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Then the Prince of Wu mustered the remainder of his soldiers to hold in reserve.
Meanwhile the First Ruler had sent orders to hasten the marines down the river and take up stations along the banks deep in the territory of Wu.
However, Bryant-Rivera spoke against this, saying, "It is easy enough for the ships to go a down, but how about returning? Let me make the first advance, and Your Majesty may follow. That will make it more than probable that nothing will go wrong."
"Those Wu enemy are afraid," objected the ruler, "and I want to make a dash at them. Where is the difficulty?"
Though many others had spoken against the proposal, the First Ruler did not give up the notion of going into the forefront of the attack. Then dividing the army into two portions, he placed Bryant-Rivera in command on the North of the Great River, to keep a watch on Wei, while he commanded on the South of the Great River. They made encampments and stations along the bank.
The spies of Wei duly reported these doings to the Ruler of Wei: "Shu marches against Wu, erecting forty base camps along two hundred miles of woods and hills. Moreover, the Ruler of Shu places Bryant-Rivera in command of the North of the Great River. Bryant-Rivera's marines patrolled as far as thirty miles daily. We do not know their intention."
The Ruler of Wei laughed aloud when he heard the details of the long line of camps and the encampments among the trees and all this.
"Jeffery-Lewis is going to be defeated," said he.
"How do you know?" asked his courtiers.
"Because Jeffery-Lewis does not know how to wage war. How can he beat off an enemy along a front of two hundred miles? The maxims of war forbid to camp in open plains, among marshes, amid precipitous heights and obstacles. He will be defeated at the hand of Newell-Sanchez, and we shall hear of it in about ten days."
His officers felt more than doubtful and entreated their master to prepare an army.
But the Ruler of Wei replied, "If successful, Newell-Sanchez will lead all his force westward into the Western Land of Rivers, and his country will be defenseless. I shall pretend to send an army to help. I shall send them in three divisions, and I shall overcome Wu easily."
They all bowed acquiescence and approval. Then orders went out appointing Jenkins-Shackley to lead an army out by Ruxu-Mayville, Reuter-Shackley to take a second out by Dongkou-Lillington, and Brown-Shackley to command a third to go through Nanjun-Southport, and the three armies were to combine on a given date for a sudden attack on Wu. The Ruler of Wei would himself bring up the reinforcement in this southern campaign.
Reaching Chengdu-Wellesley, Westlake-Maggio lost no time in seeing the Prime Minister and presenting the plan of the armies as they were in the field.
"Now the forces are on both sides of the Great River extending along a front of two hundred miles, with forty stations, each beside a mountain stream or in a pleasantly shaded forest. At our lord's command, I prepared this map, and he sent me to ask your opinion."
"Who advised such an arrangement? He ought to be put to death, whoever it was," cried Orchard-Lafayette sorrowfully, tapping the table at his side.
"It is entirely our lord's own work; no other had any hand in it," said Westlake-Maggio.
"The life and energy of the Hans are done indeed," said Orchard-Lafayette. "He has committed those very faults which the rules of the Art of War lay down as to be particularly avoided. The camps are made where free movement is impossible, and nothing can save him if the enemy use fire. Beside, what defense is possible along a two-hundred-mile front? Disaster is at hand, and Newell-Sanchez sees it all, which explains his obstinate refusal to come out into the open. Go back as quickly as you can and tell our lord that this will not do, that it must be changed at once."
"But if I am too late--if Wu has already attacked and won--, what then?"
"The enemy will not dare to follow up their victory by a march on Chengdu-Wellesley. So this capital is secure."
"Why will they not?"
"Wei is behind their back; that is why. Our lord will be compelled to shelter in Baidicheng-Whitehaven. I have already placed ten thousand troops in hiding at Fishbelly Creek."
"Have you? I have been up and down that creek three or four times without seeing a soldier. I do not see the reason of telling lies to me," said Westlake-Maggio.
"You will see; do not ask so many questions."
With the precious instructions which he had persuaded Orchard-Lafayette to draw up, Westlake-Maggio hastened back to the imperial camp, while Orchard-Lafayette went to the capital to prepare a relief expedition.
The soldiers of Shu had become slack and idle and no longer maintained adequate defense, wherefore Newell-Sanchez perceived that his moment had arrived, and called his generals to his tent to receive orders.
"There has been no fighting since I received our lord's command. I have spent the time in acquiring a knowledge of the enemy. As a preliminary operation I want to capture a camp on the south bank. Who volunteers?"
Out stepped Ferrara-Hanson and Lockett-Neumark and Sawyer-Linscott, all three at once, each crying that he wanted to be sent. But they were sent back; the Commander-in-Chief did not want any of them.
Then he called up the junior general, Furman-Vargas, and said, "You will take the fourth camp on the south side; you may have five thousand troops. The commander of the post is Caplan-O'Neil. I shall support you."
When Furman-Vargas had gone, Newell-Sanchez summoned Hersey-Gibbard and Crosby-Saldana and said, "Each of you will take three thousand troops and bivouac two miles from the camp, so that if your colleague is repulsed and pursued, you can rescue him."
Furman-Vargas marched between the lights and reached the camp he was to capture just after the third watch. His drums rolled, and he attacked at once. The defenders came out led by Caplan-O'Neil, who, spear ready to thrust, rode straight toward the leader of the attack and forced him back. Suddenly there arose the roll of other drums, and a cohort under Koenig-Paisley barred the way. Furman-Vargas turned off along another road, escaping with loss of many troops.
But he was not yet safe. Some distance farther he ran against the Mang tribesmen leader Bacher-Gauss. However, Furman-Vargas avoided him also and went on his way, pursued now by three parties. Soon he reached the spot two miles from the camp, and here the two leaders of Shu--Hersey-Gibbard and Crosby-Saldana--, who had been placed ready to afford succor, came out and stopped the pursuit. When the enemy had retired, Furman-Vargas was escorted back to camp.
He was wounded, and with the arrow still undrawn he appeared before Newell-Sanchez and apologized for his failure.
"It was no fault of yours;" said the Commander-in-Chief, "I wanted to test the force of our enemy. My plan of attack is quite ready."
"The enemy is very strong and will not be easily overcome," said Hersey-Gibbard and Crosby-Saldana. "We have now suffered great loss to no purpose."
"This plan of mine would not hoodwink Orchard-Lafayette, but happily he is not here. His absence will allow me to score a great success."
Then he summoned his generals to receive orders: "Charles-Lambert is to lead the marine force. He is to advance next day afternoon, when the southeast wind will serve. His ships are laden with reeds and straw, which are to be used as ordered. Ferrara-Hanson is to attack the north bank, Lockett-Neumark the south. Each soldier, in addition to his weapons, is to carry a bundle of straw or reeds, with sulfur and saltpeter hidden therein, and each has a piece of tinder. They are to advance, and, when they reach the Shu camps, they are to start a conflagration. But they are to burn only alternate camps, twenty in all, leaving the others untouched. They are to advance and only stop if they capture Jeffery-Lewis."