94: The Forty's Withdrawal

The withdrawal took five days.

By the small specific accumulating reading at the past two days at the small accumulating *bottlenecking's accumulating dry place*, the small accumulating Sui pursuit had not — by the small specific accumulating reading at the lame brother's accumulating eye-watching at the dawn of the eighteenth and at the dawn of the nineteenth — come back. Yang Yichen's accumulating campaign had — by the small accumulating reading at the past two days — turned at the small accumulating *holding ground* to the small specific accumulating *consolidation* of the small accumulating Sui's accumulating new control of the lower country, at the small accumulating other small specific accumulating Wagang sub-commands' accumulating broken fronts. The small accumulating *fifty's accumulating bottlenecking* was, by the small specific reading at this morning, no longer at the small accumulating Sui's accumulating priority.

Heizi at the small accumulating *staff-officer's bench* of the small banked fire on the dawn of the nineteenth day said in the small low voice to the small accumulating *forty*: *brothers. By the small specific reading at the past two days — Yang Yichen's accumulating pursuit has stopped at the holding ground. We are, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, at the small accumulating *real safety* of withdrawing further northwest. By the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — we will withdraw at the small accumulating *upper-hills lower contour* the small brothers and I had, in the past nine years, walked. By the small specific accumulating reading at the past nine years' accumulating reading — the small accumulating *upper-hills lower contour* is, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, at the small accumulating *Wagang's accumulating outside* of the country's accumulating shape. The Sui will not, by the small specific reading I am giving, follow there. The bandits at the lower contour have, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past three years, been at the small accumulating *coalesced into the rebellion* shape and have left the lower contour. The small accumulating *upper-hills lower contour* is — by the small specific reading at this dawn — empty.*

He paused.

"By the small specific reading at the next four days — we will, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, walk to the small accumulating *upper-hills lower contour*. We will, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, lay a small accumulating *temporary camp* at the small accumulating *cold spring* of my own accumulating tenth year on the road. The cold spring is — by the small specific accumulating reading I gave my brothers at certain dusks of the past seven years at the master's hut — at the small accumulating *empty* shape since the small accumulating *cold-spring lean-to* of my own accumulating earlier life had been — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past nine years — half-fallen. We will lay a small accumulating new lean-to at the cold spring. By the small specific reading I am giving — the *forty* will, by the small accumulating reading at the next two months at the small accumulating cold-spring camp, regroup. We will, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, rest. We will heal. We will — by the small accumulating reading I am giving — take small accumulating measure of what the small accumulating Wagang's accumulating broken front means for the next year."

The brothers nodded. The *forty* nodded.

The *forty* — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past three days' accumulating fighting — were tired. They had, by the small specific accumulating reading, taken the small accumulating *cost-of-ten* the master had named. They had, by the small specific accumulating reading at Heizi's accumulating *one-mark-knowing*, lost their accumulating ten brothers. They were — by the small specific reading at this dawn — at the small accumulating *real* shape of a unit that had taken its accumulating first major loss and had held.

They would, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, follow Heizi to the cold spring.

The five-day withdrawal went on.

It went on at the small accumulating *withdrawing-and-holding* shape of the past four months' winter training. The *forty* moved at the small accumulating careful pace. The two wounded — by Ah Chou's accumulating salve — held. The accumulating supply of the small accumulating *fifty's accumulating saved provisions* the boy An Ashi had laid in the small accumulating *bottlenecking's accumulating second day* held them through the five days.

By the dusk of the twenty-second day of the fifth moon, the *forty* came to the small accumulating *cold spring*.

The cold spring was — by the small specific accumulating reading at Heizi's accumulating eye on it for the first time in seven years — exactly where the cold spring had been at his accumulating tenth year. The small flat slab of grey rock around the spring was — by the small specific accumulating reading — the small same slab. The small wadded blanket of the small accumulating lean-to of the past was no longer there. The small accumulating *fire ring* the four boys had laid at their first night was — by the small specific accumulating reading at the dusk — perhaps still half-visible at the small accumulating *upper-edge* of the slab.

Heizi stopped at the slab.

He laid one hand briefly at the slab.

He filed it.

He said in the small low voice: *brothers. The cold spring. We will lay the new camp here.*

The *forty* gathered.

That dusk, with the small accumulating careful work of forty men at the small accumulating *seven-man-unit's old method* of laying a camp, the small accumulating *cold-spring camp* of the past tenth year was — by the small specific accumulating reading at the dusk — re-laid.

It was different from the past camp. It was — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past forty's number — perhaps eight times the size. There were perhaps four small accumulating lean-tos at the small specific accumulating arrangement of forty. There was a small accumulating central fire ring. There was a small accumulating *staff-officer's tent* at the small accumulating eastern edge.

By the dusk, the camp was at the small accumulating *first night's accumulating shape*.

Heizi at his watch that night sat at the small accumulating *staff-officer's tent's* small banked fire.

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 *forty* had, in five days, withdrawn from the small accumulating *broken front* of the small accumulating Wagang Rebellion to the small accumulating *cold spring* of the lad's own accumulating tenth year, and had, at this dusk, laid a small accumulating new camp.

He filed it.

In the small lighter catalog of moments, beside the small specific noon of the family at the flat stone, he set: *the small specific dusk of the twenty-second day of the fifth moon of the eleventh year, when the *forty* laid the small accumulating new lean-tos at the cold spring.*

The lighter catalog stood at perhaps sixty-nine items.

