Summary:
General Iroh has gathered his top brass to discuss the way forward, towards the inevitable goal, the achievement of his most ardent dream: The Fall of the Earth Kingdom.
Many factors will have to be considered and clashing perspectives cannot be avoided, especially between himself and his ever more renowned niece, Princess Azula.
Lu Ten will have the subtle yet difficult task of mediating between his father and his betrothed while having to demonstrate his own authority and ability for insight as well.
What role will commander Hakuin, leader of the Guanyin battalion, whose son and troops were key to previous victories, play? Does he know more than he lets on?
Chapter 2: Conflicting Strategies
General Iroh, Dragon of the West, heir to the throne, said:
"This is where the end begins, this is where destiny is made manifest."
With those heavy words he announced to all present his full intentions to take what was out of the Nation's grasp for way too long. Reducing that prize to ashes if he had to was an acceptable price for his dream. Nobody needed to have it said, they all knew or presumed. At last when the weight of the words settled, he glanced around for reactions, everyone's eyes were as determined as he hoped. Then he noticed his niece who had just entered and hadn't yet taken a seat, saying:
"We've waited for you, Azula. My son refused to start without you."
Without flinching, Azula responded:
"Well he IS a true gentleman after all, waiting for your woman shows that you care, and I DO appreciate that."
She made her way to the right hand side of Lu Ten, her rightful side, bowed and stretched out her hand. He put his right hand onto her palm, she kissed it then pressed her forehead on it. The small ritual expressed her wish for his blessing, which he was happy to give.
Indeed, the only man Azula showed physical and verbal affection for beyond the familial or professional was Lu Ten, yet it was still something she needed to be careful with. Some disapproved of that, calling it unchaste and unseemly due to not being married officially yet. On the other hand she needed to make it clear, repeatedly and beyond doubt, that she fully and eagerly accepted Azulon's will and that no other man stood a chance. It was a tightrope, like so many other ones she had to walk on, almost all of them more dangerous than the literal ones Ty Lee walked on in the circus.
She was thankful Lu Ten played his part beyond what was expected of him. She knew for certain that he wasn't some monk sternly denying his needs but he never made it a communal event with other soldiers and commanders, he never even mentioned those other women to anyone, nor did any of his lays ever dare mention him. No one would have truly blamed him if he didn't do these things, but the fact that he went the extra mile to spare her feelings was endearing to say the least.
She mused how much easier life would be if one could rationally pick for whom you feel lust.
But, she was rational and calculating enough to remember favors. Repaying them doubly was often a good strategy. If you repay a good thing twice the person you owed something now owes you and if you repay an injury with twice the pain it shows you are to be feared.
This was one of the reasons why she never felt ashamed to demonstrate clear submission to her husband to be, both in private and in public, second only to her father and Fire Lord Azulon, and definitely more than towards her uncle, much to his chagrin.
Duty came in hierarchies, her father Ozai had taught her. If there's conflict or confusion you must follow the demands of the person who ranks higher. She had deeply internalized that lesson, something which Ozai now saw as a potential strategic risk and constant source of concern. After all, for a woman, the husband ranks higher than a father. Iroh's source of concern on the other hand was that she would betray that expectation and saw confirmation of that, among other things, in the way she treated her brother Zuko.
However, he wasn't blind to the effect her "acting" had on the troops, even the marshals and commanders. His son was a very calm, mild mannered, even affable man while her impatience for fools was notorious. The fact that someone as fearsome as Azula behaved around Lu Ten the way she did made his son deeply feared by extension. What average man could ever hope to tame such a tempest?
Even now, when seated next to each other, despite there not being any need to further demonstrate anything, they were holding hands under the table. Perhaps not obvious to everyone but Iroh could tell. Hoping to rouse his son away from distracting temptation he spoke:
"Shall we begin? Son, I understand you sent men eastwards to scout ahead?"
Lu Ten now had to let go of his fiancee's hand in order to appear regal enough when responding:
"Indeed father, those who have returned reported that there doesn't seem to be anything to report. They wore Earth Kingdom disguises but I'm afraid the sight of lone riders might have aroused suspicion from the watchers on the wall."
