Zhang Xueming

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Zhang Xueming (张雪命)
Alias(es)	Second Young Master; Young Marshal; Marshal; Jian Shou 1 17 463
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Feng Army; Guannei United Provinces military government; Technology Empire 97 454
Occupation/Role	Military commander; Deputy Grand Marshal; Guannei United Provinces Garrison Commander; engineer and head of the Imperial Academy of Sciences 97 497 510
Status	Active 514
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Background / History

Zhang Xueming is the second son of Governor Zhang Yuting. After transmigrating into the Republican era, he receives the Strong Army Hegemony System, which offers advanced weapons and blueprints but initially leaves him without sufficient capital to use them. Its first mission directs him to dismantle and sell part of the South Manchuria Railway to White Bear Country for startup funds. He resolves to secure his family’s future and ultimately unify Huaxia 1.

He turns the resulting resources into military-industrial leverage: secretly acquiring advanced weapons and production lines, strengthening the Feng Army at Fengtian’s frontline, and keeping the true capacity of his armaments factory hidden—even from his father 3 7. His early successes include suppressing three thousand bandits with no casualties and repurposing bandits as hunters against their former backers 12.

To consolidate the Feng Army, Zhang accepts an arranged marriage with Yu Fengzhi to secure an armaments-factory alliance, plans an Air Force with Feng Yong, and later establishes the army’s first Armored Corps under Ma Xiufeng 6 14. He recruits technical experts such as Chen Houpu, sketches warship concepts himself, and steadily develops air, land, and naval forces 23 24 25.

After victories against White Bear forces and Japan, Zhang’s national influence rises sharply. He enters the Jingjin Area as Deputy Grand Marshal and Guannei United Provinces Garrison Commander, forming a military-led cabinet and government 44 97.

In his later career, Zhang operates from the Technology Empire, combining military expansion with industrial development. He recruits international specialists, advances weapons research, develops large-scale wind power, and declares that every household in the Empire should have electric light at night 351 499 500.

Appearance

Zhang is portrayed as a young but imposing military leader. He commonly wears a military uniform, while his body is described as muscular and marked by battlefield scars 104 105.

• Strong, scarred upper body revealed during a public charity auction 105
• Often carries a stern, oppressive battlefield presence during negotiations 107
• Frequently depicted with a calm or indifferent expression even during crises 73 153

Personality

Zhang is highly strategic, calculating several moves ahead in warfare, diplomacy, industry, and political consolidation. He values technological superiority and treats obsolete equipment as a resource to be traded for the next generation of weapons rather than hoarded 27.

He is decisive and frequently ruthless toward enemies and foreign powers. He accepts infamy as a price for national strength, uses psychological pressure in negotiations, and is willing to manipulate allied forces to weaken shared enemies 86 95 103.

Despite this severity, Zhang is protective of people he considers his own. He worries intensely over Zhang Yuting’s safety, personally travels to Australia after Mao Tangchen is captured, and emphasizes improving ordinary citizens’ lives through infrastructure and electricity 59 378 499 514. He also respects capable people, whether they are military officers, engineers, scholars, or even defeated enemy commanders 232 351 494.

Abilities & Skills

Strong Army Hegemony System

Zhang’s primary advantage is the system he receives after transmigrating. It provides access to advanced weapons, production lines, and blueprints beyond the period’s normal technological level 1.

• Purchases advanced weapons and industrial production lines with system funds 3
• Uses a blue light-screen interface visible only to himself 23
• Acquires military hardware ranging from rifles and anti-aircraft guns to tanks, aircraft, and naval equipment 3 27 109
• Requires capital; his first major task is to obtain startup funds by selling railway tracks 1

Military Strategy and Command

Zhang excels at asymmetric warfare, deception, technological overmatch, and exploiting enemy psychology.

• Uses former bandits to pursue their previous masters, eliminating three thousand bandits without losses 12
• Plans modern military branches, including an Air Force, Armored Corps, Navy, carrier aviation, and paratroopers 6 14 17 109
• Directs a naval ambush through communications interception, radar jamming, and exploiting enemy aircraft reload timing 153
• Uses indirect warfare and proxy forces to pressure Japan while preserving Feng Army deniability 95 96
• Prefers long-term positioning over impulsive retaliation, such as allowing rival powers to weaken one another before intervening 134 263

Industrial and Engineering Talent

Zhang is deeply involved in technological development rather than merely purchasing finished weapons.

• Personally sketches advanced warship designs for Chen Houpu and naval specialists 24
• Operates welding equipment while developing metal components in a workshop 176
• Recruits international engineers, materials scientists, and explosives experts for domestic weapons development 351
• Oversees the development of the “Blazing Cannon” and other secret weapons 383 371
• Leads the Imperial Academy of Sciences and directs the expansion of wind-power technology 497 499 500

Political Control and Diplomacy

Zhang combines military force with public messaging, economic coercion, and institutional control.

