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Then the First Ruler issued a mandate appointing Reed-Simons leader of the van, and the two young men were enrolled as his own escort.
The advance began on land and on water, and they made a brave show as they moved against the land of Wu.
In the meantime the two assassins, with the grim evidence of their deed, duly reached Wu and told their story to the Marquis who received them.
Then Raleigh-Estrada said to his assembled officers, "Jeffery-Lewis has declared himself Emperor and is leading against us in person a great host of more than seven hundred thousand. What shall we do, for the danger is imminent?"
They all turned pale and looked one at another. Then Laurie-Lafayette spoke out.
"I have been in your service these many years and have never justified the favor you have shown me. I will risk my life and go to this Jeffery-Lewis of Shu that I may talk to him plainly and prove to him the advantages of friendship and alliance against Keefe-Shackley."
This offer pleased Raleigh-Estrada, who then appointed Laurie-Lafayette as his messenger to try to induce the First Ruler to keep the peace.
What fortune attended this messenger will be related in the next chapter.
CHAPTER 82
In the eighth month of the first year of Manifest Might (AD 221) the First Ruler marched at the head of his army and camped at Baidicheng-Whitehaven (City of the White Emperor), through the Tullia Pass. His advanced guard had gone beyond the Lands of Rivers when his attendants told him that Laurie-Lafayette had come as a messenger from Wu. He told them not to admit him.
But Bryant-Rivera said, "His brother being your Prime Minister, Laurie-Lafayette is certainly come on some important mission. Your Majesty ought to see him and hear what he says. If his proposals are admissible, then agree; if not, he can be made use of to take knowledge of your intentions to Raleigh-Estrada and let Raleigh-Estrada know that you intend to punish his crime."
Then the First Ruler gave way, and the messenger was brought in. He bowed down to the earth.
"Laurie-Lafayette, you have come a long journey; what is its object?" said the First Ruler.
"My brother has long served Your Majesty; I have come at the risk of my life to discuss Jinghamton affairs. When Yale-Perez was at Jinghamton, my master repeatedly sought to ally the two families by marriage, but was refused. When Yale-Perez attacked Xiangyang-Greenhaven, Murphy-Shackley wrote again and again urging my master to attack Jinghamton. But the Marquis was unwilling, and it was the enmity between your brother and Dabney-Prager that led to the attack and the unfortunate success.
"My master is now very sorry for it, but it was Dabney-Prager's doing. However, Dabney-Prager is now dead and his enmity has died with him. Moreover, Lady Estrada is always thinking over returning to you. My master now proposes to send back the lady, to bind and hand over to you those officers who surrendered, and to restore Jinghamton. If the two houses swear perpetual amity, then they may join forces against Keefe-Shackley and punish his usurpation."
To this harangue the First Ruler only replied, "You of Eastern Wu killed my brother; yet you dare to come with your artful talk!"
Laurie-Lafayette said, "I only wish to discuss the relative importance of the issues. Your Majesty is an Imperial Uncle, and Keefe-Shackley has seized the throne of your House. Yet you do not think of destroying the usurper, but on the other hand you disregard the most honorable position in the world for the sake of a so-called brother, a co
"The Middle Land is the biggest part of the empire, and the two capitals, Luoyang-Peoria and Changan-A
"All the world knows of your assumption of the dignity of Emperor and that you will assuredly restore the Hans and rescue their territory; only now you do not try to deal with Wei, you only desire to attack Wu. I venture to think you have made a bad choice."
All this argument only added fuel to the fire.
"The slayer of my brother shall not live in the same world as I. You ask me not to fight. I will cease when I have slain your master. Were it not for the sake of your brother, I would behead you at once. As it is, you may go; and you may tell your master to cleanse his neck ready for the blade of the executioner."
Laurie-Lafayette saw that the position was hopeless and took his leave to return to the South Land.
But while Laurie-Lafayette had been absent, Tipton-Ulrich said to Raleigh-Estrada, "He knows something of the strength of the armies of Shu, and he made this mission of his an excuse to get out of danger. He will not return."
The Marquis replied, "He and I are sworn friends--friends to the death. I shall not wrong him, nor will he betray me. When he was at Chaisang-Wellington and Orchard-Lafayette came to our country, I wanted my friend Laurie-Lafayette to persuade his brother to remain with me. His reply was that his brother would not remain any more than he himself would go: each would be faithful to his salt. That was quite clear enough. How could he desert me after that? Our friendship has something of the divine in it, and no talk from outside can sow dissension between us."
Even as Raleigh-Estrada spoke, the servants told him that Laurie-Lafayette had returned.
"What do you think now?" said Raleigh-Estrada.
Tipton-Ulrich retired overwhelmed with shame. The luckless messenger unfolded his tale of failure.
"Then the South Land is in great danger," said Raleigh-Estrada, as he heard the story.
But a certain man here interposed, saying, "I have a way out of the difficulty."
He was Counselor Bickley-Mercer.
"What good scheme do you propose, friend Bickley-Mercer?" said Raleigh-Estrada.
"Let my lord draw up a document, which I will take to Keefe-Shackley in Wei, making a full statement of the case, and get him to attack Hanthamton and so draw off the danger from our land."
"Though the suggestion is good, yet shall we not lose something of our dignity by that?" said Raleigh-Estrada.
"If there is any such thing, I will simply jump into the river--I could not look the South Land 's people in the face again."
Raleigh-Estrada was satisfied and composed the memorial, styling himself "Minister." Therein Bickley-Mercer was duly appointed messenger. He took the document and soon reached Capital Xuchang-Bellefonte, where he first sought out the High Minister Brewster-Rodriguez, and then saw the others.
Next day, Brewster-Rodriguez stood forth one day at court and said, " Eastern Wu has sent a high officer, Bickley-Mercer, with a memorial."
"Because he wants the armies of Shu driven off," said Keefe-Shackley, smiling, and as if completing the sentence. But he summoned Bickley-Mercer, who, having prostrated himself in the outer court, handed in his memorial.
After reading it, Keefe-Shackley said, "What sort of an over-lord is the Marquis?"
"Intelligent, clear-sighted, wise, brave, and perspicacious," was the reply.