Feeling slightly more at ease now, Iroh continued:
"It's likely that they either suspect or know that we've taken the barrier, but you are saying no one has seen any enemy troops outside the walls yet?"
"Indeed father but I think it's only a matter of time, of short time in fact, before they muster a counterattack. We might need to start building our own fortifications to defend our current position."
Prince and general Iroh was actually a quick and decisive decision maker since his youth, but who understood the value of appearing pensive and his words well thought out. Thus he said:
"I think we need to be bolder. Now that the road through the mountains is open we can more safely send reinforcements. It would be better to use our surprise and momentum to encircle the City as much as possible. Anyone present have any arguments for or against this?"
One of the older marshals present spoke:
"My prince, I believe you have noticed this too. As the years and decades have passed it has become more and more difficult to get any reliable news about the inner workings of Ba Sing Se. Even our best spies and infiltrators end up never returning and what little information we do get turns out to be false vastly more often than not. The Palace might as well be located on another star."
"The number of ways a man can react is great but not infinite. We have to anticipate what is most likely and judge our enemy by the way they respond to our actions."
The old general's son sensed his chance to interject and said:
"If we try to encircle The City the most logical thing for our enemy to attempt is to encircle us in turn and crush us between two fronts. We must ensure this doesn't happen. We need to also think of our supply lines."
Prince Lu Ten was barely done speaking when the two guards posted outside the entrance of the tent appeared, apologized for the interruption and introduced a newcomer.
Commander Hakuin, leader of the Guanyin.
He entered through the tent door and was warmly greeted by his general. No word about lateness was wasted on him, perhaps because it was expected, he probably had a good reason. Azula still couldn't help but feel slighted, ever so slightly. The commander bowed and once he was fully upright again he certainly noticed the division of the table. Though it was round it was still possible to pick a side. The princess caught the fleeting look he gave her, the moment of hesitation before he walked to the side closer to Iroh. It was all the proof she needed, her efforts were far from fruitless, it was just a matter of time and care before they ripened.
Earlier today she had bestowed great dignity and esteem to Hakuin's son by praising his valor, speed, strength and skill in front of a great mass of soldiers and sergeants outside his own battalion. Though the young man was more timid around allies than enemies, he played his part well enough. Azula certainly didn't feel like she needed to pull achievements out of the blue, though she did act slightly theatrical for the sheer joy of it. Being rightfully praised by one of the greatest warriors of the Nation wasn't something to be forgotten soon.
Perhaps people would be comparing her to Rangi, the highborn warrior woman of days long past, if talking positively about an Avatar and her "friend" wasn't such anathema. Sometimes it wasn't even necessary to burn texts and records to bury a memory.
Once commander Hakuin was firmly seated he asked:
"Honored colleagues, forgive my lateness and my interruption of the talks so far. I will not ask for unnecessary repetition, please continue. What is the newest development of our situation?"
The fact that his gaze ended up resting upon her when he was done speaking encouraged Azula to speak up first, mentioning something she wanted to bring up anyway:
"We were talking about possible threats to our supply lines. The grassland nomads are going to be a permanent annoyance if we don't crush them decisively."
Crown prince Iroh calmly, almost dismissively replied:
"I think I can deal with that. After all, I've been your uncle for seventeen years."
It wouldn't be the first nor the last time he and his niece would play this game of trying to get under each other's skin while not showing all too visible reactions to the public. It was her turn now:
"You still sent your old friends instead of troops proven at such tasks, I've seen their wounded bodies this morning. I'm sure I already told you this before, uncle, but your friends are only good for brutalizing villagers. Not that that's not a worthy military objective but they are less than incompetent when sent against actual soldiers, mounted soldiers at that... we kept them around because they play and sing well at music night, didn't we?"
"You shouldn't underestimate how instrumental music can be to victory. If you rely solely on already proven soldiers you will have no one to fall back to should the proven ones perish. Besides, everyone should have a chance at glory. Isn't that one of the reasons you led troops you previously didn't command when taking the Barrier?"
