General Tan Ya's Retirement in the Fire Lord's Court

by MindlessBipedC104

Tanya reincarnates into the Fire Nation, which has been at war for a century. Will she be able to escape the conflict to the rear? Home to conspiracy and courtly politics, will it even be safer than the battlefield? This work will also include quite a bit of bloodshed, world-building and war. Criticism is welcome

1. Chapter 1

Tan Ya's Retirement in the Fire Nation's Court

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"String up the prisoners."

Within an incense stick, forty-eight poles were erected, striped tree trunks with kindling piled at their bottom. As soon as my soldiers had finished their work two lines of starved, rag-clad men, mostly adolescents, were pushed forward. They had all been stripped of their armor, as even iron of poor quality could be melted down for tank plating.

As the captives reached their execution grounds, their comrades manning the walls of Gaoling could only watch. One nervous archer tried to shoot the guards, which brought a small smile to my lips.

Unease was already spreading through the defenders, and I would cut off my topknot if that arrow had been authorized. If merely nailing the captives to their posts brought forth such a reaction, my ultimatum would be effective. I might yet avoid a massive waste.

Settled into my stance, I calmed my joy. Form 4 was a personal creation and somewhat superfluous for the current situation. Frankly, I just wanted to enjoy the clarity this particular kind of bending brought.

First, I drew my inner fire to my stomach, or more accurately the chakra located there. Calming my mind by focusing on the energy, I let all unnecessary thoughts fade.

As the chi suffuse through my arms in rhythm with my breathing, I took great care to keep my mental state neutral. Not all that difficult with the cold fire traveling through my chakra pathways.

Moving in a motion adapted from water bending, I brought my palms together. Now was the moment of truth.

As I drew my hands apart, lightning crackled between them. Success! I had managed to create a negative and positive pool in my right and left hand respectively while also insulating the rest of my system by using the 'charge' of the cold fire remaining in my body. Had I executed the technique imperfectly, that remnant would have immediately converted itself to electricity, leading to assured death.

It was frankly a ludicrously risky technique, especially if I was interrupted. My own risk assessment chart told me as much.

Yet I could not help but use it. When I bent lightning, all that remained was logic and reason. It was wonderful, pure rationalism without a single trace of emotion. A true neutral state, one that not even the greatest masters of meditation got to enjoy.

And the best thing was, this sensation lasted afterward, fading away with the cold fire and its chi over multiple minutes.

Well, I would get to enjoy it after I got rid of the lightning in my hands. With a swift movement, I thrust out my hands like an air bender would whose forms were excellent for releasing energy precisely, probably to ensure the 'pacifists' only killed when they wanted to.

Thanks to my water bending based stance the lightning bolt traveled like a V-shaped wave, accurately hitting the straw piled at the bottom. The prisoner didn't even react as the lightning bolt impacted in front of him, his spirit long broken. Luckily he did start yelling in pain as the tiny flicker of flame caused by the lightning suddenly ignited the oil-soaked straw in a flash. The flame did not kill him instantly, which was good as otherwise this would have been even more pointless.

A reason why I had chosen this particular technique from all the forms I developed was so there was less risk I accidentally killed him. To add insult to injury not only was form 4 slow and stupidly dangerous but also lacking in destructiveness. It would, unlike even the standard lightning form, not even be able to punch through a stone wall and was less accurate too.

As the flames reached the captive's tights, I ordered my attended: "Get me a soldier with strong lungs and put the next pyre aflame in half an hour." Seeing my second not rush off with his typical, immediate obedience and instead look vaguely ill, I felt particularly annoyed.

How hard could it be to supply my army, when it is just fifty miles away from an ocean completely under fire nation control? This was already the fourth time one of my subordinates had gotten ill, and Commander Lee Ren would undoubtedly admit to stomach pain again if probed. How infuriating, that again I would lose him to food poisoning. Could he, for once in his life not just close his eyes and eat a damned sausage?

No that was unfair, it was not him who failed in his contractual obligations. Nor was the issue with the cuisine of our new homeland, welcome change that it was. The blame lay entirely with the logistics department, for even offering seafood to the officers.

Sighing, I addressed the pale commander again: "Just relay your order and get some bed rest." Before the screams could overpower any further conversation I decided to give some dietary advice that might prevent a third time: "Ah, in the future remember to always thoroughly cook your meals. And maybe eat more-". I almost wanted to say more vegetables but I had learned my lesson thanks to the only casualty we took on the Rhine when a Corporal ate a rotten potato. Turns out, the main danger when most of your rations were pickled meats and hard track came from vegetables. So I corrected myself: "-Pork. Roasted is deliciously juicy and sheep-pigs are everywhere in this kingdom. You can even enjoy the meat bloody if you want since it is so fresh and unspoiled!"

Le Ren only grew paler, keeping unnaturally still. He must have remained standing only through sheer willpower, powering through his sickness to continue his work. An admirable effort though ultimately still a bad allocation of resources. Healthy he would be far more productive, so I grabbed my second's shoulders and dragged him to fresh air. The stench of burning man-flesh had grown overpowering, so close to the bonfire.

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"People of Gaoli, tremble for you face the Lighting General, Scourge of the South, Scourge of the Green Army, and Slayer of Lu Bo. Look upon those who have resisted me and watch them burn. This is the fate of all who oppose the fire nation and will be your fate too, should you fight. I will spare no one and give no clemency! Resist, and from the youngest babe to the oldest sage, I shall drag them to the pyre. Your ashes I will dump into the ocean, never to receive burial. Your city's name will be censored and forgotten to history. Your homes will be razed, the tombs of your ancestors desecrated.

Resist, and that will be your fate."

At that point, I gestured for my herald to wait a little. It always paid to give people time to vividly imagine their own assured, violent demise. Emotional creatures that they were they would fear being burned alive in execution than during a sack, fearing certain death more than the statistical likelihood of the same. Not that I wanted my enemy to think rationally. If they did, they might realize that my army's size was insufficient to storm walls manned by hundred of earth benders.

And so, I prefer thousands to act against logic and reason by threatening them with an emotional argument. War truly makes monsters of us all, I thought, the smile slipping from my face.

As the final screams of the burning man echoed, I contemplated that I did not need additional justification to hate war. The population of an entire city and all their physical assets on top of that… waste on such a scale is almost unimaginable.

I would need a whole department of scribes to calculate their annual GDP without computers, and that is not even getting into forecasts!

Instead of further contemplating unlikely absurdities such as the cities destruction by my hand, I gestured for my mouthpiece to continue the speech. I had to thank my best friend for allowing me to realize these terror tactics could even be successfully used by me. It was undoubtedly effective, and spared me multiple unnecessary sieges.

That did not however mean I enjoyed standing in front of a hostiles cities gate while self aggrandizing myself.

" -nd so I, Ashbringer, Immolator of Ten Thousand, Student of Fire Lord Ozai…"

Privately I still believed most of this ceremonial taunting and title bragging was fairly unnecessary and originated as a character quirk of Genghis Khan, inherited by his pillaging descendants. That man literally called himself the 'scourge of god'.

If I dared upset a winning formula, I would have liked to just once offer a city the chance to surrender or face total annihilation without all the flowery language attached and just a pile of smoldering bodies as an incentive. Hadn't skull pyramids been a thing? During my campaign I had come across corpses regularly and getting boiling water shouldn't be too hard with the ability to summon fire.

" -bring you your only chance of survival. Surrender, become citizens of the Fire Nation, pay less tax, and be spared any looting or pillaging. Surrender, and you and all you love shall not be harmed. I shall grant you a single day to come to your decision. You will be provided with accurate timekeeping."

As I walked away from the gates new screams accompanied my exit. Half an hour had passed. Turning to the nearest officer I gave further instruction: "Lieutenant Iuka"

"General", the officer gave me a crisp salute despite her obvious exhaustion, still keeping up her disciple even after three weeks of forced marches. As always I was impressed with the military's ability to motivate their employees. Regrettably, intense nationalistic indoctrination did not lead to performance improvements in the far more important commercial sector.

