93: The Eight Thousand

The small accumulating Yang Yichen-shape engagement came at the noon of the seventeenth day of the fifth moon of the eleventh year.

It came in the small specific accumulating shape Lao Wen's letter at the past winter had drawn: eight thousand Sui troops at Yang Yichen's accumulating direct command, marching south from the small accumulating new garrison east of Yangzhuang at the small accumulating *real* discipline of an accumulating Tujue-frontier veteran's accumulating campaign-shape. The Wagang's accumulating southern command, with Bing Yuanzhen at the accumulating tactical lead and a small accumulating *combined formation* of perhaps two thousand five hundred Wagang troops drawn from the southern command and from two further Wagang sub-commands, met them at a small accumulating wide *holding ground* at the small specific accumulating fold of the *western lower country*'s accumulating two-watercourse meeting.

Heizi's small accumulating *fifty* was at the small specific accumulating *side-flank* — by the small specific arrangement Bing Yuanzhen had drawn at the council-tent of the previous evening, by the small specific accumulating reading of Lao Wen's letter at the past winter — at the small specific accumulating *northern wing* of the Wagang's accumulating combined formation.

The engagement opened at the second hour of the noon.

Yang Yichen's small accumulating column came at the Wagang's accumulating front at the small accumulating *whole-front* shape Lao Wen had named — eight thousand troops at five thousand at the front and three thousand at the small accumulating *flanking wings*. The Wagang at the front held — by the small specific accumulating reading at the first hour after the noon — at the small accumulating *first wave*'s accumulating engagement.

By the second hour, Yang Yichen's small accumulating *northern flanking wing* — perhaps fifteen hundred Sui troops at the small accumulating shape of a *real* Tujue-frontier veteran's accumulating wing-attack — came at the small accumulating *Wagang's accumulating northern wing*. The Wagang's accumulating northern wing was — by the small specific accumulating reading at Bing Yuanzhen's accumulating arrangement — perhaps four hundred troops, with Heizi's accumulating *fifty* at the small specific accumulating *side-flank* of the four hundred.

The Sui northern flanking wing came at the small accumulating *real* discipline.

Heizi's accumulating *fifty*, at the small specific accumulating *side-flank* position, was at the small accumulating *holding-shape* the past four months' winter training had laid in.

By the small specific accumulating reading at the second hour after the noon — the small accumulating *fifty* held against the small accumulating *first wave* of the Sui northern flanking wing's accumulating engagement.

By the third hour — the small accumulating *fifty* held against the second wave.

By the fourth hour — the small accumulating *fifty* held against the third wave at the small accumulating *cost* of perhaps the small accumulating four of the *fifty*.

By the fifth hour — the small accumulating *Wagang's accumulating front* — by the small specific accumulating reading at the small specific accumulating *real Yang Yichen-shape* of the eight thousand's accumulating *whole-front* — broke.

The small accumulating *Wagang's accumulating broken front* fell back at the small accumulating *retreat* shape of perhaps a thousand troops scattering at the small accumulating *southern direction* of the lower country.

Bing Yuanzhen, at the small accumulating *front*'s accumulating last-stand, was — by the small specific accumulating reading at the small accumulating fifth hour's accumulating reading from the small accumulating *runner Wei Erjia had been before he died* (now a new runner, a man called Liu Hu) — taken by a Sui sub-officer's accumulating saber at the small specific accumulating window of the chest. He fell at the small accumulating front.

The small accumulating Wagang's accumulating engagement was — by the small specific accumulating reading at the fifth hour — at the small accumulating *real* shape of the small accumulating *first defeat* the Wagang Rebellion had — by the small specific accumulating reading at Lao Wen's letter's accumulating prediction — taken since its small specific accumulating beginning.

Heizi heard the small accumulating saying from the runner Liu Hu at the fifth hour after the noon at the small accumulating *fifty's accumulating side-flank position*.

He filed it.

He decided.

He said in the small low voice to the *fifty*: *brothers. The Wagang's accumulating front has broken. The accumulating Bing Yuanzhen is dead. The small accumulating *fifty* will, by the small specific reading I am giving, withdraw at the small accumulating *northwest* shape of the small specific accumulating *fold's accumulating bottlenecking* I drew at the cloth at the past winter. By the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — we will hold the small accumulating *bottlenecking* against the small accumulating Sui northern flanking wing's accumulating pursuit, at the small accumulating *withdrawing-and-holding* shape Lao Wen has laid in our hands. By the small specific reading at this hour — we will, by the small accumulating reading of the small accumulating *cost-of-ten* the master named, perhaps lose ten more.*

The brothers and the *fifty* were at the small accumulating *holding-shape* he had drawn.

The withdrawal began.

It began at the small specific accumulating careful pace of the small specific accumulating *withdrawing-and-holding* the past winter's training had laid in. The *fifty* withdrew at the small accumulating *northwest* shape, perhaps twenty paces at each small accumulating *cluster* of the small specific accumulating Sui pursuit's accumulating reach, with Wang Er at the *thrust-and-set* and Lu Jingzhi at the *block-and-set* and An Ashi at the *circle-and-thrust* and Tie-zhu at the *defensive corner* of the small specific accumulating *bottlenecking*. Heizi at the small accumulating *eldest-position* with the bow took the small accumulating *first riders* of the small accumulating Sui pursuit's accumulating clusters at the small accumulating *windows* his eye had laid for him.

Ah Chou at the small accumulating *medic and seeing-without-being-seen* position laid the small accumulating *huang lian* and bound the small accumulating wounds at the small specific accumulating moments of the small accumulating brief pauses between the small accumulating waves.

