99 A.G
Lin realized that, if the battle continued to head in the same direction as it currently was, the Fire Nation would not win it. There was no way around it.
The conclusion came from the numbers in the last reports her officers had compiled. Their advance had reached four kilometers into the agrarian zone, which would have been considered impressive in almost every way; heavily outnumbered and on the offensive.
They had managed to keep moving forward, even if only little by little, against waves and waves of enemy soldiers. None of that changed the fact that the army was already exhausted, and that Ba Sing Se had more men to spend still.
Supplies were holding well enough at least. The supply trains were still bringing ammunition, food, medicine, spare parts, fuel, and replacement equipment from the colonies non-stop. Her engineers had repaired damaged track sections faster than expected, and the earthbenders had prepared the land around the breaches well enough to bring the trains inside the walls.
In theory, everything was going great, but the casualty reports showed the true weakness of their current situation. 7,421 of her soldiers were taken off the front lines wounded, 3,387 were killed. That meant that they had suffered more than 10,000 casualties in twelve days of fighting, and while some of the wounded would return to service eventually, many would not.
Several types of wounds, both physical and mental, were removing his soldiers from active combat. They didn't have enough to replenish her frontline at that pace. The estimates from her strategists placed Earth Kingdom casualties above 130,000 since they had breached the walls.
Dead, wounded, and missing buried in tunnels or liquid fire amounted to that estimate. A twelve to one exchange sounded like victory until it was measured against the huge reserves that Ba Sing Se still had.
If the same pace continued for a month, the Earth Kingdom could still keep feeding soldiers into the battle while the Fire Nation would be forced back simply because there would not be enough men left to hold the line.
Lin stood over the map table inside the forward command tent, listening to the heavy guns outside and the messengers moving through the entrance behind her. The officers around her were tired, but alert enough to know they needed a change of plans.
"Alright, it's time to switch tactics. All attacks are to stop immediately." Lin said.
Colonel Zhou raised his head to look at her in surprise. "All attacks, General?"
"Yes. No more counterattacks for now, we will focus on inflicting as many casualties as we can instead of moving forward. Tighten the defenses, rotate the worst-hit companies where possible, and have the engineers reinforce every position we currently hold confidently. Also, since the front is not going to move forward anymore, it's time to use the railway guns again."
Aiku wrote quickly. "What should I tell them?"
"They will begin firing periodically into no man's land at random intervals and in different sections. It will keep them guessing. I want the enemy to be afraid to gather men there, even when they think our line is resting."
"Is there a reason why we were not doing that already?" General Shinu asked.
"The larger caliber guns have been silent since the advance, General. We held them back because we didn't know when they would attack, as you know, we were using their attacks to prepare a counterattack once we repelled the offensive. The distance between us would make coordinating between our attack and their bombardment difficult and risky." Lin replied.
"Makes sense." he muttered back.
"That means that we currently have plenty of ammunition to use now." Lin replied. "Have them start tonight. Keep them constantly dropping them and making adjustments as soon as the scout gliders spot enemy movement."
Captain Aiku saluted and marked the order. Lin studied their position once more, the one that had been able to keep pushing forward had suffered the most against their night attacks, something they had employed well these last couple of days.
Their commanders had realized that the Fire Nation soldiers were desperate for sleep, and that firebenders were weaker after sunset. They were using darkness, tunnels, and fatigue to keep her army from recovering, and the tactic had worked well enough to inflict casualties.
Lin was confident that they wouldn't attack during the day again today. It was time to break their streak, and force them to reconsider attacking at night.
"Colonel Zhou." Lin said.
"Yes, General?"
"Take Aiku's order to the rear. Besides the railway guns' new objectives, I want Toph to be brought to my line by sunrise tomorrow."
Zhou hesitated for a moment, though not long enough to be disobedient. "Yes, General."
"I know what you are thinking, but don't worry, I won't make her fight. You may go." Lin said.
Zhou departed with his orders.
"Captain Kaida, order the entire riflemen company to rest today. I will need them well rested for tonight. Prepare the central section for another night assault, we will prepare an ambush this time, and I also want you to request spare boards we use for the railway tracks."