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

He sat his watch through.

That summer, the *forty* held at the cold-spring camp.

The small accumulating Wagang Rebellion — by the small specific accumulating reading at certain peddlers' accumulating saying at the dusks at certain small accumulating lower-country roads — had, by the small specific reading at the past summer, regrouped at the small accumulating eastern marshes. Li Mi — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past four months' accumulating saying — had, at the small specific accumulating moment of the southern command's accumulating broken front, taken at the small accumulating eastern marshes the small accumulating *real* leadership of the rebellion. Zhai Rang had, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past three months' saying, been at the small accumulating *secondary* shape, with Li Mi at the small accumulating *first leader*.

By the small specific accumulating reading at the past two months' peddlers' saying, Yang Yichen had — at the past two months — been at the small accumulating *consolidation* of the lower country's accumulating Sui control. He had not — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two months — pursued the Wagang east at the small accumulating eastern marshes. He had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two months — held the lower country.

The *forty* at the cold-spring camp was — by the small specific accumulating reading at this summer — at the small accumulating *outside* of the small accumulating Wagang's accumulating new shape. They were not at Li Mi's accumulating eastern marshes. They were at the small accumulating *upper-hills lower contour*, by the small specific accumulating reading at Heizi's accumulating *staff-officer's accumulating decision*, holding.

By the small specific accumulating reading at the dusk of the first day of the eighth moon of the eleventh year, a runner came up the small accumulating *cold spring path* from the lower country.

He carried a small folded paper.

The paper was — by the small specific accumulating reading at the address — for *Heizi-zhang*.

It was sealed with the small specific accumulating *Wagang's accumulating eastern marshes* seal.

It was — by the small specific accumulating reading at the runner's saying — from Li Mi.

Heizi took the paper.

He read it.

It was perhaps a hundred characters in Li Mi's small specific accumulating careful even strokes.

It said:

*Heizi-zhang of the *forty*. By the small specific accumulating reading at the past four months' accumulating saying — the small accumulating *forty's accumulating withdrawing-and-holding* at the small accumulating *bottlenecking* and the small accumulating *cold-spring camp* has been, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, the small accumulating *one* unit of the southern command that did not, at the small accumulating Yang Yichen-shape, scatter. The lad has, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, *held*. By the small specific reading I am giving — Li Mi is at the small accumulating *eastern marshes' accumulating new headquarters*. By the small specific reading I am giving — the lad and the *forty* are, by the small specific accumulating reading at this writing, at the small accumulating *welcome* of the small accumulating new headquarters. Come east at the lad's accumulating *time*. — Li Mi.*

Heizi read it twice.

He folded it.

He looked at the brothers.

He said in the small low voice: *brothers. Li Mi has, by the small specific reading at this dusk, recognized the *forty's* withdrawing. He calls us east.*

The brothers were quiet.

Lu Jingzhi at the small accumulating *political-voice* position said in the small low voice: *big brother. By the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — the small accumulating *welcome* is, by the small specific reading at the past four months' Wagang reorganization, at the small accumulating *real* invitation of the small accumulating *new* leader of the rebellion. By the small specific reading at the past four months — Li Mi has, by the small specific accumulating reading of his accumulating *takes-talented* method, decided that the *forty* and the lad are, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, at the small accumulating shape he is building the rebellion's accumulating *real* military around.*

He paused.

"By the small specific reading I am giving — the small accumulating decision is, by the small specific reading at this dusk, the lad's."

Heizi nodded.

He filed it.

He thought.

He thought, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past year's accumulating engagements and at the past four months' accumulating reading at the cold-spring camp's accumulating regrouping and at the past two years' accumulating *common-people eye*, about whether to go east.

He thought of the small accumulating *one-tenth* the Wagang took. He thought of the small accumulating family at the flat stone. He thought of Lao Wen's accumulating saying at the past five years' political philosophy. He thought of his foster sister's stitched *生*.

He thought, finally, of the small accumulating *forty* at the cold-spring camp — the small accumulating men whose names he had laid at his accumulating *one-mark-knowing*, the small accumulating men who had, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past year and a half, followed him through the small accumulating *cost-of-ten*.

He decided.

He said in the small low voice: *brothers. We will go east. We will, by the small specific reading I am giving, take the *forty* to the small accumulating eastern marshes. We will, by the small specific reading I am giving, accept the small accumulating *welcome* of Li Mi.*

He paused.

"And — and we will, by the small specific reading I am giving, see what the small accumulating *new* shape of the Wagang Rebellion is."

He paused once more.

"By the small specific reading I am giving — we will go east at the dawn of the seventh day of the eighth moon. The *forty* will have six days to prepare. The boy will lay the small accumulating *quartermaster's accounting* of the small accumulating *moving east*."

The brothers nodded.

That night Heizi at his watch sat at the small banked fire of the *staff-officer's 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 *staff-officer* whose accumulating *forty* had, by the past four months' regrouping at the cold-spring camp of his own accumulating tenth year, decided at the dusk to go east to Li Mi's accumulating eastern marshes.

He filed it.

In the small lighter catalog of moments, beside the small specific dusk of the cold-spring camp's relaying, he set: *the small specific dusk of the first day of the eighth moon of the eleventh year, when Li Mi's accumulating welcome came up and the *forty* decided to go east.*

The lighter catalog stood at perhaps seventy items.

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

He sat his watch through.