Moroni’s Anger
When Moroni read Ammoron’s letter, his anger flared. He knew Ammoron understood perfectly well his own dishonesty—that his war against the Nephites had no just cause behind it. Moroni said, “I won’t exchange a single prisoner with Ammoron unless he pulls back his forces, just as I said in my letter. I won’t give him any more power than he already has. I know where the Lamanites are holding our people captive. Since Ammoron refused my offer, I’ll answer him with action. I’ll bring death to his armies until they beg for peace.”
The Wine Trick
After Moroni said this, he ordered his men to search through their ranks for someone who was descended from Laman. They found a man named Laman. He had been a servant of the king Amalickiah murdered. Moroni sent Laman with a small group toward the guards watching over the Nephite prisoners. The Nephites were being held in the city of Gid, so Moroni had Laman and his handpicked team head there.
When evening came, Laman approached the guards. They saw him coming and called out to challenge him. He called back, “Don’t be afraid! I’m a Lamanite. We escaped from the Nephites while they were sleeping. Look—we even stole some of their wine and brought it with us.” When the Lamanite guards heard this, they welcomed him eagerly. “Give us some of that wine!” they said. “We’re exhausted. We’re so glad you brought wine.” But Laman said, “Let’s save the wine for when we attack the Nephites.” This only made them want it more. “We’re worn out,” they insisted. “Let us drink now. We’ll get our regular rations later to strengthen us for battle.” Laman said, “Do whatever you want.” They drank freely. The wine tasted good, so they kept drinking. It was strong—brewed to full potency. They drank and laughed and before long were completely drunk.
When Laman and his men saw that all the guards were drunk and sleeping deeply, they returned to Moroni and reported everything.
Arming the Prisoners
This was exactly what Moroni had planned. He had his men ready with weapons. While the Lamanites lay in their drunken stupor, he went to the city of Gid and threw weapons over the walls to the prisoners, arming every one of them— even the women and children old enough to fight. Moroni armed all the prisoners in complete silence. If the Lamanites had woken up, the Nephites could have killed them all while they were drunk. But that wasn’t what Moroni wanted. He took no pleasure in murder or bloodshed. What he cared about was saving his people from destruction. To avoid bringing injustice on himself, he refused to slaughter the Lamanites in their drunkenness. He’d already gotten what he wanted: the Nephite prisoners inside the city were now armed and able to take control of everything within the walls. Then he had his own forces pull back and surround the Lamanite armies.
Morning Surprise
All of this happened during the night. When the Lamanites woke in the morning, they found themselves surrounded by Nephites on the outside—and facing armed prisoners on the inside. They realized the Nephites had complete power over them. In that position, fighting made no sense. Their chief captains ordered their men to surrender their weapons, and the soldiers brought them forward and laid them at the Nephites’ feet, begging for mercy.
This was exactly what Moroni wanted. He took them as prisoners of war, captured the city, and freed all the Nephite captives. They joined Moroni’s army and greatly strengthened his forces. He put the Lamanite prisoners to work reinforcing the defenses around the city of Gid. Once he’d fortified Gid to his satisfaction, he had the Lamanite prisoners transported to the city of Bountiful, which he also guarded with a powerful force.
Holding the Advantage
Despite all the schemes the Lamanites tried, the Nephites kept and protected every prisoner they’d taken, and held on to all the ground and advantages they’d regained. The Nephites began winning again, reclaiming their territory and their freedom.
The Lamanites tried many times to surround them at night, but in these attempts they only lost more prisoners. They also tried many times to give the Nephites wine laced with poison or strong enough to make them drunk and vulnerable. But the Nephites never forgot the Lord their God, even in their troubles. They couldn’t be caught in those traps. They refused to drink any wine unless they’d first given some to Lamanite prisoners. They were careful that no poison got through. If wine would poison a Lamanite, it would poison a Nephite just the same. So they tested all their drinks this way.
After this, Moroni decided it was time to prepare an attack on the city of Morianton. The Lamanites had worked hard to fortify it, and it had become an extremely strong fortress. They kept bringing in fresh troops and new supplies. And so ended the twenty-ninth year of the judges’ reign over the Nephites.