Kaida raised an eyebrow at the unusual order. "Boards, ma'am?"
"Yes, I have a plan in mind."
"How many should they bring?"
"As many as can be spared, now that the railway guns are in range again I'm sure we will have some we can use. I also want the last prisoners that have not been executed yet brought with them."
The tent grew more tense around her, but captain Kaida was not fazed at all. Shinu and his officers' faces hardened on the other hand. It was the main reason she had sent the good colonel away, he would oppose the plan.
"Are you planning on using them as a meat shield?" Kaida asked.
"No, although the idea has merit, captain."
Shinu exchanged looks with the other officers warily. "May I ask what the prisoners and railway tracks boards are for, General?"
Lin wondered if explaining her plan would affect the morale of her own troops. If she kept the Red Battalion only aware of what tactics she was going to use, she was sure they wouldn't make a fuss about it. Strategically though, if her plan worked, then it would have to be used in different sections of the front lines anyway.
"We are going to play a bit of psychological warfare." Lin said. "I will use the rumor of being an evil spirit to our advantage."
'It's time to get creative. After all, they don't know what crucifixion is in this world yet.'
----0000----
Major Ban had finally stopped the enemy advance in the center, although it had cost far more than what he expected. His divisions had been reinforced twice already, and even then he was not certain they could survive another couple of days of this kind of fighting before it would have to be replaced entirely for another ones.
The Fire Nation's weapons were truly terrible. Explosives and death machines had taken out so many of them. On the bright side, the night attacks had helped. Keeping most of the troops underground had helped even more, exactly as Major Lee had said it would.
And although the enemy was using metal to reinforce their defenses and they couldn't just ambush them from below, it had served well to prevent the enemy from using their superior weapons to decimate them.
Nightfall was approaching, and Ban stood inside the central bunker while officers moved around him coordinating his troops. The bunker had been carved deeper underground and connected to several exits that could be opened near the front.
Earthbenders had strengthened the walls throughout the day, widening passages to pull wounded soldiers out quickly while leaving enough room for soldiers to keep reinforcing the attack. They had also marked the walls with raised symbols so the soldiers could navigate them even in darkness.
The attack would begin soon, his soldiers were ready for another gruesome night of close quarters combat. The first groups were already moving toward the exits, waiting for the order to surge out to attack the Fire Nation positions along the front.
Usually the enemy tried to hide as well. They kept flames low, covered lanterns, and only attacked when the Earth Kingdom soldiers came close enough for the fight to become crowded and confused.
That was where Ban wanted them. Fire Nation machines were less useful when the enemy was too close to use them freely, and close quarters favored earthbenders. At least whenever they didn't encounter Agni's Wrath.
Tonight, though, something was different from the very beginning. One of the officers standing near the tunnel entrance pointed ahead.
"Major, there is light coming in from the exits we just opened."
Ban gazed toward where the officer was pointing and indeed, at the far end of one of the connected passages, an orange glow trembled against the walls. It was too bright to be a covered lantern and too steady to be firebenders already ambushing them.
More light could be seen from the other passages that the earthbenders were opening one by one, flickering from beyond what he could see, and only shadows of the soldiers moving to attack could be seen from his position.
"Is the enemy using something to illuminate the battlefield?" Ban asked.
"It appears so, Major."
Well, they would be seen coming then, but Ban didn't think it would be so much different than if they ambushed them at the last possible moment. Still, he was uneasy, they had clearly switched tactics and that could mean anything at this point. Ban sent the attack anyway, they would recollect information regardless.
If he delayed too long, the men already near the exits would lose nerve. He didn't need more reckless soldiers running to their deaths. He was going to wait in the bunker and coordinate with the rest of the Lieutenants using messengers.
But that plan was shattered when instead of running messengers, frightened soldiers came running back from the exit tunnels. They looked terrible and trembling. Major Ban couldn't believe there were already deserters this early in the attack.
He was contemplating what to do with them when more frightened soldiers followed from another tunnel, faces pale and their lips shaky. Their panic spread fast and people around him in the bunker were as perplexed as he was. Ban needed to take control of the situation.
