Zhao Mengsheng

Biodata

Background and military career

Zhao is the eldest son of the Longdu Zhao Family, one of the Eight Great Clans. He concealed his family identity when he enlisted and began as an ordinary soldier rather than accepting a privileged posting. In the 7th Armored Company, commander Yue Changlong trained him as a scout and taught him military boxing. Zhao later rose through combat merit to become the Northern Frontier’s nine-star God of War 54 73.

His bond with Yue began in hardship. During Zhao’s first winter with the company, Yue gave him his padded coat and warmed his frostbitten legs at night. Yue also saved him from battlefield shrapnel and carried him out of danger. Zhao credits Yue with shaping the soldier he became 54 910.

Zhao fought in the Black Hat Mountain Campaign, where he sustained a bullet wound in his left shoulder and received First-Class Merit. His recollections of the campaign include the death of the company’s young communications soldier Xiaochuan and the painful duty of returning the fallen soldiers’ medals and ashes to their families 73 74 76.

As Zhao Shanhe, he fought a decade of campaigns against Wolf Country. He held Yanmen Pass for three months with fewer than a thousand surviving troops and later commanded the force that reached the Wolf Country capital. For years he appeared before cameras only in a Dark Iron Mask, leaving the public unaware that the celebrated general was Zhao Mengsheng 18 19.

After Wolf Country attacked a border village, Zhao pursued the attackers for three days and nights without sleep. He trapped the force known as the “Snowfield Wolf” in Ice Gorge and annihilated it, further establishing his fearsome reputation on the Northern Frontier 54.

A later account of Yue Changlong’s imprisonment states that Zhao considered marching south to storm Yanshan Prison and rescue him. A secret letter from Yue instructed him to keep his troops on the Northern Frontier for the greater good, leaving Zhao to suppress his anger for five years 910.

Appearance

Zhao is a broad, imposing middle-aged man with a sharply defined face and a piercing gaze 53 492.

• A faint scar crosses his face; other scars include wounds from shrapnel and bayonets 53 68 73.
• His nine-star uniform bears medals earned in battle 68.
• During the Northern Frontier campaigns, he concealed his face behind a Dark Iron Mask 18.
• At sea, he wears a black coat bearing general’s stars; he also appears in a cloak and nine-star battle robe while commanding from the Northern Frontier 492 910 912.

Personality

Zhao is stern in command but openly affectionate toward Yue Changlong’s son, Yue Xiaofei. He accepts criticism from fellow veteran Jin Dapao when Xiaofei is hurt and repeatedly blames himself for failing to reach the boy sooner 44 53 54. His loyalty can bring him into conflict with orders: he risks a prospective promotion to marshal to rescue Xiaofei, yet later invokes battlefield authority to force a badly wounded Xiaofei to withdraw 42 543 544.

His concern for his soldiers extends to their families. Before a dangerous deployment, he orders only children to step back so their parents will not lose their sole surviving child. When the soldiers refuse and pledge to care for one another’s families, he is moved to tears, salutes them, and agrees to take the entire force together 468.

Despite his fierce protectiveness toward Xiaofei, Zhao places national defense before personal obligations. When ordered back to the Northern Frontier during the Cao Family’s assassination campaign, he leaves reluctantly rather than abandon the border and its civilians 808.

He strongly opposes withholding recognition from heroes. He defends Xiaofei’s battlefield disobedience when it saves civilians and later threatens to relinquish his own nine-star rank if Yue Changlong is denied a marshal’s appointment 560 912.

Abilities and skills

Command and mobilization

• Commands Northern Frontier forces and leads a deployment of 100,000 soldiers to Jiangcheng after Xiaofei’s kidnapping 42 66.
• Orders beacon fires lit across more than a hundred cities; military leadership subsequently opens air corridors and directs regional support for his operation 41 43.
• Leads soldiers under extreme pressure, including a force confronting enemies he acknowledges are stronger than any they have faced 530.
• Places his army on first-level combat readiness during the effort to retrieve Xiaofei and the other heroes from Eastern Japan 466.
• Rallies the wounded defenders at Modu Port into a suicide squad to delay the enemy while more than 100,000 civilians evacuate 530.
• Invokes the support of 300,000 Northern Frontier soldiers when defending Yue Changlong’s qualification to become a marshal 912.
• Puts a 100,000-strong heavy snow corps on full combat alert at Changbai Mountain and aims the guns of three armored divisions toward the mountains to support Xiaofei’s search for Yue Feng 963.

