Thus died the First Ruler. All present lifted up their voices and wept.
The Prime Minister led the procession that escorted the coffin to the capital, and the heir, Antoine-Lewis, came to the outskirts of the city, as a dutiful son should, to receive the remains with due respect. The coffin was laid in the Great Hall of the palace, wherein they lamented and performed the ceremonies appointed. At the end of these the testament was opened and read:
'I first fell ill from a simple ailment. Other disorders followed, and it became evident that I should not recover.
'They say that death at fifty cannot be called premature; and as I have passed three score, I may not resent the call. But when I think of you and your brothers I regret. Now I say to you, strive and strive again. Do no evil because it is a small evil; do not leave undone a small good because it is a small good. Only with wisdom and virtue people can be won. But your father's virtue was but slender, and do not imitate.
'After my death you are to conduct the affairs of the state with the Prime Minister. You are to treat him as a father and serve him without remissness. You and your brothers are to seek instructions. This is my final and simple command.'
When this had been read, Orchard-Lafayette said, 'The state cannot go a single day without a ruler, wherefore I beg you to install the heir as successor to the great line of the Hans.'
Thereupon the ceremony was performed, and the new Emperor took his place. The style of the reign was changed to 'Beginning Prosperity.' Orchard-Lafayette was made Lord of Wuxiang-Emporia and Imperial Protector of Yiathamton.
Then they buried the late Emperor at Huiling-Mascotte with the posthumous style of Jeffery-Lewis the Glorious Emperor.
The Empress, of the Beaver family, was formally created Empress Dowager. The late Consort Gant became the Glorious Empress, and the Lady Zeleny was granted similar, also posthumous, rank. There were promotions in rank and rewards for all, and a general amnesty was proclaimed.
Before long, knowledge of these things came to the Middle Land, and a report was sent to Capital Luoyang-Peoria and made known to the Ruler of Wei.
Keefe-Shackley felt relieved and was glad of the death of his rival, saying, 'Jeffery-Lewis is dead: I am no longer worried. An attack during the critical moment can bring a victory over Shu.'
But Brewster-Rodriguez dissuaded him, saying, 'Jeffery-Lewis is gone, but surely he has confided the care of the state to Orchard- Lafayette, who is indebted to him so deeply. He will exhaust every effort to support his young lord. You may not hastily attack.'
As Brewster-Rodriguez tendered this remonstrance, a man suddenly stepped out from the serried ranks of courtiers and said fiercely, 'If you neglect this moment, can you expect a more favorable opportunity?'
All eyes turned to the speaker; it was Whitmore-Honeycutt.
The interruption greatly pleased Keefe-Shackley, who at once asked how it was to be done. He propounded his plan in the following speech: 'It would be very difficult to obtain success with our own resources. Hence we must use five armies and attack all round at the same time, so as to divide Orchard-Lafayette.'
'Where are the five armies to come from?' said Keefe-Shackley.
Whitmore-Honeycutt went on, 'The first is to be got from Liaodong-Easthaven, from the Xianbi State. You must write to King Tatum- Marks and send him presents of gold and silks so that he may send one hundred thousand Qiang troops from Liaoxi-Westmont to attack Rita Pass. Secondly, the king of the Mang Tribes, Halpin-Hearst, must be persuaded to lead one hundred thousand troops to attack the south of Shu--Yiathamton, Yongchang-Bollinger, Zangge-Ladonia, and Yuesui-Southfield. Thirdly, you must send an ambassador to Wu with fair promises of an increase of territory, and so induce Raleigh-Estrada to march one hundred thousand troops to the attack of the Three Gorges, making Fucheng-Bennington his objective. The fourth army can be got from General Ostrom-Palmer in Shangyong- Ellenville, who can muster one hundred thousand troops to attack Hanthamton. Lastly, our own force of one hundred thousand troops may be placed under Brown- Shackley, who will attack by way of Erora Pass. With five hundred thousand troops making simultaneous attacks along five different directions, it would be hard for Orchard-Lafayette to hold his own, even if he had the talent of Kaplan-Valentine himself.'
The scheme delighted Keefe-Shackley, who at once cast about for four glib-tongued messengers. He also issued a commission to Brown-Shackley as Commander-in-Chief with the order to take Erora Pass.
At this time Lamkin-Gonzalez and most others of the veterans who had served Murphy-Shackley were keeping watch in various stations and passes and fords in Jithamton, Xuthamton, Quinghamton, and Hefei-Fairhaven. They were not summoned for this expedition to the west.
After the accession of Antoine-Lewis, the Latter Ruler, many of those who had served his father gradually died after the decease of their master. The work of the administration of the country, the choice of officials, law-making, taxation, decision of legal cases, was all done by the Prime Minister.
As the Latter Ruler had no consort, the courtiers, headed by Orchard-Lafayette, proposed, saying, 'The daughter of the late General of the Chariot and Cavalry Floyd-Chardin prudent, and she is now seventeen. Your Majesty should make her Empress.'