"Stop them!" Ban yelled. "Hold them here!"
Two guards grabbed one soldier by the arms, and Ban stepped in front of him. "Get it together, soldier! Report. What happened?"
The man's mouth opened twice before sound came out. "They are offering soldiers to the evil spirits, I don't want to be next."
Ban stared at him. "What?"
"Death rituals, oh the horror…" another soldier said, shaking badly enough that the words broke apart. "They will put us up there as well. They are calling evil spirits against us."
"Enough." Ban grabbed the first soldier by the front of his armor. "Where are your officers?"
The soldier looked back toward the tunnel with terror in his eyes. "Still there, some are fighting. Please, Major, I don't want to go back. Don't make me go back!"
Ban shoved him toward the guards and took a torch from the nearest wall bracket. Soldiers deserting through the tunnels would abandon the rest of their comrades near the exits, and if the Fire Nation had done something to break the attack before it began, he needed to see it himself before ordering a retreat.
"Hold this bunker." Ban said to the nearest captain. "Do not let panic spread to the other routes."
He entered the western tunnel with six men behind him. The light grew stronger as they advanced, filling the passage with orange and red until the torch in his hand became useless. Heat moved through the tunnel mouth, carrying the smell of burning wood, oil, and something foul and rotten.
When Ban came out of the tunnel, the brightness blinded him for a moment. He raised one arm over his eyes and forced himself forward until the battlefield was clear for him. A huge pyre had been built in the form of a ring across the open ground, bright enough to illuminate the place of attack.
He could hear small explosions going off and it was clear that some were still fighting. At first his mind tried to understand it as a wall of fire, some barrier meant to stop the attack, but then he saw the wooden beams standing upright one after another along the line.
They were huge crosses. Earth Kingdom prisoners had been nailed to them and the base on them had been set on fire.
Some of the prisoners were already dead, hanging blackened and motionless against the burning wood. Others were still screaming, their voices mixed with the roar of the fire, the shouting of soldiers, and the panic spreading across his own men as they stumbled out of the tunnels into the light.
Ban's stomach turned so violently that he bent over and vomited into the dirt. He tried to breathe, but the air was full of smoke and burned flesh, it was suffocating and he began sweating uncontrollably.
For a few moments, Ban could not move properly. His chest tightened, his hands went numb, and the sheer horror of seeing soldiers nailed and burning in mass paralyzed him. It had happened to him before after seeing soldiers with torn limbs from explosions.
A captain shook his shoulder. "Major! Major, orders!"
Ban forced air into his lungs and looked around. The attack had already started to fail. Some of his men were fighting near the exits, trying to form ranks despite the firelight and horror before them.
Others had frozen where they stood, and some were running back into the tunnels. Fire Nation soldiers were waiting beyond the burning ring, firing their death sticks into the confusion while their firebenders sent flames through gaps in the smoke.
Earth Kingdom officers shouted themselves hoarse trying to restore order, but the sight had broken too many men before the battle had even begun. Ban wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and swallowed against the bile in his throat.
"Retreat!" he screamed. "Back through the tunnels! Get them out!"
The order spread unevenly, but it spread. Officers began dragging men away from the battlefield, earthbenders raised barriers to cover the withdrawal, and those who could still think helped pull the wounded back underground.
Ban remained near the entrance long enough to make sure the closest groups were moving, then stumbled back into the tunnel with the others. The screams followed him down to the bunker.
----0000----
Toph arrived near the central line shortly after nightfall, walking beside Azula with visible irritation on her face. Lin had ordered the forward trench cleared of unnecessary personnel before she arrived. She didn't think that Toph should be seeing the horrors of war yet.
The engineers had already dragged the boards down, and the bodies had been piled and burned to ashes. The attack had failed, and the scare tactics had worked even better than she expected. Now she needed to hurt them even more, and she had a great idea in mind.
Toph stopped near Lin and crossed her arms. "Well, I'm finally here and nothing exciting is happening."
"I think we have enough excitement as it is, Toph." Lin chuckled. "I brought you here for two things, can you find the tunnel exits near this area?"
