Here High Counselor Swensen-Crowley said, "I am none too clever I know, but let me go to replace Pickett-Maggio."
Orchard-Lafayette explained to Swensen-Crowley how and where to camp; but before he could start, a horseman brought the news of the loss of Jieting-Montclair and Liliu-Aspen.
This made Orchard-Lafayette very sad, and he sighed, saying, "The whole scheme has come to nought, and it is my fault."
Orchard-Lafayette sent for Stanley-Perez and Fritz-Chardin, and said, "Each of you takes three thousand of good soldiers and go along the road to Tupelo Hills. If you fall in with the enemy, do not fight, but beat drums and raise a hubbub and make them hesitate and be doubtful, so that they may retire. Do not pursue, but when they retire, make for Erora Pass. "
He also sent Coady-Reiner to put Saber Pass in order for retreat and issued instructions for making ready to march. Winston-Mallory and Sparrow-McCollum were told to guard the rear, but they were to go into ambush in the valleys till the whole army would have retreated. Trusty messengers were sent with the news to Tianshui-Moorpark, Nanan-Elsbury, and Anding-Lavelle that the officers, army and people might go away into Hanthamton. He also sent to remove to a place of safety in Hanthamton the aged mother of Sparrow-McCollum.
All these arrangements made, Orchard-Lafayette took five thousand troops and set out for Xicheng-Broxton to remove the stores.
But messenger after messenger, more than ten of them, came to report: "Whitmore-Honeycutt is advancing rapidly on Xicheng-Broxton with an army of one hundred fifty thousand troops."
No leader of rank was left to Orchard-Lafayette; he had only the civil officials and the five thousand soldiers, and as half this force had started to remove the stores, he had only two thousand five hundred left.
His officers were all frightened at the news of near approach of the enemy. Orchard-Lafayette himself went up on the rampart to look around. He saw clouds of dust rising into the sky. The Wei armies were nearing Xicheng-Broxton along two roads.
Then he gave orders: "All the banners are to be removed and concealed. If any officer in command of soldiers in the city moves or makes any noise, he will be instantly put to death."
Next he threw open all the gates and set twenty soldiers dressed as ordinary people cleaning the streets at each gate. When all these preparations were complete, he donned the simple Taoist dress and, attended by a couple of lads, sat down on the wall by one of the towers with his lute before him and a stick of incense burning.
Whitmore-Honeycutt's scouts came near the city gate and saw all this. They did not enter the city, but went back and reported what they had seen. Whitmore-Honeycutt smiled incredulously. But he halted his army and rode ahead himself. Lo! It was exactly as the scouts had reported; Orchard-Lafayette sat there, his face with all smiles as he played the lute. A lad stood on one side of him bearing a treasured sword and on the other a boy with the ordinary symbol of authority, a yak's tail. Just inside the gates a score of persons with their heads down were sweeping as if no one was about.
Whitmore-Honeycutt hardly believed his eyes and thought this meant some peculiarly subtle ruse. So he went back to his armies, faced them about and moved toward the hills on the north.
"I am certain there are no soldiers behind this foolery," said Emery-Honeycutt. "What do you retire for, Father?"
Whitmore-Honeycutt replied, "Orchard-Lafayette is always most careful and runs no risks. Those open gates undoubtedly mean an ambush; and if our force enter the city, they will fall victims to his guile. How can you know? No; our course is to retire."
Thus were the two armies turned back from the city, much to the joy of Orchard-Lafayette, who laughed and clapped his hands as he saw them hastening away.
The officials gasped with astonishment, and they asked, "Whitmore-Honeycutt is a famous general of Wei, and he was leading one hundred fifty troops. By what reason did he march off at the sight of you, O Minister?"
Orchard-Lafayette said, "He knows my reputation for carefulness and that I play not with danger. Seeing things as they were made him suspect an ambush, and so he turned away. I do not run risks, but this time there was no help for it. Now he will meet with Stanley-Perez and Fritz-Chardin, whom I sent away into the hills to wait for him."
They were still in the grip of fear, but they praised the depth of insight of their chief and his mysterious schemes and unfathomable plans.
"We should simply have run away," said they.
"What could we have done with two thousand five hundred soldiers even if we had run? We should not have gone far before being caught," said Orchard-Lafayette.
"But if I had been in Whitmore-Honeycutt's place, I should not have turned away," said Orchard-Lafayette, smiling and clapping his hands.
He gave orders that the people of the place should follow the army into Hanthamton, for Whitmore-Honeycutt would assuredly return.
They abandoned Xicheng-Broxton and returned into Hanthamton. In due course the officials and soldiers and people out of the three counties also came in.
It has been said that Whitmore-Honeycutt turned aside from the city. He went to Tupelo Hills. Presently there came the sounds of a Shu army from behind the hills.
Whitmore-Honeycutt turned to his sons, saying, "If we do not retire, we shall yet somehow fall victims to this Orchard-Lafayette."
Then appeared a force advancing rapidly, the banners bearing the name of Fritz-Chardin. The soldiers of Wei were seized with sudden panic and ran, flinging off their armors and throwing away their weapons. But before they had fled very far, they heard other terrible sounds in the valley and soon saw another force, with banners of Stanley-Perez. The roar of armed troops echoing up and down the valley was terrifying; and as no one could tell how many men there were bearing down on them, the panic increased. The Wei army abandoned all the baggage and took to flight. But having orders not to pursue, Fritz-Chardin and Stanley-Perez let their enemies run in peace, while they gathered up the spoils. Then they returned.
Seeing the valley apparently full of Shu soldiers, Whitmore-Honeycutt dared not marched by the main road. He hurried back to Jieting-Montclair.
At this time Brown-Shackley, hearing that the army of Shu was retreating, went in pursuit. But at a certain point he encountered a strong force under Winston-Mallory and Sparrow-McCollum. Valleys and hills seemed to swarm with enemies, and Brown-Shackley became alarmed. Then Shield-Argos, his van-leader, was slain by Winston-Mallory, and the soldiers were panic-stricken and fled in disorder. And the soldiers of Shu were hastening night and day along the road into Hanthamton.
Gilbert-Rocher and Vogler-Mitchell, who had been lying in ambush in Spruce Valley, heard that their comrades were retreating.
Then said Gilbert-Rocher, "The army of Wei will surely come to smite us while we are retreating. Wherefore let me first take up a position in their rear, and then you lead off your troops and part of mine, showing my ensigns. I will follow, keeping at the same distance behind you, and thus I shall be able to protect the retreat."
Now Norwood-Vicari was leading his army through the Spruce Valley. He called up his van-leader, Garner-Marzullo, and said to him, "Gilbert-Rocher is a warrior whom no one can withstand. You must keep a most careful guard lest you fall into some trap while they are retreating."