By the dusk of the seventeenth day of the fifth moon, the small accumulating *fifty* — at the small specific accumulating *fold's accumulating bottlenecking* twenty *li* northwest of the holding ground — had held against the small accumulating Sui pursuit's accumulating five waves. The small accumulating Sui pursuit had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the dusk's accumulating count — taken perhaps the small accumulating *eight wounded retreated and three killed* of its own. The Sui pursuit had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the dusk — given up at the bottlenecking and had withdrawn east.

The small accumulating *fifty* had, by the small specific accumulating reading at the dusk's count — taken the *cost-of-ten* the master had named.

Ten.

The names — by the small specific reading at the dusk's small accumulating *staff-officer's accumulating accounting* — were: *Wei Erjia, Zhao Xiaolang, Liu Erbai, Tian Sanmu, Yu Cheng-en* (the past five from the eleventh moon of the past year). And: *Liu Hu* (the runner who had brought the news of Bing Yuanzhen's death and had — at the seventh wave's accumulating reach — taken a Sui spear at the side of the throat). *Wu Zhonglin* (a veteran of three years at the rebellion who had — at the second wave's accumulating reach — held the small accumulating *quarter-circle* against three Sui veterans at the bottlenecking's accumulating choke-point and had — by the small accumulating fourth Sui veteran's accumulating *real* moment — taken a saber at the chest). *Liu Wu* (the brother of Liu Sanlang, who had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past three months — taken his older brother's small accumulating place at the *fifty* at the small accumulating recruiting of the past winter's accumulating refilling of the three empty mats; who had been at the small accumulating *side-second-line* and had taken a Sui arrow at the chest at the third wave). *Cao Xiaolang* (a recruit who had come up at the past spring's accumulating recruiting). *Ma Jianglin* (a veteran who had been at the *fifty's* original five recruits of the past tenth year's sixth moon).

Ten.

Plus *Bing Yuanzhen*, who was not the *fifty's* but was — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two and a half years at the southern command — at the small accumulating *commander* the brothers had been at the small accumulating receiving of since the small accumulating *recruiting-camp* of the past ninth year. Bing Yuanzhen was at the *southern command's accumulating dark catalog*, not the *fifty's*. But Heizi filed him at the small accumulating *staff-officer's combined* dark catalog.

The small accumulating combined dark catalog — by the small specific reading at the dusk of the seventeenth day of the fifth moon of the eleventh year — stood at twenty-four named names, plus the small accumulating *unnamed accumulating others*.

The small accumulating *fifty* — at the small specific accumulating shape of the bottlenecking's accumulating *withdrawing-and-holding* — was at the small accumulating *forty* remaining (with two further wounded who would, by Ah Chou's accumulating salve, by the small specific accumulating reading at the next two weeks, heal).

The small accumulating *Wagang main-force engagement* was — by the small specific accumulating reading at the dusk's accumulating saying from the small accumulating other Wagang scouts who had — at the dusk — come up to the bottlenecking with news — the small accumulating *first defeat* the master had predicted.

The Wagang's accumulating southern command was — by the small specific accumulating reading at the dusk — broken. The small accumulating *retreat* of the broken front had scattered south at perhaps a thousand men in small accumulating *retreat-clusters* of fifteen and twenty.

Heizi laid the small specific accumulating *fifty's* withdrawal at the small specific accumulating *bottlenecking's accumulating second-day position* — by the small specific reading at the past five years' accumulating cloth-map reading — at the small accumulating *small natural fold* perhaps three *li* further northwest, where the small accumulating *fifty* could, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past four months' winter training, hold against any small accumulating Sui pursuit's accumulating *next-day* sweep.

He laid out, at the small specific accumulating dusk's accumulating *staff-officer's bench*, the small specific accumulating *next-day* arrangement.

He would, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, take the *fifty* — by the small accumulating *next two days' withdrawal* — to the small specific accumulating *upper-hills lower contour* the lame brother had at the eye-station of the past nine years known. By the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — the *fifty* would, by the small accumulating reading at the next four days, be at the small specific accumulating *upper hills' accumulating safety* of Lao Wen's accumulating hut at the grove of twelve pines.

The lad was — by the small specific accumulating reading at this dusk — taking the *fifty* home.

That night Heizi at his watch sat at the small banked fire of the bottlenecking's accumulating dry place.

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 *staff-officer* whose accumulating *fifty* had, at the noon of the seventeenth day of the fifth moon, taken the small accumulating *cost-of-ten* the master had named, plus Bing Yuanzhen at the southern command, and was now — by the small specific reading at the dusk — at the small accumulating *taking home* of the small accumulating remaining forty.

He filed it.

In the small accumulating combined dark catalog of the lad's accumulating personal-and-fifty, beside the names Mei-er, Yan Liu-er, Ah Si, the eastern-pine hermit, the unnamed fourteen-year-old, the unnamed bandit, Liu Sanlang, Cao Daniu, Yan Wugou, Wei Erjia, Zhao Xiaolang, Liu Erbai, Tian Sanmu, Yu Cheng-en, he set: *Liu Hu, Wu Zhonglin, Liu Wu, Cao Xiaolang, Ma Jianglin, Bing Yuanzhen* — and the small accumulating *unnamed others* of the small accumulating Wagang's accumulating broken front, perhaps a thousand or more, whom Heizi would, by the small specific reading I am giving, never know by name.

Twenty named names.

The small accumulating *unnamed accumulating others* — by the small specific reading at this dusk — at the small accumulating *thousand* shape.

The lighter catalog stood at perhaps sixty-eight items.

The dark catalog stood at twenty named names plus the accumulating *unnamed thousand*.

He sat his watch through.