"Continue the executions at each half-hour mark and have someone wake me once they are willing to negotiate," I ordered the soldier, before heading to my tent. I was just as exhausted as Lieutenant Iuka.

It only took eight new corpses for Gaoling to surrender.

As evening dawned the besieging army formed up in a long column, along the road to the main gate. First were the tanks, three abreast and shadowed by a line of fire benders easily passed through the titanic gate, ready to unleash a firestorm should the capitulation be a trick.

It proved an unnecessary precaution. After their surrender, the garrison stopped guarding the wall or anything at all. Most would have considered it cowardly, for soldiers to abandon their armor and fade into the civilian population, though I just admired their practicality.

I would downright praise them publicly if I wasn't certain that some of them already formed rebel cells. Why could they not just seek gainful employment instead of wasting my human resources?

The streets themself were as empty as the walls, the citizens hiding inside their homes. Only a delegation was there to greet them, probably sent by the Beifongs considering the winged boars on their banners.

"The city is yours, oh great Lightning General," spoke the man leading the procession, before bowing deeply, as did the rest of his attendants. Perfect, just who I needed. Considering it was a procession without any nobles in attendance, I gave only a nod in greeting: "Thank you, herald. Please send word to the Beifong estate, I have a business to discuss."

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Beifong Estate

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In many ways, the name Earth Kingdom was a misnomer. It implied that both the entirety of the nominal territory claimed by the polity was a unified state with a king at its head and a that it shared a common culture. This could not be further from the truth.

The geographic realities of having a pre-industrial country spanning over a mega continent, which I judged as possibly larger than Eurasia, meant that a more decentralized approach was adopted with functional independence for the provinces. Not to say that the Earth King was a powerless figurehead since he controlled Ba Sing Se and the surrounding floodplains. The massive population of that region made for a similarly massive army and so the local governments could be pushed back in line, when the taxes, or more accurately tributes, were left unpaid.

So too was Gaoling a practically independent polity, that paid lip service to the central government. As a result, the province developed its own vibrant culture, which the Beifongs proudly displayed in their home.

"And on the left, we can see a mosaic depicting the visit of Sage Jianzuh, mentor and father figure of Avatar Kyoshi, as he requested aid from the long-reigning patriarch Lu Beifong" explained my guide, a certain professor Zei. I must admit a fondness for the man, both for his professionalism and his obvious expertise.

"Fascinating. I assume that is pure gold used in the robes?" There were benefits to having your population be able to magically shift stone. Still, I had seen less opulence in the fire lord's palace, the seat of a government of an industrial state!

"Just so, General, just so," nodded professor Zei enthusiastically, his large straw hat bobbing up and down. He had told me that he had fallen in love with the thing on one of his many expeditions to the nearby Si Wong desert and now even wore it indoors. In fact, the original reason I had sought out the man when I heard that he was a guest of the Beifongs was for his experience in surviving in the biggest desert in the world.

It was unlikely that the central government in Ba Sing See would be stupid enough to send an army through there to uproot me thanks to the many, many times such a campaign failed against the Gaoling merchant republic before. Rebels however would not be hindered by a supply line stretching back all the way to the capital. They might not even have to worry about sand benders harassing them, since nothing unites disparate groups so much as my foreign army.

If my enemies intended to hide away in the desert I decided to best get help from someone who is famous for finding things in that sandy hellhole. I might be a fire bender, but even for a people making a home out of volcanic islands the conditions in Si Wong would be extreme. Larger than even the Sahara, located directly on the equator and with a mountain range cutting off the southern monsoon the place was even drier and hotter than the Gobi.

"In fact, despite the apparent opulence, this artwork did not represent as great of an expense as one might originally assume. In 301 B.G the goldsmithing industry was far larger than today, at least if we assume the numbers recorded in the residential registration register are accurate," elaborated the explorer.

"This meant that the supply of capable goldsmiths was naturally higher, while due to gold's rarity the number of customers that could supply them with their materials did not correspondingly rise. In other words, demand remained static while supply increased."

I allowed a small smile to show as I saw the poleaxed expression of the professor. Establishing myself as someone with basic competency in the humanities would help me network with such an accomplished academic.

He schooled over his surprise quickly, which I assumed was a skill he acquired when requesting research funds from rich patrons like the Beifongs.

"You have assessed the facts correctly, General. The actual development you describe with goldsmiths entering a fierce competition for the remaining contracts took place during the closing days of the Kyoshi era.

At the time the century-long economic downturn experienced by the merchant republic made importing raw ore up the Chang Jiang too expensive. Most of the goldsmiths became weapon smiths using local iron, with our hosts acquiring most of the workshops by offering free vocational training and incredibly cheap steel to their many partners."

Economic happenings were always relevant so I probed: "If I may ask, what had caused the recession?"

At my question, the professor lit up. Drawing himself to his full height, he explained: "This is a matter of vigorous debate! A close friend of mine, Professor Wang posits that the outlawing of the Shangye Hetong and the increasingly monopolistic practices of the Beifongs made Gaoling increasingly hostile to trade, the very thing that brought them their wealth."

Noticing my confused look at the mention of the 'Merchant Contract', but not noticing the angry gazes of the estate guards, the professor elaborated: "The Shangye Hetong was an agreement made between wealthy patrons and an enterprising merchant. The contract specified the destination, provided the merchant with enough finances to purchase trading goods at the end of their voyage and upon its successful conclusion guaranteed that the patron would receive a third of the profits."

Well, that was eerily familiar. Did the Vancian Republic not utilize a similar system before it was outlawed and subsequent declined? The Commenda had been banned by established merchant and banking families because it allowed for upward social mobility, giving steady birth to new rival businessmen. I had read much about Venetian history in my first life, as many of capitalism's pillars like the private contract and banking developed in the city-state.

That was why I remembered that the split was fifty-fifty. So I asked: "Why exactly was the rate set at at two-thirds?"

My question caused the professor to practically glow with excitement. Was he so unused to his audience being interested? If most of his time was spent in expeditions or audience chambers it likely was the case. I for one however was incredibly interested in every detail about the rise of the Beifongs and how they came to become a noble family that ruled the city. It was vital for my plan that I made a good impression on my hosts.

"This is also a matter of debate, though one not quite as vigorous. I never saw a fistfight break out over it at least!" he joked, drawing an obligatory chuckle from me. "Generally, it is assumed that the risks involved in sea trade at the time were just that high, necessitating such an unusually high commission."

"Ah, I must admit I know little about wooden ships," I responded. Any intel I could gather about Beifong shipping operations would be useful for the upcoming negotiation.

"And again I caused a misunderstanding," smiled professor Zei. "I must really have been getting unused to lecturing to such an interested listener," he complimented as we crossed a bridge over a beautiful turtle duck pond. It was the fourth of its kind I had seen, and I was slowly getting the suspicion that the Beifong estate was larger than the Fire Lord's palace.

"The main risk faced by merchants at the time was piracy, especially from the Southern Water Tribe and later the fifth nation. Currently, another wildly held theory poses that the pirates alone were the cause of the merchant republics decline, though I remain skeptical of that opinion as during Gaoling's golden age corsair activity was quite high."

I should have remembered that tidbit. There was a reason the Southern Raiders were one of the most widely revered units of the fire nation's navy. Due to their work there had been hardly any piracy in the region for the last fifty years, besides that one Water Tribe fleet that kept managing to evade battle and mined commercial shipping routes. The sheer amount of civilian vessels the indiscriminate bombs sank made the tragedy of the Lusitania look like a minor accident. Thankfully, attrition should soon see an end to the criminals.

"It was not until Avatar Kyoshi intervened and destroyed the entire fifth nation fleet in her first act as an Avatar that sea travel became relatively safe," the professor explained excitedly, completely absorbed in his history and undisturbed by the fact that a single woman could take on a fleet and win.

"Did Kyoshi accomplish this alone?" I asked, very glad that the current avatar was not seen for a century.

