps four breaths later. Heizi loosed at the first; the arrow took him at the shoulder; the rider stayed on his horse but bent forward and went past at a small specific accumulating *escape* speed. Tie-zhu, at the small specific *defensive holding-place* at the small specific narrow brush behind the path, took the second rider at the spear's small specific *thrust* at the small specific *first window* of the rider's torso as the rider passed. The rider fell.
The next three came up at perhaps fifteen breaths later. By the small specific accumulating reading at this small specific instant, the small specific accumulating *break* of the Sui patrol was — by the small specific reading at the brothers' small specific accumulating positions — at the small specific accumulating *small specific clusters* of two and three.
The brothers worked.
Lu Jingzhi, at the small specific *third position*, took his first small specific *real* engagement — by the small specific reading at his small specific accumulating eight days of compressed first-month-of-apprenticeship — at the small specific *first one* of the three. He met the rider's saber at — by the small specific reading at his own accumulating reading — *not* the small specific *quarter-circle* (which the brother had not yet, by the small specific reading at the past three weeks' training, achieved at any specific reading), *but* at the small specific *first guard*'s small specific *block-and-set*. The block held. The rider's saber went up. Lu Jingzhi's saber went down at the small specific *second swing*. The rider fell.
Heizi, at the small specific second position behind the brush, took the second of the three. An Ashi, at the small specific *circle-and-thrust*, took the third.
Ah Chou, at the small specific *seeing-without-being-seen* position behind the small specific narrow brush at the path's lower edge, did not engage. He watched. He laid in his small specific accumulating reading of the brothers' small specific accumulating engagement at his accumulating *teacher's-second-eye* of the past three years' watching.
By the small specific accumulating reading at perhaps the third quarter hour after the patrol's *cutting in front* had been broken, the small specific accumulating *retreat* had passed.
The brothers had — by the small specific reading at the small specific narrow place — taken six riders. Two by Heizi's bow. Four by the brothers' sabers and the lame brother's spear. The seven brothers were — by the small specific reading at Ah Chou's small specific accumulating eye on the small specific accumulating engagement — uninjured.
Six dead Sui troops.
Heizi looked at the small specific accumulating shape of the bodies on the path.
He filed each.
He filed: *six men. Sui patrol. Wang Shichong's small specific accumulating *cutting in front* method. Taken at the small specific narrow place of the eastern fold's lower edge by the small specific accumulating reading of an old officer's small specific accumulating *moment*-teaching at five years. Brothers uninjured.*
He did not — at the small specific narrow place — weep.
He understood, by the small specific accumulating reading at this engagement, that the small specific accumulating *taking* of the small specific bandit at the small clear ground in front of the south face of the hut two and a half years ago — the small specific *first chosen kill* — had been, by the small specific accumulating reading at this small specific instant, the small specific *first* of the small specific accumulating *many* the country would, by the small specific accumulating reading at the next several years, ask of him.
He filed it.
The dark catalog stood at six names — but the dark catalog was now, by the small specific accumulating reading at this small specific instant, at the small specific accumulating *unnamed* shape of perhaps a small specific hundred or two hundred Heizi would, by the small specific accumulating reading at the next several years, accumulate. The catalog could not — by the small specific reading at this engagement — hold each one with a name. The catalog would, by the small specific reading I am giving, hold the *first six* and the *unnamed accumulating others*.
He filed it.
By the dusk of the third day, Bing Yuanzhen's column had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the engagement's small specific accumulating count — taken twelve dead and nine wounded. The Sui patrol had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the brothers' six and the column's main-line further nine — lost fifteen of perhaps thirty riders. The remaining fifteen had retreated east at the small specific accumulating *escape* shape.
Bing Yuanzhen, at the small specific accumulating dusk's small specific accumulating fire, came to the brothers' small specific *seven-man-unit* fire.
He bowed at the small specific *equal-stance*.
He said in the small low voice: *brothers. By the small specific accumulating reading at the past three days — the seven of you have, at the small specific narrow place of the eastern fold's lower edge, taken six of the small specific Sui patrol's small specific accumulating retreat. By the small specific accumulating reading at the past three weeks' watching — I had been expecting perhaps two from the seven of you. Six is — by the small specific honest measure — the small specific accumulating *small specific reading* of the small specific old officer at the grove's accumulating teaching.*
He paused.
"Brothers. The column will — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past three days' accumulating reading — continue east at the dawn of tomorrow. We will, by the small specific reading I am giving, be at the small specific accumulating outer-edge of the Wagang's small specific accumulating *southern command* at the small specific accumulating five days from now. The seven of you will — by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving at this dusk — be at the small specific accumulating *small specific reputation* at the small specific southern command at the small specific accumulating reading of *six riders at the narrow place*."
He paused.
"Li Mi will — by the small specific accumulating reading at this dusk — hear of it within two weeks."
The brothers nodded.
That night Heizi at his watch sat at the small specific accumulating outer-arc fire of the small specific accumulating *seven-man-unit*'s small banked fire ring.
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 *seven-man-unit* of an upper-hills household whose small specific *moment*-teaching had, at the small specific narrow place of an eastern fold's lower edge, been at the small specific accumulating *first* engagement with the small specific accumulating Sui at the small specific accumulating *real* shape of the small specific failure.
He filed it.
In the small lighter catalog of moments, beside the small specific dawn of the going-down, he set: *the small specific dusk of the third day east, when the brothers took six of the small specific Sui patrol's accumulating retreat at the narrow place.*
The lighter catalog stood at perhaps fifty-one items.
The dark catalog stood at six named names plus the small specific accumulating *unnamed accumulating others*.
He sat his watch through.