84: The Southern Command
The Wagang's small specific accumulating *southern command* came up at the noon of the eighth day east of the outer-arc camp.
It was — by the small specific reading at the lip of a low rise overlooking the valley — at the small specific accumulating shape of perhaps a thousand men, set in a small specific accumulating fortified camp at the bend of a small wider stream at the small specific lower country of southern Henan. The camp had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the lip — earthen walls perhaps the height of three men, with the small specific accumulating shape of a small specific *real* military-camp's discipline.
Bing Yuanzhen's column of perhaps a hundred and ten men (the engagement's twelve dead had, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past five days' walking, reduced the column from a hundred and twenty) came in to the southern command at the second hour after the noon.
The brothers were — by the small specific accumulating arrangement of the past five days — kept at the small specific accumulating *seven-man-unit* of their own, by Bing Yuanzhen's small specific saying at the dawn of the fourth day after the engagement: *brothers. The seven of you will, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, stay at the small specific accumulating *unit* shape at the small specific southern command's accumulating *intake*. By the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — Li Mi will, in the next two weeks, send for you at the small specific accumulating *small specific reputation* of the narrow place.*
The brothers had nodded.
By the dusk of the eighth day, the brothers were — by Bing Yuanzhen's small specific arrangement — at a small specific *guest-officer* tent at the small specific eastern edge of the southern command's small specific accumulating compound. The tent was perhaps four paces square, of small specific accumulating coarse hempen cloth on a small specific accumulating frame of split pine. It had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the small specific intake — small specific accumulating provisions for seven men and a small specific accumulating water-jar.
The brothers settled.
That evening at the small specific *guest-officer* tent's small banked fire, Lu Jingzhi — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past five days' accumulating *real* engagement and at the past five days' walking — came to Heizi's small specific position with a small specific saying.
He said in the small low voice: *big brother.*
"Yes, brother."
"By the small specific accumulating reading at the past five days — the small specific *engagement* at the narrow place was — by the small honest measure — my small specific *first* engagement with any small specific *real* opponent."
"Yes, brother."
"By the small specific accumulating reading at the past five days — I have, in the small specific accumulating quiet of the past five days' walking, been at the small specific accumulating *thinking* of the small specific accumulating engagement. The small specific *first one* I took at the *block-and-set* — by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving at this dusk — was, by the small specific accumulating reading at his small specific saber-stroke, perhaps a young man. Perhaps not older than twenty-five. He had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the small specific saber-stroke — perhaps the small specific accumulating *fear* of his own small specific accumulating retreat. He had not — by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — been at any small specific accumulating real engagement before."
He paused.
"The small specific accumulating reading I am giving — is that the small specific Sui patrol's small specific accumulating *cutting in front* method, by the small specific reading at the past five days' accumulating *thinking*, was — by the small specific honest measure — at the small specific accumulating shape of *young men* at perhaps the small specific accumulating *second engagement* of their accumulating service. They were — by the small specific reading at the past five days — Wang Shichong's small specific accumulating *new* riders, perhaps recruited at the past three months."
Heizi looked at him.
He nodded.
"Yes, brother."
"And — by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — the seven of us, at the small specific narrow place, took them at the small specific accumulating *moment*-teaching of an old militia officer's saying. The small specific accumulating *imbalance* of the small specific accumulating engagement — by the small specific reading at the past five days — was at the small specific accumulating shape of *six years' training* against *three months' service*."
He paused.
"By the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — at the small specific accumulating *real* engagements of the next year, by the small specific accumulating reading at the country's small specific accumulating shape — the small specific *imbalance* will not — by the small honest measure — always be at our accumulating side. We will, in the small specific accumulating reading at certain engagements, face Sui troops who have been at the small specific accumulating service for three years. Or four. Or five. We will face — by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — Wang Shichong himself."
He looked at Heizi.
