Boqin

Boqin was an Earth Kingdom officer during the last stages of the Hundred Year War. In late 99 AG, he led the defense of the stronghold of Shen Guan during a Fire Nation siege. After losing control of the fortress town, he temporarily operated as guerrilla, leading his remaining soldiers on various mission. Eventually, he and his troops assisted in capturing a Fire Nation prison rig in the Mo Ce Sea, turning it into their new base.
== History ==
=== Defense of Shen Guan ===
By 99 AG, Boqin was a Captain in the Earth Kingdom Army and commanded the Shen Guan garrison. He knew many of the local soldiers well, most importantly the Infirmary Guard. When the Fire Nation launched a campaign which aimed at the conquest of Omashu,Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. Core Book, Version 1.0, 2022, p. 62.Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. Wan Shi Tong's Adventure Guide, Version 1.0, 2022, p. 124. Shen Guan was one of the attackers' targets. Thus, the stronghold was assaulted by a Fire Army force under Captain Masaru.
Once Masaru's forces surrounded Boqin's main garrison at the fortress town, the captain sent a soldier outside with orders to sneak through enemy lines and request outside aid. Meanwhile, the Fire Nation commander urged his opponent to willingly surrender, pointing out the weakness of Shen Guan's garrison. Boqin was initially unimpressed, calling the demand a bluff and claiming that Masaru only called for their surrender as he was unable to storm Shen Guan's strong defenses. However, the Fire Nation captain revealed that his troops had begun attacking the Earth Kingdom camps around the fortress town, a fact soon confirmed by one of Boqin's subordinates. The Earth Kingdom captain still refused to yield, despite being deeply concerned for the fate of his troops outside the stronghold's walls.
Not long after, Avatar Aang flew into Shen Guan using his airbender staff. Boqin was shocked to see him, regarding him both as an outsider as well as a mere child. The officer did not allow Aang to explain who he was, ordering the boy to leave the fortress immediately. Despite his sharp words, Team Avatar subsequently decided to aid Shen Guan nonetheless, and attacked the Fire Nation forces at the camps. As they did so, Masaru prepared for a major attack; once this assault began, Shen Guan came close to falling to the Fire Nation. In his desperation, Boqin sent word to the infirmary at one of the camps, asking any soldier who could to come aid the defenders. The Infirmary Guard, by then knowning of Team Avatar's capabilities, subsequently enlisted the group's aid. With his old friend assuring Boqin that Aang, Katara, and Sokka were capable and trustworthy, Boqin allowed them to take part in the planned counterattack, conditioning that Aang had to follow his lead even if he truly was the Avatar. The Fire Army troops were ultimately bested by the allies, and Masaru was forced to order a retreat.
After this victory, Boqin told Team Avatar that he was grateful for their support and apologized for having underestimated them. However, Team Avatar responded positively, with Sokka telling the officer that he was a "pretty nice guy" after all. Boqin laughed and responded that they should keep that to themselves, as his stern reputation would suffer otherwise. He then sent them on their way, assuring them that he had requested reinforcements and the garrison could defend Shen Guan even without Team Avatar's help.
Not long after, the Fire Army attacked once again, With Masaru successfully blockading the way from Omashu and isolating Shen Guan. The garrison quickly lost its outposts to a team of Fire Army elite soldiers. Realizing the danger they were in, Boqin ordered his earthbenders to dig a tunnel network under the area. When Masaru finally led his entire force for another assault on Shen Guan's walls, Boqin and his soldiers emerged from the ground to ambush the attackers. Masaru barely avoided capture or death, however, and quickly rallied his men. The Earth Kingdom troops fought bravely, but were ultimately overwhelmed and Shen Guan fell to the invaders. However, Boqin and several of his followers were able to escape.
=== Guerrilla campaign and Razor Reef expedition ===
Despite his defeat at Masaru's hands, the Earth Kingdom captain reorganized his remaining forces and began to use his tunnel network to wage a guerrilla campaign against the Fire Nation occupation of Shen Guan.
