99 A.G
Major Lee emerged from the tunnel with the first half of his force and ordered the earthbenders to continue moving along the flank. The other group had taken a separate route toward the opposite side of the Fire Nation formation that had yet to move, and both forces were expected to attack at the agreed time.
There was no way to communicate between them now, so Lee had to trust that they would follow the plan. The constant bombardment against the wall concealed the sound of their movement. Each distant explosion shook the ground beneath them while the earthbenders closed the tunnel entrance and advanced behind low barriers of stone.
They had managed to leave the city without being noticed, but the advantage disappeared once they reached the final rise overlooking the enemy flank. The Fire Nation forces were already prepared for them.
Armored rhinos patrolled across the open ground while armored rolling vehicles guarded the spaces between them. Infantry and firebenders waited farther behind, positioned where they could quickly support either part of the line. Lee had expected some protection around the flank, but the number of troops made it clear that the Fire Nation had anticipated an attack.
"They knew we would come this way." one of his captains said.
Lee looked toward the opposite side of the battlefield, but the wall, dust and distance prevented him from seeing the second half of his forces. They would probably be reaching their own position at that moment.
If Lee withdrew without attacking, the others would advance alone and have no way of knowing that the plan had changed. They would be decimated if they were left alone.
"We continue forward." he said. "Focus on the armored vehicles first. Break the ground beneath the rhinos and do not waste your strength striking them directly; we won't be able to pierce them. If we have an opening our infantry can push forward to engage in close quarters."
His officers passed the order through the army. The earthbenders spread across the flank and prepared their attacks while the Fire Nation soldiers began turning toward them. Lee raised his arm and gave the signal to attack.
The first line struck the ground together, sending large stones toward the tanks and rhinos. The rocks crashed against metal and armor, but the rhinos barely slowed. Their hides were too thick for the smaller projectiles to pierce, and the parts that had armor on them would be less likely to break, while their weight made it difficult to knock them aside.
The animals rushed forward before the earthbenders could prepare a second attack. Several soldiers opened cracks beneath their feet and raised columns of stone in their path, but the rhinos broke through most of the obstacles or moved around them.
One stumbled when its front legs sank into a trench, throwing its rider onto the ground, while the others continued into their lines. Lee's soldiers tried to stop them with raised walls and spikes, but the animals easily head-butted them.
The first rhino broke through one of them and scattered the men behind it, forcing the surrounding earthbenders to separate before they were trampled. Another was struck from below by a large section of rock, though the attack only pushed it sideways before it recovered.
Firebenders atop the animals were already throwing fireballs at them. A few of them were using spears and bows, and some were even throwing small explosives at them.
"Attack the ground beneath them!" Lee shouted. "Trap their legs!"
The armored vehicles began moving forward behind the rhinos. Lee and several earthbenders concentrated on the closest one, raising the earth beneath one of its tracks until the vehicle tilted and rolled onto its side. Another group managed to overturn a second tank farther along the line, and for a moment Lee believed they might open enough space to reach the soldiers behind them.
The Fire Nation infantry and firebenders came out quickly behind the vehicles before they could take advantage of it. Flames passed between the rhinos, forcing the earthbenders to raise cover or retreat from the disabled tanks.
The infantry followed closely, using the animals and vehicles as protection while closing the distance. Lee sent a slab of stone through the flames and struck two soldiers, but more immediately took their place.
Around him, his men were being forced apart by the rhinos and the armored vehicles were protecting the firebenders behind them, while the Fire Nation line continued to grow stronger.
Additional cracks and explosions joined the sounds coming from the wall. Lee first believed they were echoes from the bombardment, but then he noticed soldiers farther behind the main line holding long wooden and metal sticks against their shoulders.
Small flashes appeared at their ends, followed by sharp pops that blended with the artillery striking Ba Sing Se in the distance. Earthbenders began falling without any fire or stone reaching them and some were screaming injured without anyone close to them.
"Raise walls and move toward the rear!" Lee ordered.
Several barriers rose between his force and the distant soldiers, but pieces of stone broke away each time the weapons fired. Lee did not understand how they worked, though it was clear that the Fire Nation had developed another weapon capable of killing from far beyond normal bending range.
