章 43: Chapter 43
On the crown princess' orders (with the official approval of General Sho to make things nice and tidy) the 11th was sent down to the stagnant southern lines after the breaking of the northern Earth Kingdom's largest army. The Northern Pacification Army's would now have the luxury of besieging multiple settlements at once without fear of the supply lines being left too vulnerable, and such undertakings would serve as a good chance for the colonels to prove their worth.
Kai felt it a shame that they had to leave, but just as the commanders of the Northern Pacification Army glutted on the merits and honors harvested from that campaign, Xing was eyeing a rather ambitious meal to sate the 11th's political need for renown. He had promised Omashu to the young princess, and unlike many outside the regiment, Kai had little doubt that his little brother would fulfill that promise.
Xing had felled a dragon by himself, and found dragon eggs. After that, what would be so hard about taking a city?
It was all a badly kept secret, of course. Rather than trying to stop the rumors completely, Xing had opted for regulating the gossip that flowed out from the returning Han unit.
The unanimously accepted news was that Xing had visited Kyoshi Island to warn them from meddling now that the Avatar has returned. Then he visited a place that informants had gleaned out of the Mad King, and found a cunning trap in the form of a maddened dragon spirit.
Several wounded soldiers had bore the practically unique scars of dragonfire on them, which were left by the healers as proof for the inevitable court official to investigate. Those unlucky Hans were sent back to the regiment's home base to rest and present some of the evidence to Princess Azula.
The discovery of dragon eggs was left vague, and since only Xing, Koshi and some of the other bodyguards actually saw the eggs up close, crafting the right tale wouldn't be too hard.
Not that it'd be easy, either; they were still working on the finer details to present back to the palace. It'd be nice to keep the eggs for themselves, but everyone knew it'd be impossible, not unless the Fire Lord decided to be far more magnanimous than he currently is.
Hopefully, Omashu would help earn Xing some clout to maneuver in court with.
Colonel Hwa's 51st Grand Company accompanied the 11th in their task, to serve both as allies and as outside witnesses. It was about the best choice for the roles, considering the stern commander was known for her blunt reliability, and more importantly she was outside of Xing's social circle.
Though that was slowly changing.
"So sacrificing the advantage of range would reap greater benefits, so long as the momentum is maintained?"
The colonel was a surprisingly keen learner of the 11th's approach to war, and Xing and Mozi spent a good chunk of the cruise south briefing them about things that weren't regimental secrets. Colonel Hwa even joined in some of the drills to get a hang of it herself, and would then bring up new questions or offer her own suggestions.
It might sound like a nuisance, but Kai and the others happily welcomed her open mind and eagerness to learn. It was good to see another commander taking the 11th Regiment's style seriously, and one that fully respected and strove to understand the decisions Xing made.
Kai wouldn't say it, but Dao was right, Colonel Hwa was far from the frigid 'Frostfire' that some whispers made her out to be.
By the time the 11th Royal Regiment and the 51st Grand Company landed on colonial shores and began marching south, camaraderie between the two groups were all around warm and friendly, with Colonel Hwa offering far more respect to Xing than many others outside of Colonel Lidai's group of friends.
Kai took some spiteful joy when she presented the princess' orders and read them aloud to the sputtering general in charge of the southern front.
"By order of Crown Princess Azula, with the approval of Fire Lord Ozai, her 11th Royal Regiment will soon conduct a breakthrough towards Omashu. The 51st Grand Company will aid them in this task, as well as serve as the Fire Lord's witnesses to the conduct of the crown princess' soldiers. The aid of the Southern Division in this endeavor is unnecessary, but welcomed."
Which meant that the general all but threw his own men to join in the operation, no doubt seeking to gain some renown for being involved. Kai noted how the man had only offered the services of a few other regiments, probably belonging to his more favored or friendly colonels. They had a small army preparing for the breakthrough mere days later, more than enough to send the Earth Kingdom lines into a bit of a panic with a concentrated assault.
Losses from the aggressive move out were light, on both ends. Only after passing the first line of forts and trenches did Kai and his friends notice that the Earth Kingdom garrison was far lighter than anyone had expected. In some areas, there were more banners than men.
"The taking of the north and the push east must have cut off a considerable amount of support here," Mozi remarked thoughtfully, saying what everyone was thinking.
