"Absolutely not."
It had been the answer I had feared, and, unfortunately, expected.
"You're grace." I said, being careful not to reach a point of pleading or begging lest I appear weak and pathetic. "We simply do not have the resources to be generous with our dwindling supply."
It was a question I hadn't even wished to bring to The King's attention that following morning, but there was no longer any doubt where the army's loyalty lay. I had been hoping to use reason and logic to sway them to my cause. Certainly they must have agreed that the peasantry could become hostile, even dangerous in the event of a food shortage. And that food shortage was inevitable!
I continued, hoping maybe if I couldn't have the army with me, I could have him who controlled the army's loyalty. "You grace. Please do listen. The outer district is a hive of criminality and desperation. They already grow restless. Just last week an officer of the law was assaulted."
"What was their reason?"
"Hunger. They've grown desperate. And with the blockade, it has become even worse."
"Why was I not informed of this. We must divert more food from our stocks to the citizenry."
Idiot! I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs, but I retained myself, surrounded by his military. Any defiance would be a futile effort. As the days went by, my title continued to take on an appearance of an empty honor, especially when my so-called administrative power could be vetoed at the whim of a King with no sense of the big picture. "Our stocks are near empty, your grace. Soon enough, even we will be reduced to scraps."
"If that means our people don't starve in the streets, then it will be worth it."
"Maybe for the next week, your grace, but this blockade, it is here. Starving will be a problem for everyone in 2 weeks' time. There will be protests first, assemblies, then it will grow violent. The protests will no longer be nonviolent, the police will be killed, the rioter will arm themselves and storm the palace if we do not defend ourselves as I suggest."
"You suggest forming a barrier between us and then. You would declare war on near half our population. It's unspeakable, Long Feng."
"No. It's our only choice. If we don'-"
"Enough of this!" He called out, rising from his throne, attracting the attention of all his court and even rousing Bosco, a gift I once meant to keep his court in line. Now, unfortunately, the beast frightened me and kept me in a silent submission as much as it did everyone else. He had used my own gift against me. No. Not even he was that smart. That was my own mistake. "I'll hear no more of this, Long Feng. Do what you must, but we will not alienate our own people. Call the farmers of the outer ring, see what they can do."
"The outer ring is all trenches and battlements, your grace. For the assault."
"Are the farms still there? Yes. They're feeding the soldiers."
"Then offer a pay of 10 gold pieces of month for any farmer who decides to risk their life in the outer ring to provide food for the city."
A ridiculous price. 10 gold pieces monthly? Per capita? "I. The treasury, you grace. We don't-"
"Do it, grand secretariat."
I sighed, defeated. There would be no turning him. Not today. "Yes, your grace."
And as I turned to leave, a messenger clad in army apparel rushed to where the Council of 5 was gathered in the corner of the Throne Room, to the King's right hand. And as I read their faces, I believed I knew what his message spoke of. And my theory was confirmed when in 5 seconds, the Earth itself shook. Dust fell from the ceiling, people fell, and then the shockwave came, and that roaring boom that signaled a combined, unified, first bombardment of Fire Nation artillery.
And when the room had recovered, the Earth King included, he turned to his generals, shouting above the dying roar of his pet bear, asking "Generals?! What is happening."
"That, you grace." I said, making sure I was the one to show him I was right. "Is Fire Nation artillery. The real Battle of Ba Sing Se has begun.