Most importantly, the major realized soon that the attack was failing. His earthbenders had overturned several tanks and injured some of the rhinos, but they had not broken through the flank. Firebenders and infantry now filled the spaces behind the animals, while the soldiers with the unfamiliar weapons continued firing from a safe distance.
Lee looked again toward the opposite flank. He could see dust and occasional flames rising there, which meant the second group had begun its attack. If the Fire Nation had prepared the same defenses on both sides, they were likely suffering the same losses.
He could not continue throwing his men against a position they had no chance of breaking.
"Begin withdrawing toward the tunnel, come on!" Lee ordered. "Move the wounded first and keep raising cover behind us."
The earthbenders and infantrymen nearest the rear started moving back while the others remained in position. Lee raised a wall in front of an approaching rhino, then collapsed the ground beneath it when the animal struck the stone. It stumbled long enough for the soldiers around him to retreat several more steps.
The Fire Nation continued pressing forward, but the broken ground prevented the rhinos from building enough speed for another full charge. Lee's men used the uneven terrain to slow them further, raising stones and collapsing sections of earth while they moved back toward the tunnel.
The unfamiliar weapons continued breaking pieces from their cover. Lee saw two soldiers fall beside him, but there was no time to recover everyone. He ordered the remaining earthbenders to keep moving and stayed near the front of the formation, attacking whenever the Fire Nation came close enough.
The tunnel entrance remained open behind them, though they still had a considerable distance to cover. Lee could only continue the retreat and hope the force on the opposite flank had reached the same conclusion before it was surrounded.
----0000----
Lin watched the fighting from the top of the tank while hawks and messengers moved between her three divisions currently engaged in fights, carrying orders around. The Earth Kingdom had attacked both flanks at nearly the same time, confirming that the tunnels had been prepared in advance and that the two forces were following a coordinated plan.
Their numbers were greater than Lin had expected. Thousands of earthbenders had emerged on each side, using raised ground and sliding stones to close the distance quickly. The tanks and rhinos had stopped their first charge, but the fighting had spread across both flanks and was forcing her army to divide its attention.
"The left flank is holding, General." one of the messengers reported. "Colonel Mongke has stopped their advance, but they are still pressing him."
"And the right side?"
"They overturned four tanks and damaged two more. Captain Kaida is asking for reinforcements."
Lin looked toward the right flank. Dust covered much of the battlefield, though she could still see rocks rising between the tanks and bursts of fire coming from the infantry behind them. The earthbenders had managed to reach the formation before the line had fully adjusted, and several groups were trying to break through toward the center.
"Send the first rifle company to our right flank." Lin ordered. "Move three firebender units with them. The eastern flank will hold its current position and avoid advancing."
Azula stood beside her on the tank, watching the messengers repeat the orders through flags.
"You are leaving Mongke to hold them off almost on his own." she said.
"I trust the colonel. He only needs to stop them from moving farther." Lin replied. "Their forces were quicker on the right flank, and moved deeper into our position. If we break them first, they will have no space to retreat and we can easily turn to the left flank once they are dealt with."
The reinforcements began moving behind the central line. Riflemen formed two rows between the tanks while the firebenders spread around them, using the vehicles for cover as they approached the frontline.
Lin raised her telescope. The Earth Kingdom soldiers continued pushing forward, probably believing that they had weakened the defense by overturning several tanks. They had entered the open ground between the Fire Nation formations and were now too far from their tunnels to withdraw quickly.
Azula smiled. "We could set up a trap for them, make them believe they are breaking through."
"You are right, princess. Signal Captain Kaida." Lin said. "Have her give ground slowly and draw them farther in. The tanks on the inner side will turn toward them once the riflemen are in position. Have them open fire once our men begin moving back."
The right flank began withdrawing several steps at a time. Firebenders released short volleys before moving back, while the remaining tanks moved backward, keeping their front armor toward the advancing earthbenders.
The enemy followed using stone platforms to maintain their speed. Once the last riflemen reached their assigned position, Lin gave the order and watched the slaughter unfold before her. The tanks fired together, decimating Earth Kingdom forces.
Riflemen opened fire from behind them, striking earthbenders who had been focused on the soldiers retreating ahead. The additional firebenders moved around the opposite side and closed the space between the enemy and their tunnels.
The earthbenders tried to raise walls, but they were being attacked from three directions. Some attempted to break through toward the center, only to find more infantry waiting behind the tanks. Others turned back toward the tunnels and encountered the firebenders cutting across their retreat.