"Probably helps that a lot of Omashu's allies might have pulled back their troops to look to their own lands," Kai added with a faux sage nod. "Especially those that risk getting cut off from the eastern campaign."
Weikong grunted with a sharp smirk. "Well, if it means we get to hit Omashu in days instead of weeks, I'm all for it. Faster we let Xing take over the place, faster we get to receive the wedding invitations."
Chuckles broke amongst the officers, with occasional glances at the command tent's entrance to make sure that Xing was still discussing strategy with the commanders. After making sure that the boy wouldn't be stepping in with a wry comment, Kai grinned at his friends.
"I want to see how the palace fuckwits try to spin that against Xing."
Weikong shrugged, though he was grinning just as hard as Kai was. "Probably call him reckless for overextending the lines unnecessarily, or accuse him of being blindly ambitious."
"Ooh, that'll be fun to see," Ping said. "Wanna bet whether it's the Fire Lord or Azula who takes them out?"
"A month's wage on the crown princess," Rufen opened with a laugh. "Because Xing's being insulted."
Mozi sighed heavily. "Seriously… The Fire Lord doesn't take kindly to subtle insults."
With good humor the other captains and lieutenants began to add to the highly circumstantial pool, and then opening more likely scenarios to be bet on. Kai didn't have money on it, but he really hoped that Xing would call out the fuckers to a duel somehow. That'd make for fun times in the capital.
*****
"The Fire Nation is making another push!"
King Bumi stared at the fidgeting messenger for a moment before breaking into a grin. "Well, it's about time."
General Gulong wore a worried look. "Do we reinforce, your majesty?"
"Hm…" How best to play this? They'd managed with the bare minimum at the front lines until now, leaving Omashu and its allies free to reinforce and reorganize. If they wanted to, the whole southern region could be mustered to break the incoming thrust…
But beyond the exorbitant cost of lives, it wasn't part of the plan. What Xing's brilliant idea called for was grand theatrics, the kind to enrapture the spectators from both the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom.
Bumi rose from his throne. "Muster the troops. I'll lead them." The whole court broke out in hopeful smiles, and the king almost broke into maniacal cackling. The poor fools. "Prepare for Plan Badgermole. Just in case."
That sobered them up, and sent many heads turning towards each other. "Y-Your majesty?" a courtier dared ask.
Bumi put the gravest expression he could. "I barely beat the boy the last time around. We've both gotten older since then, and I doubt he's gotten weaker along with me." Ostrich horse shit, of course. He was still confident he still held a comfortable advantage over young Xing in power and skill, but the kid might've grown more wily, which warranted respect.
General Gulong, ever reliable, bowed to speak. "If the threat has grown, your majesty, shouldn't we call the other states for aid? Surely the dukes and princes would be eager to help us push the Fire Nation back."
Which was true; Omashu had earned a lot of favors in leading the southern states to halt the Fire Nation's expansion, and Bumi's own encounter with the Scorpion Dragon had impressed those who knew of him. Enough for them to exaggerate the feat. Coupled with Ba Sing Se's relative inaction, it took very little to win over most of the realms south of the Si Wong Desert.
Silence from the Ba Sing Se gave Bumi free reign to send out training instructors to help the larger duchies to build up their troops, while also sending out suggestions to strengthen trade and logistics networks between the southern states. It also helped that Aang had conveniently dropped by for a quick visit.
Though barely lasting a few days, news of the Avatar popping up in Omashu had given Bumi a lot of prestige to work with. To some, it was as if the city and its king had been blessed by the Avatar itself to carry on the resistance against the Fire Nation.
So if Bumi really needed the southern realms to send reinforcements, he had no doubt that they would. That however was not required for this stage of the plan.
The king snorted and rolled his eyes. "And risk leaving them vulnerable like what happened in the east? Remember that Ba Sing Se didn't help their neighbors, so who do you expect will help protect the other states if the Fire Nation decides to go on another blitz while we're all distracted here?"
Again, pure ostrich horse shit, but nobody knew that there was actually enough manpower to both guard the borders and muster a repulsion force. It needed some ingenuity and politicking, but the time was not right. Not yet.
And since nobody else but Xing and Bumi likely knew about it, the whole court unsurprisingly became pale and grim at the idea of facing the Fire Nation unassisted. Deciding to act his role, Bumi put on a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry, my lads, we'll remind the Fire Nation why they kept clear of us for nearly a hundred years. Omashu will meet the worst the Fire Nation has to offer, and we will not quail behind our walls like those in the Impenetrable City." The officials and commanders straightened with defiant determination, and Bumi could almost feel their resolve radiating outwards. It's good to know he still got it.
