Siege of Ba Sing Se

The 600-Day Siege of Ba Sing Se was a massive battle fought between the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom six years before the current events in the Avatar World. It is one of the largest battles of the century-long War in recent time.

History
The Siege of Ba Sing Se was started by the Firebender armies being led by the now-retired General Iroh.

Battle


Around 1093, General Iroh and his army besieged the Earth Kingdom capital of Ba Sing Se. The siege was initiated after Fire Nation infantry began attacking the gates of the city, hoping to breach the walls in order to secure a path for an invasion. The defending Earthbenders fought hard and managed to hold them off for a long period of time. The turning point of the siege came when General Iroh finally breached the walls after a long period of battle the Fire Nation secured the foothold that they desired. The breach in the wall paved way for invasion. After Iroh's victory at the outer-wall the General defending it surrendered.

The Fire Nation advanced into the agrarian zone and fought hard against the defenders. Iroh's luck took a turn from the worse when he received news that his son, Lu Ten was killed during the battle. Heartbroken, Iroh lost his will to fight, and succumbing to the attritional damage done to his troops he withdrew from the battle. The battle was lost and ever since, the Fire Nation has mounted many assaults trying to renew to battle but to little avail.

The overall siege and it's scale is never clarified but the given information suggest that the Fire Nation Empire mustered and made use of all their available resources and it is suggested that the Fire Nation used a few divisions according to the maps shown in the past as well as the pile of scrolls near Iroh's office. General Iroh was also famous for his use of his Breath of Fire technique during the battle.

Aftermath
The Siege of Ba Sing Se ended in victory for the Earth Kingdom, and the Outer Wall was eventually repaired. Iroh was derided by his people for letting his own emotions interfere with the outcome of the battle. While his nephew Prince Zuko, Princess Ursa, and his father, Fire Lord Azulon, sympathized with Iroh's loss, Princess Azula and Prince Ozai were disgusted by Iroh's decisions. Ozai, who was Iroh's younger brother, took advantage of Iroh's loss and requested that his father Azulon let him take the throne in Iroh's place, as Lu Ten's death would have left Iroh without a proper heir. Azulon was infuriated by this proposal and swore to punish Ozai. However, before this could be done, Azulon died suddenly and Ursa disappeared. Iroh was too upset to fight for his throne, so Ozai became Fire Lord on Azulon's dying wish, or so it's claimed. Iroh lost his birthright and his son as a result of the siege, and Ba Sing Se would not fall until Zuko and Azula overthrew the Earth King six years later.