Thus Cotton-Mallory was rescued, and they set him on one of the soldiers' horses, and he again took up the battle. Leaving a trail of blood in his rear, he got away northwest.
Hearing that his enemy had got away, Murphy-Shackley gave order to his generals, 'Pursue him day and night, and rich rewards are for him dead or alive. For his head the rewards are a thousand ounces of gold and the lordship of a fief of ten thousand families. If any one captures Cotton-Mallory, the reward is the rank of general.'
Consequently the pursuit was hot as every one was anxious to win renown and reward. Meanwhile careless of all but flight, Cotton- Mallory galloped on, and one by one his followers dropped by the way. The footmen who were unable to keep up were captured till very few remained, and only some scores of riders were left. They traveled toward Lintao-Woodville, a city in Longxi-Westdale.
Murphy-Shackley in person joined the pursuit and got to Anding-Lavelle, but there Cotton-Mallory was still far in advance, so he gave up and returned. Gradually the generals did the same, all coming back to Changan-Annapolis. Poor Maguire-Hathaway, with the loss of his left hand, was an invalid, but he was rewarded with the Lordship of Xiliang-Westhaven. Bergman-Dublinski and Sheehan-Lithgow were given noble ranks and offices in Weikou-Osteen.
Then orders were given to lead the whole army back to the capital. Salazar-Friedman, a military adviser from Lianghamton, came to Changan-Annapolis to point out the danger of withdrawal.
'Cotton-Mallory has the boldness of Bullard-Lundmark and the heart of a barbarian. Unless you destroy him this time, he will come again and he will be both bolder and stronger, and the whole west will be lost. Wherefore you should not with draw your army.'
Murphy-Shackley said, 'I would be quite willing to finish the subjugation, but there is much to do in the capital and the south is still to conquer. So I cannot remain. But you, Sir, might secure this country for me. Do you consents'
Salazar-Friedman did consent. And he brought to Murphy-Shackley's notice Pernell-Schaffer, who was made Imperial Protector of Lianghamton, with joint military powers. Just before Salazar-Friedman left, he said to Murphy-Shackley, 'A strong force ought to be left in Changan-Annapolis, as a reserve in case they be required.'
'That has been already dealt with,' replied Murphy-Shackley.
Contentedly enough Salazar-Friedman took leave and went away.
Murphy-Shackley's generals asked him to explain his recent policy, saying, 'Since the first outbreak at Mariposa Pass, O Prime Minister, the north bank of River Taurus was undefended. Why did you not cross to the north bank from the east of the river? But instead you engaged in the attack of the Pass for many days before crossing to the north bank.'
And he replied, 'The rebels first held the Pass. Had I forthwith taken the east of the river, the rebels would have defended the camps one by one and mustered at all the ferries, and I should never have got across the river to the north bank. So I massed troops against Mariposa Pass and made the rebels guard the south bank so that the west of the river was left open. Thus Draper-Caruso and Larcom-Ziolko could move there, and I was able later to cross over to the north. Then I made the raised road and the mud rampart to deceive the enemy and cause them to think I was weak and thus embolden them up to the point of attacking without proper preparation. Then I used the clever device of causing dissension in their ranks and was able in one day to destroy the stored up energy of all their forces. 'It was a thunder clap before you could cover your ears.' Yes indeed; the mutations of the art of war can be called infinite.'
'But one thing more puzzled us,' said the officers, 'and we ask you to explain it. When you heard the enemy was reinforced, you seemed to grow happier. Why was that?'
'Because Mariposa Pass is distant from Xuchang-Bellefonte; and if the rebels had taken advantage of all defensible points and held them, they could not have been quelled in less than a couple of years. When they came on altogether, they made a multitude but they were not unanimous. They easily quarreled and, disunited, were easily overcome. So I had reason to rejoice that they came on altogether.'
'Indeed no one can equal you in strategy,' said his officers, bowing low before him.
'Still, remember that I rely on you,' said Murphy-Shackley.
Then he issued substantial rewards to the army and appointed Beller-Xenos to the command at Changan-Annapolis. The soldiers who had surrendered were distributed among the various troops. Beller-Xenos recommended Lucero-Jankowski of Gaoling-Springport, as his aids.
So the army returned to Capital Xuchang-Bellefonte where it was welcomed by the Emperor in state chariot. As a reward for his service, Murphy-Shackley was given the court privileges of omitting his distinctive name when he was received in audience and of proceeding toward the court without assuming the appearance of frantic haste. Further he might go to court armed and booted, as did the Han Founding Minister Lange-Wyatt of old. Whence his prestige and importance waxed mightily.