"Oh yes, the final destruction of the fleet and the death of the pirate queen Tagaka was reportedly done in anger after the Avatars party was ambushed during a negotiation regarding the release of thousands of enslaved civilians who had been taken as thralls during a raid in Zeizhou Province," said the academic.

Then, stoking his chin he seemingly reconsidered: "Admittedly the fifth nation pirate fleet was not as powerful as it was during the era of Avatar Kuruk, even with the absorption of the earth kingdom-based Fade-Red Devils. It was in 305 B.G that the fifth nation launched a gigantic raid into the western sea, which ended in a catastrophic failure as the Airbending master Kelsang summoned a massive typhoon that drowned the majority of the fleet. In fact, it is believed that so many of the pirate's leadership died that day that it allowed a Tagaka to succeed her father despite being a woman leading mostly a force made up of famously misogynistic water tribals through the simple expedience of being the only blood hire left."

"An air bending master did that?" I asked in shock, a shiver running down my spine.

"Yes, it was quite a controversial action at the time. Records show that master Kelsang was even struck from his temple's records for taking lives, at least until Avatar Kyoshi campaigned after his death against the decision. It caused a major controversy and alienated the Avatar from the Southern Air Temple until her reincarnation."

That was not the point I was getting at.

As a rational individual, I opposed genocide on principle, as it was an irrational action that wasted valuable human resources for no gain. Still, as a General I was glad that all the Air Benders were dead. That a single master could wipe out fleets was as shocking as it was dangerous, especially as unlike the Avatar they were not empowered by the spirits. And also unlike the avatar there was more than a single Air Bending master.

Every Air Nomad could bend, and all of them had also been bonded to a sky bison. If the abbots of one of the temples decided to launch a deep strike into fire nation territory there was not a thing we could have done to stop them. I had been thought in the royal fire nation academy for girls about the planned attack from the Air Nomad Army (and was it not ironic that the supposed pacifists retained an armed force?). If Kelsang's power was any indication drawing all the oxygen out of the caldera to suffocate our capital might have only needed a few of the highest-ranked monks!

Yes, it was an incredible tragedy that the export market 'air nomads' was gone, but as a strategist, I could not disagree with Fire Lords Sozins decision to kill them off to the last babe. Even if the majority of the population remained committed to neutrality and pacifism such a thing had never stopped nations in my previous life's from giving their preferred victor logistical support. Imagining earth kingdom armies being transported by air, faster than any ship could sail, caused another shiver down my spine. I was indeed very glad that the air nomads were gone.

"It is a shame really, that the fifth nation was ended so suddenly," sighed the professor, pulling me out of my thoughts. Seeing my incredulous stare at him bemoaning the loss of unwashed brigadiers, the academic elaborated: "Not that I wish to defend sea-based banditry, of course. However, despite being primarily made up of water tribals and originally set up as a front by the Overchief of the south pole to prevent retaliatory attacks by the fire and earth kingdom navy, the group accepted any benders from other nations wishing to join. That made them unique in history, as the only example of a military force made up of benders from multiple nationalities," he explained enthusiastically. Exceptions to the rule were always interesting to historians. Then he shot me a considering glance.

"At least they until recently, if certain rumors are to believed."

While I was no genius like Azula, I still understood such obvious probing. So I confirmed his thoughts: "It is true that I have recruited a large contingent of earth benders into my army, mostly from Yu Dao and other old colonies. They are all obedient soldiers and invaluable comrades." Their loyalty truly was unquestionable, their origins on the other hand, especially for my non-benders… Well, I relied on a system of trust when my recruits told me about their 'actual' homeland and citizenship. I was just lucky that thousands of Fire Nation citizens had left the prosperous Yu Dao to become bandits and slum inhabitants hundreds of miles away in the southern Earth Kingdom.

The professor visibly brightened at my words, so I decided to throw him another bone: "Please keep this a secret until I send you a letter telling you otherwise, but I have even sent envoys to the nearby Foggy Swamp. There are rumors of multiple tribes of Water benders have settled in the expansive mangrove forest and I intend to employ some of them for a special unit."

"Remarkable, an army possessing every kind of bender. Such a force has not been for close to four centuries now!" Pushing up his hat the man continued: "May I be allowed to interview some of the earth benders? It will probably be censored in Ba Sing Se, but I might manage to sneak them into the university archives. Spirits know that the Dai Le don't pay them any attention."

"Certainly, though I will ask that you leave out the family names of my earth benders," I agreed instantly. Letting him interview my colonials cost me absolutely nothing and might even improve their dedication by showing how valuable there where. Every employee wanted to feel appreciated, and being interviewed by a famous researcher would certainly accomplish that.

Not that these war maniacs needed extra motivation.

I had received dozens of letters from more veteran commanders warning me about accepting 'naturally treasonous' earth benders in my army.

Not that I was even remotely worried about them defecting. Having been barred from military service despite being extremely patriotic citizens, whose great-grandparents had already lived under the fire nation, had put something of a chip on their shoulders. Well, at least for the ones truly from the colonies. Not that my other soldiers were less enthusiastic, being recruited from those who suffered because of the feudal system.

So while there was absolutely no chance for the interviewees to suddenly realize their undying loyalty to the Earth Kingdom through an heart to heart conversation with a native professor, I did worry about rebel groups who might retaliate against the 'traitors' families. Calling more attention to the brave soldiers fighting for the fire nation would also subsequently lead to more calls to murder the family of said, heroes. And they would be hero's once their accomplishments were known. I could have not won my campaign without them.

"Though you will not have to worry about censorship, my friend," I told him, shamelessly using my higher societal position to claim him as a friend despite meeting him only an hour ago and not understanding friendship beyond the dictionary definition. It was nice to finally be able to use the same tactic as that one overly friendly American businessman in my first life. He had gone around claiming every person he met as his friend and build up an impressive network that way. You wanted to tell a billionaire no. Nor did you want to tell a successful general with a reputation for massacres no.

"You will be able to publish your research freely in the fire nation, I will make sure of it. If you want I can also organize a visa for an expedition to the Sun Warrior ruins," I smiled. Poaching such an accomplished academic from the Earth Kingdom would be a nice feather to add to my cap.

My grin was answered by professor Zei's own. "Then I must thank you even more! I had originally planned to launch another expedition to search for Wan Ze Tong's library, but I certainly won't say no to the chance to study a civilization where I actually know where to dig!"

"Then I will be happily expecting your paper." Success! Maybe Fire Lord Ozai would give me a bonus? Probably not since I would be receiving one for my victory anyway and our ruler did not seem like the type to value academics anyway.

Before the researcher could express further thanks we were interrupted by an unexpected guest. A small girl was standing in the middle of the hallway, dressed in fine clothes and accompanied by two guards. Something about her was off. My instincts screamed at me that she was dangerous, and her stance seemed familiar.

I ignored that irrational feeling and bowed in greeting. If my research, or espionage since I had my intelligence officers do the job, was accurate, standing before me was Toph Beifong, the young daughter and heir of the family. Well, maybe not an heir. Gender equality was not nearly as pronounced in the Earth Kingdom as in the Fire Nation, though admittedly it was not as restrictive as in the northern water tribes. Women weren't property, for one thing.

As soon as I had straightened my back I remembered the other detail on her file and looking at her milky eyes confirmed that she was blind. Before I could offer a verbal greeting she interrupted me.

"Are you here to harm my parents?" the girl asked bluntly, with no hint of aristocratic poise in her question. It was actually refreshing compared to the Fire Lord's court.

"No, of course not. I only seek to close a trade deal with your parents," I said with a smile while leaning down to Toph's eye level. A moment later I realized the uselessness of such gestures, returning my face to a blank mask and straightening my back. Looking down on the tiny slip of a girl from my full height of six foot was uncomfortable, but not as much as leaning down in my plate amour.

"That was a massive lie, but not about the murder part," the girl said with certainty in her voice. Had she somehow caught on about my plans? No, that couldn't be, what would a twelve-year-old know about the textile industry? "I will be coming with you, to make sure you don't trick them into something stupid," she ordered, somehow managing to grab my hand despite not being able to see.

