"The Operation at Jingping was a success, sir."
Success. Damn did it feel good to deliver such a report of my own was do denying that for myself. It was an entire 2 days ago, an already, I was still riding that same high.
General Shu, despite having the reports of the operation that I had written placed in front of him, seemed more keen on hearing the details as they came from myself rather than the words I had time to carefully select.
"So Jingping no longer stands?"
"The majority of the town has been burned to the ground, sir. Our scouts' estimates put survivors at no more than 10%."
"Military?"
"Primarily, general."
"The report from Captain Yukai indicates that you called a retreat before the entirety of the town could be destroyed. Is this correct?"
My report had indicated the same thing, I knew. I was aware of what General Shu was doing, prodding at my trust of the other Captains. He was not attempting to turn us against one another so much as he was attempting to test our faith in one another's accountability.
"Yes, sir. We would have pushed further to destroy what was left of Jingping, but doing so would have meant devastating what was left of their military manpower as well. I called the retreat."
"Hmm. Yukai's report indicated the same. That was a wise move on your part. I wish to discuss your approach to the invasion of Jingping, however."
My approach?
"Yes, sir?"
"You initiated with a barrage of artillery, primarily aimed not towards the beach head, but the center of town. For what purpose?"
"The intent, sir, was to cluster the civilian targets."
"And how is that?"
Do I truly need to explain this?
"Corralling them, sir. The artillery sends them fleeing into their homes. When the artillery must reload, however, the auxiliary artillery rounds loaded with gas shells fire, ensuring they stay inside. By the time the third artillery barrage of standard HE shells arrives once again, the civilians are too afraid of the noise and the combined gas to leave their homes, meaning most are remaining inside, conglomerated together, so when our troops arrived, it would be all the easier for them to maximize enemy casualties.
"I see."
What was that in his voice? Judgement. You gave me the orders. You were clear about what needed to be done. Don't choose to look down upon me because of how I chose to follow them. I had done nothing wrong. I had my orders, and I followed them. I followed them efficiently and effectively.
"The tactic, sir, if I may…"
"Continue."
"The tactic reduced friendly casualties to the maximum effect. The beach landing always would have been deadly, but our intermittent barrage and gas attacks ensured as little of a hostile opposition as possible without outright killing the enemy defenders. Only 83 friendly casualties were suffered throughout the battle, only 27 of which were fatal. I won't apologize for my actions."
"Nor am I asking you to. It was an unpleasant task, but you did what needed to be done. You've done your Nation a service, and by the end of this campaign, it will have been worth it."
He talks of the enemy as though they are martyrs. Don't get me wrong, the excess of casualties was, indeed, 'unpleasant.' Civilians should never be the primary target of a military maneuver, but in this case, it was necessary in order to ensure a decisive victory. There should be no illusions of what their deaths meant. They were a means to an end, not an honorable sacrifice. Our men who died there, they were the sacrifice.
Men I ordered to their deaths.
The price necessary for victory.
"On the topic of casualties, all personnel aboard the FNS Protea were successfully evacuated?"
All except one.
"No, sir. As I'm sure you know, Captain Sazuh chose to go down with his ship. The survivors of his crew attest they attempted to evacuate him, but he stood his ground."
A pointless gesture as well. Perhaps, if his ship had gone down in battle, it would have been some grand symbol for soldiers to rally behind, a captain going down with his ship, but the Protea? A planned sinking, one used for mere diversion, no honor to be had. Then again, for Sazuh, there was little honor in living career had ended following the battle of Xiahu. Jingping was to see the end of his career alongside his ship. I suppose he considered it only fitting that his life be included in the mix as well.
"An unfortunate turn of events, but none that will impair us."
We are of the same mind then.
"The last detail of the battle I wish to discuss with you, then," he continued, "is that of the Rough Rhinos. I am informed that they joined the battle near the conclusion, but there is some conflict between Captain Yukai's report and your own. Yukai indicates that the intervention of the Rough Rhinos was too late to be considered of much use and was, for the most part, unnecessary."
I was not one to disagree with Yukai's sentiment. The involvement of mercenaries to fill in the role of what should have been left to true Fire Nation personnel was a disgrace, but, at times, necessary.
