In the sixteenth year after Christ’s coming, Lachoneus, the governor of the land, received a letter from the leader of the robber band. It read:
Giddianhi’s Letter
“Lachoneus, most noble governor: I’m writing to commend you—and your people—for standing firm in what you believe are your rights and freedoms. You defend your liberty, property, and homeland as if God himself supported you.
“But honestly, it seems foolish of you to think you can stand against the many brave warriors under my command. They’re armed and ready right now, just waiting for me to give the word to march down and wipe out the Nephites. I know their unconquerable spirit—I’ve seen them in battle. And I know their burning hatred toward you because of the wrongs you’ve done them. If they come down against you, they’ll leave nothing standing.
“That’s why I’ve written this letter and sealed it with my own hand. I respect your courage and your commitment to what you believe is right. I admire your spirit in battle. So I’m asking you: surrender your cities, lands, and possessions to my people. Better to yield than face our swords and certain destruction. “In other words, join us. Become part of our secret society. Become our brothers—not our slaves, but equal partners who share in everything we have. I swear an oath: if you do this, you won’t be destroyed. But if you refuse, I swear another oath: one month from now, I’ll order my armies to march against you. They won’t hold back. They won’t spare anyone. They’ll cut you down until you’re completely wiped out.
“I am Giddianhi, governor of the secret society of Gadianton. I know this society and its practices are good. They’re ancient, handed down to us through the generations. Lachoneus, I hope you’ll hand over your lands and possessions without bloodshed, so my people can reclaim the rights and government you’ve wickedly kept from them. If you don’t, I’ll take revenge for the wrongs done to them. I am Giddianhi.“
Lachoneus Gathers His People
When Lachoneus read this letter, he was stunned by Giddianhi’s boldness—demanding Nephite land, threatening the people, and claiming to avenge wrongs that had never been done. The only ones wronged were those who had betrayed their own people by joining these wicked robbers.
Lachoneus was a righteous man. He couldn’t be intimidated by threats from a robber. He refused to give in to Giddianhi’s demands. Instead, he called on his people to cry out to the Lord for strength to face the coming attack.
He sent a proclamation throughout all the land: everyone should gather their women, children, flocks, herds, and all their belongings—everything except their land—and bring them to one central place. He ordered massive fortifications built around them, incredibly strong. He positioned armies—Nephites, Lamanites, everyone counted among the Nephites—as guards around the perimeter to watch for the robbers and protect them day and night. He told them, “As surely as the Lord lives, unless you turn away from your sins and cry out to him, you won’t be delivered from these robbers.” Lachoneus’s words and prophecies were so powerful that they struck fear in everyone. The people threw themselves into the work, determined to do exactly what he said.
Lachoneus appointed chief captains over all the Nephite armies to lead them when the robbers came down from the wilderness. The supreme commander of all the Nephite forces was a man named Gidgiddoni. The Nephites had a tradition—except during times of wickedness—of appointing military leaders who had the spirit of revelation and prophecy. Gidgiddoni was a great prophet among them, and also served as chief judge.
Gidgiddoni’s Strategy
The people said to Gidgiddoni, “Pray to the Lord, then let’s march up into the mountains and wilderness. We can attack the robbers on their own ground and destroy them there.”
But Gidgiddoni said, “The Lord forbid! If we go up against them, the Lord would let them defeat us. No—we’ll prepare ourselves here in the heart of our lands. We’ll gather all our armies together and wait for them to come to us. As surely as the Lord lives, if we do this, he’ll deliver them into our hands.”
The Great Gathering
By the end of the seventeenth year, Lachoneus’s proclamation had reached every corner of the land. The people took their horses, chariots, cattle, flocks, herds, grain, and everything they owned and marched out by the thousands—by the tens of thousands—until they had all reached the gathering place where they would defend themselves against their enemies.
The gathering place was in the land of Zarahemla, and the region between Zarahemla and the land Bountiful—up to the line separating Bountiful from the land Desolation. Thousands upon thousands of people—all called Nephites—gathered in this land. Lachoneus made them gather in the southern territory because of the curse on the northern lands.
They fortified themselves against their enemies. They lived together in one land, as one people. Lachoneus’s words had shaken them so deeply that they turned away from all their sins and prayed to the Lord their God to deliver them when their enemies came down to battle. They were heartbroken over the coming war. Gidgiddoni had them make every kind of weapon, equipping themselves with armor, shields, and bucklers, exactly as he instructed.