Lu Ten worriedly glanced between Iroh and Azula, the latter wasn't exactly pleased with her esteemed uncle undermining her recent victory. However, upon noticing her cousin's gaze she quickly collected herself, thanked him with a small smile, then said:
"Indeed it is, I'm glad our perspectives have fallen into accord despite initial misunderstanding."
Sometimes the only way to win is to not play at all. Iroh wasn't fond of losing either so he followed suit and opened the next topic.
"As my son was saying earlier, we need to ensure we don't become trapped. Expanding east could leave us vulnerable from the south."
Another marshal added:
"They might have some garrisons south of us already but if they want to seriously threaten us they will need to cross both the Inner Sea… and the Desert."
Sensing and disagreeing with the tone used, commander Hakuin couldn't help but retort:
"You make it sound like the Si Wong Desert is some impossible obstacle. Perhaps for us but armies can cross it in a surprisingly short time as long as the local sandbenders help them navigate it. I have every reason to believe they still serve the Earth King, that much is certain."
"They still need to cross a large body of water, their navy simply cannot compare to ours."
"It's still good enough to transport a large number of troops and supplies."
Iroh, the common superior of both men, weighed in:
"I agree. Our maps tell us there's a significant port south of us. Taking control of it and the Inner Sea, at least the portion west of the Serpent's Pass, would not only protect our rear but provide us with a fresh source of fish and seafood, while cutting off the same from The City. Before raising this army, I've tasked my nephew, Prince Zuko, to fight his way through the great river connecting the Sea to the Ocean. Just this morning I've received a letter via hawk with his seal, saying the last resistance on the river itself has been crushed, his navy is ready to sail into more open waters and attack."
Hearing her brother's name mentioned instantly raised the princess's attention even higher than it was already. Leaving almost no room for pause after her uncle was done talking, she said:
"I will go and reinforce Zuko. If we can assault the port city quickly enough, even if we don't take it by storm, it should be distraction enough for my brother to secure the inner sea. I'm sure he will be happy to see me again."
Azula hoped she didn't sound too eager, yet she probably did, for Iroh looked displeased. Fortunately for her, Lu Ten noticed and said:
"Father, whatever differences there are between my cousins they have always demonstrated that they can put them aside when our Nation is on the line. The few times I had the fortune to witness them fight together were truly an impressive show of force."
"I think my nephew deserves his moment to shine alone."
Azula knew she wouldn't convince him, thus her next words were directed at swaying the audience present:
"I'm not planning on stealing his glory, I just want to witness it. Besides, I know him enough to know that one of the people he desires to impress the most is me."
Fortunately for her, her promised had a soft spot for seeing his cousins get along. There was not just logic but also passion in the following words:
"Yes, my cousins ARE competitive, I've watched them grow up. But their competition over the past years has been about who can bring more glory to our nation and push it closer to victory. Regardless of who wins, we ALL win."
The young prince looked around and saw the gathered marshals and commanders nodding, some hesitantly, some with enthusiasm. At last his own father and superior did so too, after which he said:
"Alright son, I see you've settled the matter. Anything else you think we should consider?"
Prince Lu Ten knew his father Iroh well enough to know that his words weren't a reprimand. Resignation perhaps but there was enough warmth in his voice to encourage him to speak about another topic he wanted to bring up anyway:
"Well, since we are weighing all our paths and options, I think we need to anticipate the reactions of more players than just The City itself? Once it falls the preeminent force in the Earth Kingdom is going to be Omashu."
Commander Hakuin was the first to speak:
"The king of Omashu is known to be… unpredictable, let's say."
Prince Lu Ten retorted:
"That's putting it lightly, even his own people call him completely mad. Hence why I consider it worrisome."
General Iroh weighed in:
"Yet he has reigned longer than most have been alive."
To which princess Azula added:
"Agreed, there has to be a method to every madness."
"I'm sure you would, niece. Perhaps you can enlighten us with an insight?"