"The involvement of the Rough Rhinos was, indeed sir, near the close of the battle. However, it was them who broke the spine of the enemy and dealt deserve blows to Jingping's south side that would otherwise not have been reached by our soldiers before a retreat was declared. The role they played in devastating enemy morale should not be understated. It was the final nail in the coffin."
"I see," General Shu responded, resting his chin on his hands, seemingly intent on considering what I had said. "I suppose even rabid dogs have their uses. I suppose all that is needed is finding them their next target."
"Do you plan on deploying them in the defense of our coast, sir?" A stupid question, I realized immediately after saying it. Using the rhinos as a defensive unit? Don't be an idiot, Zhao.
"Of course not. That would likely just see us facing more collateral damage than the enemy."
"So how do you plan on deploying them, sir?"
"I'm getting to that. There will be another brief with the Fleet command soon regarding our next steps, but I wanted to speak with you about this first, to ensure I have a complete picture."
Did he believe I was withholding anything from him? The truth was that such was the case, but as to information that was pertinent, I had told him everything. However, if it meant being the first person to whom he went about the coming stages of "Red Moon", then who was I to argue? "Of course," I answered. "Anything I can do to assist."
"Good. As it stands, we know that the Earth Kingdom forces south of the Nip have been severely weakened. Their possibilities are limited to them either choosing to attack, choosing to stand their ground, or choosing to retreat. They are smart enough to know, however, that standing their ground means death and retreating means the loss of the Nip. Our latest two attacks on Earth Kingdom territory have ensured that, no matter what the Earth Kingdom chooses, we will secure the Nip Sea once their forces are eliminated."
"Of course, sir, but we seek total annihilation of partisan elements as well, namely the Nip Sea Separatists and the Revanchist Water Tribe."
"Precisely, which is where we find ourselves praying that our knowledge of Cholla is correct. If our sources have learned anything about him, it is that he is a zealot and a patriot. We are thus hoping that he chooses not to abandon the conflict, but to make the one choice that holds a potential of victory for him—attacking."
"And if he chooses not to, sir?"
"Then we can still use the situation to our advantage, but not as successfully as otherwise. Should that happen, Operation "Red Moon" is concluded, and the alternatives are to my discretion, and do not involve you."
In other words, 'stay on topic.'
"Yes, sir."
"Good. Should Cholla choose to attack, he will likely do so with the support of the Separatists and Revanchists. We have known for a while that Revanchist and Earth Kingdom forces have been collaborating, namely in securing passage across the Nip to establish contact with the Separatists. They have their network of supplies and intelligence that will be growing once again with the new moon passing. Just 2 days ago, the morning following your assault, a stolen Fire Nation skiff was reported crossing the Nip, likely belonging to these Separatist elements. Intelligence thus points towards them working towards a unified front, but we cannot be sure."
"Should they choose to attack, sir, where do we believe they will strike?"
"The most likely target is Shibi. Xinxing is another potential target, but nowhere near as lucrative a target. Shibi is the primary source of refueling for our fleet. Cholla will be led to believe that capturing Shibi will mean a critical blow to our blockade that may turn the tide of the battle."
"It still does not seem like a sensical move, General. Even if Commander Cholla believes he can take Shibi, surely he does not think he could defend it."
"As a matter of fact, theoretically, he could. Shibi's coastal defenses should not be underestimated, constructed for the very purpose of pushing back a potential naval invasion. However, with the power of the full moon at his disposal, waterbending forces would find those defenses easy to overcome, and they would thus be at his command: seawalls, harpoon guns, artillery, mines, anything needed. You mentioned in your report from this spirit library that the planetarium indicated the lunar eclipse being set in the hours prior to sunrise?"
"Yes, sir. A total eclipse lasting approximately 2 hours."
"Then we will need to hold out against a full moon for the hours before then. We may actually find ourselves facing quite the fight."
I chuckled. "It wouldn't be a notable victory otherwise, sir. Perhaps it's best then we prepare for everything."
General Shu seemed to share my take on the situation, much to my relief. He held his chin in his hands once more, an amused look painting his face. I wondered just what, exactly, this had been meant to accomplish. Most of what we had discussed had either been debriefing or touching on details of what we already knew, my statement an attempt to garner something from this. I had been worried of the insult it might contain, but the man only seemed to agree. Or, at least, I hoped he had.
I sunk into my seat, waiting for what would come next.
"Grab me some tea, Captain. We're going to be here a while. We have much to plan before we face the War Council."