Chapter 2: Fire Lord Jinsung
"Damn it." I could only squeeze out that curse after that tedious meeting. I breathed in and out taking the initiative to get my bearings under control.
I have to think through this deeply and carefully. I was still sitting on my beautifully ornate throne, with fire from all sides surrounding me as if bending to my will.
I closed my eyes and started arranging the memories I received from the previous Jinsung. There were quite a lot of them to organize so I stayed still on that throne for three or so hours.
After reorganizing such a vast amount of information, I opened my eyes with renewed vision. No longer was I thoroughly uninformed about my nation.
"The Fire Nation needs some restructuring." That was what I concluded.
The Fire Nation government operates under a monarchical system led by me, the Fire Lord. However, because the nation is relatively new and power remains divided among influential clans, the governance structure is still rudimentary, with aristocratic clans wielding considerable influence.
There are Six Major Fire Clans in the Nation.
Long Clan
Feng Clan
Hu Clan
She Clan
He Clan
Shi Clan
They are basically chinese characters of the six great beasts of china. For example, Long is just Chinese for Dragon, Feng is Chinese for Phoenix, Hu is tiger, She is serpent, He is crane and Shi as Lion.
The nation is thoroughly divided due to these clans. They are so powerful that each of those clans owns a province to which they rule like kings.
Centuries ago, when the Fire Nation was still a loose confederation of warring tribes and city-states, a powerful Fire Avatar emerged.
This Avatar—known as Avatar Kazan—sought to bring peace, order, and prosperity to his homeland by uniting the fractured firebending clans under a single banner.
Recognizing that he couldn't accomplish this alone, Kazan turned to six of his most trusted companions, each a master in their own field, and each representing a unique strength or virtue needed to establish a unified kingdom.
These companions, who hailed from different regions and backgrounds, were instrumental in assisting Avatar Kazan. Through their distinct talents, the six companions brought stability, martial strength, and governance to the fledgling nation.
Together, they fought wars, built alliances, and established the foundation of a new order. By the time the unification was complete, Kazan had created a powerful, unified kingdom, guided by the ideals of harmony, discipline, and loyalty to the Fire Nation.
In gratitude for their invaluable contributions, Avatar Kazan made a solemn vow to his companions: each would be granted a legacy that would endure through the ages.
He formalized this promise by creating the Six Major Clans, granting each companion a territory, wealth, and special privileges within the new kingdom.
These clans would become the cornerstones of Fire Nation society and would be permitted a degree of autonomy to govern their own lands, provided they pledged loyalty to the throne.
The only thing Avatar Kazan didn't realize was that he would never expect the Six Major Fire Clans to grow more powerful than he expected them to.
And their descendants grew unloyal to the throne unlike their ancestors and more loyal to their own clans.
What formalized this power is the creation of this advisory council called the High Council.
The High Council is an advisory body composed of representatives from each of the Six Major Clans. While they officially act as advisors to the Fire Lord, in practice they hold considerable power and often attempt to influence or even oppose the Fire Lord's decisions.
"What a headache." I couldn't help but sigh.
Thankfully I'm not the only one suffering this kind of problem. My neighbor, the Earth Kingdom, also has the same problem as ours, so as long as our nations are not in proper order the risk of war is low.
But low doesn't mean zero. So I think I know what to do first before getting my nation in order.
I first need to prevent any kind of war from erupting before I unify my kingdom.
"Summon the Minister of External Affairs!" I erupted my first order since I arrived here. The servants kneeling before my golden throne bowed deeply and replied.
"As your will, Fire Lord!" They trotted out of the Throne Room to fetch the Minister. As I waited, I formed a plan.
After a few minutes of waiting the giant golden door of the throne room swung open as a lone figure accompanied by officials entered.
"This lowly Minister greets the supreme lord of fire!" The old man before me greeted me. He cupped his hands and bowed his head in a nod. Not the proper greetings, his head was too high for greeting the supreme sovereign of the nation.
Though his words sounded reverent, there was no sincerity in his voice.
It means that he doesn't mean his words. He was literally looking down on me.
"Lower." I said. The old man adornes in the fancy robe appeared perplexed and stuttered.
"M-my apologies my lord. What was that?"
"Lower your head." I repeated.
"Pardon me my lord but-" before he could continue his words the fire surrounding my throne bursted in a volcano-like explosion in response to my anger.
Politically. My standing right now is the weakest but in terms of fire power, I'm the greatest firebender in the entire world.
And that's the only reason why they haven't yet ousted me out of the throne. So I'm gonna use that to my advantage and use it as an intimidation tactic to make these unloyal officials bow.
At such a display the official once again repeated his bow, but this time his head was touching the floor while exposing his back and nape before me.
"Hmmm, it seems like my father left me with quite a burden. To think that even a minister won't show me proper respect." I murmured.
The Minister of External affairs's face grew pale from my words. Disrespect to the throne can be seen as treason and those found of treason can be executed according to the law.
"I-I showed you great disrespect my lord! Please forgive me!" He was greatly shocked at the Fire Lord's attitude.
Never have they seen him like this. He was just always focused on firebending and had political acumen, so the officials just walked all over him thinking he was just a mindless brute but now he seems so different.
*******
In his usual languid posture, Jinsung was still observing the Minister of External Affairs, who kept his head down and brought out his submissive side after the power struggle.
Jinsung understood that he could not just use force early on to bring an end to the problems that were likely to arise during his reign. At this point, he only required a strategy for stalling, a necessary evil to the enemies of the Fire Nation, who had to be kept away while he fortified his position on the throne and put the clans in order.
He thought of diplomacy as the better course of action. An audience with the Earth King would be a great boost to his stature. It would in addition serve the purpose of assessing the state of affairs in the Earth Kingdom.
"Minister," Jinsung interrupted, his voice keen, "I want a meeting with the Earth King organized. We shall talk about peace and mutual aid, but I will do it in person."
The Minister raised his head, confusion taking over his features. "Y-Y-Your Majesty," he managed to say, "direct confrontation is… unusual. To leave the palace, meet in a different area—wouldn't that put you in danger?"
Jinsung's stare was unwavering. "I am aware of the dangers, but this is the perfect way to demonstrate that we wish to work with the Earth Kingdom. They would think more of us and consider us more respectable if I am the one meeting them instead of sending a council of divided nobles that can barely follow a single order."
"But the clans—"
"Will fall in line," Junsung cut him short. "They need to understand that I am their ruler, not just another clan leader vying for control. If I am to rebuild the Fire Nation's strength, it must begin with my own actions, not theirs."
The Minister bowed very, again, with a tinge of anxiety evident in him. As you command, Fire Lord. Shall I begin arrangements for a safe passage to the border?"
Jinsung nodded. "Yes. I want the meeting to be held at Ember Pass. Its neutral territory is secure enough for both sides, and it lies at the intersection of our borders. Send word to the Earth King, but be diplomatic. Emphasize that this meeting is a gesture of goodwill and respect."