Avatar: The Last Airbender Created By: Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko
Avatar: The Last Airbender Owned By: Nickelodeon, a subsidiary of Viacom
All original content and characters © Acastus
Chapter XXXVII – Mequon
The young cavalryman beamed, his smile as brilliant as the sunshine above them.
"I told you so, didn't I, General?" he said, his voice strong, confident and devoid of rancor.
"Yes," Nifong agreed, "You did."
The older man found himself unable to suppress the contagious optimism of his companion. Liu had been wrong on that score at least.
Finally the rain had ended. The clouds had broken and the sun was at last seen once more. The army's spirits recovered, though the ground remained a muddy soup which kept progress slow.
Then the flash flood had come from the southwest in a rage, carrying before it men, ostrich horses, and huge chunks of rock that smashed everything in their path. A large swath of the Omashu Highway and the two mighty stone bridges that had forded the Chaophraya from time immemorial had been washed away within minutes.
The shock brought morale to a new low, as the bodies floating around the freshly marooned army reminded everyone of what they had done to the enemy at Lake Myojin. Men whispered that the spirits had sent the flood in retaliation.
Days passed before the waters receded enough for the army to move. Suffering from hunger and dehydration, for it was known that flood water was often not safe to drink, the army slowly fanned out to find a place where they could ford the channel.
Colonel Fong and his men had found easy passage at an oxbow bend in the river many leagues to the southeast. Here the water cascaded across a sandy bank of loose stones and was never more than a few feet deep.
The general and his subordinate watched from their mounts as Fong's vaunted Seventh Cavalry cantered across the ford. Two massive catapults, famous already to their enemy, each pulled by a dozen ostrich horses, had just gained the far bank. Prepared in secret for the express purpose of smashing the mighty metal walls of Mequon, they were named for the twin Spirits of the Underworld, where even the Avatar dared not tread.
"We can get the whole army across in two days, sir," Fong continued, "even towing these ridiculous artillery pieces I can have my division at Mequon in a week!"
Fong's estimates were unrealistic, but that was not his main concern. Nifong considered Liu's warning before replying.
"No, Colonel, I understand your enthusiasm, but don't let it turn to impatience. If the whole army we're lined up, yes, I agree it would take around two days, but it isn't. Right now you, Jenju, and Kwan are the only outfits ready to cross. The rest of the army is split up over thirty leagues in all directions."
"But, sir," Fong responded with a twinkle in his eye, "why not move as fast as possible and surprise them? We might even take Mequon without a fight! That's what they did to us on the Nasu. I'd like to pay them back for Shiminoseki and Ratchadamri! Besides," he added, leaning forward in his saddle with a placid smile, "Think of the lives we could save."
"No, Colonel," Nifong repeated with a trace of sternness, "You are not to attack Mequon unsupported. That is a direct order. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir," Fong replied, perplexed, but clearly unabashed.
"I have placed Colonel Jenju in charge of First Cavalry Corps – and that includes you. Do as she instructs, and for my part I've instructed her to make sure proper scouting procedures are followed and that the column moves at regulation pace to avoid unnecessary exposure."
The younger man looked genuinely confused.
"I don't understand, General, Prince Xian and his army have been crushed," he asserted with a wide sweep of his hand, "Iroh and his infantry are flailing around on the Nasu. Mequon has a weak young girl for a governor and the garrison is nothing but children and old men. This artillery will smash their walls to pieces within hours. There's nothing to stop us this time! What are we afraid of?"
"Afraid?" Nifong asked with an arched eyebrow.
"Well, uh…" the brash younger man hesitated, aware that he had probably made a mistake.
"We are afraid of nothing, Colonel," Nifong contradicted.
"Yes, sir," Fong quickly agreed, "I only meant…"
"And why are you so certain there is nothing to stop us?" his superior abruptly cut in, "What evidence do you have to support that conclusion?"
The young colonel decided not to risk a reply, instead allowing his superior to continue after a pause.
"The answer is… you don't. You're making an assumption – and a baseless one at that."
"Yes, sir," Fong agreed once more, now slightly abashed. This wasn't the first time he'd been admonished for the offense.
"And for what it's worth, Colonel, I hope you're right, I really do, but until the Earth Kingdom's flag waves over Mequon we will act as though Fire Lord Sozin himself stands in our way."
At that moment Nifong's adjutant appeared. He saluted his superior and the young colonel beside him.
"Welcome, Captain!" the cavalry commander said, his expression of chagrin vanishing instantly, returning the salute with a broad smile, "Are you ready to finally kick the Fire Nation back where they belong?"
"Yes, Colonel," the aid replied with a matching smile, "I am!"
"That's the spirit!" he said, raising a fist in hearty approval.
