The occupation of Chenbao was relatively quiet, mostly due to the fact that the Northern Army was occupying it in full force until they got a new general. In exchange for the peaceful takeover, Chenbao would soon be considered a protectorate of the Fire Nation, with some level of autonomy. Duke Li would remain in nominal control of his city, and would continue to do so when an overseer was sent over from the Colonial Ministry, while taxes would be lessened in exchange for the Fire Nation Navy’s use of its port.
Azula didn’t care too much about all of that, save for the lessons she could glean from the whole event. Xing had argued against a heavy-handed occupation, suggesting that the duke and his court remain in power, at least to the public’s eyes, and that their military be turned into an auxiliary force to enforce order instead of completely disbanded.
While she didn’t object to the suggestions, it was surprising to the princess that a good amount of commanders had agreed with the ideas. Thinking a little more about it, they probably didn’t want to be stuck in garrison duty, and Earth Kingdom collaborator governments were not a new phenomena.
Admiral Daeyang had been most pleased with the development, enough to be gushing in his praise of Azula’s ‘wisdom beyond her years’. The veteran shipmaster was not only happy that he didn’t have to waste his marines, but he was also being credited as the leader of the successful subjugation.
Xing and his regiment was left out of the reports, save for his involvement in defending Azula’s honor. It was a compromise to placate the Northern Army, as well as earn some favors from their commanders. Though she was against the notion of having her regiment’s hard work of scaring the enemy into submission be glossed over, she had to admit that the debts of high ranking officers had its appeal.
The combined influence she now kept in her pocket might be enough to provide not-insignificant sway in court. It might be a one-use thing for now, but such favors could be cultivated into a larger harvest.
“Try to give minor benefits to these commanders, and Admiral Daeyang,” Xing had suggested in private. “Let them know that they have royal favor, that it is in their interest to strengthen their allegiance to you.”
“You’re suggesting I create my own faction?”
Xing had stifled a chuckle at that. “Let everyone think you’re leading one. Except for your royal father, of course. There’s a good chance you’ll be underestimated, but the move should have most of the nobles back home be more…respectful when dealing with you. Plus, it’d show your brother that you are ahead of him in court politics.”
The latter point was all Azula needed to hear to immensely like the whole setup. Showing up Zuko was always going to be a good thing in her books. Maybe her brother would make things interesting, and establish his own clique of dependants. It’d be more fun proving herself superior that way.
With that cheery thought, and the chance to have seen Xing in a duel (purely his skillful performance, of course), Azula left Chenbao with the entirety of the 11th Regiment to begin her trek home. Chenbao’s port was too close to the Northern Water Tribe to offer a secure route, plus she much preferred spending as much time as she could with her regiment before they separated at Zilang.
The journey southwest was almost boring, if not for one encounter with a sizable Earth Kingdom force from the east. For a force of ten thousand or so soldiers, it was fast, and would’ve eventually caught up with the 11th, or been deep in Fire Nation territory to be a potent threat.
“Almost entirely cavalry, save for earthbenders,” the scouts had reported. Earthbenders who rode the ground like a wave, which might have been an impressive feat.
Xing gave a thoughtful hum before he posed the question, “How are they sustaining themselves?”
“Wagons,” came the grinning scout captain’s answer. “Lots of wagons.”
“How do they camp?”
“As good as they usually do. Earthen walls a few yards high. Predictable layout. Obvious patrols. Sloppily, in other words.”
Azula felt the command tent fill with dark humor as the officers, even the stoic bodyguard Koshi, shared savage grins.
“Kai, Ren, Rufen, Ping. Make yourselves comfortable here. Weikong, we’ll continue for Zilang tomorrow.”
At Azula’s confused expression, Xing gave a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, princess. The 1st to 4th Battalions are only going to slow the enemy down. They’ll be rejoining us in time to see you off.”
And the colonel was right. Azula followed the much smaller force towards the colony, while the four battalions scattered. The pace slowed only a little, but in a week after they parted, the scouts who had stayed with the four battalions returned, reporting a successful mission.
*****
It felt strangely good to be waiting in the dark again. After consulting with the other captains, they decided to lay low behind some rolling hills. Sungho’s folks helpfully kept track of enemy movements, providing promising updates to the enemy’s arrival.
It took two days of waiting for the enemy to show up beyond the hill, and another before they got close enough. Hiding from Earth Kingdom scouts was easy, especially those mounted on ostrich horses and too high up to notice the ground right below them. It was a matter of staying calm as they hid under wooden boards underground. The newbies acquitted themselves well, though with Earth Kingdom scouting patterns the threat of accidentally getting stepped on was very low to start with.
