After receiving their orders, the various regiments inside the city began to dig in while small units were dispatched to search houses for any Earth Kingdom stragglers. While light artillery pieces and Gorlov crank guns moved up to cover the infantry positions and prevent advances up the main roads skirmishers spread out to cover the maze of alleyways and side streets as more units poured through the gaps to act as a reserve. "Dammit, why do we have to build more breastworks?" one sapper asked as he and several dozen of his comrades carried a small piece of rubble from the wall before handing them to others and carried on until it reached the frontline.
"Oh, just shut up and do your job!" his Sergeant ordered from beside him and continued passing stones to those beside him. "Besides, the sooner we finish, the sooner we eat!" he shouted as gunshots sounded further up the road. "You hear that guys!? That's the sound of men who need us, so get to it! Faster!"
As evening turned to night and night to morning, all members of the Council of Five could see the writing on the wall. Every Regiment they sent to push their foes back led to another unit rendered combat ineffective upon its return to the rear, and this was not the worst part. Due to their losses, they had begun pulling troops from the outer defences, and their foe used this opportunity and started expanding their bridgehead in the Outer Ring, effectively cutting any hope of fresh supplies from reaching the rest of the city, at least once they finished the encirclement. All told, the Generals had expended their bandwidth and their army, its blood. The losses were staggering, and no one dared to number them. Each hospital in the middle ring was stuffed full of dead and wounded, and this was just what they could recover. So, when they received a summons from the General Secretariat to meet with him, they quickly departed from the front, leaving their subordinates to hold while they returned to the palace.
When they arrived, the General swiftly made their way to the War Room and entered to find Long Feng facing the balcony toward the battle. "You summoned us, Your Excellency?" General How asked with a cocked brow, his displeasure evident.
Long Feng seemed to snap out of whatever stupor had overtaken him and turned to face them. "Ah, good," he said before taking a deep breath. "So... I assume the situation has not improved? My agents tell me you attempted to organize an evacuation of the Lower Ring."
"Yes, I did, as the situation has become desperate," General How informed as he walked toward the map at the table. "The 1st and 2nd armies are in complete disarray. Most units can hardly hold their positions, let alone attack, as we've suffered too many casualties, especially among the officer corps," he stated bluntly, causing Long Feng to nurse his forehead.
"Then I see things have progressed far quicker than I anticipated," the head of the Dai Li said despondently, before he released a heavy sigh. "In that case, there is only one option left," he took a deep breath before turning to General How. "How, you will accompany me to inform the King of the situation," he said, with the man in question nodding in acknowledgment. Of course, he should've been disgusted that the King didn't know that his Kingdom was under attack, but it was nothing new as Long Feng turned to the others. "The rest of you, evacuate what troops you can and make for the wilderness to the West. From there, you should be able to avoid their siege lines and link up with what remaining forces we have in the South-East."
"And what will you be doing, Your Excellency?" questioned Duanmu with a sharpened glare.
Long Feng sighed. "I have no time for your attitude today, General. But, if you must know, I intend to keep our occupiers comfortable so we may learn more about them. After all, the only reason they've had such stunning success so far is that we do not know our enemy," he stated, with the Generals muttering in agreement. "As for why I've asked this of you, we have the opportunity to land a killing blow against the Fire Nation."
The Generals each seemed puzzled by his words as How cleared his throat. "I apologize, but I don't understand. How could we land a killing blow when our nation is occupied?" General Khieu inquired as he crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes.
"A fair point indeed. But, if my theory these strangers are nothing more than Fire Nation lapdogs is true. If we can force the Fire Nation to capitulate, we should be able to combine our forces and defeat them in detail," Long Feng replied, though his words didn't seem convincing.
"I-I am sorry, Your Excellency, but are you sure they are? From what my men have reported and what I've seen myself, the foreigners seem to be an independent force," General Sung began, with Long Feng cocking a brow at the man who was usually so easy to cow. "So, even if we force the Fire Nation to surrender, are you certain they will, too?"
