Gonryu

Gonryu was the ruler of the Fire Nation during the early era of Yangchen.

History

At some point after the start of Gonryu's reign, a civil war broke out in the Earth Kingdom, as General Nong attempted to usurp Earth King Feishan.^[2] As fighting dragged on, Gonryu's advisors informed him that Chief Oyaluk of the Water Tribes was likely to throw his weight behind Nong, and advised him to do the same. However, Avatar Yangchen later learned that Oyaluk had been told by his own advisors that Gonryu was the one ready to support Nong. With neither Gonryu nor Oyaluk coming up with the idea, Yangchen would later have her suspicions that the Order of the White Lotus had engineered the deal that the two leaders' representatives brokered with each other behind the curtains.^[3]

Just like his ally in the Water Tribes, the Fire Lord sent a shipment of platinum ingots to the rebel general to aid his operations. However, the mission derailed when Feishan unexpectedly defeated Nong at Llama-paca's Crossing, also capturing the platinum. The scandal surrounding the Fire Nation and the Water Tribe supporting Earth Kingdom rebels resulted in the Platinum Affair and a period of isolationism, as Earth King Feishan cut off economic contacts.^[2]

As trade remained important, however, the shang merchants were organized as neutral intermediaries.^[2] Just as the other rulers, Gonryu eventually became wary and envious of the shangs' growing wealth and power, especially the shang city of Jonduri under Zongdu Chaisee. Gonryu enjoyed the wealth that Chaisee's territory brought him, but sent agents to spy on her, as he did not want to see any zongdu linger past their term.^[1][4]

Chaisee eventually began to concoct a plan that would allow her to form her own true fiefdom and eliminate the threat of the world leaders. She started to plan the Unanimity project, secretly developing the unprecedented technique of combustionbending. She planned to use this assassinate Gonryu, Feishan, and Oyaluk in one fell swoop at the convocation of world leaders and zongdus in Taku in the year 17 of the era of Yangchen.^[5][6] However, Zongdu Henshe instead gathered the combustionbenders for a display of the shangs' power in Bin-Er. Yangchen managed to apprehend the combustionbenders, and covered up the incident as a spiritual disturbance.^[7][8]

Several months after the incident in Bin-Er, she met with Fire Lord Gonryu to discuss the upcoming convocation between the world leaders and zongdus to approve the terms of renewal to the shang system. In confidence, Gonryu told Yangchen that his own advisors had informed him that Oyaluk had been proposing joint Water Tribe and Fire Nation intervention in the civil war in the Earth Kingdom. Yangchen asked for his support in ending the Platinum Affair and restoring open relations between all nations, which would eliminate the need for the shangs, the zongdus, and the injustices that followed in their wake. However, Gonryu rejected her proposal. When Oyaluk later met with Yangchen, he stated that Gonryu had done so as he was thinking about the situation realistically, just like the Chief of the Water Tribes.^[3]

Prior to the convocation, the combustionbender Thapa managed to escape the Northern Air Temple and link up with Chaisee, threatening the world leaders' lives once more. Yangchen tried to ask the White Lotus to keep Gonryu and the other leaders out of Taku. However, the Order did not want to give them any warning that something was amiss, or Chaisee would suspect they were onto her and withdraw the combustionbender, meaning they would miss out on the opportunity to find and take control of him.^[9]

Yangchen managed to foil the assassination plot, and took out Thapa before Gonryu or Oyaluk entered Taku.^[10] When Yangchen met with the Earth King prior to the end of the convocation, she requested that he endorse the Avatar as a single, neutral leader of all shang cities before the other rulers at ratification. She had Feishan agree to this by threatening she would give the remaining combustionbender, Yingsu, to the other nations if the Earth Kingdom started a world war out of revenge for the other leaders supporting Nong. Despite this, the Avatar was bluffing, never intending to let another nation permanently exploit Yingsu. However, the meeting did lead to Yangchen gaining the resources of every shang city, with the Avatar intending to hold the reins of power so that she could let them go.^[6]

Personality

Gonryu enjoyed benefiting from the Shang system, but this did not make him naive, as he remained suspicious of possible ambitions that were too great and could endanger him. He maintained a network of informants and rumor collectors. Yangchen and Oyaluk discussed Gonryu's reaction to the Earth King's aggression. The Avatar thought Gonryu was "scared" in this context, while Oyaluk thought the Fire Lord was "realistic".

Relatives

Main article: Fire Nation Royal Family

First Fire Lord

Descendants

Yosor

Descendants

Gonryu

Descendants

Huazo

Chaeryu

Sulan

Chaejin

Zoryu

Descendants

Taiso

Hazei

Sozin

Zeisan

Yasu

Roku

Ta Min

Azulon

Ilah

Rina

Jinzuk

Iroh

Ozai

Ursa

Noren

Lu Ten

Zuko

Azula

Kiyi

Izumi

Iroh

Izumi's daughter[11]

Preceded by Unknown, eventually Yosor

Fire Lord c. early era of Yangchen

Succeeded by Unknown, eventually Chaeryu

Trivia

• The "ryu" part at the end of Gonryu's name translates in Japanese as "dragon" (龍, りゅう), the original practitioner of firebending.
  • This component also appears in the names of two of his descendants, Chaeryu and Zoryu.

References