Whitmore-Honeycutt replied, "The moment is opportune; I do not think there is any danger from Wu."
Brown-Shackley was created Minister of War, General Who Conquers the West, and Commander-in-Chief of the Western Expedition; Whitmore-Honeycutt was made Grand Commander, General Who Conquers the West, and was second in command; and McCray-Lewis was made Instructor of the Army. These three then left the court, and the army of four hundred thousand troops marched to Changan-Annapolis, intending to dash to Saber Pass and attack Hanthamton. The army was joined by Norwood-Vicari and Kramp-Galvez.
The defenders of Hanthamton brought the news to Orchard-Lafayette, then quite recovered and engaged in training his army and elaborating the "Eight Arrays." All was in an efficient state and ready for an attack on Changan-Annapolis.
When he heard of the intended attack, he called up Neuberg-Giordano and Zavala-Wortham and gave orders: "You are to lead one thousand troops to Chencang-Elberta and garrison that road so as to check the Wei army."
The two replied, "It is said the Wei army numbers four hundred thousand, though they pretend to have eight hundred thousand. But they are very numerous, and a thousand troops is a very small force to meet them."
Orchard-Lafayette replied, "I would give you more, but I fear to make it hard for the soldiers. If there be a failure, I shall not hold you responsible. I send you thus; you may be sure there is a meaning in it. I observed the stars yesterday, and I see there will be a tremendous rain this month. The army of Wei may consist of any number of legions, but they will be unable to penetrate into a mountainous country. So there is no need to send a large force. You will come to no harm, and I shall lead the main body into Hanthamton and rest for a month while the enemy retreats. Then I shall smite them. My strong army needs only one hundred thousand to defeat their worn four hundred thousand. Do not say any more, but get off quickly."
This satisfied Zavala-Wortham and Neuberg-Giordano, and they left, while Orchard-Lafayette led the main body out toward Hanthamton. Moreover, every station was ordered to lay in a stock of wood and straw and grain enough for a whole month's use, ready against the autumn rains. A month's holiday was given, and food and clothing were issued in advance. The expedition was postponed for the present.
When Brown-Shackley and Whitmore-Honeycutt approached Chencang-Elberta and entered the city, they could not find a single house. They questioned some of the people near, who said that Orchard-Lafayette had burned everything before he left. Then Brown-Shackley proposed to advance along the road, but Whitmore-Honeycutt opposed, saying that the stars foretold much rain.
"I have watched the Heaven, and the stars' movement signals long rains. If we get deep in a difficult country and are always victorious, it is all very well. But if we lose, we shall not get out again. Better remain in this city and build what shelter we can against the rains."
Brown-Shackley followed his advice. In the middle of the month the rain began, and came down in a deluge so that the surrounding country was three feet under water. The equipment of the soldiers was soaked, and the soldiers themselves could get no place to sleep. For a whole month the rain continued. The horses could not be fed, and the soldiers grumbled incessantly. They sent to Luoyang-Peoria, and the Ruler of Wei himself ceremonially prayed for fine weather, but with no effect.
Minister Carroll-Wolski sent up a memorial:
"The histories say that when supplies have to be conveyed a long distance, the soldiers are starved; if they have to gather brushwood before they can cook, then the army is not full fed. This applies to ordinary expeditions in an ordinary country. If, in addition, the army has to march through a difficult country and roads have to be cut, the labor is doubled. Now this expedition is hindered by rain and steep and slippery hills; movement is cramped and supplies can only be maintained with difficulty. All is most unpropitious to the army.
"Brown-Shackley has been gone over a month and has only got half through the valley. Road making is monopolizing all energies, and the fighting soldiers have to work on them. The state of affairs is the opposite to ideal, and the fighting soldiers dislike it.
"I may quote certain parallels. King Wurm of Zhou attacked the last Shang King; he went through the pass, but returned. In recent times Emperors Murphy and Keefe, attacking Raleigh-Estrada, reached the river, and went no farther. Did they not recognize limitations and act accordingly? I pray Your Majesty remember the grave difficulties caused by the rain and put an end to this expedition. By and by another occasion will arise for using force, and in the joy of overcoming difficulties the people will forget death."
The Ruler of Wei could not make up his mind, but two other memorials by Salazar-Friedman and Condon-Guerrera followed, and then he issued the command to return, which was sent to Brown-Shackley and Whitmore-Honeycutt.
