Pohuai Stronghold

:This article is about the location. For the rescue mission, see Rescue in Pohuai Stronghold.
Pohuai Stronghold, previously known as the Pohuai Depot, was a Fire Nation fortress located in the western Earth Kingdom near the ruins of Taku. The base was commanded by Colonel Shinu during the last years of the Hundred Year War and housed the legendary Yuyan Archers.
== History ==
Initially, the Pohuai Depot was an important fortress for the military of the Earth Kingdom. It housed the Earth Monarch's bodyguards, the Brocade Guards. A security detail of Brocade Guards from the Pohuai Depot were scheduled to come to Taku as an Earth Kingdom security detail for the convocation between the world leaders and zongdus in year 17 of the era of Yangchen.
By 296 BG Pohuai's sage, Ryong, was one of the political rivals of the Earth Kingdom's leading politician Jianzhu. He subsequently joined a plot by Chamberlain Hui to disempower Jianzhu, but the conspiracy failed and Ryong was murdered.
After the Hundred Year War's outbreak, the Fire Nation constructed Pohuai Stronghold as a major military hub.
During his search for the Avatar, Zhao, a Commander at the time, traveled to the Pohuai Stronghold to request use of the Yuyan Archers in capturing Aang. At first, Colonel Shinu denied his request, calling Zhao's goal nothing but a vanity project, but when the commander was promoted to admiral status, Zhao ordered Shinu to release the archers to his cause. The archers quickly tracked down Aang while he was searching for a cure to a fever that Sokka and Katara had contracted. After capturing him, they detained Aang in the stronghold's prison, where Zhao taunted him and proclaimed victory before the fortress' defenders. However, this victory was short-lived as a mysterious masked bandit known as the Blue Spirit infiltrated the fortress and rescued Aang from Zhao's capture. However, the masked man was knocked unconscious by an archer in the process. Aang managed to escape with the Blue Spirit, leaving Zhao infuriated.
== Layout ==
The fortress was a structure made up of multiple stone walls surrounding a large pagoda tower at the center of the base. The walls were coated with iron to protect it from earthbenders. The building housed its own prisons and was a major material depot for the Fire Army. This massive metal structure was built by the Fire Nation military as a troop and supply hub where soldiers and firebenders trained before they were deployed into battle. Supplies were moved from the stronghold over thousands of miles of rail lines to the Fire Nation Army assembling at the outskirts of Ba Sing Se.
== Trivia ==
* Some of the firebenders from the stronghold garrison had no face plates.
* The territory where the stronghold was located later became part of the United Republic of Nations.
== References ==
== See also ==
* Rescue in Pohuai Stronghold
de:Pohuai Stützpunkt
es:Fortaleza Pohuai
fr:Forteresse Pohuai
nl:Fort Pohuai
ru:Крепость Похай
Category:A to Z
Category:Earth Kingdom
Category:Establishments
Category:Fire Nation
Category:Locations
Category:Military
Category:United Republic