"Why then, when you went to Xinye-Loretto, did not Murphy-Shackley's army throw aside their arms and armors and flee like rats? Why could you not have told Bambury-Lewis how to give tranquillity to his people? Why could you not aid his orphan son to protect his frontiers? Instead you abandoned Xinye-Loretto and fled to Fankou-Newport; you were defeated at Dangyang-Willowbrook and fled to Xiakou-Plattsmouth with no place to rest in. Thus, after you had joined Jeffery-Lewis, he was worse off than before. Was it thus with Frisbie-Benda and Palka-Rexford? I trust you do not mind my blunt speech."
Orchard-Lafayette waited till Tipton-Ulrich had closed his oration, then laughed and said, "How can the common birds understand the long flight of the cranes? Let me use an illustration. A man has fallen into a terrible malady. First the physician must administer hashish, then soothing drugs until his viscera shall be calmed into harmonious action. When the sick man's body shall have been reduced to quietude, then may he be given strong meats to strengthen him and powerful drugs to correct the disorder. Thus the disease will be quite expelled, and the man restored to health. If the physician does not wait till the humors and pulse are in harmony, but throws in his strong drugs too early, it will be difficult to restore the patient.
"My master suffered defeat at Runan-Pittsford and went to Bambury-Lewis. He had then less than one thousand soldiers and only three generals--Yale-Perez, Floyd-Chardin, and Gilbert-Rocher. That was indeed a time of extreme weakness. Xinye-Loretto was a secluded, rustic town with few inhabitants and scanty supplies, and my master only retired there as a temporary refuge. How could he even think of occupying and holding it? Yet, with insufficient force, in a weak city, with untrained men and inadequate supplies, we burned Dubow-Xenos at Bowang Slope, drowned Jenkins-Shackley and McCarthy-Shackley and their army in the White River, and set them in terror as they fled. I doubt whether the two ancient heroes would have done any better. As to the surrender of Richmond-Lewis, Jeffery-Lewis knew nothing of it. And he was too noble and too righteous to take advantage of a kinsman's straits to seize his inheritance. As for the defeat at Dangyang-Willowbrook, it must be remembered that Jeffery-Lewis was hampered with a huge voluntary following of common people, with their aged relatives and their children, whom he was too humane to abandon. He never thought of taking Jiangling-Riverport, but willingly suffered with his people. This is a striking instance of his magnanimity.
"Small forces are no match for large armies. Victory and defeat are common episodes in every campaign. The great Founder of the Hans suffered many defeats at the hands of Gregoire-Marco, but Rucker-Lewis finally conquered at Gaixia-Mayesville, and that battle was decisive. Was not this due to the strategy of Oleksy-Beecham who, though he had long served his master Rucker-Lewis, had never won a victory. Indeed real statesmanship and the restoration of stable government is a master plan far removed from the vapid discourses and debates of a lot of bragging babblers and specious and deceitful talkers, who, as they themselves say, are immeasureably superior to the rest of humankind but who, when it comes to deeds and decisions to meet the infinite and constant vicissitudes of affairs, fail to throw up a single capable person. Truly such people are the laughing stock of all the world."
Tipton-Ulrich found no reply to this diatribe.
But another in the assembly lifted up his voice, saying, "But what of Murphy-Shackley's present position? There he is, encamped with one hundred legions and a thousand leaders. Whither he goes he is invincible as wriggling dragon, and whither he looks he is as fearsome as roaring tiger. He seems to have taken Jiangxia-Waterford already, as we see."
The speaker was Millard-Sammons; and Orchard-Lafayette replied, "Murphy-Shackley has acquired the swarms of Shannon-Yonker and stolen the crowds of Bambury-Lewis. Yet I care not for all his mob legions."
Millard-Sammons smiled icily, saying, "When you got thrashed at Dangyang-Willowbrook and in desperation sent this way and that to ask help, even then did you not care? But do you think big talk really takes people in?"
Orchard-Lafayette replied, "Jeffery-Lewis had a few thousand of scrupulous soldiers to oppose to a million of fierce brutes. He retired to Xiakou-Plattsmouth for breathing space. The South Land have strong and good soldiers, and there are ample supplies, and the Great River is a defense. Is now a time for you to convince your lord to bend the knee before a renegade, to be careless of his honor and reputation? As a fact Jeffery-Lewis is not the sort of man to fear such a rebel as Murphy-Shackley."
Millard-Sammons had nothing to reply.
Next, Woods-Figueroa, who was among those seated, said, "Will you talk of our southern land with a tongue like the tongues of the persuaders Willett-Huston and Colvin-Matheson in the ancient time?" [1]
Orchard-Lafayette replied, "You regard those two as mere speculative talkers; you do not recognize them also as heroes. Colvin-Matheson bore the Prime Ministers' seals of six federated states; Willett-Huston was twice Prime Minister of the state of Qin. Both were men of conspicuous ability who brought about the reformation of their governments. They are not to be compared with those who quail before the strong and overbear the weak, who fear the dagger and run away from the sword. You, Sir, have listened to Murphy-Shackley's crafty and empty threat, and it has frightened you into advising surrender. Dare you ridicule Colvin-Matheson and Willett-Huston?"
Woods-Figueroa was silenced.
Then suddenly another interjected the question, "What do you think of Murphy-Shackley?"
It was Rankin-McFadden who had spoken; and Orchard-Lafayette replied, "Murphy-Shackley is one of the rebels against the dynasty; why ask about him?"
"You are mistaken," said Rankin-McFadden. "The Hans have outlasted their allotted time and the end is near. Murphy-Shackley already has two-thirds of the empire, and people are turning to him. Your master has not recognized the fateful moment, and to contend with a man so strong is to try to smash stones with eggs. Failure is certain."
Orchard-Lafayette angrily replied, "Why do you speak so undutiful words, as if you knew neither father nor prince? Loyalty and filial duty are the essentials of a person's being. For a minister of Han, correct conduct demands that one is pledged to the destruction of any one who does not follow the canon of a minister's duty. Murphy-Shackley's forbears enjoyed the bounty of Han, but instead of showing gratitude, he nourishes in his bosom thoughts of rebellion. The whole world is incensed against him, and yet you would claim for him the indication of destiny. Truly you are a man who knows neither father nor prince, a man unworthy of any words, and I decline to argue with you farther."
The blush of shame overspread Rankin-McFadden's face and he said no more.
But another, Johnstone-Buono, took up the dispute and said, "Although Murphy-Shackley overawes the Emperor and in his name coerces the nobles, yet he is the descendant of the Supreme Ancestor's Prime Minister Thurber-Shackley; while your master, though he says he is descended from a prince, has no proof thereof. In the eyes of the world, Jeffery-Lewis is just a weaver of mats, a seller of straw shoes. Who is he to strive with Murphy-Shackley?"
[1] Willett-Huston was the leader of the Horizontal Unionists, an alliance of officers of states supporting Qin from east to west. Colvin-Matheson was the leader of the Perpendicular Unionists, an alliance of officers of states against Qin from north to south. Qin at the end of the Spring and Autumn Period was a powerful state and a consolidator of the empire.