"By the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — the small specific *winning* at the narrow place was, by the small specific honest measure, the small specific *easy* shape of an accumulating engagement. The small specific *real* shape will, by the small specific reading I am giving, be different."
Heizi looked at him.
He nodded slowly.
He said in the small low voice: *yes, brother. By the small specific accumulating reading at the past five days — the brother is right.*
He paused.
"By the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — the small specific *seven-man-unit* will, in the next year at the small specific accumulating southern command, train against the small specific accumulating reading of *Sui troops at three years' service*. The small specific accumulating *moment*-teaching at the small wooden table is — by the small specific honest measure — *not* sufficient at the small specific accumulating *real* shape. We will, by the small specific reading I am giving, lay in further accumulating training at the small specific accumulating shape of the small specific southern command's small specific accumulating veterans."
The brother nodded.
That dusk, at the small banked fire, Heizi laid the small specific accumulating saying with the brothers. The brothers — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past five days' engagement and at Lu Jingzhi's small specific accumulating saying — agreed. The small specific *seven-man-unit* would, in the next year at the southern command, train alongside the small specific accumulating veterans, lay in the small specific accumulating *Sui-veteran-shape* of the rebellion's accumulating opponents, and prepare for the small specific accumulating *real* shape of the next year's engagements.
By the second week at the southern command, the small specific arrangement was at hand.
Bing Yuanzhen had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two weeks — introduced the brothers to perhaps four of the southern command's small specific accumulating veteran-officers, each of whom had been at the rebellion for three or four years and at the small specific accumulating training of small specific recruits at certain accumulating moments. The veterans were — by the small specific reading at Heizi's small specific accumulating eye — at the small specific accumulating shape of small specific officers at perhaps thirty-five to forty, each at the small specific accumulating reading of a small accumulating engagement at the past three years.
The brothers trained with them at the small specific noon for two months.
By the dusk of the first day of the eighth moon of the ninth year, the small specific *seven-man-unit* had — by the small specific accumulating reading at Heizi's small specific accumulating eye on the past two months — added to the small specific *moment*-teaching of an old militia officer at the small specific *real Sui-veteran-shape* of the small specific accumulating rebellion's actual opponents. The seven were — by the small specific reading at the past two months — at the small specific accumulating shape of a small unit that could, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, take perhaps four-of-six engagements against Sui troops at three years' service.
Not eight-of-eight.
Four-of-six.
The small specific honest measure was at the small specific accumulating *real* shape.
That dusk, at the *guest-officer* tent, a small specific runner from the small specific main *Wagang stronghold* came in.
He carried a small folded paper.
The paper was — by the small specific accumulating reading at the address — for Heizi.
It was sealed with the small specific accumulating *Wagang stronghold* seal.
It was — by the small specific accumulating reading at the runner's small specific saying — from Li Mi.
Heizi opened it.
He read it.
It was perhaps fifty characters in the small specific accumulating careful even strokes of a Sui official's son's accumulating reading.
It said:
*Lad of the small specific *seven-man-unit* at the small specific southern command. By the small specific accumulating reading at the small specific accumulating saying of the past two months — your small specific *moment*-teaching has been at the small specific accumulating *interest* of the small specific accumulating rebellion. Come to the main stronghold. Bring the seven. By the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — I would meet you. Li Mi.*
Heizi laid the paper on the small wooden bench at the small banked fire.
He looked at the brothers.
He said in the small low voice: *Li Mi has called for us.*
The brothers were quiet.
That night Heizi at his watch sat at the small banked fire of the *guest-officer* tent.
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* whose small specific *eldest* had been called by the small specific accumulating *real* leader of the small specific rebellion.
He filed it.
In the small lighter catalog of moments, beside the small specific dusk at the southern command's accumulating intake, he set: *the small specific dusk of the first day of the eighth moon of the ninth year, when the small specific paper from Li Mi came up.*
The lighter catalog stood at perhaps fifty-three items.
The dark catalog stood at six named names plus the small specific accumulating *unnamed*.
He sat his watch through.