After the assassination of Earth Queen Hou-Ting, the State of Yi, along with other areas of the crumbling Earth Kingdom, became under siege by various bandit groups. After three years of conquering other parts of the Earth Kingdom, Kuvira's army set its sight for one of their final objections, the State of Yi. Kuvira arrived in Yi with her army, prompting the governor to ask what she was doing there. At her request, he went aboard her train to have a private conversation. Despite the imminent risk of collapse, the governor refused to sign Kuvira's offer, in which she would receive access to all of Yi's resources, namely its rich ore supply, in return for complete protection. He ordered her to leave his state and angrily left the train after being intimidated by the army commander.