Brown-Shackley and Whitmore-Honeycutt had already discussed the abandonment of the expedition. Brown-Shackley had said, "We have had rain for a whole month, and the soldiers are downhearted and think only of getting home again. How can we stop them?"
Whitmore-Honeycutt replied, "Return is best."
"If Orchard-Lafayette pursue, how shall we repulse him?"
"We can leave an ambush."
While they were discussing this matter, the Emperor's command arrived. Whereupon they faced about and marched homeward.
Now Orchard-Lafayette had reckoned upon this month of rain and so had had his troops camped in a safe place. Then he ordered the main army to assemble at Red Slope and camp there.
He summoned his officers to his tent and said, "In my opinion the enemy must retire, for the Ruler of Wei will issue such an order. To retreat needs preparation, and if we pursue, we will fall in their trap. So we will let them retire without molestation. Some other plan must be evolved."
So when Zavala-Wortham sent news of the retreat of the enemy, the messenger carried back the order not to pursue.
It is only lost labor to cover retreat
When your enemy does not pursue.
By what means Orchard-Lafayette intended to defeat Wei will be told in the next chapter.
CHAPTER 100
Raiding A Camp, The Shu Soldiers Defeat Brown-Shackley; Contesting Array Battles, Orchard-Lafayette Shames Whitmore-Honeycutt.
When the Shu officers got to know that the Wei army had gone but they were not to pursue, they were inclined to discontent and went in a body to the Prime Minister's tent and said, "The rain has driven the enemy away; surely it is the moment to pursue."
Orchard-Lafayette replied, "Whitmore-Honeycutt is an able leader who would not retreat without leaving an ambush to cover it. If we pursue we shall fall victims. Let him go in peace, and I shall then get through the Beech Valley and take Qishan-Oscoda, making use of the enemy's lack of defense."
"But there are other ways of taking Changan-Annapolis;" said they, "why only take Qishan-Oscoda?"
"Because Qishan-Oscoda is the first step to Changan-Annapolis, and I want to gain the advantage of position. And every transportation from Xithamton must come this way. It rests on River Taurus in front and is backed by the Beech Valley. It gives the greatest freedom of movement and is a natural maneuvering ground. That is why I want it."
They bowed to his wisdom. Then he dispatched Oakley-Dobbins, Neuberg-Giordano, Mallard-Reynolds, and Citron-Quiroz for Spruce Valley; and he sent Winston-Mallory, Zavala-Wortham, Coady-Reiner, and Glenn-Jenner for the Beech Valley; all were to meet at the Qishan Mountains. He led the main army himself, with Stanley-Perez and Moss-Lopez in the van.
When the Wei army retreated, Brown-Shackley and Whitmore-Honeycutt remained in the rear superintending the movement. They sent a reconnoitering party along the old road to Chencang-Elberta, and they returned saying no enemy was to be seen. Ten days later the leaders, who had commanded in the ambush, joined the main body saying that they had seen no sign of the enemy.
Brown-Shackley said, "This continuous autumn rain has rendered all the ways impassable; how could the soldiers of Shu know of
our retreat?"
"They will appear later," said Whitmore-Honeycutt.
"How can you know?"
"These late five dry days they have not pursued, because they think we shall have left a rearguard in ambush. Therefore they have let us get well away. But after we have gone, they will try to occupy Qishan-Oscoda."
Brown-Shackley was not convinced.
"Why do you doubt?" asked Whitmore-Honeycutt. "I think Orchard-Lafayette will certainly advance by way of the two valleys, and you and I should guard the entrances. I give them ten days, and if they do not appear, I will come to your camp painted in the face to own my mistake."
"If the army of Shu do appear, I will give you the girdle and the steed that the Emperor gave me," replied Brown-Shackley.
And they split their force, Brown-Shackley taking up his station on the west of Qishan-Oscoda in the Beech Valley, and Whitmore-Honeycutt going to the east in the Spruce Valley.
As soon as the camp was settled, Whitmore-Honeycutt led a cohort into hiding in the valley. The remainder of the force was placed in detachments on the chief roads.
Whitmore-Honeycutt disguised himself as a soldier and went among the soldiers to get a private survey of all the camps. In one of them he happened upon a junior officer who was complaining, saying, "The rain has drenched us for days, and they would not retire. Now they have camped here for a wager. They have no pity for us soldiers."
