The Komodo Dragons were successful because of the quick and decisive leadership of Senzin Zhou. This, Cheren could and would not dispute ever. In every battle they participated in, Cheren saw how assured Senzin was of every order he gave, no matter the situation. How right before every decisive charge they made, Senzin held no hesitation whatsoever on his face when he led the charges. It was their enemies that were indecisive and slow, and that difference was what led to their every defeat against Cheren's unit.
What Cheren could not fathom was why they were hesitating now. From the start of the campaign, instead of putting the pressure on Omashu with attacks on their outposts and villages, the army avoided pitched battles and only the scouting parties engaged in light skirmishes. Their losses were minimal but so was their progress. Senzin was hesitating with his army, something that was unlike him in the field, and Cheren was moving towards his tent to find out exactly why.
"I need to speak with the general." Cheren stated to the guards of Senzin's tent.
The two guards simply stared at Cheren for a few moments, who was slightly unnerved by the lack of emotion from either one, before one of the guards moved to peek inside the general's tent.
"General, Colonel Cheren wishes to speak with you." The soldier informed the general inside the tent.
"Let him in." Cheren heard Senzin's voice reply, which prompted the guards to hold open the tent entrance for Cheren.
As Cheren entered the tent, he took note of what was inside. A simple bed tucked in the corner, with a chest by the foot. A bare armor rack on the opposite corner. A large Fire Nation banner hanging on the tent wall opposite the entrance. And finally, a simple wooden desk in the center of the tent, with Senzin seated behind it.
"What do you need, Cheren?" Senzin casually asked, not taking his eyes off the documents he was reading on his desk.
"I need to speak with you regarding the campaign." Cheren said, his tone calm and measured.
"What about it?" Senzin followed up, still reading the documents on his desk, frustrating Cheren a bit.
"May I speak frankly, general?" Cheren asked first instead, wanting to be able to give his opinion clearly and plainly.
"Go ahead." Senzin affirmed, again, not raising his eyes to look at Cheren.
"I think you're hesitating, Senzin." Cheren stated, slightly louder than he intended too.
Immediately, Cheren noticed Senzin's eyes halt its movements from reading the documents. For a few seconds, Cheren simply stared at the still body of Senzin before the general finally set his documents down on the table. When the general's eyes set upon Cheren, he felt them pierce through him like an arrow and at that moment, he regretted ever coming into the tent to confront Senzin.
"Go on." Senzin prompted, his tone suggesting that it was more an order.
As much as Cheren wanted to shy away at that moment and retreat from Senzin's hard gaze, he could not find it in him to do so. It could have been because of built up frustration over the days, a genuine desire to address what he thought was wrong, or simply because he was too afraid of defying a direct order from Senzin. Cheren honestly did not know, but whatever the reason, Cheren chose to push onward.
"It's not just me who thinks this, the others too." Cheren started, trying to draw confidence from having a coalition of support.
"You always told us that decisive action was the herald of victory and hesitation was the death of it. That's what we did and that's why we always won. We take the lead against the enemy and force them to move in what way we want." Cheren continued, growing more confident in his tone with each word spoken.
"But now, you're hesitating. You're indecisive! There are so many targets we could hit but you don't move against any of them! You just stall here, sending riders out to die and letting the Earth Kingdom bleed us out slowly for little gain! Why?! Why did you change!? Why would yo-"
"Colonel Cheren."
Cheren's impassioned speech was cut short by Zhou's authoritative address. All of Cheren's built-up confidence as he spoke previously all vanished as soon as he heard Zhou's tone.
"It is disappointing to hear that in all the years we spent fighting together, you and the soldiers have learned little. You all still make the fatal mistake of confusing recklessness with decisiveness." Zhou lectured in a cold tone, which made Cheren involuntarily wince.
"Tell me, what do you think we should have done?" Zhou encouraged in that sick way where everyone knew it was a set up to trap you. But before Cheren could even take the bait, Zhou answered his own question.
"Let me tell you what you think: after we landed, you thought we should have sent out the cavalry immediately to strike at the different villages in the area. Harass the local garrisons and stretch them out with raids. While they're pressured, we send the main army to crush them by piecemeal, not letting them reorganize. And finally, we take Omashu, with our rear secured and the city isolated." Zhou explained without pause, as if it was second nature to him.
Cheren couldn't say anything in response, too stunned that General Zhou's narrative was essentially what he thought should have been done from the start.
"There are three problems with that plan. One, the army. With the exception of our unit, most of the soldiers assigned under my army are those with little to no combat experience. For that plan to work, I need discipline not just in command, but in battle. Decisive actions mean little if the soldiers can't see it through. They will break, they will die, and we will all die." Zhou harshly pointed out with little hesitation.
"Two, information. We're in enemy territory we have little current intelligence on. Back in the north, we had a hundred years of constant warfare in the area plus five years of actual combat to rely on to understand the terrain, the enemy, the weather, the populace. Here, we are as good as blind. We march against a village, the next thing we know, we're marching against the fortified Earth Kingdom army encampment." Zhou continued, not at all stopping.
"And three, the officers. There is only one of me. Back then, I only had the Komodo Dragons to oversee so that meant I could lead every battle personally and directly. Now, I have eight thousand souls to lead, and a selection of officers I must trust. Some of them are aged garrison commanders looking for some glory and fortune before they retire. Some are fresh faced academy graduates with ambitions to rise high for acclaim. And now, even my own officers of five years are doubtful because of change. If I can't trust my commanders to not go rogue and execute their own plan for glory or a misguided sense of initiative, then I can never plan for victory." Zhou finished listing, his tone still in the same steady and cold measure.
Cheren was stuck in silence. There were no words he could say in response to what General Zhou said. He wanted to argue them, refute them, especially the remarks regarding the Komodo Dragons, but for some reason, he couldn't. Instead, Cheren simply felt a deep shame eating him inside, as if he had disappointed a dear mentor.
"Do not mistake caution with indecision. The soldiers must learn to fight together. We must gather information. I must know how long the leash can be." Zhou finished, clasping his hands together on the table.
A few moments of silence passed between the two, with Zhou's hard gaze staring directly at Cheren while Cheren's own avoiding Zhou's by looking at the table below.
"You are dismissed, Colonel Cheren." General Zhou finally said, breaking his gaze and returning to the documents he was reading.
"General." Cheren softly responded with a meek bow of his head before exiting the tent.
As Cheren marched back to his unit to inform them of what was discussed, there was one thing on his mind. Decisive leadership didn't make the Komodo Dragons successful. Senzin Zhou alone did. If another decisive leader took command back then, Cheren knew that they still wouldn't so successful. Because beneath all the knowledge, charisma, and wisdom of Senzin, there was a mysterious and relentless drive that made Senzin Zhou seem inhuman. It appears whenever they ride against impossible odds, how he never flinches or falters in the slightest. It appears whenever he becomes stoic every time a soldier under him dies. It appeared just then when he thoroughly shut Cheren down. It was a drive that none of them could fully explain yet they all found themselves swept away in. And while Cheren could never see himself ever understanding their commander, Senzin Zhou, Cheren knew in his heart that they were with him, whether it was victory or death.