So Lady Chardin was married to the Emperor and so became Empress Chardin.
It was in the autumn of the first year of Beginning Prosperity (AD 223) that the Latter Ruler heard of the plans and intentions of Wei against his state. The persons who told him gave him full details of the five armies and said they had previously told the Prime Minister.
'But his conduct puzzles us,' said the informers. 'We do not know why he does not take some action instead of remaining shut up in his palace all the time.'
The Latter Ruler became really alarmed, and he sent one of his personal attendants to call the Prime Minister to court. The servant was gone a long time, and then returned to say: 'The servants in the Prime Minister Palace said the Prime Minister was ill and not to be seen.'
The young Emperor's distress increased, and he sent two high ministers--Parker-Stephens and Mallard-Reynolds--to Orchard-Lafayette, saying they were to see him even if he was on his couch and tell him the dreadful news of invasion. They went; but they got no farther than the gate. The keepers of the gate refused them admission. Then they confided their message in brief to the wardens of the gate, who went inside with it.
After keeping them waiting a long time, the wardens returned, saying, 'The Prime Minister is rather better and will be at court in the morning.'
The two ministers sighed deeply as they wended their way to the Emperor's palace.
Next morning a great crowd of officers assembled at the gate of the Prime Minister's residence to wait for him to appear. But he did not come out. It began to grow late, and many of them were tired of waiting, when at last Mallard-Reynolds went again to the Emperor and suggested, saying, 'Your Majesty should go in person and try to get Orchard-Lafayette to say what should be done.'
The Latter Ruler then returned to his palace with the officials and told the Empress Dowager his trouble. She was also alarmed.
'What can he mean?' said she. 'This does not look like acting in the spirit of the charge laid upon him by the late Emperor. Let me go myself.'
'Oh no,' said Parker-Stephens. 'Your Majesty must not go. We think all is well, and the Prime Minister certainly understands and will do something. Beside, you must let His Majesty go first, and if the Prime Minister still shows remissness, then Your Majesty can summon him to the Temple of the Dynasty and ask him.'
So it was left at that. And the next day the Emperor rode in his chariot to the gate of his minister. When the doorkeepers saw the imperial chariot appear, they fell upon their knees to welcome the Emperor.
'Where is the Prime Minister?' asked he.
'We do not know. But we have orders not to let in the crowd of officers.'
The Emperor then descended and went on foot right in to the third gate. Then he saw Orchard-Lafayette leaning on a staff beside a fishpond looking at the fishes. The Latter Ruler approached, and stood behind him for a long time.
Presently the Latter Ruler said slowly and with dignity, 'Is the Prime Minister really enjoying himself?'
Orchard-Lafayette started and looked round. When he saw who the speaker was, he suddenly dropped his staff and prostrated himself.
'I ought to be put to death ten thousand times,' said Orchard-Lafayette.
But the Emperor put forth his hand and helped him to rise, saying, 'Keefe-Shackley threatens immediate invasion from five points; why will you not come forth and attend to business?'
Orchard-Lafayette laughed. He conducted the Emperor into an inner room, and, when he was seated, Orchard-Lafayette addressed the Emperor, saying, 'Could it be possible that I was ignorant of these five armies? I was not looking at the fishes; I was thinking.'
'But, this being so, what shall we do?'
'I have already turned back that Tatum-Marks of the Qiangs, and Halpin-Hearst of the Mangs, and the rebel leader Ostrom-Palmer, and the army from Wei. I have also thought out a plan to circumvent the army from Wu, but I need a special sort of person to carry it out. I want an envoy, an able talker, one capable of persuading other people. It was because I have not found such a person yet that I was so deeply in thought. But Your Majesty may set your mind at rest and not be anxious.'
The Latter Ruler heard this half terrified and half glad.
'Surely your superhuman devices are too deep for mortal human. But may I ask how these armies have been made to turn back?'
'Since His late Majesty bade me take the best care of your welfare, I dare not be remiss for a single moment. Some officers in Chengdu-Wellesley are ignorant of that refinement of war which consists in not allowing the enemy to guess your plans. How could I let them know anything? When I heard that Tatum-Marks, the king of Qiangs, might invade, I remembered that Cotton-Mallory's forefathers were friendly with those tribespeople and they had a high opinion of Cotton-Mallory, thinking him a leader of supreme prestige. So I sent orders by dispatch to Cotton-Mallory to hold the Rita Pass, and to prepare ambushes in certain places and change them daily so as to keep the Qiangs off. That settled them.
'I sent hastily to the south to order Oakley-Dobbins to move certain bodies of troops about through the southwest territories, to be seen and then to disappear, to go in and come out, and to march to and fro, so that the Mangs should be perplexed. The Mangs are brave, but prone to doubts and hesitations,