Long Feng sighed deeply. "I am not sure, but it is our best hope for victory," he stated. "Now, the rest of you return to your posts. How, if you would accompany me?"
Despite his feelings on the matter, the General nodded and followed Long Feng once the other Generals departed, and the two proceeded to the King's study. After being let inside by the guards, they found the King idly reading while his pet bear, Bosco, lay at his side devouring a codfish. "Your Majesty?" Long Feng began after clearing his throat, causing the young man to stir as he and his pet turned to face the pair.
"Ah, Long Feng, General How, is the emergency over?" he asked, standing up as the two men bowed to him before he gestured for them to rise. "Speak freely."
"No, my King, it has not," How began, shaking his head. "An enemy has come into our city."
The young King placed his hand on his mouth in shock. "Oh my," he said with widened eyes before recomposing himself. "Then has this enemy been destroyed?"
Long Feng sighed deeply. "No, my King. They have breached the outer and lower rings, and our army-" he said, eyeing How. "-Has failed to stop them."
His eyes popped as Bosco ceased eating his fish and turned his head toward the King, the young man's face filled with disbelief. "T-That i-isn't possible! This city is impenetrable!" he cried as he turned to General How. "General, please say it isn't so. No force in the history of our nation has ever successfully breached the walls, so how could-"
"I don't know, my King!" How interrupted, causing both the King and Long Feng to turn their heads toward the General, with the latter cocking a brow while the former appeared stunned that he'd spoken out of turn. "I don't know. We couldn't get close enough to see how the foreigners did it."
Squinting slightly, the King kept his gaze on the General. "What foreigners-" he began to say as a Dai Li agent with a noticeable limp rushed into the room before cow-towing to the King. "Yes?"
"Your Majesty, we have a prisoner," he said as he rose with the others appearing stunned by the revelation.
"How did this happen?" the General inquired as the other two recovered from their shock.
"Our agents managed to surround a small contingent of the foreigners while they were searching houses," he replied, with both How and Long Feng nodding in understanding while the King's expression hardened.
"Then why did you say: "Prisoner"?" Long Feng questioned.
The man shook his head. "There was only one we captured."
After the promotion ceremony, Agent Hei Yi of the Dai Li thought life couldn't get any better. He was at the apex of his career and the youngest to reach the upper echelons of the organization. Sure, Hei had minor disagreements with how the Grand Secretariat ran things, but after speaking with him in person during the ceremony. He recognized that reality was not always as just as hoped. But, as he looked at the destruction around him, his earlier thoughts felt trivial. Growing up, he'd heard many tales about his city and its history. It was one of the main reasons he joined the Dai Li, aside from being a gifted Earthbender from youth. Of course, many of those stories involved the many wars fought by his country, yet throughout all of them, Ba Sing Se never once fell to a siege, and he had felt great pride knowing that, but now, it was all dust trampled under the feet of men in lavish uniforms flying flags and bearing symbols that no one but them understood. Even now, he and his squad of agents watched as a small group of about thirty strong split off from one of the larger units. "Помянуть солдат! Всякий, кто будет признан виновным в краже или других злоупотреблениях, будет казнен по 227-й директиве Ставки!" One shouted, presumably an officer, judging by the long blade at his hip and the sash around his waist. As he pondered, he recognized that in all the fighting he'd witnessed, not one of these men were benders, as all seemed to prefer using their weapons over the bending arts. Of course, their skill with said weapons more than made up for it. He'd seen enough of his dead fellows to prove that.
But, for now, he put these thoughts aside and returned his attention to the current situation as one of his fellow agents signalled that the others were in position to attack. Before the engagement, Hei ordered his agents to spread out and wait to ambush the foreigners using the dense neighbourhood for cover. Some waited on the rooftops, others behind the corners or inside alleyways between the structures. Hei had eight agents with him, but he figured he could defeat the enemy force if he could keep the element of surprise. So, as the men began entering the buildings, he jumped out of cover and threw a stone fist at the officer, knocking him over, and signalling his men to spring the ambush. Their foes hardly knew what hit them before seven others were incapacitated, and those on the roofs caused the buildings they stood upon to collapse as they slid down, trapping a fair few under the rubble.
