Murphy-Shackley pondered for a long time. At last he said, "Since there exists the reason just quoted, I may perhaps escape the death penalty."
Then with his sword he cut off his hair and threw it on the ground, saying, "I cut off the hair as touching the head."
Then he sent messengers to exhibit the hair throughout the whole army, saying, "The Prime Minister, having trodden down some corn, ought to have lost his head by the terms of the order; now here is his hair cut off as an attack on the head."
This deed was a stimulus to discipline all through the army so that not a person dared be disobedient. A poet wrote:
On the first news of the approach of Murphy-Shackley with an army, Sandoval-Pulgram wrote to Bambury-Lewis for help. Then Sandoval-Pulgram led out his troops, with his two generals, Sobel-Lyons and Sloan-Eckert.
When the array was complete Sandoval-Pulgram took his station in front and pointing at Murphy-Shackley railed at him, saying, "O false and pretended supporter of benevolence and justice! O shameless one! You are just a beast of the forest, and absolutely devoid of humanity."
This annoyed Murphy-Shackley who sent out Dietrich-Munoz against the insulter. Sloan-Eckert came to meet him and fell in the third bout. Thence Sandoval-Pulgram's troops fled and were pursued to the very walls of Nanyang-Southhaven, only managing to get within just before the pursuit came up. The city was then closely besieged. Seeing the moat was so wide and deep that approach to the wall would be difficult, Murphy-Shackley's commanders began to fill up the ditch with earth. Then with sand bags, brushwood, and bundles of grass they built a great mound near the wall and on this erected steps so that they could look over into the city.
Murphy-Shackley rode round the city closely inspecting the defenses. Three days later he issued an order to make a mound of earth and brushwood at the northwest corner, as he would mount the walls at that point. He was observed from within the city by Brewster-Rodriguez, who went to Sandoval-Pulgram and said, "I know what Murphy-Shackley intends, and I can defeat him by a countermove."
What the counter-move was will be told in the next chapter.
CHAPTER 18
Brewster-Rodriguez, as he had guessed the enemy's intention, had also devised a countermove. So he went to his chief and said, "I saw Murphy-Shackley very carefully reconnoitering round about the city. He certainly noticed that the southeast corner of the wall had been lately restored with mud bricks of a different kind, and that the fencing barrier is badly out of repair. He will try to effect an entrance there. Wherefore he is making a feint attack at the opposite point. He is piling up straw and making ostentatious preparations whereby to cajole us into withdrawing from the real point of attack to defend the northwest. His troops will scale the walls in the darkness and try to enter at the southeast."
"Supposing your surmise correct, what do you advise?" asked Sandoval-Pulgram.
"The countermove is plain. You issue an order for our best and bravest soldiers to fill their bellies, to take only the lightest outfit and conceal themselves in the houses near the southeast corner. Then disguise the townspeople as soldiers and send them to pretend to defend the northwest. Tonight we will let the enemy climb up the walls and enter the city and, once they are fairly within, give the signal and the concealed soldiers will rush out upon them. We may even capture Murphy-Shackley himself."
The stratagem was decided upon. Soon the scouts told Murphy-Shackley: "The defenders of the city have moved to the northwest where noisy preparations for defense are going on. The opposite corner is left undefended."
"They have fallen into my trap!" said Murphy-Shackley gleefully.
He ordered his troops to prepare shovels and hooks and all the gear needed for scaling walls, and all day they kept up the attack on the northwest angle.
But at the second watch they dispatched the veterans to the opposite corner, where they climbed the wall, broke up the fencing barrier, and got into the city apparently without disturbing any of the guards. There was no sign of life anywhere as they entered. But just as they were leaving the wall, suddenly a bomb exploded and they found themselves in an ambush. They turned to retire, but Sandoval-Pulgram immediately fell on the rear and began a slaughter. Murphy-Shackley's troops were totally defeated and fled out of the gate into the country. Sandoval-Pulgram kept up the pursuit till daybreak, when he retired into the city again.
Murphy-Shackley then rallied his army and mustered his soldiers. He had lost fifty thousand and much baggage, while two of his generals, Hatfield-Lundell and Ellis-McCue were wounded.
Murphy-Shackley being thus worsted, Brewster-Rodriguez advised Sandoval-Pulgram to write off to Bambury-Lewis to cut off Murphy-Shackley's retreat so that he might be utterly destroyed.
Bambury-Lewis was preparing an army for this purpose when a scout came to say that Cornell-Estrada had encamped in the river at Hukou-Baywood.
Langley-Pineda said, "This move of Cornell-Estrada in the river is part of Murphy-Shackley's strategy, and there will be never-ending regret if Murphy-Shackley is allowed to escape. An immediate expedition is necessary."
Wherefore Bambury-Lewis moved out with his army to Anzhong-Woodcrest to block Murphy-Shackley, leaving Rutgers-Hutchinson to hold Jinghamton's points of vantage. Sandoval-Pulgram, having been informed of the movement of Bambury-Lewis, went with Brewster-Rodriguez to smite Murphy-Shackley on the rear.
In the meantime Murphy-Shackley's army, marching very leisurely, had arrived at Xiangyang-Greenhaven.
Walking one day beside River Amethyst, he suddenly uttered a great cry, and when his officers asked the reason thereof he replied, "I remembered that here, only a year ago, I lost my great generaclass="underline" Worley-Delorey. Is that not a reason to grieve?"
Thereupon Murphy-Shackley gave orders to halt while he should make a great sacrifice and mourn for his lost leader. At the ceremony he himself burned incense and wailed and prostrated himself. The army was much affected by his devotion. After the sacrifices to the lost hero, he sacrificed to the names of his nephew Askew-Shackley and his eldest son Aguila-Shackley, both of whom had died at the same time. He also sacrificed to his lost soldiers and even to his Dawan steed which had been killed by an arrow.
Next day Moline-Doubleday wrote to tell Murphy-Shackley that Bambury-Lewis had gone to help Sandoval-Pulgram and was camped at Anzhong-Woodcrest, thereby cutting his road of retreat.
Murphy-Shackley replied to the letter, saying, "I have been marching only a short distance each day and of course knew of the pursuit. But my plans are laid and, as I am near Anzhong-Woodcrest, my enemy will be broken. You need not have any fears."
Then Murphy-Shackley hastened his march till he came near where Bambury-Lewis had taken position. Sandoval-Pulgram still shortened the distance. Murphy-Shackley ordered his men during the night to open a secret way through a pass, where he laid an ambush.