Azula let the insult slide off the same way she dodged attacks and said:
"After ruling for so many decades it is certain he's aware of his own reputation. That reputation limits him in a way. If diverting armies from his city, the western coast and the southern Earth Kingdom as a whole is the irrational thing to do, this is exactly what we should be afraid of. That's why supporting Zuko as soon as we can is the best thing to do, regardless of how the enemy responds."
Her husband-to-be knew that sometimes his betrothed couldn't resist rubbing in a small victory or two. Quickly, before anyone could point that out he added:
"There's another big possible player that should concern us, the Northern Water Tribe. They might not acknowledge our sovereignty but they've wisely stayed out of the war as much as they could for a generation. There's an unwritten understanding. The question is if they will see the taking of Ba Sing Se as upsetting that balance beyond tolerance."
Another high ranking officer added his opinion:
"Indeed, for years now, there have been certain voices pushing for a more hardline and aggressive approach."
To which Azula asked:
"With certain voices, you mean commander Zhao, his family and clan?"
"Yes."
The princess sighed:
"Commander Zhao is famously infamous for his obsession with the northern waterbenders. His family was prominent in the fight against them in the early decades of the war, he's determined to avenge the humiliation they endured."
General Iroh suppressed his own sigh of weariness. Zhao was widely known as one of his brother Ozai's closest allies, and if certain vile rumors were to be believed, much more. The tone his niece used made her words sound like a warning, almost like a benevolent one at that. Iroh had been wondering for a while whether the apparent lack of fondness from Ozai's loyal daughter towards his loyal friend was nothing but a ploy or a genuine sentiment. He usually considered it the most safe to assume the worst about his niece, but sometimes it was hard to choose between options. He decided to leave judgment for later and said pragmatically:
"We shall see how that situation develops. Even if the Northern Tribe chooses to give their full support to the Earth Kingdom and its capital they don't have the resources to feed it nor the land to shelter its people. Its warriors too, we can handle. I've studied them and their bending long enough to know how to counter it. Moreover, I think we have all spent enough time today deliberating, it's time we spring into action. This talk has been more than productive… I will go and see the oracle now, you are dismissed. My deepest thanks for your attendance."
With those last words he signaled a finality that brokered no argument. The entire cadre assembled stood up and bowed most respectfully before leaving their general and prince to his most private matters.
His son and niece briefly stayed together near the tent's entrance and exchanged words, and looks. Lu Ten even gently put his hands on both of Azula's shoulders and spoke words of encouragement and praise. He knew it was almost impossible to go wrong with that. Azula wasn't the type of woman to ever get tired of praise, especially when it was earned and sincere.
Once they departed the princess noticed that Hakuin of Guanyin was walking close by and in the same direction as her. He bowed respectfully when she stopped him and soon their slow common walk turned into a conversation. As usual, the princess had a purpose behind her actions, and just idly chatting was decidedly not it. No, she talked and listened to learn secrets.
The thing that intrigued her about the relatively young and clean shaven commander was that his voice carried every mood and emotion known to man while just underneath the surface one could sense a deep, seemingly effortless serenity. Azula was determined to find out how deep it went and whether it was something natural or acquired. If it was the latter… well, ever since her "incident" permanent calm was something she craved to have in her arsenal. Luckily, she could sniff out one weakness, one angle of attack pretty soon, the commander liked being listened to. Somewhere along the path she decided to stop her walk and said:
"I wish my uncle would keep his superstition a secret instead of proudly proclaiming it. It sends the message that our council means nothing unless the cards and the bones confirm it."
"At least he doesn't rely on prophecy alone, like some other leaders I met."
"Do you believe divination CAN be truthful, accurate?"
"I'm not fully decided either way but if destiny can be foretold, the sandbenders got to be the best at it."
"You've been to the Great Desert?"
"Not just been there, I've even been captive there for a while."
"How did you escape? Or were you ransomed?"
"Neither, they let me go."
"What did you promise them?"
"Nothing actually. We just talked, when we got to philosophy we kept talking about it day and night, almost without stopping. The best way to win them over is showing enough reverence and respect for their culture and ways."
"Did you find out anything useful, or even just curious?"
"I suppose I did. There's a place they prefer to avoid, apparently it's a large library, buried in the sand, maybe the largest in the world. They consider it a cursed place."