"I would be honored to be accompanied by such a pretty lady," I told the unsettling girl as our group started walking towards the feast hall again.

"I am not pretty, I am scary," she responded with a sharp smile on her face, meeting my eyes with her milky orbs. Then she gripped my hand even more tightly and I felt the pressure through my steel gauntlet. What did the Beifongs feed their daughter?

Regardless of the awkward handholding, we reached the banquet room in short order. It was an opulent display. I had insisted on the meeting be private and so only Lord and Lady Beifong were present, with professor Zei making a quick exit. Despite this, the entire twenty-meter-long table was ladened with food, an entire dolphin-shark as the centerpiece. I might be able to indulge in fish today, as I doubted one of the richest merchants in the world suffered spoiled food on his table.

"Greetings, great lightning General," said the oligarch, bowing deeply. If I remembered my curtesy lessons correctly he had greeted me as he would an Earth Kingdom Regent. Well, that was excessive. Was my reputation really so bad that he felt it necessary to placate me so? I couldn't actually respond with a deeper bow, as such an angle was reserved for a member of the royal family, so I just matched his bend. It was important for him to see me as an equal trading partner, not a conquering barbarian.

Honestly, any earth kingdom noble looking down on the fire nation as barbarians was a bit ironic considering they were still stuck in the medieval ages while my country was building factories, but racism was entirely irrational. So was hatred, something the Lord Beifong artfully hid from me. Despite his friendly appearance, I was certain that he deeply despised me for capturing his city. Still, I hoped for the sake of our profits he would be able to set aside that dislike.

"And greetings to you, oh richest merchant in the South and Lord of Gaoling. For the sake of convenience, I would prefer it if you addressed me by my name."

The Beifong responded with a polite smile though he was sweating heavily. I wasn't surprised that his elaborate official robes were too warm for indoors.

"Thank you Tan Ya, if it pleases you, you can call me Lou. And, please, be seated," he pointed at the empty chair at the head of the table. I hid my surprise quickly enough for him not to notice. That was the seat of honor, normally reserved for the host! This was a good sign, at least if the merchant did not believe that I would have been crass enough to demand the seat had he not given it freely.

"Thank you for this honour," I said in archaic High Earth, bowing once again. As soon as I was seated Lord Beifong turned to his daughter. His wife's attention had been on her child since we entered the room.

"Toph, I believe it best if you return to your lessons now," he said calmly. His wife's worry was a lot easier to pick up: "Please dear, I am certain your tutor is already missing you."

"Master Yu fled the city the moment news of the approaching army arrived," she deadpanned. "Probably didn't want to be thrown into prison," she added with a pointed look at me. How did she even know where I sat?

Seeing the worried glances exchanged between the married couple I guessed at the reason: "I have no intention to imprison any earth bender." They were a vital part of the local economy after all and pretty much were the construction and mining industry.

"That is an unusual but very welcome decision," considered Lou. "I had originally planned to ask you for an exception for our daughter, who as you can see is hardly threatening despite being a bender."

That caused a snort from said offspring, but I ignored the child. "As I said such a thing will be unnecessary, at least if I have the full cooperation of the local guards."

"My family's guards have already been ordered to obey your commands, and I will exert pressure on the other merchants to do the same," responded Lou. Lady Beifong was still giving her blind daughter a death glare, which I did not really see the sense in.

The support given by Lord Beifong was reassuring. As a former merchant republic, the old oligarchic families still held a lot of power despite the Beifongs being the richest by far. They also all contributed to the guard force. And like the Venetian Council of Ten and their inquisitors, the guard could convict anyone of treason, which was mostly used to humble upcoming rival merchants. As such every oligarch in the city directly paid a share of the salary of the guards, so that such a useful tool wasn't turned inward.

I might despise the command economy my home nation developed to deal with a century-long war, but even then I recognized our system as far more meritocratic. Not to mention when this damned conflict was finally over I hoped that Azula might take some economic recommendations from me. She was after all a genius, who probably noticed the issues already and would naturally see the sense in introducing more capitalism.

"Thank you again, Lou. For now, I intend to simply establish multiple checkpoints and hand out special passes for earth benders. With a strong garrison that will be enough." I did not mention that said garrison would inevitably include a few earth benders. Suddenly digging into an underground stronghold where the rebels believed themselves hidden and safe made for a great ambush opportunity.

We made small talk for a while after that, and I greatly enjoyed the dolphin-shark. The offered bread was also a welcome reminder of a time before K-Brot. Nobody could compete with the varieties of bread the Empire boasted, until the Great War brought rationing.

Generally, grain was grown far more in the Earth Kingdom than in the Fire Nation, as the continent had both more land and fewer monsoons. Especially here in the south, where I judged the latitude to be the same as in say Pennsylvania. Good conditions for wheat, barley, ray, and other oats. As such Gaoling was famous for its noodles, which I enjoyed with a delicious oyster sauce as a side dish. Toph had kept her eyes on me during the entire meal as well as using perfect etiquette. Which included standing up, walking down half the table, and bringing me a soup side dish she grabbed from the middle of the banquet before positioning it exactly in front of me.

Well if she wasn't truly blind and only had unusual eyes it would be impolite to stare at her deformity. So for most of the meal, I tried to get a better grasp on the personality of my hosts. Lord Beifong turned out to be a fairly decent conversationalist only occasionally throwing worried glances at his daughter. His wife on the other hand made no effort to hide her anxiety. I am sure Toph was in for quite a chewing out. Sadly the girl did not strike me as the type to correct her behavior afterward. Really, even children should follow some rules!

Once we had eaten our meals, a servant brought us peach wine with which I toasted my host with but did not drink from. I was after all still only seventeen and Fire Nation law set the drinking age at twenty-one. A very sensible policy in my opinion after the great Sake Riot of 12 B.G.

Then I approached the topic I had come here for: "Tell me Lou, are the rumors about your tailors and seamstresses true?"

The merchant lord grimaced at that: "Yes, we have had to shut down three workshops just last quartal. The recent uncertainty in overland and river trade also made it more expensive for us to import wool and cotton from the east, and our competitors have exploited that gap."

Looking into his cup and swirling his wine in his cup he added: "Even if trade becomes possible again and we sold our clothes at the old prices I am uncertain how many of our former customers we could win back."

How nice of him not to directly mention that the reason commerce dried up was my campaign. I did feel guilty about my crimes against the free market so I hastily answered the man: "The Fire Nation does not plan to introduce any internal tariffs and will also break down any trade barriers to the mainland."

Having settled my conscience, I was surprised to see Lord Beifongs grateful smile at my words. Was he not listening to what I was saying? Lou Beifong was a wildly accomplished and infamously rich businessman, and as such should easily understand the results of combining the economy of an industrial state and a feudal one. No, he must be a good actor that hides his troubles perfectly. As expected of a noble who regularly visits Ba Sing Se.

It was time to calm his hidden worries: "While the absorption of Gaoling into the Fire Nation will undoubtedly increase the prosperity of the people living here in the long term, as happened in Yu Dao, I worry about the competitiveness of the local businesses."

"Rest assured Tan Ya, the Beifong merchant empire can compete with the entire world," puffed the shipping monopolist.

It was impressive how convincing he was. Still, even the best CEO couldn't fake this much confidence when R&D was this far behind the competitors.

Did he already have a contract in the Fire Nation that would sell him the newest industrial technologies? No, that could not be possible. The war has shut down any trade between the mainland and the Earth Kingdom. His partner must be in the colonies, probably providing Lou with outdated factory blueprints. I was confident I could provide a better deal, so this was not that big of a setback.

"I certainly have trust in your distribution and supply network. It is spoken of far and wide, and is the reason I have sought an audience," I first praised the man. Complimenting the person you wanted to close a business deal with was rarely a bad decision.

And the Beifong fleet and komodo-rhino carts truly were impressive. As the merchant republic had declined the family had systematically bought up the shipyards and komodo-rhino breeders until they could set the prices for both industries. Which they set very high for their rivals. Within a decade most of those went bankrupt, and entire rival clans were pressed into debt bondage and worked to death building new roads. These highways were of course also entirely owned by the Beifongs, and could only be used after paying a toll.