• Establishes the Feng Army Investigation and Statistics Bureau, appointing Jiang Zhu as deputy head 101
• Uses Lu Xiaoya as a diplomat and public spokesperson in confrontations with foreign media and governments 43 96 97
• Demands political authority rather than economic cooperation, stating that he wants “absolute power, unhindered by anyone” 107
• Forms temporary alliances when strategically necessary, including cooperation with the Australian President against Japan 428

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Strong Army Hegemony System — source of advanced weapons, blueprints, and production lines 1 23
• Scoped rifle — used to eliminate enemy officers accurately from roughly eight hundred meters away 81
• Pistol and dagger — among Zhang’s personal items auctioned for charity 105
• Cosmic Aircraft — used during the Annam operation to lift a patrol ship from the sea and escape encirclement 463
• Cloud-Piercing Thunder — weapon developed through Zhang’s coercive campaign against Annam 472 487
• Wind-power prototypes and large-scale turbine designs — central to his electrification plans for the Technology Empire 499 500

Relationships

• Zhang Yuting — father and Feng Army leader. Their relationship is initially strained by Zhang’s secrecy and independent actions, but Zhang Yuting increasingly recognizes and supports his son’s strategic ability 1 19 29 59.
• Zhang Xueliang — elder brother. They share a familiar, teasing bond, though Zhang Xueming is often protective and blunt with him 17 18.
• Yu Fengzhi — wife through an arranged marriage intended to secure an armaments-factory alliance. She provides Zhang a rare space where he can lower his guard 6 18.
• Gu Ruiyu — romantic partner and wife. Zhang asks her to tell her parents of his intention to marry her; she later participates in his high-level strategic discussions 17 114 263.
• Feng Yong — childhood friend and trusted associate. Zhang entrusts him with studying aviation and European air warfare for the planned Air Force 6 27.
• Yang Yuting — Chief of Staff whom Zhang openly trusts and respects above Guo Songling 12 17.
• Ma Xiufeng — commander selected by Zhang to lead the Feng Army’s first Armored Corps 14.
• Chen Houpu — naval specialist recruited by Zhang; later commands the Huaxia Fleet during operations based on Zhang’s plans 23 25 153.
• Lu Xiaoya — diplomat, spokesperson, and close political aide. She executes Zhang’s diplomatic strategy and publicly defends his government 43 96 134.
• Mao Tangchen — trusted confidant, adviser, and military partner. Zhang personally intervenes after Mao is captured in Australia 357 378 380 515.
• Australian President — initially a wary counterpart, later a strategic ally within the Technology Empire’s sphere 428 454 499.
• Song Meiling — recurring political negotiator from Nanjing. Her attempts to bargain with Zhang repeatedly fail against his demand for political control 105 107 237.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Rise of the Second Young Master

• Obtains the Strong Army Hegemony System and seeks his first capital through the South Manchuria Railway mission 1.
• Delivers advanced weapons to Fengtian’s frontline and begins building his private military-industrial base 3 7.
• Suppresses bandits and gains recognition throughout Fengtian 12 17.

Modernization of the Feng Army

• Secures an armaments-factory alliance through marriage to Yu Fengzhi 6.
• Develops plans for an Air Force, Armored Corps, advanced tanks, warships, and carrier aviation 6 14 24 109.
• Trades outdated production lines for rare metals and German armored tactics 19.

Wars Against White Bear and Japan

• Defeats White Bear’s Far East Army and becomes a nationally celebrated military figure 43 44.
• Uses advanced weapons, airships, and proxy warfare against Japanese forces 73 93 95.
• Faces worldwide criticism for his conduct but refuses to let foreign opinion dictate his policy 86 96.

Entry Into the Passes and Political Consolidation

• Becomes Deputy Grand Marshal and Guannei United Provinces Garrison Commander 97.
• Builds a military government, confronts foreign concessions, and pressures Nanjing’s faction for control of key provinces 97 103 107.
• Funds major railway and road projects to support economic development and rapid military mobility 114 115.

Technology Empire Era

• Expands his influence through international alliances, weapons development, and campaigns involving Australia and Annam 357 428 454.
• Leads the defeat of Annam’s king while seeking to recruit capable enemy officers rather than indiscriminately destroy them 471 494.
• Directs the Technology Empire’s scientific development, including wind power and nationwide electrification 497 499 514.

Notable Quotes

“There are no Immortals in this world. There are only more powerful weapons.” 73

“What I need is absolute power, unhindered by anyone.” 107

“What they took, I will make them disgorge, with interest!” 115

“In the end, my goal is for every household in the Empire to light a lamp of its own at night.” 499

Trivia

• Zhang deliberately lies to Zhang Yuting about the armaments factory’s output, claiming it can produce only around a thousand units per month to preserve his advantage 7.
• He sold personal items—including a silver wine pot, pistol, dagger, and towel—at a charity auction to raise funds 105.
• He dislikes artificial floral scents and prefers Yu Fengzhi’s residence to have a grape trellis and vegetable plots instead 97.
• Zhang personally throws himself into technical work; after developing a device aboard ship, he returns exhausted but immediately convenes foreign experts at the Imperial Academy of Sciences 496 497.