He grinned, this time a little more genuinely. "And besides, the boy still owes me a rematch."
*****
It took two weeks before they met with proper resistance. Practically all of the castles and cities they came across were devoid of their lords and fighting men (and sometimes women). From what Kai understood, the moment their line broke, the Earth Kingdom quickly began migrating their forces to the south or east to consolidate their military strength instead of wasting them in futile piecemeal resistance.
That was about the smartest thing Kai had heard come from their strategists in a while now. The captain hoped whoever thought up that plan got paid well enough.
Though not too well, considering that the 11th and its allied division had to eventually meet a rather large army head on. Trying to draw them out or harass them would be too risky this time; the damned Mad King himself was leading the blob of earthbenders.
Xing had tried to put up a brave front, but Kai could see that his little brother was nervous, probably trying to fight off the memories of almost getting crushed by the Mad King. With how overwhelmingly strong King Bumi was, it was no wonder that Xing was very apprehensive about using the regiment's standard tactics against this enemy army.
Koshi and his fellow bodyguards had made it clear that the insane earthbender could've dropped a whole mountain on them without breaking a sweat if Xing hadn't gotten him to leave. Having to run into that kind of madman at night, or be stupid enough to try hit-and-run harassments on him?
Yeah, Xing was right to stay away from the usual tactics. If Kai got hurt or worse, Ren would never let him hear the end of it, even from beyond the veil.
So the 11th Royal Regiment had to form up with Colonel Hwa's 51st Grand Company and other forces, and Xing and Mozi had to spend two whole days hammering out the details for the battle to come. With the way the voices from the main command tent spilled out, it sounded like this whole operation would have to rely on the momentum of the first engagement to carry it to victory. Otherwise, the parasites from the Southern Division that hitched along might just flee the moment the Earth Kingdom stiffened their backs.
When the day of battle came, the 11th held the center of Fire Nation's army as it squared off against the Earth Kingdom. The enemy line was clearly larger, at least double in size, and they were all enlisted soldiers to boot. That was worrying. King Bumi must be really serious about fighting back.
As customary, Xing raised a flag of parley, which was replied in kind by the king of Omashu. Kai joined him, along with Mozi and a gaggle of colonels, majors and captains. On the other end, the Mad King marched with his own group of commanders and advisors.
They met in the middle of the field, with Xing offering a polite bow first. "Greetings, King Bumi."
The madman only grinned in reply. "Good to see you again, squirt. Brought a big crowd to see our rematch?"
"I suppose," the colonel replied, and Kai could hear the faint amusement in his voice. "I'd say the same for you. I'd have thought you would've hidden away and await our arrival."
The Mad King snorted theatrically. "Ah well, you know how it is. Nobody wants to miss a big show… Now then! Unless you're coming over for dinner, I'm going to have to ask you and your little fanclub to go back home. Actually, I don't think I have enough seats for all of you, so even if you're coming for dinner, go home."
Xing's politeness contrasted heavily with the crazy king's brashness. "I'm afraid I cannot do that. I've promised to take Omashu."
"A shame…" King Bumi let out a sigh, and then his lips broke into a wide grin. His arm suddenly whipped out to point straight at Xing. "Then I'm calling you out, king to colonel! Old man to young runt! Right here, right now!"
Surprise hit both camps, and gasps rose when the colonel responded without hesitation, before anyone else could get a word in. "A duel in lieu of a standard battle? I accept your challenge, King Bumi. May the best runt win."
The Mad King cackled as he waved off his concerned entourage, while Kai joined Mozi and the others in screaming some sense into Xing.
"Are you crazy?" the lieutenant colonel asked with strained patience. "I thought you barely survived the last time…sir."
"With respect," Colonel Hwa added with a deep frown of genuine concern. "I know you value the lives of your soldiers, colonel, but this is…"
Kai finished for her. "This is madness! Don't listen to the spirits Xing! Not on this one! Koshi, tell him!"
The bodyguard lieutenant was poised to add his thoughts, but Xing, to Kai's unsurprising dismay, waved them off a bit too breezily. "Please, I'll be fine. I promise I'll stop myself before things get too bad." The boy dared to smirk. "Besides, I didn't say I'd fully retreat if I lost. We can always make a detour and try to rush Omashu if we're forced to quit this battlefield."
