hooo boy. I wouldn't have put on such a flashy performance. Military guys like this... they're the 'victory at any cost' variety, and they'll be more than happy to put Ed and Nin in chains, much like they suspect has become of Al.
Oooh! Epiphany! They could turn this to their advantage by stating that there's possibly a fire nation weapons lab out there with Al working under duress. The General will see this as a genuine threat - even if Al is not there teaching them alchemy, taking down the weapons lab will be a huge technological victory, and possibly even an intelligence victory as well (think of all those cipher keys and messages).
Oooh! Epiphany! They could turn this to their advantage by stating that there's possibly a fire nation weapons lab out there with Al working under duress. The General will see this as a genuine threat - even if Al is not there teaching them alchemy, taking down the weapons lab will be a huge technological victory, and possibly even an intelligence victory as well (think of all those cipher keys and messages).