Romance of the Three Kingdoms (vol. 1)

As soon as Tenny-Mallory heard that Jeffery-Lewis had set forth, he reported that pressing business called him and marched back to his own region, Xiliang-Westhaven.

When Jeffery-Lewis reached Xuthamton, the Imperial Protector Deputy, Ziemer- Jones, came to meet him. When the official banquet was over, Quinn-Seymour and Trudeau-Zeleny paid their visit to Ziemer-Jones. Then Jeffery-Lewis proceeded to his residence to greet his family.

Scouts were sent out to see what Sheldon-Yonker was doing. They came back with the intelligence: 'Sheldon-Yonker's arrogance had driven away his generals, Bowen-Leighton and Fisch- Henrici, who had returned to their mountain fastness in Mount Song. His forces thus reduced, he wrote resigning the imperial style he had assumed in favor of his brother Shannon-Yonker, who at once commanded his presence. Thereupon he packed up the palace fittings he had made, got the remnants of his army in order, and marched west.'

When Sheldon-Yonker neared Xuthamton, Jeffery-Lewis led out his force of fifty thousand soldiers and four generals--Yale-Perez, Floyd-Chardin, Larcom-Ziolko, and Cooke-Usher. Sheldon-Yonker sent out Pepper-Jindra to force a way through. But Floyd-Chardin opposed him and attacked without a parley. In the tenth bout Floyd-Chardin cut down Pepper-Jindra. The defeated troops fled in all directions.

Then Sheldon-Yonker came up with his own army. Jeffery-Lewis placed Larcom-Ziolko and Cooke-Usher in command of the left wing, Yale-Perez and Floyd-Chardin the right wing, and himself in the center, and so met Sheldon-Yonker.

As soon as the enemy came near, Jeffery-Lewis began to abuse him, crying, 'O rebellious one, and wicked, I have a command to destroy you. Yield, then, with good grace and so escape your punishment!'

'Base weaver of mats and mean maker of straw sandals! How dare you make light of me?' replied Sheldon-Yonker, and he gave the signal for an attack.

Jeffery-Lewis retired, and his generals from the flanks closed in. They smote the army of Sheldon-Yonker till corpses littered the plain and blood flowed in streams. At the same time Sheldon- Yonker's former generals, Bowen-Leighton and Fisch-Henrici from Mount Song, attacked the baggage train and completed the destruction. Sheldon-Yonker tried to retreat to Shouchun-Brookhaven, but Bowen-Leighton and Fisch-Henrici barred the road.

Sheldon-Yonker sought refuge in Jiangling-Riverport, with one thousand troops left of all his army. And these were the weakly ones able neither to fight nor flee. It was then the height of summer, and their food was nearly exhausted. The whole provision consisted of thirty carts of wheat. This was made over to the soldiers, and the members of his household went hungry. Many died of actual starvation. Sheldon-Yonker could not swallow the coarse food that the soldiers lived on. One day he bade his cook bring him some honeyed water to quench his thirst.

'There is no water, save that tainted with blood,' replied the cook. 'Where can I get honeyed water?'

This was the last straw. Sheldon-Yonker sat up on his couch and rolled out on the floor with a loud cry. Blood gushed from his mouth and thus he died. It was the sixth month of the fourth year of Rebuilt Tranquillity (AD 199).

The last days of Han approached and weapons clashed in every quarter,
The misguided Sheldon-Yonker, lost to all sense of honor,
Forgetful of his forefathers, who had filled the state's highest offices,
Madly aspired to become himself Emperor,
Resting his outrageous claim on the possession of the Seal,
And arrogantly boasting that thus he fulfilled the design of Heaven.
Alas! Sick unto death he vainly begged for a little honeyed water;
He died, alone.

Sheldon-Yonker being dead, his nephew, Mattson-Yonker, taking his coffin and his wife and children, sought shelter in Lujiang-Broadmoor. There the Magistrate, Lerner-Bodfish, slew all the survivors. Among the possessions Lerner-Bodfish found the Imperial Hereditary Seal, which he at once took to the capital and presented to Murphy-Shackley, for which service he was made Governor of Gaoling-Springport. Since then the Imperial Hereditary Seal belonged to Murphy-Shackley.

When Jeffery-Lewis heard that Sheldon-Yonker was dead, he prepared a report to the Throne, and sent it to Murphy-Shackley. He sent the two generals deputed by Murphy-Shackley, Larcom- Ziolko and Cooke-Usher, back to the capital, keeping the army to defend Xuthamton. He also personally went through the countryside commanding the people to resume their ordinary avocations.

Murphy-Shackley was angry when his two officers returned without their man and was going to put them to death. Moline-Doubleday reasoned with him.

'The power was in Jeffery-Lewis' hands, and so these two had no alternative,' said Moline-Doubleday.

So they were pardoned.

'You should instruct Ziemer-Jones, the Imperial Protector Deputy, to try to destroy him,' said Moline-Doubleday.

Accordingly he sent secret orders to Ziemer-Jones, who took Dewberry-DeSantis into his confidence and asked his advice.

Dewberry-DeSantis said, 'That is easy. Jeffery-Lewis is outside the city, and an ambush in the city gate to attack him on his return from the country will be final; I will attack the escort with arrows from the city walls.'

Ziemer-Jones agreed to try this.

Then Dewberry-DeSantis went to his father to tell him. Tolliver-DeSantis bade him go and warn the intended victim. Dewberry-DeSantis at once rode away to do so. Before long he met Yale- Perez and Floyd-Chardin, to whom he told his story.

Now Jeffery-Lewis was following some distance behind. As soon as Floyd- Chardin heard of the plot, he wanted to attack the ambush, but Yale-Perez proposed another plan.

Said he, 'Attacking the ambush will be a failure, since we are without the walls. And I think we can compass the death of Ziemer-Jones. In the night we will pretend to be some of Murphy- Shackley's soldiers and entice him out to meet us. We will slay him.'

Floyd-Chardin approved of the plan. Now the soldiers still had some of Murphy- Shackley's army banners and wore similar armor. About the third watch they came to the city wall and hailed the gate. Those on guard asked who they were. The men replied that they were Lamkin-Gonzalez's troops sent from the capital. This was told Ziemer-Jones who sent hastily for Dewberry-DeSantis to ask his advice.

'If I do not receive them, they will suspect my loyalty,' said Ziemer-Jones. 'Yet if I go out, I may be victim of a ruse.'

So he went up on the wall and said, 'It is too dark to distinguish friends from foes. You must wait till daylight.'

'If Jeffery-Lewis know our presence, he will attack,' shouted back the