"Advance the right line further." Lin ordered. "Keep the pressure on them but don't pursue them inside the tunnels."
Azula glanced at her. "You are allowing them to escape?"
"They can easily collapse the tunnels with our forces inside of them, I would rather not risk that, even if they are disorganized and desperately retreating."
The Fire Nation soldiers continued closing around the earthbenders while leaving corpses behind. Several enemy soldiers broke into a run, back toward their tunnels. Although some of them kept them at bay using walls and stone slabs to cover for the retreating soldiers.
The rhinos that were left kept charging at them, and the riflemen fired into the disorganized group behind the soldiers without mercy. Not many would be left alive to get into the tunnels. The earthbenders raised barriers and tried to force them back, but they no longer had enough of them to cover for everyone.
Within minutes, their formations collapsed under the continuing fire. Within several minutes, the right flank attack had been defeated. Some earthbenders surrendered, while the remaining soldiers tried to retreat in smaller groups. Most were stopped before reaching the tunnels.
Lin turned toward the left flank now, ready to move her forces around. From her position, she could see that Mongke had managed to stall the attack well, and the tanks they had were not in a bad shape either.
"Move the first rifle company and half of the supporting firebenders to Mongke's position. Have the infantry execute the ones who surrendered, we are not taking prisoners today." Lin said.
The soldiers crossed behind the central formation while the left flank defenders continued holding their ground. Mongke and his rhinos had prevented the second Earth Kingdom force from reaching the infantry, though several animals had been injured and one lay dead near the front.
The earthbenders had already begun withdrawing when the reinforcements arrived. They had probably realized that they couldn't break through, but they were still too far from their tunnel entrance to escape before the Fire Nation line advanced.
"Push them back, concentrate on causing as many casualties as we can." Lin ordered. "Force them toward the center and surround them. Ignore the ones who manage to break away."
The rhinos and tanks moved forward at a controlled pace while the firebenders followed behind them. Rocks struck against their armor and hides, but the animals continued advancing. Firebenders attacked over and around them, preventing the earthbenders from gathering enough force for another organized charge.
The rifle company reached the flank and began firing from behind the tanks. The remaining Earth Kingdom soldiers tried to separate, with some moving toward the tunnel while others attempted to draw the Fire Nation away. Neither group managed to travel far intact and the battle ended shortly after.
Lin's officers began reporting the losses while soldiers recovered the wounded and secured the prisoners to terminate later on. Several tanks had been overturned, and two had suffered damage to their tracks and lower armor.
They could be repaired, though one vehicle would need to be taken back to the railway workshop. The rhino company had also lost a few of their riders and animals during the first attack, while the infantry had suffered casualties when the earthbenders reached their lines.
The losses were not insignificant, but the Earth Kingdom had committed a much larger force and achieved nothing. Their speed had allowed them to reach the flanks quickly, though remaining in the open after the first charge had decided the battle.
The bombardment against Ba Sing Se had continued throughout the fighting. Railway shells struck the wall at regular intervals, followed by the faster barrage from the field artillery. Dust covered the lower sections entirely, and each impact sent another tremor beneath Lin's feet.
She looked toward the wall through her telescope. The gliders continued passing between the artillery and the target, and the signals indicated that the guns were still striking the correct areas.
"Have the damaged units brought into reserve and see if they can begin repairing the tanks." Lin ordered. "The rest of the army will maintain these positions while the engineers clear the ground."
Azula looked toward the wall. "You think it will fall soon?"
"The lower sections have already taken several hours of continuous fire." Lin replied. "We should begin preparing the assault groups now."
The enemy had failed to break her forces, and she didn't expect them to try another attack. Unless General Sung sent another army into the open toward their artillery, and she very much doubted that, nothing remained to interrupt the bombardment.
Lin then made her officers reorganize their units and prepare the rhinos and the earthbender units for the breaches. Azula had come up with the idea to use their small number of earthbenders to prepare the ground so that tanks could storm the breaches better.
Once everything was ready, Lin ordered the Fourth Army to divide into three assault groups, each positioned opposite one of the sections being targeted by the railway guns.