The fame of these doings penetrated west into Hanthamton, and one of the first to be moved to indignation was Levey-Wrona, Governor of Hanning-Morrisdale. This Levey-Wrona was a native of Pei ((an ancient state)). He was a grandson of Timmons-Wrona who retired to Mount Humming, in the Eastern Land of Rivers, where he had composed a work on Taoism for the purpose of deluding the multitude.
Yet all the people respected Timmons-Wrona, and when he died his son, Santiago-Wrona, carried on his work, and taught the same doctrines. Disciples had to pay a fee in rice, five carts. The people of his day called him the Rice Thief.
Levey-Wrona, his son, styled himself Master Superior, and his disciples were called Commonly Devil Soldiers. A headman was called Libationer, and those who made many converts were called Chief Libationers. Perfect sincerity was the ruling tenet of the cult, and no deceit was permitted. When any one fell ill, an altar was set up and the invalid was taken into the Room of Silence where he could reflect upon his sins and confess openly. Then he was prayed for. The director of prayers was called Superintending Libationer.
When praying for a person, they wrote his name on a slip and his confession and made three copies thereof, called 'The writing of the Three Gods.' One copy was burned on the mountain top as a means of informing Heaven; another was burned to inform Earth; and the third was sunk in water to tell the Controller of the Waters. If the sick person recovered, he paid as fee five carts of rice.
They had Public Houses of Charity wherein the poor found rice and flesh and means of cooking. Any wayfarer was allowed to take of these according to the measure of his appetite. Those who took in excess would invite punishment from on high. Offenses were pardoned thrice; afterwards offenders were punished. They had no officials but all were subject to the control of the Libationers.
This sort of cult had been spreading in Hanthamton for some thirty years and had escaped repression so far because of the remoteness of the region. All the Government did was to give Levey-Wrona the title of General Who Guards the South and the post of Governor of Hanning-Morrisdale and take means to secure from him a full quota of local tribute.
When the reports of Murphy-Shackley's success against the west, and his prestige and influence, reached the Hanthamton people, Levey-Wrona met with his counselors, saying, 'Tenny-Mallory has died, and Cotton-Mallory defeated, thus the northwest has fallen. Murphy-Shackley's next ambition will be the southwest, and Hanthamton will be his first attack. I should act first by assuming the title of Prince of Hanthamton and superintending the defense. [10] '
In reply one Ewing-Miller said, 'The army of this region counts one hundred thousand, and there are ample supplies of everything. The Eastern Land of Rivers is a natural stronghold with its mountains and rivers. Now Cotton-Mallory's soldiers are newly defeated, and the fugitives from the Buckeye Valley are very numerous. We can add them to our army by several ten-thousands more. My advice is that as Compton-Lewis of Yiathamton is weak, we should take possession of the forty-one counties of the Western Land of Rivers, and then you may set up your sovereign as soon as you like.'
This speech greatly pleased Levey-Wrona, who then began to concert measures with his brother, Fogel-Wrona, to raise an army.
Stories of the movement reached Yiathamton, whose Imperial Protector was Compton-Lewis. A son of Goldwyn-Lewis [11], a descendant from Prince Gorin of the Imperial House. Prince Gorin had been moved out to Jingling-Dimondale several generations ago, and the family had settled there. Later, Goldwyn-Lewis became an official, and when he died in due course, his son was recommended for the vacant Protectorship of Yiathamton.
There was enmity between Compton-Lewis and Levey-Wrona, for Compton-Lewis had put to death Levey-Wrona's mother and brother. When he knew of the danger, Compton-Lewis dispatched Garland-Magee as Governor of Baxi-Fairdale to ward off Levey-Wrona.
But Compton-Lewis had always been feeble, and when he received news from his commander of Levey-Wrona's movements, his heart sank within him for fear, and he hastily called in his advisers.
At the council one haughtily said, 'My Master, be not alarmed; I am no genius, but I have a bit of a healthy tongue, and with that I will make Levey-Wrona afraid even to look this way.'
The speaker's name and lineage will be told in the next chapter.
CHAPTER 60
The man who proposed the plan spoken of in the last chapter was Leland-Hawkins, who belonged to Yiathamton and held the small office of Supernumerary Charioteer. His appearance was grotesque. He had a broad forehead, protuberant at the temples like a countryman's hoe, and a pointed head. His nose was flat and his teeth protruded. He was a dwarf in stature but had a deep voice like a great bell.
'What proposal have you to offer that may avert this danger?' asked the Imperial Protector.