They had retained their logistical monopoly for close to two and a half centuries and it was one of the major reasons why they attained noble status and nominal governorship over Gaoling. And I would it in its entirety for my plan.

"However, regardless of the industriousness of your people, it is difficult to compete with a machine as you surely know. A sewing machine can do the work of twenty tailors for but a one-time purchase," I warned.

Lord Beifongs face went white at that. Had his agent not informed him of the newest machine's capability? It was not that unlikely once I thought about it. A businessman does not take on an unnecessary expense after all, and with the mutual blockade thanks to the war, trade with the Mainland was market research for a market he until recently had no chance of entering. Despite his little prior knowledge about the cutting-edge machines and not having any sources of his own he seemed to believe my words. Good, I did not have any blueprints with me.

"In the Homeland tailor shops and sewing workshops have all been replaced by factories, which often have hundreds of these machines. The amount of cloth they produce is correspondingly massive, and also of higher quality than most fabrics I have seen in the Earth Kingdom, as human error is entirely eliminated," I explained. The more worried I got Lou the more desperate he would be to close a deal with me.

He had managed to hide his early shock, his face now a neutral mask. "Even if the Fire Nation can produce more textiles while paying fewer workers, the volcanos are an ocean away," he said mildly. Despite his mellow statement, his eyes were sharp and attentive. The merchant lord had already guessed that I would be offering a deal.

"You especially should know how cheap it is to transport product via sea," I rebutted.

"Assuming of course the ship arrives at all. Deep ocean navigation is treacherous, and most of my ships are river barges. I normally just have them hop along the coast."

Ah, so he had guessed that I wanted his transport network. He was partially correct. First however to improve my bargaining position: "Luckily, a steel ship with a propellor faces far fewer dangers on the high seas. On average only eight merchant vessels are lost each year due to storms, out of a fleet of around eight hundred. Having no masts impeding balance has its advantages."

"That is an impressive number." After taking a sip of wine he turned his face toward me and asked: "I assume you seek my services for inland transport along the rivers? I doubt these metal monstr- ships can get upriver."

"Most merchant ships can't, that is correct," I acknowledged. Smiling sharply I continued: "Specialised paddle barges like the type one of my business partner produce can, twice as fast as your riverboats. And while storing more cargo and needing less crew."

I took another gulp of peach wine to wet my throat, before making my offer: "I wish to make the blueprints for these bardges available to a partner in the Earth Kingdom provided said partner builds the factory to produce these things and provides the initial capital investment."

Lou had been waiting for this. Immediately he started smiling and answered: "The House of Beifong would be honored to partner with you, esteemed General."

Mhm, it seemed that Lord Beifong was willing to hand out loans or 'bribes' as the uncouth would call it to me, and by extent the military of the Fire Nation. The Earth Kingdom was horribly corrupt, with a massive byzantine bureaucracy that competed with local nobles in exploiting the peasants. Paying a bribe to the passing vice undersecretary for Public Works was not unusual and if I wanted Lou wanted to use a factory as such that was fine by them.

Time to convince them there was profit to be found in this partnership. And a neat little bit of economic warfare and sabotage.

"Thank you, for your eagerness." Lou seemed ready to toast at that, but I interrupt: "However, my contracts are not limited to shipwrights. Should you be interested, I can also give you blueprints and mechanics to set up our own cloth factories."

"That is… How big of an operation have you planned?" asked the merchant. He looked a bit dazed, probably considering the expenses involved.

"One large enough that we can monopolise the trade in the remaining Earth Kingdom territories!" I cheered. Calming myself a bit I elaborated: "For now though we should focus on taking over cloth production in the newly annexed Southern Colonies and Ba Sing See." Before he could question that optimistic prediction I explained: "We will be able to simply outprice all our competitors, using the names of your shops to avoid scrutiny. The Beifongs are after all a noble house, and as such could only be investigated with an imperial decree- and with the Earth King ineffectual…"

Lou nodded: "Yes, it is the secretary sending out the decrees and the imperial seal gathers dust. Our competitors will be blocked by the bureaucracy even if they gather eyewitness accounts of our factories. And the fire navy's dominance over the eastern sea is merely to our benefit now. Partner," he offered with a merchant's grin.

"Now, there is only how we share the profits left to discuss," I said.

"How about an even split?" offered Lou, shocking me deeply though I let nothing show on my face. Why would he offer 50% for what was effectively a licensing agreement? Then again, without me it was doubtful he would be able to gather as many industrialists from the Fire Nation Mainland as I had. Maybe the demand he had for my service demanded such a high price. Regardless, I would be a fool to reject such an offer.

"Deal, you should be receiving the blueprints delivered as soon as I have returned to the capital and meet my contacts." I reached out across the table and shook his hand. He seemed a bit surprised.

Pulling out a stack of papers from beneath my breastplate I handed my partner the projections for how expensive it would be to set up a single factory, how many mechanics he would have to import from the Fire Nation Mainland per factory, costs forecasts and profit projections.

Beifong took a while to study the plans, taking a few calculations on a napkin. I couldn't help but notice that he was using a fountain pen, which as far as I knew was only produced in the Fire Nation. He probably got it from his spies, or full-time market researchers rather. It would not do to insult my business partner, not even in the privacy of my own mind.

There was no telling what subtle clues Lord Beifong could pick up from my subconscious micro expressions. Nodding, he said: I should be able to set up thirty-three factories. Please see to it that at least 341 mechanics arrive with the blueprints."

Thirty-three factories! The wealth of the Beifongs never failed to impress.

We will conquer the final bastion not with soldiers, but with textiles! Anybody with a passing familiarity with Indian history should know how this would play out. I could already imagine the beautiful smile on Azula's face as she promotes me!

---

Southwestern Naval Base

---

General Iroh enjoyed his tea. This was more than a well-known preference considered by the kitchen staff and no one else. You see, General Iroh really, really enjoyed his tea.

Everywhere, be it on the battlefield or playing Pai Sho, and anytime, be it at Fire Lord Azulon's funeral or when he breached the walls of Ba Sing See.

He was even once quoted as saying he would have rather run a tea shop than an army. As someone who also drew a very generous general's salary with an even more generous retirement package* such a thought was incomprehensible.

Regardless, his dream was another indicator of his love of tea. While his love for his country, or the possible fear for his life without the army's protection, kept the General from his preferred job, he was known to indulge in brewing at every opportunity.

Generally speaking, hobbyists loved their rare collectibles. Be it stamps, coins or plastic figurines, the devotee will spend large sums and much time acquiring them.

Now, suppose you just gift the sought-after item.

"I must thank you again, General, for providing me with these White Dragon Leaves," said Iroh, breathing in the aroma.

"Think nothing of it, General" I replied with a smile, taking care not to let my expression slip into a huge toothy grin. Success! I had managed to acquire the gratitude of the Fire Nation Prince and all it cost me were a few tea leaves Lord Beifong had gifted me. Which I still got to drink, while having the opportunity to network with Iroh! If I made a good impression on him I would have a fallback supporter should I loose Ozai's favor!

"General this, General that, we will both grow tired of titling each other," smiled the Dragon of the West. Stirring the kettle, he offered: "While we are alone, you may just call me Iroh."

I was very glad that the war hero was not looking at me at that moment. Despite my long experience in taking unexpected news in stride his declaration still shocked me more than a sudden cash influx into a bear market. It was one thing for Azula to allow me to call her by her name. We were nearly the same age, went to the same school, and shared the same teacher.

The situation was very much different if the Prince that is second in line for the Throne, with whom I had not exchanged a single letter before did so. As such, I stood up from the low table, walked a few steps away until I had enough place to kneel down again, before kowtowing and begging: "This commoner could not accept such honor!"

There was silence for a few moments before Iroh responded: "Please, do not make things awkward for an old man." I could hear the smile in his voice, even without looking at him since I was still stubbornly staring at the floor. Calling him by his name could technically classify as lese Majeste!

