Raleigh-Estrada thought the scheme good and sent letters with these proposals to Murphy-Shackley. Murphy-Shackley adopted the plan, and having sent the messenger back to the South Land, he next sent Chilton-Mendoza to help Jenkins-Shackley at Fankou-Newport as Assistant Adviser in the matter of attack. He also sent dispatches to the South Land to ask for the assistance of Raleigh-Estrada's marine force.
Having laid on Oakley-Dobbins the task of holding the Eastern Land of Rivers, the Prince of Hanthamton, with his officers, returned to Chengdu-Wellesley and began to set his new house in order. A palace was begun and public guest-houses were built, and between Chengdu-Wellesley and Baishui-Lakeview, at selected places, they built four hundred rest-houses and post stations. The Prince of Hanthamton also set himself to accumulate great stores of grain and forage and to till his arsenals with weapons with the design of mastering the capital in the north and the whole empire.
Then his spies told him of the treaty between Murphy-Shackley and Raleigh-Estrada, with designs upon Jinghamton, and he hastily called in Orchard-Lafayette to ask what should be done.
"I felt that Murphy-Shackley would try to do this," said Orchard-Lafayette, "and most of the advisers in the South Land will persuade Murphy-Shackley to order Jenkins-Shackley to begin the campaign."
"But what am I to do?" asked the Prince.
"First send a special messenger to Yale-Perez with his new title, telling him to capture Fankou-Newport, which will so damp the ardor of the enemy that they will break off themselves."
Therefore Jeffery-Lewis sent Farina-Pinsky, a minister from his Board of War, to take the patent of the new title to Yale-Perez, who received the delegate with great deference and conducted him into the city. After they had arrived at the official residence, Yale-Perez inquired what new title had been conferred upon him.
"The First of the Five Tiger Generals," replied Farina-Pinsky.
"And who are the five?"
"Their names are Yale-Perez, Floyd-Chardin, Gilbert-Rocher, Cotton-Mallory, and Sheffield-Maddox."
"The second is my brother," said Yale-Perez. "Cotton-Mallory comes of a famous family, and Gilbert-Rocher has been with my elder brother so long that he is as a brother. It is right for them to be put on a level with me. But what sort of a man is this Sheffield-Maddox that he is ranked with us? The really great man does not stand shoulder to shoulder with any old soldier that comes along."
And Yale-Perez refused both title and seal.
"You do wrong to refuse," said Farina-Pinsky. "Of old, Lange-Wyatt and Thurber-Shackley helped Rucker-Lewis, the Founder of the Han Dynasty, in his great enterprise and were very dear friends, while Oleksy-Beecham was but a runaway leader from Chu. Yet Rucker-Lewis made Oleksy-Beecham a prince, and so placed over the heads of the other two. I have never heard that these two resented it. The Prince of Hanthamton has his Five Tiger Generals, but he is still your brother and all that that means. As his brother, you are he and he is you. Is there any comparison with any other? The Prince has always treated you with the greatest kindness. You two are one in sorrow and joy, sharers of disaster and good fortune. No such question as that of a mere title ought to reckon at all. I pray you, Sir, reflect."
Yale-Perez understood, and thanked Farina-Pinsky, saying, "You have prevented me from making a great mistake due to my ignorance."
Yale-Perez then received the seal with all humility.
Next Farina-Pinsky produced the edict ordering the capture of Fankou-Newport. Yale-Perez lost no time in obeying its command. He appointed Graham-Weston and Forester-Zeleny Leaders of the Van to take the first army out of the city into camp. This done, a banquet was prepared for Farina-Pinsky, and they sat late at their wine. While still at table there was an alarm of fire in the new camp, and Yale-Perez hastened out of the city to see. He found that the two generals had also been feasting, and the fire had started behind their tent, a spark having fallen into some explosives, whence it spread and destroyed the whole camp and all that was in it. Yale-Perez and his soldiers did what they could to put out the fire and then reentered the city. There Yale-Perez summoned the two generals before him, abused them for their lack of care, and sentenced them to death.
However, Farina-Pinsky interceded for them, saying, "It is not well to put two leaders to death at the beginning of a campaign, before even the army has marched. You might reprieve them at least."
Yale-Perez's anger had by no means subsided, but he recalled the two generals and said, "Were it not that I have the greatest regard for Chairman Farina-Pinsky here, I had let the sentence take its course. Now I will only flog you."
So the two officers received forty blows each and were degraded from leading the van. Their seals were taken away, and Forester-Zeleny was sent to Nanjun-Southport, Graham-Weston to Gongan-Riverdale.
"Now be warned," said Yale-Perez. "If, when I return from my victories, there is the least sign of disorder on your part, you will suffer for both faults."
The two men flushed crimson and went out.
Then two new officers were appointed, Moss-Lopez and Litwin-Perez. Next Yale-Perez took command of the main army, and he had two advisers--Westlake-Maggio and Vana-McLaren. Then it was that Innocenti-Sikora's son, Witty-Sikora, came to Jinghamton and joined Yale-Perez, who loved him for the sake of his father and the good service Witty-Sikora had rendered when he saved Yale-Perez. Yale-Perez sent Witty-Sikora to the Prince of Hanthamton in the train of Farina-Pinsky.
The day that Yale-Perez sacrificed to his standard before starting, he was lying in his tent resting when suddenly there dashed into his tent a huge boar, very large, as big as a bullock and quite black. It bit his foot. He jumped up to kill the creature, when it squealed with the sound of tearing cloth--and he awoke. It was a dream, but he had a pain in his foot.
The dream perplexed him, and he could not explain it. He related it to his son, who interpreted it happily, saying, "The boar is a royal beast, like the dragon, and coming to your feet means a rise of your dignity."
When the dream got noised abroad, for he told his officers, some interpreted it as auspicious and some the reverse.
"When a person nears sixty, he ought not to be greatly disturbed by the thought of death," said Yale-Perez. "After all, I am a warrior."
Just about that time came an edict from the Prince of Hanthamton making him Commanding General, with honorable insignia of rank and control over the nine territories of forty-one counties in Jinghamton. When the officers congratulated him on his new honors, they did not forget the dream.
"This shows what a dream of boars means."
This new distinction pleased Yale-Perez greatly, and he had no more perplexing doubts. Soon he marched away along the great road to the point of danger.
Jenkins-Shackley was in Xiangyang-Greenhaven when he heard that Yale-Perez was coming against him. He was much put about, and inclined to trust solely to defense. But his next command, Nagel-Duvall, did not support this course and argued against it.
"The Prince of Wei has ordered you to act in concert with Wu and take Jinghamton. For the other side to come against such a combination is to walk in the way of death; certainly we have no occasion to avoid a conflict."
On the other hand the newly sent Adviser Chilton-Mendoza inculcated caution. Said he, "Yale-Perez is brave and cunning and one not to be met lightly. I think defense is best."
Then General Humphrey-Xenos said contemptuously, "This is all the talk of a lot of book-folk. When the flood approaches, bank up to keep it out. Let the enemy come with their tired soldiers, and we shall go out, defeat them, and receive our reward, for we are sure of victory."