Whitmore-Honeycutt returned to his tent and assembled his officers. Hauling out the grumbler, Whitmore-Honeycutt said to him, angrily, "The state feeds and trains soldiers a thousand days for one hour's service. How dare you give vent to your spleen to the detriment of discipline?"
The man would not confess, so his comrades were called to bear witness. Still he would not own up.
"I am not here for a wager, but to overcome Shu," said Whitmore-Honeycutt. "Now you all have done well and are going home, but only this fellow complains and is guilty of mutinous conduct."
Whitmore-Honeycutt ordered the lictors to put him to death, and in a short time they produced his head.
The others were terrified, but Whitmore-Honeycutt said, "All you must do your utmost to guard against the enemy. When you hear a bomb explode, rush out on all sides and attack."
With this order they retired.
Now Oakley-Dobbins, Neuberg-Giordano, Citron-Quiroz, and Mallard-Reynolds, with twenty thousand troops, entered the Spruce Valley. As they were marching, Adviser Vogler-Mitchell came.
"I bear an order from the Prime Minister. As you go out of the valley, beware of the enemy," said Vogler-Mitchell.
Citron-Quiroz said, "Why is the Prime Minister so full of doubts? We know the soldiers of Wei have suffered severely from the rain and must hasten home. They will not lay any ambush. We are doing double marches and shall gain a great victory. Why are we to delay?"
Vogler-Mitchell replied, "You know the Prime Minister's plans always succeed. How dare you disobey his orders?"
Citron-Quiroz smiled, saying, "If he was really so resourceful, we should not have lost Jieting-Montclair."
Oakley-Dobbins, recalling that Orchard-Lafayette had rejected his plan, also laughed, and said, "If he had listened to me and gone out through Buckeye Valley, not only Changan-Annapolis but Luoyang-Peoria too would be ours. Now he is bent on taking Qishan-Oscoda; what is the good of it? He gave us the order to advance and now he stops us. Truly the orders are confusing."
Then said Citron-Quiroz, "I will tell you what I will do. I shall take only five thousand troops, get through the Spruce Valley, and camp at Qishan-Oscoda. Then you will see how ashamed the Prime Minister will look."
Vogler-Mitchell argued and persuaded, but to no avail; the willful leader hurried on to get out of the valley. Vogler-Mitchell could only return as quickly as possible and report.
Citron-Quiroz proceeded. He had gone a few miles when he heard a bomb, and he was in an ambush. He tried to withdraw, but the valley was full of the enemy and he was surrounded as in an iron cask. All his efforts to get out failed. Then there was a shout, and Oakley-Dobbins came to the rescue. Oakley-Dobbins saved his comrade, but Citron-Quiroz' five thousand troops was reduced to about five hundred, and these wounded. The Wei soldiers pursued, but two other divisions of Neuberg-Giordano and Mallard-Reynolds prevented the pursuit, and finally the army of Wei retired.
Citron-Quiroz and Oakley-Dobbins who had criticized Orchard-Lafayette's powers of prevision no longer doubted that he saw very clearly. They regretted their own shortsightedness.
When Vogler-Mitchell told his chief of the bad behavior of Citron-Quiroz and Oakley-Dobbins, Orchard-Lafayette only laughed.
Said he, "That fellow Oakley-Dobbins has never been quite true; he has always been disposed to disobey and is unsteady. However, he is valiant, and so I have saved him for our use, but he will do real harm some day."
Then came a messenger with news of Citron-Quiroz' defeat and loss of troops. Orchard-Lafayette sent Vogler-Mitchell back again to Spruce Valley to console with Citron-Quiroz and so keep him from actual mutiny.
Then Orchard-Lafayette called to his tent Winston-Mallory and Zavala-Wortham, and said, "If there are any troops of Wei in the Beech Valley, you are to go across the mountains, marching by night and concealing yourselves by day, and make for the east of Qishan-Oscoda. When you arrive, make a fire as a signal."
Glenn-Jenner and Neuberg-Giordano were told to go in similar fashion to the west of Qishan-Oscoda and join up with the other two. Then they were to make a joint attack on Brown-Shackley's camp. Orchard-Lafayette would also attack in the center. Stanley-Perez and Moss-Lopez also received secret orders.