Close combat

• Uses Black Dragon Eighteen Hands, a military boxing style Yue Changlong taught him. He defeats ten armed bodyguards in one minute and six seconds 64 65.
• Wields a warblade and uses Mountains and Rivers Suppression to block attacks from four A-Level Transcendents. He holds them off despite being badly wounded, but sustains further injuries 536.
• Can summon protective qi, but deliberately refrains from using it against Angel’s mind-controlled victims because its backlash could kill them 516.
• Uses internal energy to project his voice across the battlefield. His perception also allows him to sense the overwhelming pressure of the battle inside the abandoned factory, which he judges more terrifying than a National Authority Level opponent he previously encountered in Wolf Country 530 546.

Knowledge and access

• Possesses extensive knowledge of Skull and Bones, its Twelve Thrones, and the strategic threat posed by National Authority Level powerhouses 500 501.
• Uses his military clearance to obtain Yue Changlong’s service records, although his access does not remove every restriction surrounding Yue’s past 81 90.
• Recognizes the experimental White Emperor Extreme fighter and explains its capabilities and place beyond the standard White Emperor model 92.
• Understands the Eight Great Clans’ political reach and covert methods, including the internal rivalries within his own Zhao Family 620.

Power Progression

Equipment and identifying items

• White Emperor fighter — the aircraft Zhao uses to reach Jiangcheng ahead of his approaching troops 53.
• Dark Iron Mask — conceals his face during his public career as Zhao Shanhe 18.
• General’s Belt — a gold-plated belt that alerts Li Dakang to Zhao’s rank 55.
• Military credential — identifies him as Zhao Shanhe of the Northern Frontier Military Region, a nine-star God of War 59.
• Military coat — bears a patch sewn by Yue Changlong; Zhao drapes it over the injured Xiaofei 54.
• Warblade — used in his defense against four A-Level Transcendents 536.
• Pistol — drawn during his desperate attempt to force Xiaofei to retreat; Zhao ultimately points it at his own heart and threatens to shoot himself 543 544.
• Encrypted phone and satellite phone — the encrypted line allows Xiaofei to reach him during the kidnapping, while his satellite phone connects him with Jin Dapao and other officials 41 43 58.

Relationships

• Yue Changlong — former company commander, mentor, and closest brother-in-arms. Zhao credits him with his military development and repeatedly defends his reputation 18 54 560. He publicly backs Yue’s marshal appointment and threatens to give up his own rank rather than accept an unjust outcome 912.
• Yue Xiaofei — Yue Changlong’s son, whom Zhao calls his nephew. Zhao rescues, protects, and advises him while helping investigate his father’s past 41 102 500 787. He later welcomes Xiaofei as the Swordbearer and commits Northern Frontier troops to supporting his search at Changbai Mountain 963.
• Jin Dapao — fellow veteran of the 7th Armored Company. Their blunt exchanges reflect a long familiarity and shared loyalty to Yue Changlong 43 44 53.
• Zhao Family patriarch — Zhao’s grandfather supported his decision to serve on the front line despite the family’s fear for his safety 73.
• Xiaohu — Zhao’s guard. Zhao tries to spare him from a dangerous deployment because he is his family’s last surviving member, but ultimately respects his decision to serve 468. His full name is Wang Xiaohu; his father and two uncles died in service, leaving Zhao especially concerned for his mother and the continuation of the family line 468.
• Yue Feng — Yue Changlong’s son and Xiaofei’s missing brother. Zhao regrets being unable to leave the Northern Frontier when the Yue Family’s crisis forced Yue Feng to shoulder its burdens alone, and supports the expedition to find him 963.
• Cao Zhengchun — an adversary whose treatment of Xiaofei and alleged role in Yue Changlong’s downfall provoke Zhao’s fury. Zhao suspects Cao arranged Wolf Country’s renewed offensive to draw him away from Xiaofei 787 802 803 808.

