| By KendixPL | See other fanon and fan fiction works from KendixPL. |
| "How could Zochin even think he could win? It was clear from the start that his revolt would never succeed. He probably thought he could match my brother, but he seemed to have forgotten that the Saowon's power had fallen, and ours had only grown." |
| — Princess Zosuke. |
Ma'inka Uprising was an armed uprising by the disgraced Saowon clan against Fire Lord Zosor, culminating in the capture of Ma'inka Island by the Fire Nation Army.
Prelude[]
Since the end of the Camellia-Peony War, the Saowon clan has been disgraced and has fallen out of favor with the Fire Lord. Since then, the Tioh-Saowon tensions have continued. Fire Lord Zoryu has begun constant humiliation of the Saowons, including starting a tradition of giving members of the Royal Family names with the character zo, much to the annoyance of the Saowon clan, who are powerless to do anything.
Zoryu's daughter Zoyu, as well as her children Zosor, Zosuke, and Zozo, all had the character zo in their names, with Zozo's name consisting of only two zo characters and Zosor's name consisting of not only the character zo but also the character so, the second traditional character in Saowon names.
In 200 BG, Fire Lord Zosor established the honorific "Fire Nation Royal Family" (shortened to "Royal Family") as the official name of the ruling family, abandoning the "Tioh Dynasty" name to strengthen his dynasty's authority. This irritated Duke Zochin, leader of the Saowon clan, who had long resented the Fire Lord's moves to establish an autocracy.
Confident that the Hin clan and Yowai clan would support his cause, Duke Zochin decided to rebel against the Fire Lord.
Rebellion[]
The rebellion began with an attack on the royal embassy on Ma'inka Island and a call for allied clans to rise up against the throne. No clan responded to the call, only the Hin and Yowai clans sent promised support - soldiers, equipment, and supplies.
Upon learning of Zochin's rebellion, Fire Lord Zosor ordered his sister, General Zosuke, to put down the Saowon uprising. Princess Zosuke prepared the Fire Navy and Fire Army and sailed from First Lord's Harbor toward Ma'inka Island.
Earl Sogui, on his uncle's orders, fortified the island's coastlines, and the Saowon ships, known as the "Ma'inka Fleet," were put on alert. Finally, the household troops awaited the arrival of the royal troops.
Meanwhile, in Camellia Castle, Duke Zochin was planning his next actions. He knew that things were not looking good, so he began to change his plans. He hoped that if he could hold off the Fire Lord's attacks long enough, he would prove Zosor's weakness and cause the other clans to rebel against the autocratic tendencies of the Tioh clan. Zochin also began his propaganda on the island, praising his grandfather, Chaejin, as the rightful heir to the throne, as he was the firstborn and recognized child of Fire Lord Chaeryu, and Zochin therefore deserved the throne.
Although Earl Sogui initially managed to repel the landings, eventually the Fire Army began to push the Saowon forces back from the coast. Finally, Sogui ordered his troops to retreat. He went to the nearest fortified village and sent word of defeat to his uncle. When Zochin read it, he was furious and began preparing an expedition to the beaches to attack as quickly as possible before the royal forces could establish a beachhead.
Zochin's attack took place in the morning. However, the beachhead was almost ready, which made the attack difficult, eventually leading to Zochin's withdrawal after seeing too many losses in his forces. Shortly after, the Fire Army under Princess Zosuke began their expedition into the island. The main target was Camellia Castle.
The second army was led by General Guyuk, who was to attack the fortified village where Sogui was stationed. During the march, the Saowon forces attacked Guyuk, who was ambushed by Sogui. Despite this, the royal forces managed to defeat the forces of Earl Sogui, who returned to the village and barricaded himself inside.
Guyuk laid siege to the village. Surrounded and with limited resources, the village had no chance of holding out, something Sogui knew well. He planned to wait and see how things would develop, hoping for his uncle's help.
Zosuke, after several victorious battles, finally reached Camellia Castle. The princess gave Duke Zochin one last chance to surrender. Zochin categorically refused to surrender, as Zosuke had expected, and quickly began a siege of the Saowon clan's ancestral fortress.
The siege lasted for three days. Zochin's supporters began to pressure him to finally surrender. Zochin knew there was no escape from the castle, the supplies were not enough, and there was no chance of a counterattack. In addition, news of Sogui's surrender reached him. At sunset, he surrendered Camellia Castle and the entire Ma'inka Island, finally ending his uprising.
Aftermath[]
After the surrender, Fire Lord Zosor sent additional troops to Ma'inka Island and enslaved all of the Saowons. Soon after, Avatar Kyoshi finally arrived in the Fire Nation. She feared that Zosor would do what his grandfather had wanted to do, which was to purge the Saowon clan. When she arrived at the Royal Palace, the Fire Lord greeted her at the entrance. Zosor immediately assured the Avatar that he had no intention of carrying out any purge. He declared that the Saowons' captivity was temporary, and that Zochin and Sogui would be imprisoned, but that they would not harm a hair. Despite these declarations, Kyoshi stayed in the Fire Nation for a while, just in case.
Zosor did as he said. All the Saowons were freed, except for Zochin and Sogui, who were imprisoned. The Saowon clan effectively lost power on Ma'inka Island, which was now held by the royal governor. The Saowon clan's home forces were also finally disbanded.
The Saowon clan was disgraced again, this time even more than before. The new leader of the clan was the three-year-old Soming, appointed by the Fire Lord. For Soming's age, his mother had to act as regent, which she was allowed to do in exchange for supporting the Fire Lord. In turn, Soming and his mother were kept in check by the island's governor.
The Fire Lord Zosor only benefited from this rebellion, as he demonstrated his strength, which allowed him to continue the Crown Project.
Zosor eventually learned of the Yowai and Hin clans' support for Zochin's rebellion. He summoned the leaders of these clans, Duke Mong Hin and Lady Kukaze Yowai, to the Royal Palace. They expressed remorse and apologized to the Fire Lord. Zosor "forgave them," but ordered them to never return to the Royal Caldera City for the rest of their lives.
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