The tanks and infantry moved first, while the rhino companies remained close behind them, ready to advance once the wall collapsed. The two Riflemen companies were split into three platoons for each breach and firebenders filled the rest of the gaps.
Although the dust cloud and explosions from the constant shelling were hiding much of their movements, Lin wanted to make it even harder for the defenders to see what her army was doing.
"Prepare all gliders for another flight." she ordered. "Have them carry coal in them and grenades. We will throw them as close to the wall as possible in a line."
Colonel Zhou looked toward the wall through her telescope. "General, why are we wasting coal?"
"The grenades will burn it, creating a thick black smoke. They already have difficulty seeing through the dust. Black smoke will make it impossible for them to watch our moves."
"Ah, I see. At once!"
The first group launched soon after. Each glider carried sacks of coal tied beneath its frame, along with several grenades. They flew high enough to avoid most of the rocks thrown from the battlements before releasing their loads over the damaged sections and along the wall as well.
The grenades exploded among the coal, scattering black powder through the air and igniting parts of it. Thick smoke rose in front of the wall and mixed with the dust from the artillery impacts. True, they wouldn't be able to see much themselves, but Lin was sure they would be in too much chaos with the collapse of the wall to focus on attacking them at first.
Lin also remained confident that the wall would soon collapse. The railway shells had struck the same points for hours, and every report from the scouts confirmed that the damage was spreading upward. The defenders could no longer approach the base safely, while the smoke prevented them from seeing how close the Fire Nation forces had moved.
Two hours later, a glider returned from the wall and began signaling. Lin raised her telescope and followed the light pattern, writing down the message from the scouts.
"They are reinforcing the breaches, the enemy is aware their walls will collapse soon." she relayed.
"What are they doing?" Azula asked.
"They are building smaller stone walls behind the damaged sections. The scouts also said that large groups of soldiers were moving from the direction of the inner city."
"How many?"
"The signal only says that the whole agrarian zone is full of them. They are preparing a large defensive force behind all three positions. They will probably try to assault us in waves to overwhelm and encircle us."
Lin opened a small map she had hand drawn earlier, and studied the plan she had put together. She added the walls. Lin wanted the Earth Kingdom to keep focusing on defense instead of forcing an attack on them.
They could easily spot them from above and just wait for the artillery to soften them up, probably firing 200 meters in front of her forces. Once the barrage was done with, they could coordinate an advance with her ground troops and the field artillery and little by little win the territory over until they surrendered or broke down due to low morale.
"Arm the next gliders with bombs, Captain." Lin ordered. "Their targets are the new walls behind each breach."
Captain Aiku hesitated. "The smoke may make them difficult to locate."
"The scouts already know their positions. Have them approach from above and release the bombs when they pass the marked points. They do not need to destroy the entire structure. Breaking the upper sections will make it harder for the defenders to use them as cover already."
The crews began preparing the gliders while the three assault groups continued moving into position. Her plan was progressing well for now.
----0000----
Major Lee returned to headquarters on the top of the wall expecting General Sung to reprimand him for the failed attack. Instead, the general listened to his report in silence, his expression tired rather than angry.
"I am disappointed that it did not work, Major." Sung said once Lee finished. "I believed you made the right decision, against their superior weapons there is no choice for us but to thin their numbers until they cannot fight anymore. I was wrong to deny an assault."
"They were already prepared for us, sir." Lee replied. "Their armored vehicles and Komodo Rhinos were guarding both sides, and they reinforced one flank before moving those soldiers to the other. We never saw the weapons attacking the walls, which leads me to believe they are further back, their range is beyond what we imagined."
Sung looked toward the wall as another explosion shook the ground.
"Their infantry have other weapons as well." Lee continued. "Soldiers carrying long metal and wooden weapons. They can kill from farther away than our earthbenders can attack, and they were powerful enough to break through stone cover after repeated hits."
"I see. I'm going to be honest here, it is looking very bleak, Major." Sung frowned.
"Yes, General. If the outer wall falls, a second wall alone will not hold them. Their weapons will destroy it before our soldiers can use it properly."
"Then what do you suggest?"
"Rows of fighting ditches behind each damaged section." Lee said. "Deep enough to protect the soldiers from direct fire, with tunnels connecting them. A long wall gives their guns one large target. Smaller positions would limit their line of sight and reduce how many men are caught by each explosion."
Sung considered the map in front of him.
