CHAPTER EIGHT: QIN
"Today was a disaster," Qin cried angrily, pounding his palm on General Iroh's table. Iroh closed his eyes, unable to hide his annoyance with his subordinate's negative attitude. He massaged his temples with his thumb and forefinger, but Qin was not moved by this display of fatigue.
"Commander Qin." He spoke in measured tones, with that strange lulling effect his voice had. "You know that I respect your opinion. But if you cannot express it in a more dignified manner, I will have you removed from my presence." It wasn't a threat, but Qin, incensed as he was, took it as such. Remove him! As though he were some lowly footslogger, complaining that his boots' soles were too thin? Inwardly, Qin laughed scornfully at the thought, but he let himself slacken slightly, pushing his seething anger inward and out of sight. When he spoke again, it was in a smoother manner.
"My apologies, General Iroh," he began. "I merely wish to convey my displeasure about the day's developments and the command style of Commander Jeong Jeong."
"My son was just in here, talking to me about him," Iroh said easily. "He was very complimentary."
"That may be," Qin continued, his patience tested, "but I am not your son, General Iroh. The man does not know how to lead, and his attempt to capture the wall today was a complete failure because of his shortcomings as a soldier." Iroh merely stared at him, a thoughtful look on his face. That irked Qin more than anything. How could he sit there and be as calm as he was? He had seen what Qin had seen, and yet he seemed to think the day a success! It brooked on foolishness, but Qin was quick to rein in those thoughts. No matter what he thought, he could not forget he was addressing the first and favored son of the Fire Lord. When he was War Minister, as he was so certain he would be, he could say what he would, but for now…for now he had to play the game.
"He is too cautious," Qin said, launching into his tirade again. "He held off his strength today, he deliberately gave the Earthbenders an easy time of it. There were chances, opportunities where we could have stormed the wall and captured it then and there, but because of his refusal to take the risk, we instead had to content ourselves with meaningless wall fighting that merely got our men killed."
"I would think," Iroh said, responding at last, "that rashly attempting to force our way onto the wall through brute force would have cost more lives still, Commander Qin."
"But to a far better purpose than what these ones were lost to." Qin's reply came as quickly as a fire-viper striking. "The big picture, General Iroh. We lose a few score, perhaps a few hundred extra lives now, but years from now, us having taken Ba Sing Se that much more quickly will pay off immensely through the manpower we will have saved by not dragging out this engagement." Under his words, a finger pointed, but Qin didn't care to be subtle. How could all of them but him be so blind to the grand scheme here? Well, he thought, perhaps that's why the Fire Lord is considering me as War Minister while he lets these dogs slog in the trenches.
"I see no reason to do as you have suggested and strip Commander Jeong Jeong of his rank," Iroh answered evenly. "There may come a day when you will appreciate Jeong Jeong's way of thinking, and there may come a day where he will appreciate yours." Qin immediately dismissed this notion in his head. He would never be like that hack, letting his heart cloud decisions his superior mind could make in an instant. "I will have to ask that you two live and work alongside each other in the meantime. Very shortly, I could have you transferred to another tour if you so wish," he offered. Qin shook his head.
"I will not abandon this fight for any reason," he declared emphatically, and the candles in Iroh's tent burned a little brighter in that second.
"Good," Iroh replied. "Then you and I see eye to eye on that, at least." The old man was attempting to play this all off as a joke. He wasn't taking Qin seriously at all. That was a huge affront to Qin's pride, and he rose, color and heat rushing to his cheeks and forehead.
"If you do not intend to do anything about it, General Iroh," he said, his voice deadly serious, "Then I will." With that, he stormed out of the tent, his hackles raised and his hands clenched into fists. All the men stayed back from him, as they well should have: it was the soldier's lot in life to fear and respect his leader. Jeong Jeong could say what he wished about empathy, but in Qin's experience it was far from necessary. War was a game of numbers and statistics, not feelings. Feelings were for women, for traitors. A soldier's heart had no place for feelings, and Qin was a soldier, through and through.
That was the problem in this army. They refused to think of the future. Qin was a natural futurist. He saw a world where wars were not fought between men and men, but men and machines. Hints of this were starting to crop up in the Fire military's tactics and bestiary-had their new tanks not been used to great effect that very day? But those currently in power were people like Iroh and Jeong Jeong. They had been brilliant in their own time, but the world was changing. Their refusal to change with it frustrated Qin to absolutely no end. The world was inevitably sweeping towards the future, and Qin would be the only wise one to embrace it openly and whole-heartedly.
He found Jeong Jeong sitting in front of a fire, staring into it with his eyes glassed over like some slack-jawed fool. Without even bothering to look up, the Commander sighed. "What do you want?" he asked resignedly. Dramatically, Qin pointed his finger at his personal adversary.
"Jeong Jeong," he said breathily as anticipation built inside of him, "today you have shown what I believe to be conduct unbecoming of a soldier of the Fire Nation. For this, I challenge you to Agni Kai!" He was breathing somewhat hard now. "What say you?" There was no hesitation.
"I refuse," Jeong Jeong said. Qin's eyes widened in anger.
"On what grounds do you refuse, coward?" he demanded.
"You are drunk." Qin's mouth twitched.
"I most certainly am not!" Jeong Jeong reached down to his side, and pulled out a small flask. He unscrewed the top, and then took the meanest of sips from it.
"Fine," he said. "Now I am." He held out the flask, almost mockingly, as though offering Qin something to drink. Incensed, Qin lashed out and slapped the flask from his hand. It hit the dirt with a dull thunk and some of its contents spilled onto the dirt. Jeong Jeong's hand was still extended, though he was no longer holding his flask. For the first time, Jeong Jeong raised his head to look at his adversary, and the baleful stare that Qin saw almost made him take a step back in surprise. He rose with the deliberate motion of one very much in control of his own actions, to the point where he even looked deadly.
"I refuse your Agni Kai," he said dangerously, "on the grounds that you have no grounds to challenge me on. If you have any further business with me, then I suggest you air your grievances now, because otherwise I have more important matters to attend to." Qin's teeth were clenched so tightly his jaw was shaking, and his brow was furrowed. Yet, he did nothing. He stood there seething, anger swelling and stopping his throat and his muscles, tainting his vision red as he saw Jeong Jeong turn scornfully and walk away. Suddenly, so overcome by hate as he was, he stomped his foot into the ground, causing a shower of sparks and flame to flare out and die as quickly as they'd come into being.
"For once in your career, stand your ground and fight!" he bellowed. Jeong Jeong stopped cold, and slowly turned around. No longer daunted, Qin dropped into his fighting stance, a move so natural that it was second nature to him. A hush fell over the camp as the soldiers realized that two of their superiors were having a falling out, and the men began to tentatively circle up around the two, forming an impromptu ring. Jeong Jeong looked to his left, and then to his right. Then, he bowed his head. Let him bow, Qin thought. So much the easier to hit him…
He lashed out savagely with his arm, beating the air like he would a prisoner and sending a jet of flame screaming towards the man he hated so much…