"Ah the youth, always so obsessed with honor," he sighed after I did not rise. Then, in a move that was indeed somewhat awkward, he stood up, walked over to me (I noted that his sandals were sailor standard issue) grabbed my armpits, and then pulled me up with surprising strength.

"Now, would you do me the honor of a game of Pai Sho, Tan Ya?"

Realizing that any further begging on my part would just be an insult, I eagerly nodded in acceptance. Pai Sho games could take forever, far longer than drinking some tea. I had to grab this chance!

"Would you be annoyed if I said I was honored to accept, Iroh?" I responded calmly, seating myself at the table.

Smiling, the man drew out a board and set down a white Lotus in the middle. After grabbing the black tiles I considered my response. The white Lotus was a very unique piece, and placing it in such an open position allowed it to be easily captured. Which was the point, at least for the most common White Lotus gambit.

Was it worth placing my pieces also in the middle to capture the lotus? Would a famous strategist like him really rely on such a well-known and ancient ploy?

In the end, I chose to ignore it. I was a novice Pai Sho player at best, only ever playing against Azula. Better to wait and let Iroh place more pieces before attempting to discern any tactic of his.

It was likely the right move, as Iroh seemed a little disappointed. Placing his next piece in the northern corner, he asked: "Forgive the curiosity of an old man, but is it true that there are Earth Benders among your soldiers?"

Well, he most certainly wasn't putting up a courtly façade. Even asking that could be misconstrued as unpatriotic by certain Homeland factions. Then again most of these factions were part of the Army or Navy block, and as such would be foolish to criticize the Dragon of the West in any capacity.

Genuine interest then? Likely, though it was possible that he simply did not care about the politics of his question. He had served his entire life in the army after all, showing no ambition besides that ridiculous tea shop of his. Well, I was happy to tell a colleague about my innovation.

"Not only Earth Benders," I responded, with a smile on my face. The shocked expression of the General was gratifying, but I did not intend to keep him waiting: "Indeed, I managed to recruit three water benders from the Foggy Swamp Tribes into my personal guard, with more on the way."

A wide smile broke out on Iroh's face and I tried to keep how impressed I was hidden. The aged general had immediately realized the military uses without me explaining or biases colouring his evaluation! He truly was a valuable asset to the fire nation, not only as a strategist but also as a human resource manager. My subordinates could have learned something from him. By this, I meant the ones from my first life who were against outsourcing projects to Korea. I was quite happy with my current soldiers, as over the last seven years they had always displayed an admirable work ethic after the short hiccup at the start.

"How did you get them to join," he asked leaning forward a bit, clearly interested.

"The same way you recruit any specialist. I offered a generous salery and good working conditions." Grinning sharply, I added: "Negotiating some very disadvantageous trade contracts with their chiefs probably also helped." Now I started chuckling, remembering the 'disadvantages': "Well, at least it appears to our new citizens that way."

His face hidden by the suddenly steaming tea, Iroh asked, his enthusiasm now seemingly under control and unnoticeable in his voice. It was eerily neutral as he spoke: "Would you elaborate on that, Tan Ya?"

Fighting to keep the smile off my face I elaborated my ploy: "The exact details are quite boring and lengthy and also written in common swamp tribe*, but to summarize the Fire Nation has agreed to send their partnered tribes a yearly supply of salt, iron tools and sake for each bender they send." Drawing myself to my full, thankfully impressive hight, I continued enthusiastically: "The total expenses involved are barely higher than outfitting a single conscript in proper armor since the trade goods are all fabricated items instead of folded plate!"

As the steam vanished, Iroh smiled brightly at me. Encouraged, I leaned forward conspiratorially: "The recruits I have now are only the ones who have joined for their own self-interest. Once the supplies actually arrive, word will spread."

As Iroh steered the tea he nodded at me to continue and I had to take care not to accidentally burn his hands. Enthusiasm about this chance to network was no reason for my control to slip. Fire benders bent constantly, at least according to my personal research. While there were accounts of other benders also expressing their emotions through their bending, they did not do so unconsciously or unwillingly.

An earth bender had to bend and shift the earth. A fire bender could lose control of his inner fire, or just not notice how it was affecting outside sources of flame. The flaming curtain in the Fire Lord's hall originally had been meant to demonstrate a Fire Lords' show of control, as they kept the flames low even while listing to important matters of state. It was a constant show of your ruler's level-headedness. Fire Lord Ozai used it for intimidation instead.

Taking care to return my mind to the pleasant matter we had been talking about, I bragged: "It is our national promise fulfilled. Mutual benefit and cooperation, with us bringing new technologies and wealth all without losing a single soldier!"

And after singing enough prefacing praises about the morality of my actions and how they fit with the official state line, I shared the real reason why we would bother with our new citizens: "In addition, the wealth we bring will flow back to us anyway, since the tribals are immune to the diseases of the swamp."

Said illnesses were part of my secret motivation that lead me to contract the tribals. The waterways were another: "With the land north and south of the swamp now conquered, our colonies will surly trade with each other without any internal Earth Kingdom tariffs in the way. We will be able to hire the tribals to crew the river barges connecting both."

Taking the kettle of the dying flame, he poured out two cups of fragrant tea. I could not help but notice the liquate in the cup was untransparent white. I had been assured that was a sign of the superior quality of this tea, but it still looked uncannily like paint. Having painted my penthouse myself to save unnecessary costs I was almost sure that infront of me was a small bucket of White 975b, though my rationalism forced me to accept the drink.

Sitting back down, still a smile on his face, he took a sip: "Truly delicious." Taking another mouthful, he let out a satisfied sigh.

"For what you have done, I really must truly thank you, General." Then he inclined his head in a bow!

Keeping my attention deliberately on him, I tested the drink that purchased me such gratitude. A refreshing flavor filled my mouth, a mixture of mint, Camille, and a few minor herbal and fruity notes. I couldn't help but wonder if this tea might have existed in my previous worlds too and simply harvested to extinction. In any case, my gift was a massive success. Really, it was too much for a Fire Prince to incline his head towards me, a mere commoner, for some fancy leaves the royal kitchens would have been able to get him anyway once trade with the new colony opened up.

"Think nothing of it General, the tea was a gift given to me" I joked back, having noticed that he had accidentally fallen into the wrong address. Really, his gratitude was a little much. Then again, it might be accidental.*³ Considering a General was responsible for an entire theater of the war there weren't many opportunities to meet in the field like this: I would be meeting most of my colleagues in the capital, where I would also hopefully score a job in the rear as another member of his Highness's war council. Meeting the Dragon of the West had only been possible thanks to him being practically in semi-retirement, traveling with the Exiled Pansy. Sorry, prince. It was best not to insult the beloved nephew of such a great man as the General, not even in using a common nickname in the privacy of my own thoughts.

Taking another gulp I enjoyed the delicacies flavour while I considered my next Pai Sho move. Already, the western corner of the board was heavily contested, and I was guessing that he intended for me to waste a strong piece there. I could discern a trap he had laid that he would snap shut in eleven moves, even if I spent a Dragon tile. Taking instead my own Lotus, I placed it in the middle of the trap. A sucidal move for a tile as weak as this, but Iroh got the message.

Grinning, he placed down his Pioneer in the east, abandoning the pointless struggle for the western corner. This was a good miniature demonstration of his greatest ability, to be able to cut his losses instantly and without hesitation.

I believed no other general the Fire Nation had produced in the last half century could have done the same.

A war that had raged a century was just too long a time. They had all turned bitter, and would have continued to waste resources in the Breach of Ba Sing See, with the ultimate price so close. Nor would I be able to do so, at least not with my army. My men would definitely lynch me if I did something as 'cowardly' as giving up because of casualties in front of such an objective. Damn war maniacs!

"Forgive an old man's bluntness, but I must admit that you are quite different from the rumors," stated Iroh, as I placed down my own tile to counteract any assaults he might launch in the new battlefield. Of course, my counter would only become useful in seven moves, when more pieces were committed by both players.

He seemed to be content with letting me pursue my strategy as we each placed down a few more tiles silently while sipping our tea.