"We will build both," he decided. "A second wall to slow their advance, with your positions behind it."
"The wall may still be useful as cover." Lee agreed. "We also need to use our numbers before they can settle themselves inside."
"You intend to assault them?"
"We cannot remain in the defensive, their weapons would just kill our men left and right while they just sit there waiting. We must take the fight to them. Have the crews extend tunnels forward from the ditches so that we can attack their positions as soon as they enter."
Sung nodded slowly. "We could allow them to spread a bit first though, if those weapons have more range that we can handle, they might stay at the breaches creating a choke point for our forces, we won't be able to assault with huge numbers otherwise."
"You are right, I agree. We need to force them into close quarters where their range matters less and overwhelm their weapons with enough men to bury them."
"Then begin preparing it immediately." Sung said. "More troops have already been requested from the inner districts. The Dai Li have already sent a message, they are sending reserves in case the situation worsens."
Lee was not reassured by that information at all. The amount of the bodies already being carried away from the wall was growing, he paled to think how many more soldiers would soon be in the same position as them. Sung seemed to share the concern.
"I have been dreading the number of lives this defense will cost us." the general admitted. "But we have to stop them at all cost, if they take the Agrarian Zone the war is all but over for the city. They will starve us to death."
"Speaking of food, we need to build stores and deposits underground as well, if more soldiers are coming in we will have issues feeding everyone fighting."
"Yes, they are already underway. Although I imagine we will still need to ration as much as we can."
Another shell struck nearby, making the lamps sway and sending dust down from the supports above them.
"Another thing. We are moving headquarters farther back, we are abandoning the walls." Sung continued. "The command post will be placed underground where their flying machines cannot observe it and their bombs are less likely to reach us."
"That will make communication with the front slower." Lee commented.
"It will, but losing the entire command staff would be worse. Messengers will carry orders through tunnels."
Sung pointed to the three damaged sections marked on the map.
"We will coordinate with the sixteen officers assigned to these defenses. Begin with the row of ditches and connecting tunnels, then support the crews building the inner walls. Further orders will come once headquarters have been relocated."
Lee studied the positions and the routes available beneath them. They had little time, and the bombardment was already forcing the workers away from parts of the wall.
"I will begin immediately." he said.
Sung nodded. "Do what you can, Major."
Lee gathered the maps and left the tent to find the other officers. If the Fire Nation breached the wall within the day, every defensive position would need to be ready as fast as they could.
----0000----
Colonel Zhou stood near the front of his division fiddling with the vambraces of his armor. The bombardment had continued through the entire day, and every impact against the wall tightened something in his chest.
The soldiers around him had been ready for hours. Armor had been checked, weapons cleaned and prepared and supply packs secured. The rhinos waited ahead of him, their handlers struggling to keep them calm whenever the ground shook beneath them.
They would have to advance inside the walls any minute now. Once the wall opened, his battalion would follow the rhinos and Tanks through the breach and enter Ba Sing Se. They had fought Earth Kingdom armies before, but never this many soldiers and never inside a city large enough to hold millions of people.
He looked across the ranks. Most of the men stood quietly, watching the dust covering the wall. A few spoke to one another, though he couldn't hear a word of their conversations. They were prepared, but Zhou could still see the same anxiety he felt in their eyes. Some held their weapons too tightly, while others kept adjusting armor that was already properly secured.
He could not blame them. The Earth Kingdom would defend every inch once they entered, and the scouts had already made it clear that they would be facing heavy resistance. Even if the defenders had been disorganized so far, they still outnumbered the Fire Nation several times over. The fight inside would be bloody and many of them wouldn't return home.
A deafening sound, different from the shells, broke his thoughts. The ground shook harder than before, and a deep cracking sound followed the explosions. Zhou looked up as the dust cloud rose above the battlements and spread across the sky.
The cracking continued beneath the sound of the artillery. Large sections of stone began sliding inward, followed by more of the wall above them. The collapse grew until the noise drowned out the officers shouting to one another.
After an entire day of bombardment, the walls of Ba Sing Se finally fell. Zhou drew his breath, channeling his inner fire, he roared, flames spewing out of his mouth, cheering his soldiers on.
"Hooraaaah!"
----0000----
Finally the commissioned art is here! Yay. I will leave it in the comments as usual.