95: The Road East
By the small specific reading at the dawn of the seventh day of the eighth moon of the eleventh year, Heizi at the *staff-officer's tent* of the cold-spring camp laid the small specific accumulating *moving-east* arrangement at the small banked fire.
He said in the small low voice: *brothers. By the small specific reading I am giving at this dawn — I will, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past four days' planning, take only the small accumulating *seven-man-unit* east. The forty will, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, hold the cold-spring camp under the smith's son's accumulating *holding-shape*.*
Wang Er at the small accumulating *thrust-and-set* position said: *brother.*
"Yes, smith's son."
"By the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — the smith's son will, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two months' regrouping, hold the cold-spring camp's accumulating *forty*. The smith's son knows, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past four years' *moment*-teaching, the small accumulating shape of an accumulating defensive holding-place."
"Yes, brother."
"And — by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — the trip east is, by the small specific accumulating reading at this dawn, perhaps a small accumulating reconnaissance, not yet a small accumulating commitment. The small accumulating *moving the forty* would be, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, the small accumulating *commitment* shape. The small accumulating *moving the seven only* — by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — keeps the small accumulating *commitment* at the lad's accumulating *not-yet*."
He paused.
"By the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — Lao Wen at the past five years' political philosophy named the small accumulating *not-yet* as the small accumulating correct response to a small accumulating *real* leader's accumulating *welcome*. We will, by the small specific reading I am giving, lay the small accumulating *not-yet* once more."
Wang Er nodded.
The brothers nodded.
The small accumulating *seven-man-unit* — Heizi, Tie-zhu, An Ashi, Ah Chou, Lu Jingzhi, plus the small accumulating *senior veteran* of the *forty* (a man called Yan Shaozhong, perhaps thirty-two, who had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past year and a half — become the small accumulating *trusted veteran* of the *fifty*), plus a small accumulating runner (a young man called Sun Erlin who had been at the small specific accumulating *fifty* since the second moon of the past year and had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two engagements — taken to the small accumulating *runner-shape* well) — set off east at the small specific accumulating reading of the dawn.
They went without the *横刀*. They went in the small accumulating *peddler-and-apprentice-and-monk* shape Heizi had laid at the past planning's accumulating reading — Heizi as a peddler's apprentice, An Ashi as the peddler, Ah Chou as a Buddhist monk on accumulating road, Tie-zhu as the small accumulating *carpenter-relative*, Lu Jingzhi as the small accumulating *literate-traveler*, Yan Shaozhong and Sun Erlin as small accumulating *travelers along the same road*.
By the small specific accumulating reading at the past four years' walking, the small accumulating road east — from the cold-spring camp to the eastern marshes — was perhaps fifteen days at the small accumulating *peddler's pace*.
They walked.
By the small specific accumulating reading at the dusk of the third day east, the small accumulating *road* opened into the small accumulating lower-country *small accumulating villages* of the southern Henan accumulating *post-Yang-Yichen* shape. The villages were — by the small specific accumulating reading at the dusk's accumulating saying at certain small accumulating inns — at the small accumulating *Sui-controlled* shape. Yang Yichen had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two months — set small accumulating *garrisons* at perhaps three of the major lower-country towns. The Sui patrols were — by the small specific accumulating reading — at the small accumulating *real military discipline* of the post-Yang-Yichen accumulating shape.
The brothers moved at the small specific accumulating careful pace.
By the small specific accumulating reading at the dusk of the seventh day east, they had been at four small accumulating villages and at three small accumulating roadside inns and had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past four days — gathered the small specific accumulating *political-eye* reading of the post-Yang-Yichen lower country.
The reading was — by the small specific reading at An Ashi's small accumulating slate-arithmetic at the dusks — the following:
The small accumulating Sui's accumulating Yang Yichen-shape was, at this past summer, at the small accumulating *real* control of perhaps two-thirds of the lower country of southern Henan. The small accumulating Wagang Rebellion was, at the past summer, at the small accumulating *real* control of the eastern marshes and of perhaps a third of the lower country to the east. The small accumulating *line* between them was — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past four days — at the small accumulating *moving* shape of an accumulating front, with the small accumulating *Wagang's accumulating new* lines pushed back perhaps fifty *li* east from where they had been at the past spring.
The Wagang at the eastern marshes had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past four days' saying — Li Mi at the small accumulating *real* leadership; perhaps eight thousand troops at the small accumulating *new* shape; small accumulating reorganization at the small accumulating *real* military shape that mirrored, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past peddlers' saying, the small accumulating Sui's accumulating *real* military shape.
The Wagang was — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past four days — *building*. Not retreating. Not scattering. Building.
By the small specific accumulating reading at the dusk of the eleventh day east, the brothers came to the small accumulating *outer line* of the Wagang's accumulating new control at a small accumulating town called Liyang.
Liyang was — by the small specific accumulating reading at the brothers' arrival — at the small accumulating *Wagang*-controlled shape. There were — by the small specific accumulating reading at the gates — Wagang sentries at the small accumulating discipline of an accumulating *real military* sub-officer's command.