There was a reason they disguised the boards they hid under with shrubs and rock clusters. The weight might test your endurance, but it all but assured they wouldn’t be disturbed.
As expected, the army went past them, veering away from the uneven terrain to set up camp at a much more comfortable clearing. And as usual their scouts were too busy running ahead that there was barely anyone watching their backs.
The battalions crawled out of their holes at dusk, on the signal of a few cricket chirps. Then they reformed and waited for night to fully fall before heading for the poorly defended rear of the camp.
With no forward scouts to intercept, the Scout Captain Sungho and his own shadowy scouts instead went ahead into position. The Earth Kingdom patrols were silenced as the raiders drew close, maximizing the window of opportunity.
Kai and his comrades climbed the walls in silence and clung to the shadows once they landed on the other side. Firebenders focused on the torches and lamps nearby to slowly and subtly dim their lights. Compared to blasting away at rock, the exercise was a simple but tedious chore of concentration.
Cricket chirps told the captain that more patrols had been silenced. Their window was slowly closing, but there was still plenty of time. They waited until everyone had climbed over before finally spreading out. Ren and Rufen would take the tents of the rank and file, while Kai would lead his men and women as deep into the officers’ area, and Ping would take care of the supplies and stables.
Kai felt a little bad at not giving the enemy a chance to at least parley, but he understood the necessity of what he was about to commit. A conventional fight would waste precious time and the even more precious lives of his friends and colleagues. Being forced into a running battle would also make Xing look bad in front of the princess, and Kai couldn’t have his little brother wreck his chance with a girl like that.
So for the sake of convenience, safety and brotherly duty, Kai dimmed the torches marking the camp’s pathways and pounced on unsuspecting guards, covering their mouths with his hand and sending flames down their throats to sear away their ability to scream as they died. For the sake of duty Captain Kai and his men and women quietly slipped into the now unguarded tents, and with chisel daggers and firebending silenced the enemy officers in their sleep.
Out of mercy, each kill was as quick as they could manage it.
Unfortunately, a few officers were still awake, busy with the camp whores or with work. Those tents were left for last, once they had to leave. Bitter experience had told Kai that trying to keep those kills silent was nigh impossible. No attempt was made for the general’s tent either, considering how well patrolled the place tended to be.
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As the night wore on, the body count steadily rose. But eventually, their window of opportunity closed. Kai was leaving a colonel’s tent when he heard a shout of alarm. Someone woke up, or a patrol had stumbled across the bodies. It didn’t matter, the result was the same.
Kai heard Ren and Rufen yelling to leave, and he gave the same order as well. “1st Battalion! Withdraw!” There was no need for further secrecy, the moment of alarm always brought with it a period of confusion, and the 11th had learned to best use that time to pull back safely.
As shouts of waking and dazed Earth Kingdom soldiers filled the air, Kai and the other firebenders began to set the tents around them alight. Moose lion hide and goat dog wool might be resistant to flames, but that only meant it needed a stronger fire to see them burning. Naphtha jars were lit and tossed behind the retreating raiders, further exacerbating the waking confusion.
While the defenders stumbled out in blind panic, a huge blaze erupted in one corner of the camp as Ping compromised the enemy’s food and water. Explosion heralded the breaching of the camp walls, and a cacophony of caws told Kai that the ostrich horses were being scared out the breaches.
Kai stayed to make sure his battalion was fully accounted for and organized their extraction, all the while keeping a lookout for his fellow captains. He saw Rufen and his firebenders sending a massive wall of flame to cover their retreat. Ren could be heard cackling somewhere, with another explosion punctuating her laugh. She was fine, then. Ping should have left by now.
By the time the confusion ebbed and the authoritative yelling of commanders started to be heard above the panic, Kai was already leaving with the last of his raiders. The 1st Battalion sought the safety of the darkness, and met up with the other groups with the burning glow of the enemy camp a safe distance away.
*****
“The Earth Kingdom army has stalled for the time being. The battalions will catch up soon.”
“What’s the damage like?”
“The enemy is in the midst of reorganizing their chain of command, and has not moved after reestablishing a new camp.” The scout paused to break out into a savage grin. “Despite the damage to their food stores, the enemy will still be able to sustain themselves on ostrich horse meat for a few days…”
“Casualties?”
“Our end, sir? A few rookies cracked their ribs during the hiding, a few more sprained their ankles and such in the retreat. One case of over-inhalation of naphtha fumes. On the enemy’s end, it’s not a noticeable dent at first sight, but Captain Kai seems to have been very successful in crippling the enemy command structure.”