"That…that's not even the biggest issue here," Colonel Hwa said, in the tone of a lecturing mother. "This whole operation-"
"Please," Xing said, fixing a suddenly hard gaze at everyone, one that brooked no further protests. "I promise to walk out of there on my own two feet, win or lose."
"You all good over there?" the Mad King's voice called out, having already chased his commanders off.
Xing turned to give the king a nod. "Just about." He then glanced at Koshi, then Mozi, Kai, and the others. "Please return to the lines."
There was heavy hesitation keeping everyone's legs rooted, but Koshi finally gave a nod and turned, and with that the dumbfounded resistance melted away, and the men and women, Kai included, headed back to the army's lines. The captain glanced over his shoulders to see the back of his little brother facing off against the cackling Mad King, and then he exchanged a look with Koshi and Mozi.
Surprisingly, it was the lieutenant who spoke first. "I think…I think we can leave this to the colonel."
Kai blinked at the unexpected words, while Mozi's jaw almost dropped off its hinges. "Just because he faced a dragon's ghost doesn't mean he c-"
"It does," the bodyguard interrupted with a strange surety. "I've seen both the Mad King and the dragon with my own eyes, lieutenant colonel. I can honestly say that the dragon scared me far more, and is by far the deadlier of the two choices."
"Yeah, the Mad King isn't immune to normal fire and spears," another bodyguard commented. "And he got the jump on us the last time, anyways."
Koshi nodded. "We've trusted the colo- We've trusted Xing before, in equally dangerous scenarios. We should trust his judgment now. It's a small solace, but the Mad King will likely not kill him."
WIth the bodyguards putting that much faith in their ward, Kai reluctantly did the same.
They didn't even get halfway back to the lines when explosions erupted from behind them. Kai and the rest of the parley group turned to see Xing darting about as columns of rock shot up around him. White fire burst out, tearing through rock and dirt and forcing King Bumi to leap clear, but before Xing could land the ground below him exploded as a literal hill of spikes shot up into existence.
Thankfully for Kai's beating heart, the boy blasted aside any of the jagged tips from getting close to him, and sent out a volley of streaming bolts to pin in his opponent. The dirt wall King Bumi threw up broke apart, and this time the ancient earthbender was forced to roll aside as craters erupted in the spot he used to be.
The exchange of firebending against earthbending was akin to watching two elemental storms crashing into each other. Building-sized boulders and columns shot up, only to be shattered by blinding gouts of flame, which then broke against thick earthen bulwarks like a wave against a coastal wall, which was then breached by a torrent of fire.
On and on it went, and Kai was left standing in place, staring with dumb awe at the scene. He felt dirt and ash began to rain down on his head and shoulders, so great were the forces being thrown at each other. It went on seemingly forever, the young colonel darting about with all the fury of a lashing flame, while the Mad King remained as resolute and unyielding as the earth that he bended.
And then, Xing shot to the skies and dove down, blasting through boulders and walls with his fiery breath. His opponent seemed ready to welcome him, but he got the timing off; Xing blasted himself upwards right before another forest of spikes could clamp down on him like a monstrous maw, and then landed on the surprised Mad King with a falling axe kick. Such was the force of the blow that the earthbender actually crashed to the ground and rolled away for several yards.
Without thinking, Kai began running back to Xing, who was staggering towards the slowly rising form of the Mad King. The king got to his knees, and then stared at the colonel who was ready to lunge again, before finally raising his hands in surrender.
"You got me," King Bumi said aloud with some strained effort. "Whew… That was a good fight…"
Xing relaxed into a slump, though his voice also carried across the field. "Do you surrender, King Bumi?"
Despite the haggard look, the ancient king was still grinning rather brightly as he nodded. "Yes, yes, I surrender… And I surrender Omashu to you as well."
Just like that, the fight was over, and with that what was deemed an impossible task was completed. The Mad King's army quickly broke and fled at their king's defeat, rather than stay to be taken prisoner. Xing and Mozi suspected that it was something that had been planned beforehand, a suspicion that was all but confirmed when the army marched all the way to Omashu without encountering any further resistance, and the city itself was abandoned.
The Mad King, standing in shackles beside the officers by the empty gates, cackled. "I promised you the city, not its people."
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