Jiang Yingfeng

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Jiang Yingfeng (蒋盈峰)
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Jiang Family; River Bureau; Archery Battalion
Occupation/Role	Vice Thousand-Commander of the Archery Battalion; later addressed as Thousand-Commander
First Appearance	Ch. 88 (mentioned); Ch. 94 (first on-page appearance)

Background

Jiang Yingfeng is a senior Jiang Family figure who holds authority over the River Bureau's Archery Battalion. Before appearing in person, he secures Hong Ming's position in the battalion and arranges for personnel to be placed in Hong's squad, an effort Hong immediately recognizes as an attempt to establish influence within it 88.

He is Jiang Yuru's father and has adopted numerous sons, including Jiang Xuan. His family connections and military authority allow him to place Jiang Yuru as Hong Ming's Vice Squad Leader despite her disregard for military discipline 89 90.

Personality

Jiang Yingfeng is politically calculating and accustomed to exercising authority without explanation. He probes Hong Ming's body for evidence, dismisses him without accounting for his actions, and maintains surveillance even after deciding that Hong Ming's displayed strength does not match the suspected killer's 95.

His affection for his children manifests as overt favoritism. He repeatedly bends selection procedures for Jiang Xuan, including interrupting an ongoing fight so Jiang Xuan can complete his breakthrough and assisting his recovery during the final contest 110 112.

Jiang Yuru's death leaves him grief-stricken, furious, and increasingly suspicious. Rather than accepting the river-bandit explanation, he reconstructs the killings from the wounds, testimony, and a suspicious female voice heard at the scene 94 95.

Abilities & Authority

Transformation Force

Jiang Yingfeng is a formidable Transformation Force martial artist. Hong Ming judges him to be comparable to Wu Changgui and likely at the major-completion stage of Transformation Force 104.

• He can halt Hong Ming's movement by transmitting force through his shoulder blade and spine, then rapidly move across the battlefield in search of Jiang Yuru 94.
• His force can enter another martial artist's body to examine their cultivation directly; he uses this method to assess Hong Ming's realm on multiple occasions 95 104.
• During the Commander-candidate screening, he employs power infinitesimally short of Transformation Force against ordinary Squad Leaders, eliminating those unable to endure a single strike 109.
• Hong Ming's external martial-art defense repels one of Jiang Yingfeng's attacks, leaving Jiang's arm numb and forcing him half a step back 109.
• He uses Inner Force to accelerate Jiang Xuan's refinement of a recovery pill after intervening in the final contest 112.

Command Influence

As the Archery Battalion's senior officer, Jiang Yingfeng directs selection procedures and can pressure subordinates through both official power and personal patronage.

• He convenes Commanders Huang Shaoyong and Han Baichuan to establish the Archery Battalion's inspection rules, limiting participation to Squad Leaders and determining victory by strength 100.
• He attempts to persuade Hong Ming to relinquish his commander-candidacy slot, framing it as service to the battalion's “greater good” 105.
• His offer includes adoption into the Jiang family, a Transformation Force Pill, a guide for the breakthrough, a Vice Commander post in the General Affairs Department, and a prospective path to Commander 106.
• He uses the Jiang Family's influence to pressure Hong Ming indirectly, including an attempted gift of a residence to Hong's family 107.

Investigation

Jiang Yingfeng demonstrates practical investigative skill, particularly in reconstructing the circumstances of Jiang Yuru and Xu Mo's deaths.

• He identifies their wounds as precise, single-strike blade kills and concludes that the culprit is likely an accomplished blade user with meticulous control of internal force 95.
• He notices that the warning heard before Jiang Yuru's death was spoken by an unidentified woman rather than one of her guards or maids 94.
• He narrows his suspects to individuals with both motive and sufficient strength, including Han Cheng and Hong Ming 95.
• His inquiry remains incomplete after he begins watching Hong Ming and imposes even harsher restrictions on Han Cheng 95.

Relationships

• Jiang Yuru — Daughter. Jiang Yingfeng places her in Hong Ming's squad as Vice Squad Leader and is devastated when he finds her murdered during the Dragon King Festival 89 94.
• Jiang Xuan — Adopted son. Jiang Yingfeng openly favors him, stops his fight to protect his Transformation Force breakthrough, and later aids his recovery against Hong Ming 108 110 112.
• Hong Ming — Subordinate, political obstacle, and murder suspect. Jiang Yingfeng places people in Hong's unit, probes his cultivation, surveils him after Jiang Yuru's death, and tries to obtain his commander-candidacy slot 88 95 105 106.
• Han Baichuan — Archery Battalion Commander under Jiang Yingfeng. Han Baichuan follows Jiang's decisions despite objecting to the latter's handling of the selection contests 100 103 112.
• Huang Yucheng — Vice Thousand-Commander and political rival. The two clash verbally and maneuver against one another during the Commander-candidate selection 109 111 112.
• Ten Thousand Gold Chamber of Commerce — The Jiang Family has business disputes and conflicts of interest with the chamber; Jiang Yingfeng becomes concerned when its seized cargo ship is recovered through Hong Ming's connections 97 100.

Story Role

Influence over Hong Ming's Squad

Jiang Yingfeng supports Hong Ming's new Squad Leader appointment while arranging for capable hands to enter the squad. Jiang Yuru is subsequently installed as Vice Squad Leader, accompanied by her own servants and guards, allowing her to disregard ordinary military structure 88 89 90.

Investigation of Jiang Yuru's Death

After Jiang Yuru and Xu Mo are killed during the Dragon King Festival, Jiang Yingfeng rejects the simple explanation that river bandits were responsible. He investigates their wounds, questions the witnesses, identifies inconsistencies in their testimony, and begins examining possible enemies connected to Jiang Yuru or Xu Mo 94 95.

His suspicion falls on Hong Ming due to Hong's conflict with Jiang Yuru. Jiang Yingfeng examines Hong's hands for blade calluses, probes his internal force, and later places him under surveillance despite temporarily lowering his suspicion 95.

Contest for the Commander Candidacy

Jiang Yingfeng seeks to remove Hong Ming from the commander-candidate competition through persuasion, rewards, and political pressure. His terms are unusually generous, leading Hong Ming to suspect that surrendering the slot carries a hidden cost 105 106.

During the initial screening, Jiang Yingfeng privately gives Jiang Xuan an easier test while using near-@@REF_ENTITY_11751192@@ power against Hong Ming. Hong Ming's external martial-art defense surprises him, but Jiang nonetheless permits Hong to advance 109.

Protection of Jiang Xuan

When Jiang Xuan begins breaking through during his battle with Wu Lianzhou, Jiang Yingfeng forcibly suspends the match and uses his authority to protect the breakthrough. He eventually accepts a compromise that bars Jiang Xuan from using weapons in the following fight rather than declaring Wu Lianzhou the victor 110.

In the final stages of the selection, Jiang Yingfeng assists Jiang Xuan's stabilization and recovery. He falsely raises a concealed-weapon accusation against Hong Ming, strikes Hong with full force, and uses the interruption to administer a recovery pill to Jiang Xuan 111 112.