"Yes, sir, and all the men are betting your division will be first to the gates of Mequon!"
"Well," he replied with a laugh and a wink at the General, "our commanding officer has ordered I slow down a bit, but I wouldn't bet against me!"
"All right, Colonel, that's enough high spiritedness for today," Nifong capitulated, then with a shooing gesture, "go now, rejoin your outfit and remember my instructions."
Fong saluted, his brown eyes full of laughter and hope, turned and kicked his ostrich horse into a gallop.
The southern escarpment of the Dune Sea rose high in the distance behind the fortress city of Mequon. The craggy, uneven cliffs stretched to the sky from east to west, broken in several places by wide gaps through which the wastelands could be seen at the higher elevations. The Army of the Great Divide had reached this southern extremity of the Dune Sea on the calends of the eleventh month and arrived at the gates of the great Fire Nation colony two days later.
The massive iron walls of Mequon, black as obsidian, seemed almost to absorb the morning sunlight that bathed the subtropical steppe on which it stood. On three sides the city was surrounded by river, the mighty Yangtze, which emptied into the Western Ocean over a thousand miles away, and one of its tributaries. A drawbridge spanned the Yangtze at its narrowest point, connecting the fortress to the urban sprawl which dominated the east bank of the channel. A small crowd of city dwellers, their expressions somber, watched the procession in silence.
Red clad soldiers guarded the bridge and the nearest edge of the highway that ran along the river. Their uniforms, slightly antiquated and deep maroon in color, marked them as members of the city garrison.
Near the bridge a granite obelisk lay on its side, the mysterious symbol "80" inscribed within a shield etched deep in its surface. Similar to the obelisk outside of Ningbo, the highway and its marker were far older than the city, and not one of its inhabitants could read it nor knew its purpose. They knew the mighty thoroughfare only as the Silk Road, oldest and greatest of the arteries that once sustained ancient world.
Corona sat dark and still on the eastern bank opposite the entrance to the fortress. Iroh and his staff crossed the bridge in full dress uniform, red feathered plumes springing from their burnished helmets. The colonial guards who lined each side of the bridge pulled their spears straight in salute as the young general passed.
Under the great metal gate a woman stood tall in a blazing white kimono with wide crimson borders. She was young, though her countenance was careworn. Unique among her companions, her hair, tied in a topknot and secured by a Fire Nation hair pin, was the color of corn silk and her eyes a deep blue. Around her were several men and a few women in red and maroon Fire Nation outfits as well as a single Fire Nation officer in uniform.
Iroh came to a stop in front of the woman in white, his company a mirror image of hers. She regarded each of the young general's companions in turn, smiling briefly at Gan in recognition, and skipping over Tien Shin. Her eyes came to rest on the Crown Prince. She smiled broadly, her face betraying a rapidly shifting mixture of emotions.
"Hail, General Iroh," the woman greeted with a deep bow after concluding her survey, her voice sonorous but grave, "Mequon and her loyal citizens bid you welcome."
Her companions bowed low to the general and his party. The Crown Prince inclined his head slightly in recognition of the governor's bow, while the rest of his staff replicated the governor's obeisance.
"Greetings, Governor T'zan," Iroh responded formally.
Tien Shin alone refused to bow and instead fixed the governor with a direct stare.
"We rejoice at the arrival of the Army of the Great Divide," she continued, pointedly ignoring the elder prince, her voice amplified so that the larger audience could hear, "and have made preparations to receive the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation with the honor and respect which are his due."
Tien Shin glowered slightly at the obvious omission.
"I thank you, Lord Governor," Iroh replied, "the offer of your hospitality is much appreciated, though I fear we will have precious little time to enjoy it."
"We were also greatly saddened, your Highness," she offered, her voice becoming taught, "to receive news of the defeat at Lake Myojin. Prince Xian was the best of men. His death is a great loss to us and to the Fire Nation."
A shadow passed over Iroh's face, though he hid it well with a bow of his own.
"Yes, Governor, the enemy has proven resourceful. We underestimated him and we have paid for it with our dearest blood," then, relieved to change the subject he knew they must address again in private, he asked, "May I ask if you received our messenger hawk?"
"Yes, we received your communication weeks ago."
"Excellent," he replied, relief washing over him, "did you obey my instructions then?"
"I did."
"I can ask for no more, Lord Governor," the Crown Prince vowed graciously, "The Army of the Great Divide will prevail in this struggle, and the Fire Lord himself shall hear of the part you have played in our victory."
The regal woman hesitated to reply and Iroh could not help but notice the lack of enthusiasm shown by her retinue.
"Indeed, General," she confirmed finally, "we can only hope for a great victory."