Heizi at the small accumulating *peddler's-apprentice* shape said in the small low voice to the senior gate-sentry: *brother. We are seven travelers from the upper hills. The lad — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past four months — has been called by the small accumulating *eastern-marshes' accumulating new* leader at a small accumulating runner's letter. We are coming to receive at the small accumulating *Wagang's accumulating reading* the leader's accumulating *welcome*.*
The gate-sentry looked at him.
He said: *the lad's name.*
Heizi paused.
He said: *Heizi-zhang of the *forty* of the past southern command.*
The gate-sentry looked at him for a long beat.
He said: *Heizi-zhang. Of the bottlenecking.*
"Yes, brother."
The gate-sentry nodded.
He said: *brother. By the small specific accumulating reading I am giving at this dusk — Liyang's accumulating reading is, by the small specific reading at the past two months, that the lad and the *forty* are at the small accumulating *welcome*. The leader has, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, been at the small accumulating *eastern marshes' accumulating new headquarters* for two months. He is — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two weeks' accumulating saying — at the small specific accumulating *campaign* against the small accumulating *Sui's accumulating eastern garrison* at a town called Yongqiu, perhaps ten days east of here. He is — by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — not at the small accumulating *new headquarters* at this dusk. He will, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, be back at the new headquarters perhaps in twenty days, perhaps a moon."
He paused.
"By the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — the lad and the seven will be at the small accumulating *welcome* at the new headquarters at the small accumulating *waiting* for the leader. The new headquarters is — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two months — at a small accumulating town called Wagang-zhai, two days further east from Liyang. The lad and the seven will, by the small specific reading I am giving, be received at Wagang-zhai by the small accumulating *staff-officer of the day* of the new headquarters."
Heizi nodded.
"Yes, brother."
The gate-sentry waved them through.
The brothers walked into Liyang.
That dusk, at a small accumulating Wagang-controlled inn in Liyang, Heizi sat with the brothers at a small accumulating evening meal.
He said in the small low voice: *brothers. By the small specific accumulating reading at this dusk — Li Mi is not at the new headquarters. He is at the small accumulating *Yongqiu campaign*. We will, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, decide whether to wait at the new headquarters for the small accumulating month it will take Li Mi to return.*
He paused.
"Or — by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — we will, by the small specific accumulating reading at this dusk, lay the small accumulating *not-yet* at the small accumulating reading of *the small accumulating waiting at the new headquarters for a moon*. We will, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, return to the cold-spring camp at the small accumulating reading of *we have been to Liyang and the new headquarters has welcomed us by sentry's saying; we will, by the small specific accumulating reading at the next moons, lay in the small accumulating reading of the *forty* before we commit to the new headquarters at the small accumulating *real* receiving of Li Mi himself*."
He looked at the brothers.
"By the small specific accumulating reading I am giving at this dusk — the second reading is, by the small specific reading I am giving, the small accumulating *correct* one."
The brothers nodded.
Lu Jingzhi at the small accumulating *political-voice* position said in the small low voice: *yes, big brother. By the small specific accumulating reading at the past five years' political philosophy reading — the small accumulating *waiting at the headquarters for a moon while the leader is on campaign* would be, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, at the small accumulating *softer* shape of accumulating *commitment*. By the small specific reading I am giving — the small accumulating *not-yet* of returning to the cold-spring camp is, by the small specific reading I am giving, at the small accumulating *firmer* shape.*
Yan Shaozhong, the senior veteran, nodded.
He said in the small low voice: *Heizi-zhang. By the small specific accumulating reading at the past two months at the cold-spring camp — the *forty* will, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, be at the small accumulating *waiting* shape of a unit at the small accumulating *not-yet*. They will, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, hold.*
Heizi nodded.
He said: *yes. We will, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, return.*
The brothers nodded.
The next morning, at the dawn of the twelfth day east, the small accumulating *seven-man-unit* turned around at Liyang.
They walked back west.
By the small specific accumulating reading at the dusk of the twenty-first day east — eleven days back, by the small accumulating return-pace — the brothers were at the cold-spring camp.
The *forty* held.
By the small specific accumulating reading at Wang Er's accumulating *staff-officer's-deputy* report at the dusk of the brothers' arrival — the *forty* had, in the past fourteen days, taken three small accumulating *upper-hills patrols* at the small accumulating *cold-spring camp's accumulating perimeter*, with no small accumulating Sui contact and no small accumulating *bandit* contact. The camp was — by the small specific accumulating reading at this dusk — at the small accumulating *holding* shape Heizi had named at his accumulating *moving-east* of the past three weeks.
That night Heizi at his watch sat at the small banked fire of the *staff-officer's tent* of the cold-spring camp.
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 *seven-man-unit* had — at the past three weeks' *moving east* — been at the small accumulating *welcome* of Li Mi's accumulating new headquarters by the small accumulating sentry's saying at Liyang, and had — at the small specific accumulating *not-yet* — turned around and returned to the cold-spring camp.
He filed it.
In the small lighter catalog of moments, beside the small specific dusk of Li Mi's first letter, he set: *the small specific dusk of the eleventh day east, when the lad and the seven-man-unit laid the small accumulating *not-yet* at Liyang and turned around.*
The lighter catalog stood at perhaps seventy-one items.
The dark catalog stood at twenty named names plus the *unnamed thousand*.
He sat his watch through.