"Мы окружены!" one shouted as the ones outside began shooting back haphazardly, forcing him and the other agents back into cover, though he heard one of his men cry out in pain followed by an audible thump. Not having time to consider the fate of his comrade, Hei lept out of cover again to find his enemy waiting for him. He didn't even have time to react before a shot rang out, and his leg erupted in pain as he felt something hit the left side, forcing him back as he raised a stone barrier. As cries, shouts, the tumble of earth, and the thunder of foreign weapons echoed around him, Hei used the time to check his leg and found that he'd received a grazing wound.
After struggling to his feet, supported by his bending, he found what remained of his men, joined by some worse-for-ware Earth soldiers, had begun withdrawing back toward the palace, though they weren't empty-handed. On one of their backs was the man Hei knocked out at the beginning of the conflict. "Well, at least we got something out of it," he whispered as he gazed around, seeing the enemy checking the bodies of their fallen comrades and trying to dig out others as the rest fired periodically at the retreating forms of his comrades. Realizing he had nothing to gain from remaining where he was, he bent himself a ramp and began sliding through the side streets in their direction.
"Well, bring him in!" Kuei demanded the agent, and the man bowed before leaving. The three waited in silence until the doors opened again, and a trio of Dai Li arrived carrying a bound man in plain white clothes with a gag over his mouth. He was also young, they noted, with pale skin, brown eyes, and short black hair.
Once the man stood before them, the Dai Li pushed him to the ground and removed the gag before stepping behind him. "-Кем вы себя возомнили!? Так нельзя обращаться с присяжником войны!" he bellowed angrily at the agents before taking a breath and turning toward the King and his advisors. "Who are you?" he questioned.
Kuei's eyes hardened in response. "Well, that's bold coming from the one who's tied up. Besides, I am the one whose city you attacked!" the King shouted, only for Long Feng to place a hand on his shoulder.
"Pardon, but I don't understand what you said to my agents. Are you perhaps from a foreign land?" Long Feng asked with a raised eyebrow.
The man nodded. "Yes. I am Junior Lieutenant Sergei Chikovsky from the Empire of Ruskia, Sir, and I demand that these ruffians untie me at once!" the man shouted, with Long Feng nodding to the agents, who removed the fists holding his arms together and stepped back. "Thank you, Sir," he replied as he stood. "Now, what do you wish to know?"
The Earth Kingdom trio turned to each other, confused about how this man could so quickly switch from angrily shouting to cordiality. "Who sent you people? And why have I never heard of your country?" King Kuei inquired.
The man straightened his posture and stared down at the young King. "We came ourselves, Sir. As for my motherland, you wouldn't have heard of it, as we are from a different world to yours," he explained as he gestured to the table. With a nod of consent from the stunned King, he stepped up to it, took the ink pen and began to draw something as the others watched. At first, they were confused, but as he continued, they realized he was drawing landmasses and political borders. After roughly an hour, he presented them with a hand-drawn map far more complex in its borders than any they had seen before and, pointing to the largest nation said: "This is my Motherland."
Kuei, Long Feng, and How were taken aback by this. In Kuei's mind, why did they feel justified in attacking his nation if theirs was so vast already? "So, this is your world?" How asked, looking at the various states and their geography.
"Indeed it is. But, as for why we came, while we wish we wouldn't have had to, we require land, specifically in a land unknown to our rivals," he said as he rolled it up. "However, were you to surrender to our forces, I am positive the Grand Duke and yourself could arrange something. But, no matter what happens, we WILL have this city."
Before either could respond, Long Feng nodded. "Then we have no choice," he said, turning to Kuei. "My King, if our enemy is as determined as he seems, and with the disaster that unfolded earlier, we cannot sustain this war."
