Bloden-Kravitz agreed.
Said he, "Tomorrow I will go and challenge them. If they accept and come out to fight, I will feign retreat and inveigle them round to the north side of the city. As they follow me, a sortie must be made when they pass the gate so as to cut their army in two. We ought to overcome them in this way."
"Let me lead the sortie," said Ferris-Beaver. "General Sather-Lewis can stay to help our lord's son Acosta-Lewis guard the city."
This also was agreed to. Next morning Bloden-Kravitz went out to offer the challenge, his troops waving flags and shouting lustily. At once Floyd-Chardin took up the challenge and rode out. He stayed not to parley, but galloped up to Bloden-Kravitz and engaged him. After about ten bouts Bloden-Kravitz seemed to be getting worsted, so he turned and fled, taking the way around the north of the city. Floyd-Chardin pursued him with all speed. Then as he passed the gate, Ferris-Beaver made a sortie so that Floyd-Chardin was between two forces and unable to get clear. Bloden-Kravitz turned back to attack.
Floyd-Chardin seemed in a parlous state. But at this very moment a body of soldiers came up from the river-side and a fierce warrior rode straight for Ferris-Beaver, and in the first bout made him prisoner; his troops were then forced back, and Floyd-Chardin was free. It was Gilbert-Rocher who had so opportunely appeared.
"Where is the Directing Instructor?'' asked Floyd-Chardin.
"He has arrived; I think he has already seen our lord," replied Gilbert-Rocher.
The prisoner was carried to the camp where Orchard-Lafayette was. Floyd-Chardin dismounted and went in to greet him.
Orchard-Lafayette was surprised, and said, "How comes it that you arrived before me?"
Jeffery-Lewis told the story of Floyd-Chardin's prudence and sagacity in dealing with Clausen-Wysocki.
Orchard-Lafayette congratulated Floyd-Chardin and said, "When Floyd-Chardin behaves with such skill, my lord's good fortune is indeed ample."
When the prisoner was taken in, Jeffery-Lewis asked him if he would surrender.
Ferris-Beaver replied, "Why not, seeing I am a prisoner?"
Thereupon Jeffery-Lewis himself loosed his bonds. Orchard-Lafayette began to question him upon the defense.
Ferris-Beaver told him the names of the officers, saying, "The son of the Imperial Protector, Acosta-Lewis, and his generals Sather-Lewis and Bloden-Kravitz are the defenders. Sather-Lewis does not count for much, but Bloden-Kravitz is a man to be avoided."
"Then before we can get the city we must capture Bloden-Kravitz," said Orchard-Lafayette. "There is a bridge on the east; what is it called?"
"It is known as the 'Bridge of the Golden Goose.'"
Orchard-Lafayette rode over to the bridge and scrutinized the neighborhood.
After his return to camp, he summoned Sheffield-Maddox and Oakley-Dobbins for orders.
To them he said, "On the east of the city is a bridge called the Bridge of the Golden Goose, and about two miles south of this I saw a dense growth of reed and sedge which would afford excellent shelter. Oakley-Dobbins is to lead a thousand spearmen to the left and attack, but only attack horsemen. Sheffield-Maddox will lead a thousand swordsmen who are to cut the horses. When Bloden-Kravitz has lost most of his troops and horses, he will flee by the hill road, where he will fall into an ambush of Floyd-Chardin."
Next Gilbert-Rocher was called and sent to lie in ambush close to the bridge, which he was to destroy as soon as the enemy had crossed. That done, Gilbert-Rocher was to take up a position beyond the bridge to prevent the enemy from getting away to the north. Forced to the south, their destruction would be inevitable.
These arrangements made, Orchard-Lafayette himself went to challenge the enemy and try to bring them to battle.
Imperial Protector Compton-Lewis had sent two generals, Coady-Reiner and Hull-Littell, to reinforce Bloden-Kravitz. Bloden-Kravitz sent Coady-Reiner to the help of Sather-Lewis in the city, while Hull-Littell was to march second with Bloden-Kravitz himself to encounter the enemy.
Orchard-Lafayette led across the bridge a mob of disorderly looking soldiers, all in disarray, whom he drew up as if they were a fighting force. He himself, dressed in a simple robe and toying with a fan, took his seat in a small four-wheeled carriage. A few horsemen caracoling gaily to and fro formed his escort.
Having crossed the bridge, Orchard-Lafayette halted and pointed to Bloden-Kravitz, saying, "Dare you withstand me and not surrender when Murphy-Shackley's million troops fled at my name?"
But the enemy leader was rather occupied with inspecting the disorderly lot of soldiers he saw in front, all standing anyhow and not drawn up into formation at all.
With a cynical smile, Bloden-Kravitz said, "People talk of Orchard-Lafayette's superhuman military genius; I say his reputation is false."
With that Bloden-Kravitz whirled his spear about his head, and he dashed forward with all his troops. As he came, Orchard-Lafayette left his carriage, mounted a horse, and retired to the far side of the bridge. Bloden-Kravitz impetuously pursued and rushed over the Bridge of the Golden Goose. It was only when he had reached the other side that he saw a body of soldiers on either hand. Then he knew that he had been led into a trap.
As soon as he had got across the bridge, the two bodies of soldiers under Jeffery-Lewis and Clausen-Wysocki came to the attack. Bloden-Kravitz turned to get back to the bridge, but Gilbert-Rocher had done his work and the bridge was in ruins. Bloden-Kravitz made to turn sway north, but Gilbert-Rocher's troops stopped the way so he had to turn southward and followed the course of the river. He presently reached the place where grew the reeds and sedges. Out came Oakley-Dobbins and his company of spearmen, who stabbed at the horsemen fiercely while Sheffield-Maddox, with his swordsmen, cut down the horses. Soldiers and horses were soon lying on the ground. The few survivors were quickly made prisoners and bound with cords.
No footman escaped. But a few lucky horsemen followed Bloden-Kravitz and got away to the hills. There they met Floyd-Chardin, who fell upon them with a mighty roar, scattered the few followers, and captured the leader. Seeing Bloden-Kravitz a prisoner, his second in command Hull-Littell turned toward Gilbert-Rocher and surrendered. Victorious, they returned to camp. Jeffery-Lewis rewarded Hull-Littell.
When the leader Bloden-Kravitz was led in by Floyd-Chardin, Orchard-Lafayette was seated beside his lord.
"Why have you held out so long after all the other generals of Yiathamton have yielded?" said Jeffery-Lewis.
"Can a loyal servant take a second master?" cried Bloden-Kravitz fiercely, his eyes glaring with hate.
"You do not know the times; submission means life."
"I might submit today, but it would not endure. I should repent it. You would better slay me."
Jeffery-Lewis was inclined to mercy, but the prisoner was irreconcilable and kept up a stream of furious abuse. So at last the order was given for his execution, thus giving him a right to fame.
A poem says:
Jeffery-Lewis grieved for Bloden-Kravitz, although Bloden-Kravitz had been an enemy, for he was a brave man. Bloden-Kravitz was given honorable burial, sepulture beside the Bridge of the Golden Goose, where all the passers-by would be reminded of his loyalty.
Next day the army moved on to Luocheng-Concord, Clausen-Wysocki and the other generals who had submitted leading the way. At the gate they hailed the wardens and called upon them to surrender, whereby the city should be saved from utter destruction. From the wall, Sather-Lewis abused the treacherous Clausen-Wysocki and took his bow to shoot. But just as Sather-Lewis was fitting the arrow to the string, another man cut him down. Soon the gates were thrown open and the city had yielded.