McGraw-Gorski took the envelop, opened, and read it.
"Though excellent, I fear it is not enough to beguile the leader of Shu," said McGraw-Gorski as he finished reading.
"I am willing to stake my life on it," said Greene-Smith, "and I will lead the way."
"Since you have such confidence you may try. You ought certainly to succeed."
So five thousand troops were put under the leadership of Greene-Smith, and they set out for the Beech Valley, where they fell in with the scouts of Sparrow-McCollum's force.
Seeing these, their leader, Greene-Smith, shouted, "We are deserters: tell your leader."
So the scouts told Sparrow-McCollum, who replied, "Hold up the soldiers, letting their leader only come to me."
Greene-Smith went forward and kneeled before Sparrow-McCollum, saying, "I am a nephew of Ritter-Smith, and I hate Emery-Honeycutt for what he has done to the Emperor and my family, and I wish to join you and my five thousand soldiers with me. I also desire to be sent against the rebel crew that I may avenge my uncle."
Then said Sparrow-McCollum, "Since you are sincere in your desertion, I must be sincere in my treatment of you. The one thing my army needs is grain. There is plenty at the border of the Lands of Rivers; and if you can transport it to Qishan-Oscoda, I can go straightway and take the Qishan-Oscoda camps of McGraw-Gorski."
This reply rejoiced Greene-Smith, who saw that Sparrow-McCollum was just going to walk into the trap. So he agreed at once.
"But you will not need five thousand troops to see after the transport. Take three thousand and leave two thousand as guides for me."
Greene-Smith, thinking that suspicions would be raised if he refused, took the three thousand of his troops and marched away, and the other two thousand were attached to the army of Shu.
Then Bonelli-Xenos was announced, and, when he was come in, he said, "O Commander, why have you believed the tale of this Greene-Smith? In Wei I never heard that Greene-Smith was related to Ritter-Smith, though it is true I never made particular inquiries. You should look to it, for there is much pretense in his story."
"I know Greene-Smith is false," said Sparrow-McCollum, with a smile. "That is why I have taken away many of his force. I am meeting trick with trick."
"How do you know for certain he is a false?"
"Emery-Honeycutt is as crafty as Murphy-Shackley. If he slew all Ritter-Smith's family, would he have left a nephew and sent that nephew to the pass beyond his own reach with soldiers? You saw this, as did I."
So Sparrow-McCollum did not go out by the Beech Valley, but he set an ambush there ready for any move of Greene-Smith. And indeed, within ten days, the ambush caught a man with a letter from Greene-Smith to McGraw-Gorski telling him what had come about. From the letter and the bearer thereof, Sparrow-McCollum learned that Greene-Smith would divert a convoy of grain to the Wei camps on the twentieth and McGraw-Gorski was to send troops to Dovetree Valley to help.
Sparrow-McCollum beheaded the courier. Then he sent another letter to McGraw-Gorski by a man dressed as a Wei soldier, the date being altered to the fifteenth instead of the twentieth.
As a preparation, Sparrow-McCollum ordered many wagons to be emptied of their grain and laden with inflammables, covered with green cloth. The two thousand Wei soldiers were ordered to show flags belonging to the Shu transport corps. Then Sparrow-McCollum and Bonelli-Xenos went into the valleys in ambush, while Loomis-Stauffer was ordered to march to the Beech Valley, and Moss-Lopez and Coady-Reiner were sent to capture Qishan-Oscoda.
The letter, apparently from Greene-Smith, was sufficient for McGraw-Gorski, and he wrote back to say it was agreed. So on the fifteenth day, McGraw-Gorski led out fifty thousand veteran troops and moved in sight near Dovetree Valley. And the scouts saw endless carts of grain and fodder in the distance zigzagging through the mountains. When McGraw-Gorski got closer, he distinguished the uniforms of Wei.
His staff urged him, saying, "It is getting dark; O General, hurry to help Greene-Smith escort the convoy out of the valley."
"The mountains ahead are hazardous," said the general. "If by any chance an ambush has been laid, we could hardly escape. We will wait here."
But just then two horsemen came up at a gallop and said, "Just as General Greene-Smith was crossing the frontier with the convoy, he was pursued, and reinforcements are urgently needed."
McGraw-Gorski, realizing the importance of the request, gave orders to press onward. It was the first watch, and a full moon was shining as bright as day. Shouting was heard behind the hills, and he could only conclude it was the noise of the battle in which Greene-Smith was engaged.
So McGraw-Gorski dashed over the hills. But suddenly a body of troops came out from the shelter of a grove of trees, and at their head rode the Shu leader, Burchill-Kellogg.
"McGraw-Gorski, you are stupid! You have just fallen into the trap set for you by our general. Dismount and prepare for death!"
McGraw-Gorski halted and turned to flee. Then the wagons burst into flame. That flame was a signal, and down came the army of Shu. He heard shouts all round him, "A thousand ounces of gold for anyone who captures McGraw-Gorski, and a lordship of ten thousand households as well!"
Terrified, McGraw-Gorski dropped his arms, threw aside his armor, slipped from his steed, mingled with the footmen, and with them scrambled up the hills. The generals of Shu only looked for him among the mounted leaders, never guessing that he had got away among the common soldiers. So he was not captured.
Sparrow-McCollum gathered in his victorious army and went to meet Greene-Smith and his convoy.
Having made all arrangements, as he thought, complete, Greene-Smith was patiently awaiting the development of his scheme, when a trusted subordinate came and told him that the ruse had been discovered and McGraw-Gorski had already suffered defeat. Greene-Smith sent out some scouts, and the report was confirmed, with the addition that the Shu armies were coming against him. Moreover, clouds of dust were rising. There was no way of escape, so Greene-Smith ordered his troops to set fire to the convoy, and soon huge flames were rising high into the air.
"The case is desperate," cried Greene-Smith. "It is a fight to the death!"
He led his force westward, but the army of Shu came in pursuit. Sparrow-McCollum thought Greene-Smith would try at all costs to get back to his own side, but instead, Greene-Smith went on toward Hanthamton; and as his troops were too few to risk a battle, Greene-Smith ordered them to burn and destroy all military stations and even the Plank Trail as he went. Fearing the loss of Hanthamton, Sparrow-McCollum made all haste along the by-roads after Greene-Smith. Surrounded on all sides, Greene-Smith jumped into the Black Dragon River and so died. Those of his soldiers who survived were slain by Sparrow-McCollum.
Though a victory had been won and Greene-Smith killed, it was costly. Many wagons and much grain had been lost, and the Plank Trail had been destroyed. Sparrow-McCollum led his army into Hanthamton.
McGraw-Gorski made his way back to Qishan-Oscoda. From there he reported his defeat to the Ruler of Wei and asked for degradation as a penalty. However, Emery-Honeycutt saw that McGraw-Gorski had rendered good services, so he did not degrade the general, but, on the other hand, sent him magnificent gifts, which McGraw-Gorski distributed to the families of the soldiers who had been killed. Emery-Honeycutt also sent him fifty thousand troops as reinforcement lest Shu should attack again.
Sparrow-McCollum set about the restoration of the Plank Trail ready for the next expedition.
The next chapter will tell who won.