A Greased Mouth Can Never Say No

The commander led his men. They laid siege to the fort. They kept watch, round the clock. None could get away from the fort.
“The defenders need food and water. They may have some food and water in stock. But that won’t last long. The fort will fall soon,” said the commander to his close associates.
The siege continued. Even after a month, there was no sign of panic on the part of the defenders. The commander, however, remained cool. “Victory will be ours,” he said confidently.

That night, he rode away to the neighbouring town. He reached a house, set on the outskirts of the small town. He knocked. Someone asked, “Who is there?” The Commander introduced himself. The door opened. “Come in,” said the host, not showing much enthusiasm on seeing the guest.
“You don’t seem to be happy to see me,” the commander stared at the host.
“You know the reason. I was once an official at the fort. I have retired. I have settled down here, far from the fort. If the news that I have met you reaches the defenders, will be a dead man, he sounded scared.

“Well, I won’t stay even a minute more than is necessary. I have helped you with funds several times when you were working at the fort. I never asked you for any favour. Now I want it. Tell me, is there a secret tunnel to the fort?” The commander waited for an answer.
“I … Well …” the host stammered.
“Tell me. Or I will send to your master the documents to prove that you have taken bribe from me. That will be the end of you.”
The host reluctantly gave the information. The commander rode away, telling himself, “A greased mouth can never say NO.”

The next day, after dusk, he led a few soldiers to the mouth of the tunnel. He directed them to sneak in and take the men who were at the main gate. The men at the gate were taken by surprise. The drawbridge came down. The attacking army swarmed in. Soon, the fort fell.

Summary

The provided text describes a military siege where a commander attempts to capture a fort. Initially, the commander uses a traditional siege strategy, expecting the defenders to run out of supplies. However, when this approach proves ineffective, he seeks an alternative method for victory. The commander blackmails a former fort official to reveal the existence of a secret tunnel, which he then uses to infiltrate the fort and surprise the defenders, ultimately leading to the fort’s capture.

A Greased Mouth cannot say “NO”

II. Quiz

Instructions: Answer each question in 2-3 sentences. (Click on Page 2 for Answer Key)

1. What was the initial strategy of the commander to take the fort? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. How did the defenders’ behaviour during the siege puzzle the commander?_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Why was the host initially unwilling to help the commander? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. What leverage did the commander use to force the host to reveal information?_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5. What crucial piece of information did the commander seek from the host? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6. How did the commander describe the host’s eventual compliance? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7. What was the first action taken by the soldiers who entered the tunnel? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
8. How did the main attacking army gain entry into the fort? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
9. What does the phrase “A greased mouth can never say NO” imply about the host? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
10. What does this story suggest about the importance of internal intelligence in warfare? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Comprehension Passages