"Because it's the dwelling of an evil spirit or something like that?"
"It is, but that's not the true reason they shun it. It's their attitude to knowledge."
"How so?"
"It's rather simple. They have their holy book, any text that disagrees with it is a lie by default and any text that does agree with it is superfluous. Moreover, the library spirit is known to be insatiable in its desire to collect all knowledge, that's why the sandbenders only rarely and temporarily write down their scriptures. The idea of them ending up as a collector's trinket is, to them, revolting sacrilege."
"Well, that was curious. Makes me curious enough to ask for something useful."
Hakuin lightly chuckled, apparently appreciating her sarcastic jab, something Azula appreciated in turn. He then continued:
"They have no love for the Earth King, they even refuse to consider him divine, or any human for that matter. They actively resent his house for crushing their old empire and pushing them back to the desert."
"So why do they serve him?"
"Because the Palace holds something they value more than their lives: The Book. It contains all their stories and laws."
"Didn't you say they all memorize everything and don't write anything down?"
"I did, but this is the copy believed to be penned down by their Prophet himself, dictated directly by their God. They prefer servitude over it being destroyed."
"So, whoever controls that book controls them?"
"Exactly."
"That's good to keep in mind for the day their walls fall before us, things do tend to get lost during conquests."
"A sandbender oracle might make a good present for your uncle, no one can see through the shifting sands of fate quite as clearly as them."
"If they are already anticipating our victory then perhaps an alliance is possible, covert or not. We could cut off The City from possible reinforcements from the south if the desert dwellers see the benefits of our supremacy. Very well, what you told me sounds useful enough, it's appreciated."
"Glad I could be of service, princess."
His expression of gladness was devoid of any sarcasm or duplicity, spoken like it was the most natural thing in the world. Azula pondered for a short while, tapping her chin with her finger. Like the good soldier he was, Hakuin waited for a formal dismissal. He didn't have to wait long before her mind was made up. She said:
"I'd appreciate it too if you could do me the honor of joining my mission south. Your son can join my cousin's push east."
Perhaps Hakuin's moment of hesitation was due to surprise, perhaps he was hesitant about the possibility of upsetting Iroh. If it was the latter his following words expressed his likely counterargument to the general:
"It shall be arranged. I will inform my son. I'm sure he will rejoice at the opportunity to serve the other half of our future royal couple too."
Azula nodded with approval and soon her and Hakuin went their temporary separate ways, spending the rest of the morning preparing the troops and supplies for service. Having learned the art of administration from her father just as much as the art of fighting, her detachment was ready before noon. An army marches on its stomach, so why can't it sate its stomach while marching too? Before she left she rode on her mount to Lu Ten's part of the camp. He was almost fully ready himself. Obviously her skills must have rubbed off on him, she thought with amusement. Carried by that warm feeling she said to him:
"Best of luck cousin. Just keep one thing in mind, as your bride to be I forbid you to die. If you disobey me I will kill you."
Lu Ten smiled and remembered the awkward girl trying to be charming, how amusing and endearing it was to witness her early struggles… and how her talent for finding the right words flourished when he told and assured her that she need not be anyone else around him. He said:
"Your way with words is peerless cousin. I shall remember the warmth of your lips as the enemy burns."
Memories of her cousin reading her favorite dramas and screenplays for her when no one else would briefly flooded her mind. He always put such passion into even the most silly lines of each character too. How could she not play along?
"I'll be generous today and reward you with TWO kisses for every enemy head or prisoner. After all, you are my ticket to absolute power, and that deserves honor."
"Sometimes, my most fair lady, I wonder what I did to deserve you?"
Azula hid the faltering of her smile. Her lips did not say it but her mind answered:
"The undeserving one is me."
She glanced back at him one more time before departing south, in the direction of destiny. Her mind refocused on what was ahead. It might have been Iroh's destiny she was tasked to fulfill but this didn't mean she couldn't forge her own along the way.
Besides, she craved the challenge, the distraction, for the worldly enemy outside was more often than not less scary than what she saw when she looked within.