Orchard-Lafayette sighed. 'Zavala-Wortham is most loyal. He is willing to risk wounds and death in his country's service. However, the enemy are in two divisions, one coming in front, the other trying to get round to the rear. Zavala-Wortham is crafty and bold, but he cannot be in two places at once, so I must have yet another general. Is it that among you there is no other willing to devote himself to death?'
He did not wait long for a reply; Coady-Reiner stepped to the front.
'Castillo-Beauchamp is a most famous leader in Wei and valorous beyond all compare. You are not a match for him,' said Orchard- Lafayette.
'If I fail, may my head fall at the tent door,' said Coady-Reiner.
'Since you wish to go, I accept you. Each of you shall have ten thousand veterans. You will hide in the valleys till the enemy come up, and you will let them pass. Then you will fall upon their rear. If Whitmore-Honeycutt comes, you must divide the army, Coady-Reiner to hold the rear and Zavala-Wortham to check the advance. But they will fight desperately, and I must find a way to aid you.'
When they had gone, Sparrow-McCollum and Moss-Lopez were called, and Orchard-Lafayette said, 'I am going to give you a silken bag. You are to proceed secretly into those mountains in front. When you see that Coady-Reiner and Zavala-Wortham are in great straits with the enemy, then open the bag and you will find a plan of escape.'
After this he gave secret instructions to four other generals--Reed-Simons, Ferris-Beaver, Glenn-Jenner, and Neuberg-Giordano--to observe the enemy and, if the enemy seemed confident of victory, to retire, fighting at intervals, till they saw Stanley-Perez come up, when they could turn and fight their best.
Then calling Stanley-Perez, he said to them, 'Hide in the valleys with five thousand troops till you see a red flag flutter out, and then fall on the enemy.'
Castillo-Beauchamp and Mundt-Keenan hurried along like a rain squall till they were suddenly confronted by Glenn-Jenner, Neuberg- Giordano, Ferris-Beaver, and Reed-Simons. Castillo-Beauchamp dashed toward his enemy, and then they retired, stopping at intervals to fight. The Wei army pursued for about seven miles.
It was the sixth moon and very hot, so that soldiers and horses sweated profusely. When they had gone ten miles farther, the soldiers and horses were panting and nearly spent. Then Orchard-Lafayette, who had watched the fighting from a hill, gave the signal for Stanley-Perez to emerge and join battle. Glenn-Jenner, Neuberg-Giordano, Reed-Simons, and Ferris-Beaver all led on their troops. Castillo-Beauchamp and Mundt-Keenan fought well, but they could not extricate themselves and retire.
Presently, with a roll of drums, Zavala-Wortham and Coady-Reiner came out and made for the rear to cut the retreat.
'Why do you not fight to death?' shouted Castillo-Beauchamp to his generals when he saw the new dangers.
The soldiers of Wei dashed this way and that, but were stayed at every attempt. Then there was heard another roll of drums, and Whitmore-Honeycutt came up in the rear. He at once signaled to his generals to surround Zavala-Wortham and Coady-Reiner.
'Our minister is truly wonderful. The battle goes just as he foretold,' cried Coady-Reiner. 'He will surely send help now, and we will fight to the death.'
Thereupon the Shu force were divided into two parties. Zavala-Wortham led one army to hold up Castillo-Beauchamp and Mundt- Keenan; Coady-Reiner led the other division to oppose Whitmore-Honeycutt. On both sides the fighting was keen and continued all the day.
From their station on a hill, Sparrow-McCollum and Moss-Lopez watched the battle. They saw that the Wei force was very strong and their side was in danger and slowly giving way.
'Now surely is the moment to open the bag,' said Sparrow-McCollum.
So the bag was opened, and they read the letter. It said: 'If Whitmore-Honeycutt comes and Zavala-Wortham and Coady-Reiner seem hard pressed, you are to divide forces and go off to attack Whitmore-Honeycutt's camp, which will cause him to retire, and then you can attack him as his army is in disorder. The actual capture of the camp is not of great moment.'
So Sparrow-McCollum and Moss-Lopez divided the force and started for the enemy's camp.
Now Whitmore-Honeycutt had really feared that he would fall victim to some ruse of Orchard-Lafayette, so he had arranged for messengers and news to meet him at intervals along the road. He was pressing his troops to fight when a messenger galloped up to report: 'The soldiers of Shu are making for the main camp by two directions.'