"Long Feng, as much as I respect your judgment, are you saying that we should surrender?" the King asked with a cocked brow while the foreigner seemed as taken aback as himself and How.
The General pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed deeply before staring the agents in the face and gesturing for them to take the prisoner out of the room. Once he was gone, How shook his head. "With all due respect, Your Majesty, we have no army and no ability to continue fighting. Our best estimates say our casualties are at least over 200 thousand, and that roughly corresponds with what I've seen. The towers in the middle ring are full of dead and wounded, and we don't have enough empty land to bury the bodies. Our only option to keep the remains of the army together is to flee the city."
Kuei's eyes widened, and his face fell as he turned between the two. "You... Truly believe that we should surrender?"
Long Feng shook his head. "Not surrender, but we must give the appearance of defeat. Otherwise, we won't be able to reform the army, and with it, lose any chance of saving our nation, but it is your call to make, Your Majesty."
After a tense moment of silence, Kuei walked over and slumped into his chair, his posture that of a defeated man as Bosco came and rubbed up against his side. "Very well," he said, not even looking up as he gave a wave of approval. "General, Grand Secretariat, see to it that everything is prepared for the army's withdrawal. In the meantime, I wish to meet whoever is in charge of the enemy force."
Not long after Nikolai received the news from General Boskovsky's headquarters that the Earth Kingdom leadership wanted to meet with him, he'd rushed to rouse Ivan and the other Generals and leaders. The group made their way to the city under the escort of the Life-Guard Hussars, with the other leaders taking small contingents from their domestic forces. As they crossed the field of corpses, Nikolai couldn't help but stare at the carnage caused by his choice to come here. How many of these men had families and loved ones? How would they react, knowing they had died, and all because he had wanted to protect his own family? After what happened to his father, Nikolai had vowed to keep himself or his family safe, lest they follow the same path he took. Yet, as he gazed around at the piles of bodies decaying in the summer heat or in the process of being consumed by pests and scavengers, how many children would suffer the same fate as himself? There must have been at least 80'000 bodies lying in various states of decay, the scent of rotting flesh permeating through the air, forcing him to scrunch his nose to avoid the putrid stench. Shaking his head, he put these thoughts and observations aside and refocused on the task at hand as he and the others rode over the remaining rubble as their escort followed them.
Riding through the fields between the outer and inner rings of walls, they passed the siege lines and entered the city proper. Inside, he found the army lining the streets, keeping at bay the small crowds which had formed to see why the conflict had ceased, as the sound of battle was nowhere to be heard. Approaching Bykovsky's headquarters. (which was nothing more than a tiny house with the Imperial flag hoisted above it) He observed several men in dark robes standing outside, their faces obscured by the conical hats they wore. Upon dismounting, he found Major General Yakovsky, Bykovsky's chief of staff. "Your Imperial Highnesses," he greeted both Grand Dukes with a slight bow. "Come inside quickly," he said, gesturing for them to enter as several aides came and took his and Ivan's horses to the makeshift stable beside the humble structure. Once inside, he found the interior even smaller than his tent, with only enough space in the central room for a single table covered with what appeared to be a local map of the city.
On one side stood Boskovsky and his staff, and on the other sat a man in a robe similar to his bodyguards, only more ornate and lacking the conical hat. "Ah, Your Imperial Highness, thank goodness you arrived," the General addressed as he gestured to the man opposite him, who stood and watched Nikolai as he entered. "This is Long Feng, head of the City's security forces," he explained as Nikolai nodded and walked up to the austere man.
"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Sir," he said with a nod. "You wished to speak with me?" he asked with a cocked brow.
Long Feng's eyes seemed to widen almost imperceptibly before he nodded. "Indeed," he replied coolly. "You are the one in charge here?"
"That I am," he answered before gesturing for him to sit, which the man did before Nikolai and the others with him followed suit. "Now then, what did you wish to tell me?" he asked as he laid his hat and gloves on the table.
