The journey was neither long nor short, but the process was quite unpleasant.
Although the Hundred Year War led to rapid technological developnt in the Fire Nation, most of these technologies were only applied to the military, with little improvent in other areas.
The speed of the saber-toothed moose-lion was far inferior to that of a car, and it lacked the comfort of most modern ans of transportation.
There was nothing special about the scenery along the way, but after passing through so small towns and villages, Kahn discovered that the war's impact on the Fire Nation was not as small as he had imagined.
The most obvious problem at first glance was naturally the male-to-female ratio; whether in towns or villages, won, children, and the elderly accounted for the majority, with very few adult males.
Secondly, there was a scarcity of supplies; except for a few large towns, most small towns and villages were visibly impoverished.
As for whether the common people supported this protracted war, Kahn did not hear anyone discussing it, but looking at the current situation, it was easy to imagine.
It is always the common people who suffer.
For so reason, this phrase suddenly popped into Kahn's mind.
Seeing these scenes and recalling his previous thoughts, he felt sowhat ridiculous.
The prosperity and peace he had seen seed to have never descended upon the common people; it was rely a narrow view belonging to those who benefited.
And for the common people, the long hundred years had made them forget what peace looked like, which was why they could endure so numbly.
Amidst such random thoughts, they arrived at the Fire Nation's last stop, boarded a ship bound for the Earth Kingdom, and successfully reached an Earth Kingdom military camp.
Looking at the map, the Earth Kingdom was originally the largest country in terms of territory, but after being invaded by the Fire Nation, nearly half of its land had been occupied by the Fire Nation.
Even so, they had to be extra careful here, as they never knew when or where they might encounter enemy troops, especially Earthbenders.
In a sense, Earthbenders could indeed be considered the natural enemies of Firebenders.
However, their journey was smooth, and they safely reached their destination—a frontline military camp.
Everyone first rested and regrouped for a night, and the next day, Benson, the camp's general, reported the current intelligence to Azula.
The rebel army they needed to eliminate originally belonged to a subordinate unit of their current force and had only been assigned after Ozai ascended to power.
This ti, they received a mission to attack a nearby small city in the Earth Kingdom, and that defecting unit was assigned to the front line of the assault.
The subsequent outco was clear.
However, although that rebel army initially escaped successfully, so clues about their whereabouts were later discovered, and Kahn and Azula's mission this ti was to find and eliminate this rebel army.
"Our forces have blocked most of the exits, ensuring it's difficult for them to escape, but the remaining areas are mostly complex and rugged terrain, very dangerous, and the search teams are advancing with great difficulty."
In the military tent, Benson, who was originally in charge of this operation, explained their current progress and problems one by one according to the military map, and he marked several areas of varying sizes.
According to him, if there were no surprises, the rebels were hiding in these areas.
However, these rebels had followed Iroh in the Earth Kingdom for many years, and their familiarity with the terrain here far exceeded theirs, so even though they had set up a trap, they were still helpless.
"Additionally, the strength of the rebels should not be underestimated, but since Princess Azula has led her army to reinforce us, I suppose there is nothing to worry about."
"Alright, well done, just keep up this progress for now."
After listening to Benson's report and his small flattery at the end, Azula was noncommittal, rely stating blandly that she had no intention of making any changes to the original plan.
Kahn stood quietly behind Azula, like her guard, not uttering a single word.
He had no place to speak here; any word he said would be wrong, just like Zuko.
"Yes!"
As Benson accepted the order, he also secretly breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that Azula had not given reckless commands.
Although Azula's power and status were far higher than his, even a world apart, in his opinion, Azula was actually no different from the children of other high-ranking officials and nobles, and being sent here was rely to gain experience.
What use could a ten-year-old naive princess and a slightly older boy be?
Only the Royal Guards who ca with them were truly useful, greatly increasing their combat power.
This support seed to be the noble princess and her confidant leading the Royal Guards, but it was more like the powerful Royal Guards bringing two hindrances to provide support.
Although their current advancent speed was slow, it was steady, and with powerful logistics as their backing, they could wear down the rebel army even if it dragged on; this mission was already a sure thing.
Now, with the addition of the Royal Guards, they could truly rest easy.
Next, Azula and Kahn began to wander around the military camp under the watchful eyes of several Royal Guards, as if they were truly on an outing.
And the soldiers in the camp also looked at these important figures with curiosity, whispering and discussing among themselves.
Benson did not care about this; instead, he chatted familiarly with the Royal Guards captain.
This was not only the main help for their current operation, but if they built a good relationship, it might develop into a valuable connection.
An officer is also an official, and he also understands that the official world is not about fighting and killing, but about human relationships.
Due to Azula and Kahn's special status, their tents were separate, making it difficult to be disturbed, but Azula's tent would also have Royal Guards specifically guarding it at night, which was quite impressive.
After dinner, Azula ordered her guards to wait outside the tent and then entered Kahn's tent.
Kahn was holding a military map inside the tent, not the one Benson had, but the situation he described and the areas he delineated during the day were all replicated on it.
Kahn asked Azula:
"Where do you think they're hiding?"
"Hmm, probably in these few locations."
Azula casually pointed a few tis on the map, eliminating many of the suspicious areas Benson had circled.
This was, of course, not random pointing, but a simple deduction based on the intelligence Benson reported, although to Kahn, it seed no different from random pointing.
He truly had no talent in this area; all he could do regarding Azula's operations was be amazed and maintain trust.
After eliminating so unnecessary options, it was his turn to act.
With Azula guarding him, he sat down cross-legged with confidence and entered a ditative state.
Imdiately, his soul left his body.
Chapter one has been revised, setting the location in the Earth Kingdom.p
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