"Our first and greatest obstacle has already been overcome," the young general offered boldly, "We have achieved the impossible and marched an entire army across the Dune Sea."
"A great achievement, your Highness," she agreed, "and only by your sacrifice and daring can we can hope for deliverance from the enemy."
Satisfied with this response, Iroh motioned to his companions.
"Allow me to introduce my general staff, Governor, some of whom you already know."
Iroh quickly made introductions. The woman in the white kimono smiled and exchanged greetings with each, save Tien Shin whom she refused once again to acknowledge.
Nikon, remembering Iroh's admonishment about "that girl" and his disastrous introduction to Chieng long ago, acquitted himself without embarrassment. Chieng eyed the governor with some suspicion and returned her greeting stiffly, in contrast to her mother's gracious response.
Once the introductions were complete Iroh continued.
"Have you received any word of the enemy?"
"Yes, only hours ago," she confirmed, "Let us go inside, General, and continue our discussion."
Iroh nodded and followed the fair haired governor, his comrades following close behind.
She led them deep into the interior of the fortress. Down a long hallway lit by gas lamps a pair of two story bronze doors opened into the governor's audience chamber.
The floor of the great hall was occupied by a mosaic portraying Fire Lord Sozin and his family at the height of his power and glory. The ceiling molding was a marble frieze that depicted the major victories of the first twenty years of the war. The sides of the room were occupied by artificial streams that were supplied by fountains at the head of the room. A single curule chair occupied a small dais in between the fountains and was flanked by a pair of large braziers with open flames. An enormous tapestry of the Fire Nation flag hung behind the chair, suspended from the ceiling.
Governor T'zan motioned to the servants who stood by the braziers. They disappeared through a portcullis and returned carrying a large oval table. They put the table down in the middle of the chamber and spread out an ornately decorated map on its surface before resuming their positions.
Much smaller in scale than the large campaign maps that Iroh's entourage carried, this chart focused on the equatorial region of the Earth Kingdom. The Dune Sea marked the northern edge of the map, while the Yangtze and its tributaries dominated the center. Far to the east, the Granite Mountains and the Leyte Gulf could be seen as well as the northern bends of the Song River. At its southern edge the beginnings of the Si Wong desert could be observed.
Many roads, cities and villages dotted the map. Strange symbols appeared in many locations that Iroh did not recognize but which seemed to follow a large key inset in the lower right hand section of the chart. It looked more like a piece of art than the utilitarian surveys used by the army.
"Quite beautiful," Gan remarked.
"Yes, Gan," she replied wistfully, "it's thirty years old, made when our fortunes were much better than today."
"Is it accurate, Lord Governor?" Nikon inquired, concern evident in his voice.
"It is now, daimyo Orlando, we've spent the last several weeks updating it," she said, indicating some new marks on the map with chagrin. The edits did not spoil the overall effect of the chart, but they were clearly not of the same quality as the original workmanship.
"I have had two copies made, smaller, but serviceable."
"Excellent," Iroh replied with approval, "your forethought does you credit."
She bowed at the compliment, but replied somewhat ruefully, "Thank you, General, but I'm afraid we will need more than maps to prevail."
"All right, Governor," the Crown Prince sighed, her hints too obvious to ignore, "Let's have it. What have you heard?"
"Much, my Lord," she replied, "The moment we received your messenger hawk we sent scouts to the east and south. We tried to keep the information secret, but within days everyone in the city knew Nifong and his army were approaching. We had to evacuate to avoid a panic. Normally we have a population well over a hundred and fifty thousand. We might have twenty now, most of them old and sick. The rest have gone to Yu Dao and to the allied states on the western coast."
"The garrison?" he questioned, unable to keep hope from his voice.
"A little over four thousand," she replied unhappily, "they are, of course, yours to command."
Iroh nodded once and motioned for her to continue.
"Several days ago we received word that the enemy was moving towards the Chaophraya crossings. The Army of the Granite Mountains hasn't been seen in these parts for many years, General, but if these reports are accurate then it has grown considerably since then."
Governor T'zan handed Iroh several sheets of paper containing dispatches from the scouts.
"This looks like more than what we observed on the Nasu," he said after scanning them.
"They've added siege engines and artillery, which makes sense," Nikon agreed after Iroh passed them to him, "… and this is more cavalry than we saw at Myojin."
"They didn't need to show all their cavalry at Myojin," Tien Shin injected, in his first comment without rancor Iroh could recall since he returned, "all they had to do was bottle us up on the lake shore."
"What else?" Iroh prompted.
"Less than a day later we received this," she said, handing Iroh another transmission, "A flash flood apparently wiped out both of the bridges across the upper reaches of the Chaophraya and flooded a huge expanse of the eastern steppes."
Iroh and Nikon exchanged a quick glance at this while the rest of the group looked stupefied.