I took this chance to think of a response. It was a delicate topic, and my depended greatly on what Iroh had heared. Considering he spent the last half decade with his exiled nephew, it was to much to hope for that my best friend's secrecy effort affected him to much.

According to Azula's letters she only left the caldera for training purposes. While her constant presence in the capital was invaluable in maintaining my 'honorable' reputation with the fire nation nobility despite my decidedly dishonorable tactics, it did little for my infamy in the Earth Kingdom.

There I had deliberately built the reputation of a dangerous and brutal conqueror, who however always honoured her agreements and spared you if you surrendered immediately. And as was common for conquerors in such an archaic time period, I mainly did so through massacres and excessive displays of violence.

Ah, laws of war, oh how I terribly I missed them. Should I screw up, instead of a nice stint in a POW camp for high-ranking officers I could look forward to being sealed in a cave with enough oxygen and supplies to suffocate alone in the darkness over the course of months, my bending and only light source consuming the very resource I needed to breathe.

Yes, despite all the plundering and scavenging that lead to a surprisingly varied diet and my wonderful new height I still almost preferred the trenches of Europe to my third life. Almost. After all, this time, with my greatest friend being the Crown Princess and a successful campaign under my belt I could look forward to a cushy position in the court! No more fieldwork, ever!

Returning to the here and now, I decided to just downright ask Iroh what he had heard. It was the most logical choice that lead to the least amount of misunderstandings²: "I hope you only heard good things about me?"

"I was told you buried a hundred thousand man alive at Zuhul pass, imitating Jianzuh the Architect as he did with thrice as many outlaws³," he said calmly: "Unlike him you released the remaining fifty thousand captives , cutting off their left ears and pinky."

Well, at least he did not sound accusatory. Why did the general focus on that incident then?

"Back then I had each prisoner dig a seven-foot deep grave, letting only twenty thousand go who had finished first."

For a moment I was back at that day, under the sweltering heat of the Desert Wall mountain range, as I had the forty thousand or so survivors of the ambush dig their own graves and bury their comrades alive.

I felt my voice crack a bit, maybe in anger at the sheer waste, maybe just because it was I who had to carry out such a wasteful action, as I continued recounting: "I had my soldiers exaggerate the number of surviving Earth Kingdom soldiers to the spared, and by breaking them up in groups of unequal size and having them dig in multiple valleys I convinced them that my trap had merely captured most of the 'Great Army'.

Iroh merely nodded, his expression still serene: "I believe in change."

Enjoying another sip of tea, he spoke: "I believe that people change if they want to."

Why was he talking about change all of a sudden? Had I missed any new political shorthand while on my campaign? Politician's liked to talk about Change whenever they could, didn't they? I mean, he could not have meant that he thought me executing prisoners wrong. That would be quite hypocritical, as he also executed prisoners in his march to Ba Sing Se. Generally, the fire nation was far better than the barbarous earth kingdom in that we actually took captives,but it still was not unheard of for a general to execute their prisoners when deep behind enemy lines like I was. Maybe he did not know about the military details yet?

"Back then, I did not have enough water to keep everyone alive."

Going by the slight widening of Iroh's eyes that was new information. Not that it excused my other atrocities.

"When I had my earth benders kick off that landslide we weren't certain how big it would be. With the water jugs Lu Bou's army carried shattered, I had to prioritize."

I leaned back in my chair as I remembered the method I had settled on, glad that there were no nearby sources of fire I could agitate. It took all my control to keep my tone neutral.

"The ones that finished digging in the hard clay were the strongest, the ones with the best chance of making it out of the mountains."

Since my enemy had mostly been peasant conscripts, these survivors were also the most productive laborers. It was an unfair way to reduce the waste in a fundamentally wasteful process, as the dirt had not been equally hard in each valley.

"Unknowingly, by killing their comrades they assured that they would each get enough water to last a week with rationing, just enough to get out of the mountains." I tried laughing, as Fire Lord Ozai had reportedly done when hearing the news, but it came out as a bitter chuckle. Twenty thousand taxpayers in the prime of their life, killed because I could not keep them from dehydration. These people would have been able to fade back into their villages and would have not cared that the lord they paid their tax to dressed in red.

Iroh suddenly leaned forward, and for a moment I irrationally felt like he would attack me for my unpatriotic spirit. Instead, the Dragon of the West refiled my cup before saying these most dangerous words: "Do you wish the war to end?"

Gritting my teeth, I tried to keep the shock and anger from my face. Of course, I wanted the war to end, I was a rational individual! Our Fire Lord was not, however, and he would execute me for saying yes to such a question! Ozai did not tolerate dissent. The Fire Nation was to hold power over the entire world, with him ruling as Fire Lord.

How should I answer? Why did Iroh even ask such a thing out of the blue?

Could it be that he was testing my loyalty to his brother? Family stuck together after all and it was awfully suspicious that a former Crown Prince was allowed to roam free. Maybe General Iroh was meant to act as a double agent that attracted malcontents in order to help Firelord Ozai identify traitors. Had this not been the favored strategy of a pair of brothers in Imperial China, to trick their enemies into a prearranged conspiracy?

Alternatively, Iroh just wanted my genuine answer, but I couldn't believe a former crown prince was so blind to politics. So was he really planning a rebellion to end the war? If it was, it would be suicidal of him to allow me to go free if I declined. He would kill me to make sure the secret did not leak.

His face was still plastered with a pleasant grin. I sent a panicked look to his long flowing sleeves and to the teacup I had drunk from. He could have already slipped poison into my drink, only giving me the antidote after I had accepted his offer. Desperately I tried to feel any pain on numbness in my body but the poison seemed to be slow acting.

So how should I answer? Was Iroh a plant from Ozai or did he truly intend to contest the throne? A civil war between such an absolutist Fire Lord and the Dragon of the West would be a bloody affair, whatever the outcome. As I carefully considered the pro and cons, another thought struck me: Iroh probably wanted to have Zuko succeed.

Well, that made the calculation simpler. A good employee does not abandon her well-paying job for uncertain pastures. So for now, I decided to answer neutrally without giving away my true allegiance: "When peace comes, the prosperity of our nation will be even greater."

Keeping his eyes on the board, Iroh placed another Lilly tile, while wondering: "When will it ever come?"

That had to be a provocation. He must be intending to lure me into implicating statements. Dammit! I would have to take a position now.

In the end, I could not believe that a general that had retreated in the face of casualties would needlessly doom his nation to a civil war like this.

"There is an end in sight, I believe." Wetting my throat with the delicious, but possibly deadly tea I explained carefully: "With the Avatar obviously keeping neutral in the war, and the coin and resources of the southern, northern and western Earth Kingdom it is only a question of time until the balance tips decidedly in our favor. And, once it does, after a short struggle the future will be prosperous and peaceful."

Under Fire Lord Azula, I added silently.

Iroh took a sip from his own porcelain cup, before simply nodding. "Indeed. I pray to the Spirits it will be so."

I hid a grimace at the mentions of the supernatural parasites that had the gall to claim massive chunks of our world in addition to their own. They forbade the development of any land they claimed, and killed all humans that disturbed 'their' territory. I had hoped the slayer of the last dragon, these apex predators that had stolen entire islands from mankind, would not worship these worthless creatures. These oversized floating snakes were spirits, after all.

Still, it seemed my words had been the right choice. My next action was meant to re-ingrain myself with the man if he really was as terrifying an actor as a warrior and just nodded along to my statement.

"I do not believe it unpatriotic to say that much has been lost to the war," I said. Iroh remained silent, obviously wanting to know where I was going with my statement. He only gave a short, curt nod in agreement, pain visible in his eyes.

Great! So the first hiccup of my plan was already crossed. If he no longer was saddened by the death of his son my survival chances would have taken a drastic nose dive.

"Sadly, losses pale in comparison to victory." I should know this the best of any in this world, except maybe the Avatar who was my senior in reincarnation. Even they however had not experienced the pointless struggle that was a modern World War.