"Sure, I can do that." Toph tapped one foot against the packed earth, then turned her head toward the field. Her expression changed after a moment, becoming more focused. "There are quite a few of them."
"Oh good, the more the better, how many?"
Toph remained still, probably sensing the entire field around her. "Twenty-four. Some are close and the rest are further back. A few are connected to each other, but most lead deeper underground."
"That's good enough for me, let's walk toward each of them and we will have someone assigned to that tunnel."
Toph moved forward and pointed them out one by one. As she did, Lin gave the task to three firebenders per tunnel to stay close. She was going to need them soon enough. They worked as quickly as they could.
The enemy had prepared for a wide night attack, probably hoping that coming across so many points at once would force the Fire Nation to respond in confusion. If they had launched the attack an hour earlier, it might have caused heavy damage.
Now, the tunnels would become a trap.
"I need you to create a lava pool here," Lin said, pointing to the space between the nearest fire line and the forward trench. "Wide enough for the firebenders to work with."
Toph turned her head toward her. "Lava? You dragged me here to make lava?"
"Yes."
"That better not be for melting people."
"It is for the tunnels."
Toph frowned. "That sounds like melting people with extra steps."
Lin kept her voice even. "Firebenders can bend heat. In this case, we can redirect heated air and smoke from the lava into the tunnel mouths. If the enemy is planning to attack again tonight they would be forced to abandon that plan and retreat back to the other side."
Toph tilted her head. "You can bend smoke?"
"Not the smoke itself. Heat, pressure, and the movement of hot air. It is not difficult for trained firebenders, but it is rarely useful in direct combat. It takes too much focus, moves too slowly, and leaves the bender open to an attack. I had never thought it would actually be useful."
Toph seemed to consider that. She was not foolish, and Lin knew better than to explain too much. If Lin lingered on the wrong details, Toph would ask better questions.
"So I just make the lava and leave?" Toph asked.
"Yes. You create it, then Azula takes you back to a safe distance. The firebenders handle the rest."
"Why can't I stay and watch?"
"While I wouldn't mind that, I'm afraid of them attacking while we are doing this and then you would be forced to fight. I don't want that for you."
Toph stood there for a few more seconds before giving a reluctant nod. "Fine. But you will make it up to me somehow."
"Oh no, what a nightmare." Lin mocked her and Toph just laughed. Azula looked amused, but said nothing.
Toph moved to the marked position with two guards behind her. She planted her feet, raised both hands, and pulled at the earth in a few swift movements. Lin was always impressed with her control, it didn't even look like it was hard for the young earthbender.
The ground cracked open, stone softened, and heat began to rise as the surface folded inward on itself. Within seconds, a pool of molten rock glowed in front of the trench, red and orange light moving across its surface while the soldiers nearby stepped back from the heat.
She continued along the way making it large enough until Lin gave her a nod.
"Well done."
Toph wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. "Yeah, yeah. Don't sound too impressed, Metalsticks."
"I am impressed." Lin replied, honestly.
"Ugh, so corny."
Azula took Toph by the shoulder and guided her back toward the protected trench line. "Come on. We haven't seen each other for a few days, let's catch up."
"Sure princess. Although, you could use a bath. Being blind means my other senses are better and you stink!" Toph complained.
"While you are stepping over the line and I would normally burn you for saying something like that, a bath sounds wonderful right now."
Once they were far enough away, Lin raised one hand and signaled the firebenders forward. The first group began feeding controlled flames into the lava, keeping the heat high and stable. The second group, the ones assigned to each tunnel mouth, put on their cloth masks, and began spreading their stances and moving their arms in careful rhythm as the heated air gathered and was pushed inside the tunnels.
Lin also helped feed flames and heat into the molten rock. Bending its heat away would solidify it quickly. The air became heavy, bitter, and difficult to breathe even at a distance. The fumes rising from the molten earth, as the different components in the rock were freed by the extreme heat and pressure.
What she didn't mention to Toph, was that the fumes were highly toxic. It was better if she believed the enemy would flee the tunnels because of heat and maybe difficulty breathing normally, which was true enough for the purpose of gaining her cooperation.
