The 46th Earth King ruled about 250 years prior to the Hundred Year War. Strong-willed and imperious, the Earth King had little support from his people, and his reign was marked by many challenges to his rule which severely tested the Earth Kingdom's government. The most serious of these was a rebellion led by Chin the Conqueror, a warlord from the country's far northwest. Chin easily conquered all of the kingdom, with the exception of Ba Sing Se and the Kyoshi peninsula, and only his death at the hands of Avatar Kyoshi halted his movements to consolidate the empire under himself.
The government's inability to deal with Chin's rebellion did, however, have repercussions. Its massive losses led the citizens to realize many of the government's failures, and popular sentiment grew into the belief that the monarchy was outdated and did not support the people's interests. In Ba Sing Se, this belief led to a peasant uprising, which intended to topple the Earth King in favor of a "new government". Thousands of peasants stormed the Upper Ring, destroying anything that represented the "old government", and they surrounded the Earth King's palace, demanding he be removed from his position.[1]
Realizing he was unable to handle the revolt, the Earth King summoned Avatar Kyoshi to his court and ordered her to keep the populace in line. Kyoshi refused, and demanded the King listen to his people. Outraged by her audacity, the Earth King ordered her arrest, but the fully realized Avatar easily defeated the King's guards. Powerless against the might of the Avatar, the Earth King complied and had no other choice than to give in to Kyoshi's request to hear the peasants' complaints. In return, Kyoshi would protect the King's interests and Ba Sing Se's cultural heritage by training an elite force of earthbenders in the art of stealth, silence, and precision. This group became known as the Dai Li.[1]
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