"That," the general replied with a measured smile, "is something I can help with."
"And how exactly, when you just said you never fought the Water Tribes?"
"That's true." The elderly firebender took another sip of his brew. "But I fought the Earth Kingdom for thirty years. Tell me, Chan—how do you think they preferred to move through captured stone cities?"
I felt myself flush slightly. Yeah... Hadn't thought of that.
"My apologies, General. Nerves and lack of sleep. I wasn't thinking."
"Nothing to apologize for," the general waved a hand good-naturedly. "To be honest, as your adviser, I should have thought of it sooner myself. But it's been far too long since we dealt with waterbenders, and even longer since we entered one of their cities. Besides, I'm not quite in the shape I used to be." Iroh patted his rather prominent belly.
Though I suspected he meant a somewhat different kind of shape. Oh well.
"All right. Regret won't accomplish anything, especially not now. What exactly do you propose we do to prevent something like this from happening again?"
"Roughly the same measures we use to secure a perimeter against earthbenders. Tripwires with bells attached. Thin metal rods driven into the ground and walls to detect vibrations from underground movement. Though in this case, I'm not entirely convinced the latter would be effective. Earthbenders... well, they dig through earth, creating vibrations as they go. Waterbenders, on the other hand, could simply liquefy the ice, pass through, and then restore the wall to its original state."
"Mmm." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Perhaps we could stretch nets across the walls? At least in key locations."
"That might actually work." I stroked my own chin, noting that I really ought to shave. "We're feeding the locals ourselves right now, and they aren't going fishing, so they don't need their nets anyway. But what do we do about the rescuers and the people they freed? Obviously, we need to find them and make a public example of them by shortening them by a head. But how exactly do we find them?"
"It would be nice to secure the support of the local population. There are still warriors and hunters in the city who must know the main hideouts and the backup routes into and out of the city. Unfortunately, I doubt they'll volunteer that information."
"Then they won't volunteer. I happen to have one excessively patriotic spitter available."
"You still haven't executed him?" Iroh looked genuinely surprised. Given his stunt, I would have been entirely within my rights to burn him alive on the spot instead of merely singeing half his face.
"I dislike pointless cruelty. I wanted to test a few old methods on him—techniques I only recently learned about. Besides, there are quite a few individuals who 'resisted arrest.' The justification may be largely formal, but it exists nonetheless, and even Pakku, for all his dislike of me, won't be able to accuse me of conducting pointless tortures and executions. Speaking of which, how is he?"
"And what makes you think we've been talking?" the general asked with an innocent expression.
"Oh, nothing much... During the search of his house, we found a Pai Sho set with a rather uncommon piece. Combined with his skill level. Circumstantial evidence, of course, but you understand." I smirked. "By the way, have you considered inviting Zuko into our little club of shared interests?"
"All right, all right, we did play a few games." Iroh chuckled. "At the moment, the old fart is extremely impressed by your self-control and composure—qualities that are hardly common among our people, especially the younger generation. But you know the rules of our Order. What happens in the Pai Sho club stays in the Pai Sho club. Unfortunately, he won't cooperate with us out of shared interests."
"As for Zuko..." The firebender sighed. "No. Not anytime soon. He's too impulsive, too incapable of separating personal matters from professional ones, and for all his talents, he is still a long way from being a Master. And then there's his obsession with the Avatar... If only things were that simple..."
Now that was an interesting hint.
Though it was strange that the prince himself—who was hardly stupid, aside from a few moments, some of which were regrettably rather important—had never stopped to consider what Ozai's words, Do not return without the Avatar, actually meant. Especially considering that no one had seen the Avatar for a hundred years and no one had expected to see him again.
But people can be remarkably blind. We have a tendency to stare directly at unpleasant truths without seeing them, no matter how costly that habit of burying our heads in the sand may prove in the end.
"As you wish," I said, steering the conversation away from what was rapidly becoming dangerous territory. "But let's return to the Water Tribe. Suppose we identify their hideouts. What then?"
"Setting ambushes around them would be pointless. Given the advantages the snowy terrain provides the locals, it simply isn't worth it. The same goes for night raids intended to catch them by surprise. That leaves clearing and burning out their lodges and outposts. It's possible to survive for a long time without bases or regular resupply. Waging war without them is another matter entirely."
(End of Chapter)
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