Depending on how much they breathed before escaping however, many of the soldiers below would die even if no flame touched them. The firebenders worked together, forcing the heated air downward through each opening.
When one group began to tire, another took its place. When Lin herself was replaced to feed more flames into the pool of lava, she moved along the trench with Aiku beside her, checking that the tunnels were tended to and that the earthbenders were ready to seal the exits on command.
They didn't hear anything coming from the tunnels but if she was correct then they would feel the effect soon and the tunnels would become death corridors.
After an hour, Lin gave the order to the earthbenders, who stepped forward and sealed the tunnel mouths one by one. Stone closed over the exits, packed tighter by her request until no open gap remained.
Lin turned to the communication officer waiting behind her. "As we planned, give the order for our artillery to open fire." she said.
"Yes, General."
Scouts had found the bunker's outer exit a few kilometers beyond the front, and if the guns hit that area hard enough, the enemy would have no easy escape. They could try to dig new exits, but in darkness, with smoke and heated air moving through their tunnels, they would have very little time to do it.
The artillery pieces fired, and Lin watched the impacts bloom in the distance. She hoped this new approach would help around. Even if at times the human mind seemed fickle, Lin had seen soldiers eventually adapt to scare tactics and keep fighting.
She hoped they could break the line before that happened. The crucifixions had worked wonderfully, and she knew that executing the prisoners this way would create panic for the enemy soldiers. Although she didn't expect to see them flee just upon seeing it.
She would order other sections to repeat the display over the next few nights, not constantly obviously, it took time to set up and they could attack in the day ruining the preparations, but at least enough to break the pattern of night assaults.
For the first time in days, Lin felt satisfied with the direction of the battle.
----0000----
Major Lee's morning attack had been repelled, and the retreat through the tunnels was crowded with wounded men, tired officers, and earthbenders sealing the passages behind them. They had tried to strike just before sunrise, hoping the Fire Nation line would still be disorganized after the night assault, but the enemy had been ready.
Their defenses were tighter than before, and every approach had been punished by their machines, and explosions before Lee's soldiers could force a closer fight. When they emerged near the defensive trenches, Lee saw Fire Nation flying machines overhead, lower than usual.
"Down! Everyone down!" he shouted.
Men dropped behind earth barriers or pressed themselves against the trench walls, waiting for bombs to fall. Lee held his breath for a few seconds, expecting the blast to tear through the packed line, but the machines passed over them and he heard no explosions.
He was almost relieved, thinking they were only scouting the tunnels or marking targets for later, until the screams began spreading farther down the trench.
Lee forced his way toward the noise while shouting for the soldiers to keep moving. Another flying machine passed above them, and this time he saw something fall. It struck the side of the trench and rolled through the mud until one soldier stumbled back from it, pale and shaking.
"It's…It's a severed head!" he screamed.
Lee was shocked, the Fire Nation was throwing the heads of fallen Earth Kingdom soldiers from the sky. Some still had broken helmets attached, others were burned or bloodied beyond recognition.
Rage rose in Lee's chest so strongly that for a moment he could barely think. These honorless brutes had taken soldiers who had died defending their home and turned them into weapons of terror. He wanted to order every man forward again, to make the Fire Nation pay immediately, but the men around him were horrified, and many could barely keep moving.
"Keep going!" Lee shouted. "Do not stop here!"
By the time he reached the defensive line, the Fire Nation bombardment had begun again. Explosions struck the earthworks ahead, forcing everyone into cover while earthbenders reinforced the bunkers and reshaped the entrances to protect against the liquid fire the enemy had begun dropping at random.
Lee could see soldiers staring at the sky, some with hatred in their eyes, they would fight harder, others shaking so badly they had to be pulled along by their comrades. He dreaded how many would desert after this, and how many would stay in the trenches but be unable to move when the next order came.
The Fire Nation had clearly switched tactics, and Lee knew with growing hatred that it was working. They just didn't have enough experienced soldiers that could handle this.
'They will pay for this.' he thought bitterly.
----0000---
Art made by Innocent_Mochi