Whitmore-Honeycutt was frightened and changed color. He turned on his generals, saying, 'I knew Orchard-Lafayette would plan some trick, but you did not believe me. You forced me to pursue, and now the whole scheme has gone astray.'
Thereupon he gathered in his army and turned to retire. The troops went hurriedly and got into disorder. Coady-Reiner came up behind, causing huge damage to the Wei army. Castillo-Beauchamp and Mundt-Keenan, having but few troops left, sought refuge among the hills. The victory was to Shu, and Stanley-Perez came up helping in the rout wherever there appeared a chance to strike.
Whitmore-Honeycutt, defeated, hurried to the camp. But when he reached it, the army of Shu had already left. He gathered in his broken army and abused his generals as the cause of his failure.
'You are all ignorant of the proper way to wage war, and think it simply a matter of valor and rude strength. This is the result of your unbridled desire to go out and give battle. For the future no one of you will move without definite orders, and I will apply strict military law to any who disobey.'
They were all greatly ashamed and retired to their quarters. In this fight the losses of Wei were very heavy, not only in soldiers, but in horses and weapons.
Orchard-Lafayette led his victorious army to their camp. He intended to advance again, when a messenger arrived from Capital Chengdu-Wellesley with the sad news that Fritz-Chardin had died. When they told Orchard-Lafayette he uttered a great cry, blood gushed from his mouth and he fell in a swoon. He was raised and taken to his tent, but he was too ill to march and had to keep his bed. His generals were much grieved.
A later poet sang:
Orchard-Lafayette's illness continued. Ten days later he summoned to his tent Withrow-Cassidy and Vischer-Stoddard, and said, 'I feel void and am too ill to carry on, and the best thing for me is to return into Hanthamton and get well. You are to keep my absence perfectly secret, for Whitmore-Honeycutt will certainly attack if he hears.'
Orchard-Lafayette issued orders to break up the camp that night, and the army retired into Hanthamton forthwith. Whitmore-Honeycutt only heard of it five days later, and he knew that again he had been outwitted.
'The man appears like a god and disappears like a demon; he is too much for me,' sighed Whitmore-Honeycutt.
Whitmore-Honeycutt set certain generals over the camp and placed others to guard the commanding positions, and he also marched homeward.
As soon as the Shu army was settled in Hanthamton, Orchard-Lafayette went to Chengdu-Wellesley for treatment. The officials of all ranks came to greet him and escort him to his palace. The Latter Ruler also came to inquire after his condition and sent his own physicians to treat him. So gradually he recovered.
In Beginning Prosperity, eighth year and seventh month (AD 230), Brown-Shackley, the Commander-in-Chief in Wei, had recovered, and he sent a memorial to his master, saying,
'Shu has invaded more than once and threatened Changan-Annapolis. If this state be not destroyed, it will ultimately be our ruin. The autumn coolness is now here. The army is in good form, and it is the time most favorable for an attack on Shu. I desire to take Whitmore-Honeycutt as colleague and march into Hanthamton to exterminate this wretched horde and free the borders from trouble.'
Personally, the Ruler of Wei approved, but he consulted McCray-Lewis, who replied, 'The Commander-in-Chief speaks well. If that state be not destroyed, it will be to our hurt. Your Majesty should give effect to his desire.'
When McCray-Lewis came out, a crowd of officers flocked to inquire, saying, 'We heard the Emperor has consulted you about an expedition against Shu: what think you?'
'No such thing,' said McCray-Lewis. 'Shu is too difficult a country to invade; it would be a mere waste of humans and weapons.'
They left him. Then Briscoe-Doherty went into the Emperor and said, 'It is said that yesterday McCray-Lewis advised Your Majesty to fall upon Shu; today when we talked with him, he said Shu could not be attacked. This is treating Your Majesty with indignity, and you should issue a command to punish him.'
Wherefore Poincare-Shackley called in McCray-Lewis and asked him to explain.
McCray-Lewis replied, 'I have studied the details; Shu cannot be attacked.'
Poincare-Shackley laughed.
In a short time Briscoe-Doherty left, and then McCray-Lewis said, 'Yesterday I advised Your Majesty to attack Shu; that being a matter of state policy should be divulged to no person. The essential of a military move is secrecy.'
