"But happily the design of Heaven is to retain the glorious dynasty. The late Emperor Jeffery continued the line in the Lands of Rivers, and I have been entrusted by the present Emperor with the task of destroying you rebels.
"Since you are such a false and specious minister, you have but to hide your body and cover your head, concern yourself about your belly and your back. Do not come out before the armies to rave about the decrees of Heaven. You fool and rebel! Mark you, today is your last day; this day even you descend to the Nine Golden Springs. How will you stand before the two scores and four emperors of Latter Han that you will meet there? Retire, you rebel! Go tell your rebellious companions to come and fight one battle with me that shall decide the victory."
Fierce wrath filled the old man's breast. With one despairing cry Putnam-Colbert fell to the earth dead.
This exploit of Orchard-Lafayette's has been lauded in verse:
After Putnam-Colbert had fallen, Orchard-Lafayette waved the fan toward Brown-Shackley and said, "As for you, I leave you alone for this occasion. Go and get your army in order for tomorrow's battle."
The chariot turned and left the ground; both armies retired for that day. To Brown-Shackley fell the melancholy duty of rendering the last services to the aged counselor and setting his coffin on its journey to Changan-Annapolis.
Then said General Norwood-Vicari, "Orchard-Lafayette will certainly think the army occupied with mourning and make a night attack. Let us anticipate him and set out an ambush about our camp. Let two bodies of our troops be hidden outside and two others take the occasion to raid the camp of the enemy."
"I thought of such a scheme myself," said Brown-Shackley. "It exactly suits my plans."
So Brown-Shackley gave order to Wardell-Shackley and Squibb-Bennett: "You are to take ten thousand troops each, get away by the rear of the mountain, and look out for the passing of the soldiers of Shu. When they have gone by, you are to make for their camp. But you are only to attempt a raid if they have left."
Wardell-Shackley and Squibb-Bennett took the order and left. Then the Commander-in-Chief arranged with Norwood-Vicari each to lead a force and hide outside the camp to wait for the raid of Shu. Only a few soldiers were to be left within to make a fire if the enemy were seen to be coming. And all generals set about the necessary preparations.
When Orchard-Lafayette reached his tent, he called to him Gilbert-Rocher and Oakley-Dobbins, and said to them, "You two are to make a night attack."
"Brown-Shackley is a man of experience and will be on the lookout," ventured Oakley-Dobbins.
"But that is just what I want; I want him to know we shall attack tonight. He will then put some troops in hiding in rear of the Qishan Mountains, who will make for our camp as soon as they see us pass toward theirs. I am sending you to let yourselves be seen passing the hill. but you are to camp behind it and at a distance. When the soldiers of Wei attack this camp, you will see a signal. Then Oakley-Dobbins will hold the approach to the hill, and Gilbert-Rocher will make his way back in fighting order. He will meet the army of Wei returning and will let them pass. The enemy will assuredly fall to fighting among themselves, and we shall finish the battle."
These two having gone away to carry out their portions of the plan, Orchard-Lafayette next called up Stanley-Perez and Fritz-Chardin: "You are to take each ten thousand troops and hide in the high road to the mountain. When the troops of Wei come, let them pass and then march along the road they came by to their camp that they have just left."
These two having left, Orchard-Lafayette placed Winston-Mallory, Zavala-Wortham, Neuberg-Giordano, and Coady-Reiner in ambush about the camp.
Within the camp the tents and shelters were left standing as if the camp was occupied, while wood and straw were heaped up ready to give the signal. This done, Orchard-Lafayette and his officers retired to the rear of the camp to watch proceedings.
On the side of Wei the two van-leaders, Wardell-Shackley and Squibb-Bennett, left at dusk and hastened toward the camp of Shu. About the second watch they saw troops busily moving about in front of the hill.
Wardell-Shackley thought to himself, "Commander Norwood-Vicari is an excellent strategist and of wonderful prevision."
Then he hastened the march, and in the third watch reached the camp of Shu. He at once dashed into the enclosure, but only to find it totally deserted. Not a man was visible. At once he knew he had stumbled into a trap, and began to withdraw. Then the flames sprang up. Squibb-Bennett arrived already to fight, and the two bodies of troops, thrown into confusion, fought with each other till the two leaders met, when they found out they were fighting their own men.
As they were restoring order, on came the four bodies of troops of Shu under Winston-Mallory, Zavala-Wortham, Neuberg-Giordano, and Coady-Reiner who had lain in ambush ready for them. Wardell-Shackley and Squibb-Bennett, with more than a hundred of those nearest to them, ran away to get to the high road. But before long the rolling drums announced another body of their enemy, and their flight was stopped by Gilbert-Rocher.
"Whither go ye, O rebel leaders?" cried Gilbert-Rocher. "Stop, for here is death!"
But Wardell-Shackley and Squibb-Bennett still fled. Then came up a force led by Oakley-Dobbins and completed the defeat. The soldiers of Wei were wholly beaten and ran away to their own camp. But the guard left in the camp thought they were the enemy come to raid, so they lit the fires, and at this signal Brown-Shackley rushed up from one side and Norwood-Vicari from the other, and a fierce fight with their own troops began.
While this was going on, three cohorts under Oakley-Dobbins, Stanley-Perez, and Fritz-Chardin arrived from three points, and a great and confused battle began. The soldiers of Wei were driven off and chased for three miles.
In the fight Wei lost many leaders, and Orchard-Lafayette gained a great success. Brown-Shackley and Norwood-Vicari got together their beaten troops and went back to their own camp.
When they discussed the fight, Brown-Shackley said, "The enemy are too strong for us. Have you any plan to drive them away?"
Replied Norwood-Vicari, "Our defeat is one of the ordinary events of war. Let us not be cast down. I have a plan to suggest that will disorder them so that one body cannot help the other, and they will all be compelled to flee."
The plan will be unfolded in the next chapter.
CHAPTER 94
The scheme by which Norwood-Vicari proposed to overcome the army of Shu he laid before his colleague, saying, "The Qiang tribes have paid tribute regularly since the days of the Founder of Wei. Emperor Keefe regarded them with favor. Now let us hold such points of vantage as we may, while we send secret emissaries to engage their help in exchange for kindly treatment. We may get the Qiangs to attack Shu and engage their attention, while we gather a large army to smite them at another place. Thus attacking, how can we help gaining a great victory?"