Story role

• Jiangcheng rescue: Xiaofei reaches Zhao through an encrypted phone line while held at Black Tortoise Manor. Zhao abandons his Wolf Country victory celebration, defies an order to turn back, and flies ahead of his troops to reach him 41 42 53.
• Confrontation with the Gao Family: Zhao has the Gao Corporation’s new building demolished, defeats its bodyguards, and brings Northern Frontier troops into Jiangcheng. His identity as God of War Shanhe is publicly revealed when Political Commissar Zhou presents his nine-star uniform 64 65 66 68.
• Public defense of Yue Changlong: Refusing to shut down Gao Zisheng’s livestream, Zhao recounts Yue’s military honors and the sacrifices of the 7th Armored Company, including the Black Hat Mountain Campaign and Xiaochuan’s death 73 74 76 77.
• Search for Yue Changlong: Zhao obtains military records and helps Xiaofei uncover his father’s former commands and classified history. He later warns Xiaofei about Skull and Bones, the Adam Project, and the Eight Great Clans, distinguishing his theories about Yue’s imprisonment from facts he can prove 81 500 502 620.
• Retrieval from Eastern Japan: After watching Xiaofei’s actions overseas, Zhao mobilizes his army and joins the operation to bring the heroes home. He confronts Eastern Japan’s patrol boats from a submarine and orders them to disarm, then reunites with Xiaofei aboard the returning fleet 466 468 492 496.
• Battle of Modu Port: Zhao attempts to evacuate Xiaofei when Angel attacks, but Xiaofei refuses to abandon the civilians. Zhao endures attacks from mind-controlled victims without using lethal defenses, rallies the soldiers to cover the evacuation, and fights A-Level Transcendents despite severe wounds 514 516 517 530 536.
• Abandoned factory standoff: Believing that advancing against four Thrones would be suicidal, Zhao attempts to send Xiaofei and Ning Hongye away while he holds the rear. He threatens to shoot himself to force Xiaofei’s compliance, later orders everyone into cover during the factory’s energy surge, and leads the squad inside once the danger passes 542 543 544 555 557.
• Xiaofei’s military recognition: Zhao argues for Xiaofei’s promotion to major general and personally places the rank insignia on his shoulders 560 564 565.
• Conflict with the Cao Family: Arriving by White Emperor fighter, Zhao calms Xiaofei’s berserk fury and declares his actions against Cao Longxiang, Cao Yuyao, and the Masked Faces squad justified. He later condemns the Cao Family’s protection of the real culprit and reacts furiously to revelations implicating Cao Zhengchun in Yue Changlong’s downfall 787 802 803.
• Recall to the Northern Frontier: Zhao promises to mobilize the Mountains and Rivers Cavalry against the assassins pursuing Xiaofei, but Wolf Country deploys 300,000 troops and the Snow Wolf Legion attacks an outpost. Suspecting a Cao Family diversion, he nevertheless obeys the Military Sovereign’s order to return and defend the frontier 808.
• Support for Yue Changlong’s appointment: Watching the national broadcast from his command post, Zhao insists that Yue’s recognition match his sacrifices. He appears remotely before the reviewing stand, confronts dissenting officers, and places his own rank and the support of his Northern Frontier soldiers behind Yue’s qualification to become a marshal 910 912.
• Changbai Mountain expedition: Zhao welcomes Xiaofei and Reverse Scale at a fortified forward camp during their search for Yue Feng. He places the heavy snow corps and three armored divisions on alert, promises to take Xiaofei to the Heavenly Pool, and witnesses Xiaofei part its waters with a single slash before descending toward the lakebed 963 964.

Notable quotes

“If I can’t even protect my old company commander’s son, what would being a marshal mean to me?!” 42

“Who says we have no clothes? We share the same robe!” 54

“If the sky falls, your uncle will hold it up for you!” 787

“If Yue Changlong isn't qualified to be a Marshal, then I'll take off this nine-star battle robe right here today!” 912

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