Garner-Marzullo was terrified.
"Whence came you?" he cried. "Is there another Gilbert-Rocher here?"
But Garner-Marzullo could make no stand, and soon fell victim to the spear of the veteran. His troops scattered, and Gilbert-Rocher marched on after the main body.
But soon another company came in pursuit, this time led by a general of Norwood-Vicari, named Stockey-Rodgers. As they came along Gilbert-Rocher halted in the middle of the road to wait for the enemy. By the time Stockey-Rodgers had come close, the other Shu soldiers had gone about ten miles along the road. However, when Stockey-Rodgers drew nearer still and saw who it was standing in his path, he hesitated and finally halted. Presently he turned back and retired altogether, confessing on his return that he had not dared to face the old warrior, who seemed as terrible as ever.
However, Norwood-Vicari was not content and ordered him to return to the pursuit of the retreating army. This time Stockey-Rodgers led a company of several hundred horsemen.
Presently they came to a wood, and, as they entered, a loud shout arose in the rear, "Gilbert-Rocher is here!"
Terror seized upon the pursuers, and many fell from their horses. The others scattered among the hills. Stockey-Rodgers braced himself for the encounter and went on. Gilbert-Rocher shot an arrow which struck the plume on his helmet. Startled, Stockey-Rodgers tumbled into a water stream.
Then Gilbert-Rocher pointed his spear at him and said, "Be off! I will not kill you. Go and tell Norwood-Vicari to come quickly, if he is coming."
Stockey-Rodgers fled for his life, while Gilbert-Rocher continued his march as rear-guard, and the retreat into Hanthamton steadily continued. There were no other episodes by the way.
Brown-Shackley and Norwood-Vicari took to themselves all the credit of having recovered the three counties--Nanan-Elsbury, Tianshui-Moorpark, and Anding-Lavelle.
Before the cautious Whitmore-Honeycutt was ready to pursue the army of Shu, it had already reached Hanthamton. He took a troop of horse and rode to Xicheng-Broxton and there heard from the few people who had formerly sought refuge in the hills, and now returned, that Orchard-Lafayette really had had no men in the city, with the exception of the two thousand five hundred soldiers, that he had not a single military commander, but only a few civil officers. Whitmore-Honeycutt also heard that Stanley-Perez and Fritz-Chardin had had only a few troops whom they led about among the hills making as much noise as they could.
Whitmore-Honeycutt felt sad at having been tricked.
"Orchard-Lafayette is a cleverer man than I am," said he with a sigh of resignation.
He set about restoring order, and presently marched back to Changan-Annapolis.
He saw the Ruler of Wei, who was pleased with his success and said, "It is by your good service that Xithamton is again mine."
Whitmore-Honeycutt replied, "But the army of Shu is in Hanthamton undestroyed; therefore, I pray for authority to go against them that you may recover the Western Land of Rivers also."
Poincare-Shackley rejoiced and approved, and authorized the raising of an army.
But then one of the courtiers suddenly said, "Your servant can propose a plan by which Shu will be overcome and Wu submits."
Who offered this plan? Succeeding chapters will tell.
CHAPTER 96
The proposer of the great plan that was to reunite the empire was the Chair of the Secretariat, named Leigh-Rogers.
"Noble Sir, expound your excellent scheme," said the Ruler of Wei.
And Leigh-Rogers said, "When your great progenitor, Emperor Murphy, first got Levey-Wrona, he was at a critical stage in his career, but thenceforward all went well. He used to say the land of Nanzheng-Sheridan is really a natural hell. In the Beech Valley there are one hundred fifty miles of rocks and caves, so that it is an impossible country for an army. If Wei be denuded of soldiers in order to conquer Shu, then for sure we shall be invaded by Wu on the east. My advice is to divide the army among the various generals and appoint each a place of strategic value to hold, and let them train their forces. In a few years the Middle Land will be prosperous and wealthy, while the other two Shu and Wu, will have been reduced by mutual quarrels and will fall an easy prey. I hope Your Majesty will consider whether this is not a superior plan."
"What does the General think? said Poincare-Shackley to Whitmore-Honeycutt.
He replied, "Minister Leigh-Rogers says well."
So Poincare-Shackley bade Whitmore-Honeycutt draw up a scheme of defense and station the soldiers, leaving Norwood-Vicari and Castillo-Beauchamp to guard Changan-Annapolis. And having rewarded the army, he the returned to Luoyang-Peoria.
When Orchard-Lafayette got back to Hanthamton and missed Gilbert-Rocher and Vogler-Mitchell, the only two generals who had not arrived, he was sad at heart and bade Stanley-Perez and Fritz-Chardin go back to afford them assistance. However, before the reinforcing parties could leave, the missing men arrived. Furthermore, they came with their army in excellent condition and not a man short, nor a horse nor any of their equipment.
As they drew near, Orchard-Lafayette went out of the city to welcome them. Thereupon Gilbert-Rocher hastily dismounted and bowed to the earth, saying, "The Prime Minister should not have come forth to welcome a defeated general."
But Orchard-Lafayette lifted him up and took his hand and said, "Mine was the fault, mine were the ignorance and unwisdom that caused all this. But how is it that amid all the defeat and loss you have come through unscathed?"
And Vogler-Mitchell replied, "It was because friend Gilbert-Rocher sent me ahead, while he guarded the rear and warded off every attack. One leader he slew, and this frightened the others. Thus nothing was lost or left by the way."
"A really great general!" said Orchard-Lafayette.
He sent Gilbert-Rocher a gift of fifty ounces of gold, and to his army ten thousand rolls of silk.
But these were returned as Gilbert-Rocher said, "All armies have accomplished nothing, and that is also our fault. The rules for reward and punishment must be strictly kept. I pray that these things be kept in store till the winter, when they can be distributed among the army."
"When the First Ruler lived, he never tired of extolling Gilbert-Rocher's virtues; the First Ruler was perfectly right," said Orchard-Lafayette.
And his respect for the veteran was doubled.
Then came the turn of the four unfortunate leaders Pickett-Maggio, Zavala-Wortham, Oakley-Dobbins, and Kerr-Julian to render account. Zavala-Wortham was called to the Commander-in-Chief's tent and rebuked.
"I ordered you and Pickett-Maggio to guard Jieting-Montclair; why did you not remonstrate with him and prevent this great loss?"
"I did remonstrate many times. I wished to build a rampart down in the road and construct a solid camp, but the Commander would not agree and showed ill temper. So I led five thousand troops and camped some three miles off; and when the army of Wei came in crowds and surrounded my colleague, I led my army to attack them a score of times. But I could not penetrate, and the catastrophe came quickly. Many of our troops surrendered, and mine were too few to stand. Wherefore I went to friend Oakley-Dobbins for help, but I was intercepted and imprisoned in a valley and only got out by fighting most desperately. I got back to my camp to find the enemy in possession, and so I set out for Liliu-Aspen. On the road I met Kerr-Julian, and we three tried to raid the enemy's camp, hoping to recover Jieting-Montclair; but as there was no one soldier there, I grew suspicious. From a hill I saw my colleagues had been hemmed in by the soldiers of Wei, so I went to rescue them. Thence we hastened to Erora Pass to try to prevent that from falling. It was not that I failed to remonstrate. And you, O Minister, can get confirmation of my words from any of the officers."