The report was heartening indeed, and Azula felt a surge of pride and relief that the tactic had been an overwhelming success. Xing gave her a silent look, and the princess took the cue to nod at the scout. “My thanks, scout. And…well done. Go get some rest.”
“Thank you, your highness.” The man snapped a sharp salute and bowed deeply before leaving the tent.
“Will we wait for the others to catch up?” Azula asked, turning to Xing and Mozi. The latter shook his head curtly even as the former answered her.
“Better not to, princess. It’s good practice to keep moving and only stay camped for as long as we need. The battalions will make their way to us in time. It’s also good training for the newer soldiers to get accustomed to being mobile.”
A shame. The princess was beginning to miss the company of Ren and Ping, but she understood Xing’s caution. Also, the smaller band of soldiers meant she got to se- had to endure Xing’s company far more often than usual.
Not that it was that good a thing.
The first battalion to join up appeared a day later. Surprisingly, Ping’s battalion was heralded by a thunder of claws as each and every one of the soldiers were riding an ostrich horse. “Captain Ping, 4th Battalion, reporting!” The cheery captain leapt off her mount and landed into a bowing salute before a…slightly surprised Azula.
“It’s good to see you back, Ping,” the princess said ahead of Xing, ignoring the mild breach of protocol. And surprising herself, Azula found that she meant it.
Ping replied by standing straight and opening her arms wide. In a few steps, she quickly embraced the princess in a tight hug. “I hope your sleep remained undisturbed, your highness.”
“I do not have trouble sleeping,” Azula quickly retorted as she (not at all reluctantly) broke away from the hug. “But…your absence was…notable.”
Ping gave a short giggle before glancing at a mildly amused Xing. “Why didn’t you take over, sir?” she asked, and his amusement vanished into a tight smirk.
“I was no-”
“I do not need Xing’s company,” Azula answered with some haste. She cleared her throat before defending her decision. “It would be unseemly to have a peasant, even an officer, to stay in my tent.”
Azula immediately knew she used the wrong words when Ping’s bright face sharpened into a devilish grin. “Oh, so Xing needs to be a noble before he’s allowed to spend the night?”
The princess glared at the captain, and then turned her gaze towards the coughing bodyguards behind her.
“Captain, please apologize for…teasing the princess.”
Much as she liked the woman, Azula only forgave the slight after Ping pleaded with a comforting hug.
Thankfully, no further mention of the incident was brought up when the others returned a couple of days after. Ren would’ve been intolerable otherwise.
The regiment, now whole again, reached Zilang, and the town threw a truly gratifying welcoming party on their arrival. The one-armed Governor Dae led the cheers, and Azula had to admit a feeling of elation at having so many people smiling as they chanted her name so eagerly. She was also gracious enough to feel pride at hearing them cheer the Defiant 11th and its Young Dragon.
Azula also had to admit that the parting at the docks days later stung deep into her core. Unfortunately, Xing and his regiment would resupply and await new orders, while Azula took the ship back to the capital to report on her adven- observation. She forced on herself a regal, aloof mask as Xing and his officers saluted and bowed before her. The mask threatened to crack when Ren and Ping gave her one final hug.
“I promise to ensure the 11th will not disappoint your faith in us, your highness.”
The princess sniffed and nodded at the bowing colonel. “I’m sure you won’t. I will do what I can to keep your orders…reasonable.” She swept a gaze across the officers behind Xing. “If the good colonel steps out of line, you have my permission to rein him in.”
“Yes, your highness,” they responded as one, and Azula took some satisfaction in seeing the colonel shift slightly out of mild annoyance.
She glanced to the ship waiting for her, already feeling the bite of pining for the dirty security of the regiment on the march. Azula then turned back to the officers, and let out a sigh. Then, with a determined huff, she walked over to a still-bowing Xing.
“Xing.”
The young colonel looked up, and Azula grabbed him by the collar to yank him towards her. She quickly leaned in and pressed her lips against his cheek. “An…incentive for you to do your best. Do not disappoint me.”
“I…I won’t, your highness.”
“Good.”
With that, the princess quickly turned and double-timed it for the ship. She pointedly ignored the looks the officers were giving their colonel, or the ones that flashed on her bodyguards’ faces before she glared at them. She glared at the ship’s captain too, just for good measure, and marched straight for her cabin.
As she locked the door behind her and buried herself on her bed, Princess Azula finally allowed herself to scrabble at her head and berate herself for doing such a…an unbecoming thing in public.
Then she spent the rest of the journey reminiscing on how warm Xing’s skin felt against her lips, and how nice it was to see him so…pleasantly surprised. That persistent memory made her subsequent nights more comfortable, far more comfortable than Ren’s and Ping’s presence had been.