Long Feng appeared to sigh deeply. "It is... With great emotion, I declare my King's intention to sign an armistice with your forces. But, before I present any agreement, I wish to know who my enemy is. We captured one of your officers, but I cannot substantiate his claims. Does this mean anything to you?" he asked as he took out a scroll and presented it to him.
Nikolai took it and, upon unrolling it, he found an incomplete map of the world, the world of Nitheria. "Yes. This is our native world," he replied coolly, assuming whoever they took prisoner had made it for them.
Long Feng stroked his beard. "I see... So he was not lying when he said you people were from another world?"
Nikolai shook his head. "No, Sir, he did not," he replied. "Is that all?"
Long Feng heaved a heavy sigh. "Yes, there is nothing more I wish to say, save that we will uphold our agreement. We will receive you at the palace tomorrow for further negotiations," he stood up and made for the door as the others and Nikolai watched him leave.
"Well, I suppose it's all over then," said Haller as he followed the man. "I shall see you later, Gentlemen."
As he left, Kossuth followed. The others remained where they were. "So, gentlemen, shall we celebrate with some tea?" the General asked as he stood up.
Ivan, seemingly snapping out of the depression that had overtaken him since learning of Azula's condition, looked up with a cocked brow. "Wait, we're not having tea here?"
The General shook his head before he flashed them a grin. "No, I wish to treat you all to breakfast," he said as he adorned his gloves and took his cocked hat under his sleeve. "There's a tea house down the way, one that serves incredible tea, at least as far as those who've visited are concerned."
After leaving the Ruskian Headquarters, rather than return to the palace, Long Feng, along with his agents, used one of the many secret passages they used throughout the city, and reached the underground section of the nearby prison, still occupied by the Earth Kingdom despite several failed assaults'. "Welcome, Sir. What can we do for you?" the Dai Li warden asked.
"Bring me to my fighter," he requested. "We have no time to waste."
"Then I assume you want us to release the sleepers?" the man asked, gaining a nod from Long Feng. "Very well, Sir. I'll take you to him," he began before turning to the other agents. "The rest of you, free the "special" prisoners and await further instructions."
While they carried out their task of freeing the hypnotized inmates, the Warden escorted Long Feng to a particular cell and opened the door to reveal a lean young man with long, shaggy brown hair and empty brown eyes that appeared to lack any sense of life or purpose. Taking a deep breath, Long Feng looked him directly in the eye. "Jet, the Earth King has invited you to Lake Laogai."
All of a sudden, his pupils dilated and his body snapped stiffly to attention. "Then I am honoured to accept his invitation," he replied, finishing the mantra.
Long Feng nodded, pleased as always with his agents' work. "Very good Jet," he said, setting the teen at ease. "We have a new enemy, one allied with the Fire Nation, and the Earth King has personally requested that you see to defeating it. I understand that you and your comrades are experienced at fighting indirectly?"
"Yes, we are," he replied in a near monotone.
Long Feng nodded, glad that he recalled that particular detail correctly. "Then this is what the King has requested of you: You are to leave this city and make for the badlands to the West and harass the enemy while the army makes its escape. Understood?"
"I understand," Jet replied, his tone unchanging.
"Good. Then you are to leave tonight while our enemy distracted. The army should be finished withdrawing East by then," he explained before turning to the Warden. "Make sure they are given the correct provisions for their journey."
"Of course, Sir," the man replied as Long Feng nodded and made to collect his bodyguards, walking passed the various entranced ruffians and criminals being led by their Dai Li captors. As he gazed them up and down, he could only hope they would buy the army enough time to reform.
Hey everyone! I'm sorry for not posting a awhile. I've been struggling a little bit, but I am glad to finally finish this chapter after so long. Anyway, tune in next time for the Jasmine Dragon to receive some high profile guests and Azula continues her battle against Nuliphus. (Not a real disease)