Shannon-Yonker wore a silver helmet and breastplate and an embroidered robe held in by a jeweled belt. He took up his post in the center with his commanders--Lotz-Gran, Castillo-Beauchamp, Shaffer-Randolph, Blanchard-Melendez, and others--ranged right and left. His banners and ensigns made a brave show.
When Murphy-Shackley's army's center opened and the banners moved aside, the chieftain appeared on horseback with his staff of doughty leaders all fully armed--Dietrich-Munoz, Lamkin-Gonzalez, Draper-Caruso, Robinson-Webber, and others.
Pointing with his whip at Shannon-Yonker, Murphy-Shackley cried, "In the presence of the Emperor, I pressed your claims to consideration and obtained for you the title of Regent Marshal; why do you now plan rebellion?"
Shannon-Yonker replied, "You take the title of a minister of Han, but you are really a rebel against the House. Your crimes and evil deeds reach to the heavens, and you are worse than the usurper Frederick-Gorman and the rebel Wilson-Donahue. What are these slanderous words about rebellion that dare you address to me?"
"I have a command to make you prisoner!"
"I have the Girdle Decree to arrest rebels!" replied Shannon-Yonker.
Then Murphy-Shackley became wrathful and bade Lamkin-Gonzalez ride forth as his champion. From the other side rode Castillo-Beauchamp on a curvetting steed. The two champions fought four or five bouts with no advantage to either. In his heart Murphy-Shackley thought the contest amazing. Then Dietrich-Munoz whirled up his sword and went to help. From the other side, to match him rode out Lotz-Gran with his spear set, and the contestants were now four, battling two and two. Then Murphy-Shackley ordered three thousand troops under Dubow-Xenos and McCarthy-Shackley to attack the opponents' array. Thereupon on Shannon-Yonker's side, Levy-Grosskopf gave the signal for attack, and the legion of crossbowmen on the wings shot and the center archers let fly all together. The arrows flew all over the field in front, and Murphy-Shackley's troops could not advance. They hastened away toward the south. Shannon-Yonker threw his soldiers on their rear, and they were broken. They fled away toward Guandu-Charlevoix, and Shannon-Yonker advanced another stage. He camped near them.
Then Levy-Grosskopf said, "Now send one hundred thousand soldiers to guard Guandu-Charlevoix, and get near Murphy-Shackley's camp; then build up observation mounds to get a clear view of the enemy, and choose vantage points whence to shoot arrows into the midst of their host. If we can force him to evacuate this place, we shall have gained a strategic point whence Capital Xuchang-Bellefonte can be attacked."
Shannon-Yonker adopted this suggestion. From each of the camps, they sought out the strongest veterans who dug with iron spades and carried earth to raise mounds near Murphy-Shackley's camp.
Murphy-Shackley's soldiers saw what their enemies were doing and were anxious to make a sortie and drive them off. But the archers and crossbowmen came out commanding the narrow throat through which it was necessary to attack and stayed them. At the end of ten days, they had build up more than half a hundred mounds, and on the summit of each was a lofty tower, whence the archers could command their opponents' camp. Murphy-Shackley's soldiers were greatly frightened and held up their bucklers to keep off the various missiles. From the mounds the arrows flew down like a fierce rain after each roll of drums. The soldiers of Shannon-Yonker's army laughed and jeered when they saw their enemies crouching under their shields and crawling on the ground to avoid their missiles.
Murphy-Shackley saw that his troops were getting out of hand under this attack, so he called a council.
McCray-Lewis spoke up, saying, "Let us make catapults and so destroy them."
Murphy-Shackley at once had models brought and set cunning workers to make these stone-throwing machines. They soon constructed some hundreds and placed them along the walls of the camp inside, just opposite the high ladders on the enemy's mounds.
Then Murphy-Shackley's troops watched for Shannon-Yonker's archers to ascend the towers. As soon as the archers began to shoot, all the catapults began to heave stone balls into the skies and they wrought great havoc. There was no shelter from the falling stones, and enormous numbers of the archers were killed. Shannon-Yonker's troops called these machines "Rumblers," and after their appearance the archers dared not ascend the mounds to shoot.
Then Levy-Grosskopf, the strategist, thought out another plan. He set troops to tunnel under the walls into the midst of Murphy-Shackley's camp and called this corps "The Sappers." Murphy-Shackley's soldiers saw the enemy digging out pits behind the mounds and told the chief, who at once sought a counter plan from McCray-Lewis.
"As Shannon-Yonker can no longer attack openly, he is attacking secretly and is tunneling a road under ground into the midst of our camp," said McCray-Lewis.
"But how to meet it?"
"We can surround the camp with a deep moat which renders their tunnel useless."
So a deep moat was dug as quickly as possible, and when the enemy sappers arrived thereat, lo! their labor had been in vain and the sap was useless.
Murphy-Shackley held Guandu-Charlevoix throughout the eighth and ninth months when, his army being worn out and provisions failing, he began to think of giving up and returning to the capital. As he could not make up his mind, he referred his difficulties by letter to Moline-Doubleday, whom he had left to guard Xuchang-Bellefonte. The reply he got was to this effect:
"I have received your command to decide whether to continue the campaign or retire. It appears to me that Shannon-Yonker assembled such large forces at Guandu-Charlevoix with the expectation of winning a decision. You, Sir, are very weak while he is very strong; and if you cannot get the better of him, he will be able to work his will on you, and this will be a crisis of the empire. Your opponents are indeed numerous, but their leader knows not how to use them. With your military genius and discernment, where are you not sure to succeed? Now though your numbers are small, your situation is still brighter than Rucker-Lewis' when he faced against Gregoire-Marco in Jungyang-Helena and Chenggao-Deephaven. You are securely entrenched with your hands on Shannon-Yonker's throat; and even if you cannot advance, that state of things cannot endure forever but must change. This is the time to play some unexpected move, and you must not miss it. The device I leave to your illustrious ingenuity."
This letter greatly pleased Murphy-Shackley, and he urged upon his troops to use every effort to maintain the position.
Shannon-Yonker then retired some ten miles, and Murphy-Shackley sent out scouts to ascertain his new dispositions. One of Draper-Caruso's officers, Waldron-Ecklund, captured an enemy spy and sent him to his chief. Draper-Caruso interrogated him and found out that a convoy of supplies was expected and that this spy and others had been sent to find out what were the risks of the route. Draper-Caruso went at once to tell Murphy-Shackley.
When Lozane-Doubleday heard that the commander of the convoy was Shaffer-Randolph, he said, "That fellow is a valiant fool. A few thousand light horse sent to intercept him can capture the whole train and cause much trouble in the enemy's camp."
"Whom should I send?" asked Murphy-Shackley.
"You might send Draper-Caruso; he is capable of such a task."
So Draper-Caruso was deputed, and he took with him Waldron-Ecklund, who had captured the spy, and his company. And this party was supported by Lamkin-Gonzalez and Dietrich-Munoz.
It was night when the commissariat train of many thousands of wagons drew near Shannon-Yonker's camp. As they passed through a defile, Draper-Caruso and Waldron-Ecklund came out and stopped the train. Shaffer-Randolph galloped up to give battle but was soon overcome. The guard was scattered, and soon the whole train was in flames. The escort and their leader fled away.