"You know about this then?" the governor asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Something about it, yes," Iroh confirmed cagily, "but we weren't sure."
"Apparently it took days for the water to drain," the governor continued, "and to find a place for them to ford the river. We are very fortunate. If it weren't for that the enemy would certainly have arrived before you."
She turned to the solitary army officer that was part of her staff. He was a tall, middle aged man with a self-assured manner.
"General, this is Lieutenant Colonel Zhou, garrison commander of Mequon. Colonel, please repeat the information you brought us this morning."
"Yes, Governor," he replied, picking up the wooden pointer left on the table by one of the servants.
"The enemy crossed the Chaophraya two days ago here, General," the colonial officer began, using the pointer to indicate an area on the chart, "They've met no resistance, since we have none to offer."
"Describe their disposition."
The garrison commander complied. Within a few minutes he had described the strength and distribution of Nifong's forces according to the latest reports. When finished with his description Iroh made eye contact with both Nikon and Tien Shin.
"Well, again, it makes sense, he can't have any reason to think there is anything between him and Mequon," offered the daimyo.
"Nifong must be confident indeed," the elder prince commented, "This is very convenient."
"Any chance they've sighted us yet?" Gan questioned.
"Not likely," Zhou responded, "They're moving too fast now for anything but close range scouting."
"Are you sure about the length of the column?" Iroh pressed.
"Yes, General, the vanguards are moving much faster than the main body of the enemy."
"Who's out front?"
"Fong's Seventh Cavalry and two other as yet unidentified cavalry units, though we think one of the others is Jenju's outfit," Zhou reported, indicating a position forty leagues to their east, "They are probably three or four days away."
"What are these markings, here, near Vyazma?" Tien Shin asked suddenly, his expression creased in concentration as he pointed to a small group of circles on the map.
The governor reacted to this comment as if startled. She looked to where the elder prince pointed and then over to Iroh, her eyes wide. He met her gaze briefly before she looked back to the map, an impassive mask sliding over her face like a veil.
"That's the Field of Coins, your Highness," Zhou replied, "a relic from Fire Lord Sozin's second campaign."
"You mean earthbender stone disks, the big ones?" Iroh asked, surprise evident in his voice.
"Yes," the governor replied, "hundreds of them. Father tried to have them destroyed when we first arrived, but there were just too many."
Iroh leaned over the map, both hands on the table.
"Risky, but we'll have to use it."
"Use it for what?"
"A trap, Governor," Iroh replied, "a less ingenious trap than the enemy's ruse at Lake Myojin, but hopefully just as irresistible."
Nikon, tapping his chin with his fist, observed, "We'll need to move out fast then."
"I don't recommend that, General," Kanjana broke in, "The army needs two days of rest at least. The crossing has left even the hardiest of soldiers exhausted."
Standing next to her daughter Iroh could now easily see the resemblance.
"One, Doctor," the Crown Prince countered, "that's all we can afford."
Kanjana was clearly unsatisfied with this response, but could see from his expression that Iroh would not relent. She pursed her lips and nodded once in acquiescence.
"Then for the next day the Army of the Great Divide will enjoy the hospitality of Mequon," the governor declared, "We have few people left, but we will share our bounty and our labor to help prepare the army for battle."
"Thank you, Lord Governor," Iroh replied, "your aid is much appreciated."
"It is my duty."
"You are selective in the duties you choose to perform, Rhiannon," the elder prince inserted, finally speaking to the governor directly, a hard, calculating look on his face, "Should we prove victorious, you must return with us to the Fire Nation. You have obligations and duties there long left unattended."
The blonde haired woman turned to Iroh's step brother, acknowledging him for the first time and addressing him with open contempt.
"Within the bounds of this province I am Lord Governor, Tien Shin," she replied, her expression as hard as her voice, "and you will address me with respect or I will have you arrested, a practice with which you are intimately familiar. I do not need you to remind me of my duty, and I will serve here as long as it is the Fire Lord's will that I should do so."
"I will make sure to discuss that with him when I return," the elder prince purred, a look of smug satisfaction on his face.
She regarded him for a moment before replying, her mind clearly considering the threat.
"Leave us," she commanded.
The volume of her voice made it clear that she addressed the larger group, but her eyes remained focused on the elder prince.
"I wish to speak with your superior in private."
Nikon and Gan shared a quick glance before moving to withdraw. Chieng bristled at the dismissal, but quickly joined them. The rest followed closely, save Tien Shin.
"You can't hide here forever, Rhiannon," he observed ominously as the last of her staff exited the room, "You can't escape. The sooner you accept your fate the better off you will be."
Hatred burned in her eyes as the elder prince turned and walked out of the chamber.