The technology levels in this world meant that fronts broke up over distances, turning the hundred-year war into dozens of campaigns happening at the same time, spread out over every land mass and every sea. It was total war, just like it had been in the Empire. The difference simply was with gunpowder being stupidly expensive and the industrial revolution still in full swing, the efficiency of killing was lower.

A battle between spearman and supernatural rock slingers was simply less deadly than unseen artillery that pulverized thousands into sandbag stuffings each second, machine guns that mowed down dozens of soldiers each second, trenches that killed simply through the living conditions and explosion spells.

Despite sending back empty coffins on an industrial state, no peace had been offered by any of the parties, despite them all suffering. Each nation's population was simply so blinded by hatred, by the sweet nectar of victory, to ever accept an unsatisfactory peace. After all, what else would all the empty coffins been for?

Similarly, I saw the prospect of a negotiated peace with the Earth Kingdom as a hard thing to sell to our population. Not impossible, mind you, as the lack of any political safeguards on the Fire Lord's authority meant Ozai could still end the war whenever he wanted, simply by refusing to launch any more invasions. Likely, the Fire Nation would have to fight constant defensive battles, but after a decade or so I believed the attacks would die down, as it became evident that further battles were pointless. Down the line, in three generations or so, when most had forgotten the horror of the century war the conflict would probably start up again. By then I should however be retired and the Fire Nation should have fully industrialized.

Regardless, I saw only positives in reminding my nation that victory did not come without cost. While I doubted my gesture would change anything about the absolute victory desired by the Fire Nation, I still hoped to remind our citizens of friends or family they lost thanks to this pointless conflict. If they would not listen to reason because of their emotion, an emotional argument might just be what I needed: "The bloodlessness by which I captured Gao Ling was only possible thanks to the blood shed before."

Taking the final sip of tea, I continued: "They will not be remembered. The men I lost to the forced marches, the soldiers that died to elements or fell down mountain trails. What glory will they receive for their sacrifice? Will they remember in the 'glorious capture without casualties'?"

I stopped speaking, waiting for my words to settle in. I had specifically chosen them to give a believable excuse for my upcoming act as to make my brown-nosing too obvious. They had the desired impact, as Iroh looked at me sympathetically. Yes, think of my losses and rememberer your own! Is your son not almost forgotten today?

Lu Ten's humbleness had really worked against him in this aspect. While a virtue in a Fire Lord, it had merely meant that as a Crown Prince, he was fairly unknown. He also never commissioned any portraits or statues, so the only monument to his life was the royal mausoleum where not even his ashes were interred, as his body had been captured and desecrated by the Earth Kingdom.

"I cannot remember most of the faces of those who died, and I wonder if their comrades yet do." Honestly, that had more to do with the fact that my officers rarely died and my military strategy. The deaths of common soldiers registered only in my casualty report. It was war after all, and the people I actually was working with, the officers and my personal guard, coworkers in other words, had a tendency to survive anything I threw at them.

"It is impossible, I believe, for any one person to picture the full extent of what we have lost. I would like to remind them, still."

Bowing my head, deeply, I asked: "Please allow me to rename Gao Ling to Lu Ten."

The practice of renaming captured cities in honour of the one who conquered them was a policy implemented in the early stages of the war, when the then young and energetic Fire Lord Azulan wanted his generals to be more aggressive. He correctly realized that the greatest thing a Fire National cared for was glory, or 'honour' if you wanted to be polite about it. I wished his successor was half the statesmen he was.

In any case, my offer had thoroughly shaken Iroh. He was going through multiple expressions in a few seconds, before finally settling on gratitude. I had hoped so, as what I was giving up was no small thing. All the glory of capturing the city would forever be shared with a long dead royal.

I did not care the slightest bit. Power was unnecessary beyond enough to ensure your personal freedom. All I ever wanted was to live a productive life as an average member of society, despite my nature. Not dying to Iroh's hypothetical poison was necessary for achieving this small dream.

The Dragon of the West bowed down, his nose almost touching the Pai Sho board. "You may do so. Know, that you have my eternal gratitude."

Perfect. Lets try an earlier trick again. Grabbing his shoulders the same way he had mine, I lifted him until I could stare into his golden irises. "Please, there is no need for such gestures between friends, Iroh. I am doing this for my own benefit too."

The aged hero chuckled, before grabbing the kettle and refilling our cups. Handing me my own, he requested: "A toast, to the beginning of a new friendship."

Not hiding my smile, we clicked our cups together and enjoyed our tea over the Pai Sho game. The poison-free White Dragon Bush tea tasted like Champagne.

AN: I apologize for the really hates me and removes paragraphs en mass, both from my uploaded document and editor. After wasting half an hour of my free time, I dont wanna bother any more. For a lese dense experience check spacebattles

AN: Hadoka is not actually a war criminal and pirate

In fact, the so-called tangle mines are non-lethal, not that the fire nation propaganda department cares. I do however think that most of their fighting takes place against merchant vessels and army supply ships as I just can't see a few, which in essence are oversized canoes with sails, take on a steel battleship, even one without canons. Hodoka is probably one of the greatest annoyances to the fire nation and one of the major reasons why they have not launched a successful campaign to conquer the southern Earth Kingdom. That is before Tanya came and introduced everyone to Blitzkrieg, her logistical mastery, and the Earth Bender Fire Nation Regiment.

AN: The Northern water tribe does not keep its woman as slaves

Though that is what the propaganda department teaches. And to be fair, getting a bone collar 'necklace' from your fiancé can be easily distorted. Also, I really can't really see a northern water tribe woman doing anything without their husband's permission. Even in my home nation woman weren't allowed to work on their own without their husband's consent till the mid-1960s. Do they face Taliban-like conditions? Probably not, but they most certainly aren't men's equals in that society. Same for earth Kingdom, which is based on China. Otherwise known as the culture with 'natural confusuzian hierarchies', were women are also second class citizens. The Fire Nation might be an expansionist militarist society but they are also the only nation we see ever led by a woman. In the entire history of Avatar. (discounting the singular example from Earth Kingdom 100 years in the future, but considering the nation's name that was an exception because the show's creators just had to have a ruling Dogwa Empress Insert in Korra without recreating the complex politics that lead to that in IRL) As Ozai says, power is all that matters, not your genitals.

*Retirement of Generals: Tan Ya hasn't realized that most of these pensions are so generous because the generals lost at court and were pushed into retirement by their rivals. In the Chinese court for example it was pretty common for a Sengior/Elder Prince to get exiled to his Land fiefs where they lived out the rest of their lives in obscene luxury but political irrelevance. That is until court tries to take away that luxury (which mostly resulted in either a dead prince or a civil war if the prince was entrenched enough). Considering the fire nation is a volcanic island I find it more likely that former officials are rewarded with tax regions or trading monopolies, similarly to how the salt trade was taken over by the Chinese state with the profits sometimes handed to specific people or loaners.

*The foggy swamp is insanely massive on the world map of Avatar, at least the size of the Kongo Baisin and similarly densely forested. The tribes there developing their own writing system and breaking up into individual tribes just makes sense. Not all are as isolated and spiritual as the ones living in the very Heart of the Swamp

² AN: I am actually chuckling as I write this sentence. No amount of misunderstandings indeed.

³ AN: The wiki says that Jianzuh buried a hundred thousand men alive at Zuhul pass, and the wiki is correct. That is not up to discussion, I checked the novel. Iroh is however also not misinformed. Over the five hundred years since that event, the number of outlaws Kiyoshi's enemy killed has been exaggerated to trice the amount. As did early accounts of battles by Greek and roman 'historians', by pretty much the same multiplier. Then enemies their ancestors defeated were always ballooned out of proportion as the population and urban centralization grew, so if you want to look at any battle before 600BC you can normally just divide the given number by three to get the actual results. This is a favored history students' trick, be careful though the Chinese numbers are mostly true despite being utterly insane.

*³ For those that have yet to catch on: Iroh is grateful that Tanya peacefully incorporated the swamp tribes and gave earth benders a chance. Tanya misunderstands his gratitude as him really loving the tea.

Klle