Ba Sing Se, Earth King Palace.
[Earth King POV]
I simply closed my eyes for a few seconds, preparing myself for whatever my subjects will say before opening them again. I would normally just let out my usual bored expression, but this time the atmosphere that needed that expression was not present. All my subjects are wearing a grim expression, though some of them probably have no idea what's happening, but are wearing the face that fits the current situation. It's as if someone important had died from my council or my military, but I don't remember any reports of something like that, I only heard yesterday about our massive victory against the Rebel Army, so why is it that every one of my subjects is like that? Even when the Rebel Army manages to block all of our supply routes, taking a large part of our land, not a single one worn this type of expression.
"My King, I have received tragic reports from my messengers," a general said after stepping forward and bowing to me, "General Dali and his whole army are dead."
Hearing that,I looked at my subjects with disbelief, not moving a single muscle of my body, or so I could not. My eyes kept blinking faster than they normally do, and I could feel an unbelievable pressure dumping itself on my whole body. It took me a long time before I got back to myself and broke the silence, though the pressure is still there.
"Is that true? Can you really confirm that, General?" I asked.
"I also had a hard time believing it, My King," the general said. "But my soldiers are not the only ones who witnessed it, there are also merchants who saw the massacre that happened. All the soldiers bodies were scattered, the ground was covered with blood. All bodies were full of small and large holes, which were likely hit by the small rocks that were also beside the bodies. Whoever did this to them is not human, either in power or mind."
"Did anyone witness what happened to them? There should be a few witnesses from far away, since an attack of the scale which could kill a whole army should be visible from far away," I asked.
"I've sent my force to investigate that, My King," the general said.
I massaged my forehead to ease the pressure on my mind while also closing my eyes to think. It's still unbelievable to me, even when another general himself said it. Dali, one of my strongest generals, is killed—scratch that, his army has also been killed? There's a reason as to why I've sent him and his army to face the main Rebel Army that is led by the rebel leader himself alone, and it's because they're reliable not just for their pure numbers but their skill. They're the only army under me that had a unit for every aspect of military, and they're quite skilled at all of those. And they're led by one of my strongest generals, a man with great strategies and tactics as well as contribution to how my whole kingdom conducts its every military operation. Yet they've all been murdered in a single day? I don't think any other army could do that—not the Rebel Army nor even the Fire Nation. Someone or something had attacked us, and I have to know who it is. If there's something I fear more in this world, it is the unknown.
"My King, if this news reaches every part of the Earth Kingdom, it will cause very bad public distress, which could weaken the morale of our whole army and possibly cause countless problems," my top advisor said. "Rumors spread fast, and we wouldn't be able to contain the information about this for even a few days. I suggest that we use this situation to aim it at one of our enemies, specifically the Rebel Army, so that the public hatred wouldn't be aimed at us but at them. It will significantly damage the reputation of the Rebel Army, slowing their recruitment a lot, and this will put a lot of pressure on them."
"We'll do that. But first, I want the bodies of General Dali and his whole army returned to this city. Then every one of you should start spreading the rumors that the Rebel Army is that one that did this tragic massacre. For now, we have no idea as to who did this, but be prepared, they're not just strong but very strong, so starting now, don't increase the support that we sent to the Frontline and start strengthening all of your armies, generals. A large part of our army just vanished overnight, and I wouldn't assume that it can also be replaced overnight, but with the new hatred that will be aimed at the rebels then, it is likely that there will be a significant increase in the recruitment of our military," I commanded.
With the Rebel Army weakened and into hiding, our attention will be divided between strengthening our forces for now and finding the things that were responsible for this massacre. The Fire Nation has been having a hard time dealing with my army on the Frontline, so focusing on them too much will leave an opportunity that I couldn't afford to give to the one who murdered Dali and his army.
"And send word to my friend in Omashu, I would like to meet him within 3 weeks," I said.
Omashu has continued to support us in the battle against the Fire Nation and the Rebel Army, but their support is not enough. They need to step up their game and support us more, especially with this new threat that emerged from out of nowhere.
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