Later, Boqin and some of his soldiers were sent on an expedition to Razor Reef in the Mo Ce Sea, tasked with recovering the work of Master Tidao. Upon their arrival by ship, the small Earth Kingdom force discovered that the texts had already been found by a compatriot of theirs, Wen the archaeologist. Boqin immediately ordered the civilian to hand over the texts, but Wen was reluctant, arguing that this wisdom should not be reserved solely for the Earth Kingdom. Unfazed and determined to complete his mission, the captain attacked Wen and his party to simply take Tidao's work. The captain and his men were defeated by Wen's companions, forcing them to retreat back to their ship. Boqin warned the archaeologist that they would best be gone once the Earth Kingdom military returned to Razor Reef.
=== Capturing the Mo Ce Sea prison rig ===
Not long after the failed Razor Reef expedition, Boqin was informed that an ad hoc militia of Earth Kingdom rebels, led by Tyro, had begun an assault on a Fire Nation prison rig in the Mo Ce Sea. Seeing it as his duty to assist these armed civilians, he ordered his unit to make way for the prison rig. Upon arriving with their ship, Boqin linked up with Tyro and Haru who outlined the strategic situation: The insurgents held the rig's lower sections and were supplying their earthbenders by shipping dirt from the mainland. Meanwhile, the Fire Nation garrison led by the prison's warden had barricaded themselves in the upper section. Boqin declared that capturing the entire platform was paramount, as the resumption of the prison rig's operations would be detrimental to the regional Earth Kingdom war effort. Accordingly, he pledged his unit to assist the rebels any way he could. The commander subsequently planned the attackers' tactics and organized logistics, enabling the combined Earth Kingdom fighters to overcome the Fire Nation defenses.
As Tyro's troops prepared to attack the sections in front of the warden's headquarters, Boqin personally arrived to help the attack. He proudly declared that he and his men would not let the insurgents "fight the most important skirmish of the whole battle alone". With Boqin's furiously spearheading the attack, the soldiers and militia members broke through the final Fire Army defenses until reaching a bridge leading to the warden's office. There, the Fire Nation commander was waiting alone, and began taunting the Earth Kingdom natives. Deeply offended, Boqin led his men to continue the assault, only for the warden to blow up the bridge. Though Boqin survived, he was wounded and had to be carried from the battlefield. Regardless, Tyro's militia succeeded in defeating the warden and capturing the upper sections. Upon being informed, Boqin expressed his gratitude and admiration for the militia members, and told them that they should return home; his soldiers would secure the rig and fend off future Fire Nation attacks. After Tyro's militia had left, Boqin tasked his soldiers with hunting the warden who had been able to slip away with a few loyalists, as well as repel a Fire Nation counter-attack at the rig's former prisoner quarters.
== Personality ==
Boqin was proud, brave, and a stubborn defender of the Earth Kingdom. He struggled to change his views, easily dismissing others when they did not conform to his world view. He consequently refused Aang's first offer to help and made no effort to negotiate when Wen was reluctant to surrender Tidao's work. However, Boqin was not above admitting that he had made a mistake, and deeply trusted those soldiers whom he knew well such as the Infirmary Guard. He also felt great respect for any civilians who were brave enough to resist the Fire Nation, considering it his duty to assist them in their struggles.
Boqin felt a deep dislike for Fire Nationals, believing most of them to be xenophobic fanatics who treated Earth Kingdom citizens as lesser people. When Masaru did not fully conform to this stereotype, Boqin responded by dismissing the Fire Nation commander's talks as being signs of cowardice or empty boasting. In accordance with his nationalistic viewpoint, he used ethnic slurs for Fire Nation people, while also becoming quickly offended at insults directed at the Earth Kingdom. He regarded the refusal of Wen, an Earth Kingdom native, to hand over Tidao's writings as a personal insult, likening the peaceful archaeologist's attitude to "spit[ting] on the face of a mountain".
== References ==
Category:A to Z
Category:Avatar: Generations characters
Category:Characters
Category:Earth Kingdom characters
Category:Earthbenders
Category:Soldiers