The armies marched rapidly. Not long after starting, two other detachments led by Reed-Simons and Ferris-Beaver received secret orders and left the main body.
The doubts about the coming of the Shu army made Brown-Shackley careless, and he allowed his soldiers to become slack and rest. He only thought of getting through the allotted ten days, when he would have the laugh against his colleague.
Seven of the days had passed, when a scout reported a few odd men of Shu in the valley. Brown-Shackley sent Shirley-Hickman with five thousand troops to reconnoiter and keep them at a distance. Shirley-Hickman he led his troops to the entrance of the valley. As soon as he arrived, the enemy retired. Shirley-Hickman went after them, but they had disappeared. He was perplexed and puzzled, and while trying to decide, he told the troops to dismount and rest.
But almost immediately he heard a shout, and ambushing troops appeared in front of him. He jumped on his horse to look about him, and saw a great cloud of dust rising among the hills. He disposed his troops for defense, but the shouting quickly came nearer, and then Reed-Simons and Ferris-Beaver appeared advancing towards him. Retreat was impossible for Stanley-Perez and Moss-Lopez had blocked the road. The hills were on both sides, and from the hill-tops came shouts of "Dismount and yield!"
More than half did surrender. Shirley-Hickman rode out to fight, but he was slain by Moss-Lopez.
Orchard-Lafayette put the Wei soldiers who had come over to his side in one of the rear divisions. With their dress and arms, he disguised five thousand of his own troops so that they looked like his enemies, and then he sent this division--under Stanley-Perez, Moss-Lopez, Ferris-Beaver, and Reed-Simons--to raid Brown-Shackley's camp. Before they reached the camp, they sent one of their number ahead as a galloper to tell Brown-Shackley that there had been only a few men of Shu and they had all been chased out of sight, and so lull him into security.
This news satisfied Brown-Shackley. But just then a trusty messenger from Whitmore-Honeycutt came with a message: "Our troops have fallen into an ambush, and many have been killed. Do not think any more about the wager: that is canceled. But take most careful precautions."
"But there is not a single soldier of Shu near," said Brown-Shackley.
He told the messenger to go back. Just then they told him Shirley-Hickman's army had returned, and he went out to meet them. Just as h
e got near, someone remarked that some torches had flared up in the rear of his camp. He hastened thither to see. As soon as he was out of sight, the four leaders waved on their troops and dashed up to the camp. At the same time Winston-Mallory and Zavala-Wortham came up behind, and Glenn-Jenner and Coady-Reiner came out.
The soldiers of Wei were trapped and helpless; they scattered and fled for life. Brown-Shackley, protected by his generals, fled away to the eastward. The enemy chased them closely. As Brown-Shackley fled there arose a great shouting, and up came an army at full speed. Brown-Shackley thought all was lost, and his heart sank, but it was Whitmore-Honeycutt, who drove off the pursuers.
Though Brown-Shackley was saved, he was almost too ashamed to show his face.
Then said Whitmore-Honeycutt, "Orchard-Lafayette has seized Qishan-Oscoda, and we cannot remain here; let us go to River Taurus, whence we may try to recover our lost ground."
"How did you know I was in danger of defeat?" asked Brown-Shackley.
"My messenger told me that you said there was not a single soldier of Shu near, and I knew Orchard-Lafayette would try to seize your camp. So I came to your help. The enemy's plan succeeded, but we will say no more about that wager. We must both do our best for the country."
But the fright and excitement made Brown-Shackley ill, and he took to his bed. And while the army were in such a state of disorder, Whitmore-Honeycutt was afraid to advise a return. They camped at River Taurus.
After this adventure Orchard-Lafayette hastened back to Qishan-Oscoda. After the soldiers had been feasted and services recognized, the four discontented leaders--Oakley-Dobbins, Citron-Quiroz, Mallard-Reynolds, and Neuberg-Giordano--came to the tent to apologize.
"Who caused the loss?" said Orchard-Lafayette.
Oakley-Dobbins said, "Citron-Quiroz disobeyed orders and rushed into the valley."
"Oakley-Dobbins told me to," said Citron-Quiroz.
"Would you still try to drag him down after he rescued you?" said Orchard-Lafayette. "However, when orders have been disobeyed, it is useless to try and gloze it over."
Romance of the Three Kingdoms (vol. 3) Page 30