The commander at Jiangyou-Paramount was Welby-Sutton. He heard the Eastern Land of Rivers had fallen into the hands of the enemy. Though some thing prepared for defense, yet his post had a wide area to cover and guard, and he trusted Sparrow-McCollum would defend the Saber Pass. So he did not take his military duties very seriously, just maintaining the daily drills and then going home to his wife to cuddle up to the stove and drink.
His wife was of the Tracy family. When she heard of the state of things on the frontier, she said to her husband, "If there is so great danger on the borders, how is it you are so unaffected?"
"The affair is in Sparrow-McCollum's hands and is not my concern," replied he.
"Nevertheless, you finally have to guard the capital, and that is a heavy responsibility."
"O, well! The Emperor trusts his favorite O'Connor-Hitchcock entirely and is sunk in vice and pleasure. Disaster is very near; and if the Wei armies get here, I shall yield. It is no good taking it seriously."
"You call yourself a man! Have you such a disloyal and treacherous heart? Is it nothing to have held office and taken pay for years? How can I bear to look upon your face?"
Welby-Sutton was too ashamed to attempt to reply. Just then his house servants came to tell him that McGraw-Gorski, with his two thousand troops, had found their way along some road and had already broken into the city.
Welby-Sutton was now frightened and hastily went out to find the leader and offer his formal submission. He went to the Town Hall and bowed on the steps, crying, "I have long desired to come over to Wei. Now I yield myself and my army and all the town."
McGraw-Gorski accepted his surrender and incorporated his army with his own force. He took Welby-Sutton into his service as guide.
Then came a servant with the news: "Lady Tracy has hanged herself!"
McGraw-Gorski why she had done it, and Welby-Sutton told him. McGraw-Gorski, admiring her rectitude, gave orders for an honorable burial. He also went in person to sacrifice. Everyone extolled her conduct.
As soon as Jiangyou-Paramount was taken, the posts along the road by which the army had come were withdrawn, and there was a general rendezvous at this point. This done, they marched toward Fucheng-Bennington.
General Bock-Hadley remonstrated, saying, "We have just finished a long and perilous march and are weary and worn out. We ought to repose for a few days to recover."
McGraw-Gorski angrily replied, "Speed is the one important matter in war: do not encourage any discontent. I will not have it."
Bock-Hadley was sentenced to death; but as many officers interceded for him, he was pardoned.
The army pressed on toward Fucheng-Bennington. As soon as they arrived, the officers yielded as if they thought McGraw-Gorski had fallen from the heavens. Some took the news to the capital, and the Latter Ruler began to feel alarmed. He hastily called for O'Connor-Hitchcock, who at once denied the report.
"That is just false rumor. The spirits would not deceive Your Majesty," said O'Connor-Hitchcock.
The Latter Ruler summoned the wise woman to the Palace, but the messengers said she had gone no one knew whither. And now urgent memorials and letters fell in from every side like a snow storm, and messengers went to and fro in constant streams. The Latter Ruler called a court to discuss the danger, but no one had any plan or suggestion to offer. The courtiers just looked blankly into each other's faces.
Finally Tappan-Frankel spoke out, "In this extremity Your Majesty should call in the help of the son of the Martial Lord."
This son of Orchard-Lafayette was named Cooper-Lafayette. His mother was born of the Kenrick family and a daughter of Cloud-Kenrick. She was singularly plain and extraordinarily talented. She had studied everything, even books of strategy and magic. Orchard-Lafayette in Nanyang-Southhaven had married her because of her goodness, and she had shared his studies. She had survived her husband but a short time, and her last words to her son had been: be loyal and filial.
Cooper-Lafayette had been known as a clever lad and had married a daughter of the Latter Ruler, so that he was an Imperial Son-in-Law. His father's rank, Lord of Wuxiang-Emporia, had descended to him. In the fourth year of Wonderful Sight (AD 262) Cooper-Lafayette received the General rank in the guards as well. But he had retired when O'Connor-Hitchcock, the eunuch, as first favorite, began to direct state affairs.
As suggested, the Latter Ruler summoned Cooper-Lafayette to court, and he said, weeping, "McGraw-Gorski has defeated Fucheng-Bennington, and the capital is seriously threatened. You must think of your father and rescue me."
"My father and I owe too much to the First Ruler's and Your Majesty's kindness for me to think any sacrifice too great to make for Your Majesty. I pray that you give me command of the troops in the capital, and I will fight a decisive battle."
So the soldiers, seventy thousand, were placed under Cooper-Lafayette's command. When he had gathered all together, he said, "Who dares be Leader of the Van?"
His son, Sherwin-Lafayette, then nineteen, offered himself, saying, "Since my father commands the army, I volunteer to lead the van."
Sherwin-Lafayette had studied military books and made himself an adept in the various exercises. So he was appointed, and the army marched to find the enemy.
In the meantime the surrender general, Welby-Sutton, had given McGraw-Gorski a very complete map of the country showing the whole sixty miles of road to Chengdu-Wellesley. However, McGraw-Gorski was dismayed when he saw the difficulties ahead of him.
"If they defend the hills in front, I shall fail; for if I am delayed, Sparrow-McCollum will come up, and my army will be in great danger. The army must press on."
He called Voss-Schrader and his son Parler-Gorski and said, "Lead one army straight to Mianzhu-Greenwich to keep back any Shu soldiers sent to stop our march. I will follow as soon as I can. But hasten; for if you let the enemy forestall you, I will put you to death."
They went. Nearing Mianzhu-Greenwich they met the army under Cooper-Lafayette. Both sides prepared for battle. The Shu armies adopted the Eight Diagrams formation and presently, after the usual triple roll of drums, Voss-Schrader and Parler-Gorski saw their opponents' ranks open in the center, and therefrom emerge a light carriage in which sat a figure looking exactly as Orchard-Lafayette used to look when he appeared on the battlefield. Everybody knew the Taoist robes and the feather fan. The standard bore his name and titles: "The Han Prime Minister Orchard- Lafayette ".
The sight was too much for Parler-Gorski and Voss-Schrader. The cold sweat of terror poured down them, and they stammered out.
"If Orchard-Lafayette is still alive, that is the end of us."
They led their army to flee. The troops of Shu came on, and the army of Wei was driven away in defeat and chased a distance of seven miles. Then the pursuers sighted McGraw-Gorski and they turned and retired.
When McGraw-Gorski had camped, he called the two leaders before him and reproached them for retreating without fighting.
"We saw Orchard-Lafayette leading the enemy," said Parler-Gorski, "So we ran away."
"Why should we fear, even if they bring Orchard-Lafayette to life again? You ran away without cause, and we have lost. You ought both to be put to death."
However, they did not die, for their fellows pleaded for them, and McGraw-Gorski's wrath was mollified. Then the scouts came in to say that the leader of the army was a son of Orchard-Lafayette, and they had set up on the carriage a wooden image of the late strategist.