Elder Xu

Biodata

Background and History

Xu Anbang fought in the wars that established the Dragon Kingdom. After the war, he declined the rank of marshal and accepted general instead. He became known alongside Qin Lie as one of the military’s Twin Pillars 43. His home displays a Pillar of the Country plaque 185.

On the Goryeo battlefield, Xu was known to Eagle Country forces as Silver Fox. At Chosin Reservoir, he defeated troops led by General Barton Smith; decades later, Barton’s grandson confronted Xu at the Martyrs’ Cemetery 274. Xu also served as Bureau 7’s number-two agent under the codename Green Pine 282.

During the navy’s early years, Xu once had to rent a fisherman’s boat to inspect an island because no naval vessel was available. The fisherman’s observation that a naval chief still needed to borrow a fishing boat prompted Xu to vow that Dragon Kingdom warships would one day patrol all of the country’s maritime territory. Over the following decades, he helped build a navy equipped with submarines, destroyers, and aircraft carriers, fulfilling that promise and earning the name Dragon King Xu 187.

Xu remained devoted to his comrade Yue Qinhu, who had saved his life repeatedly. Believing Yue dead, Xu searched for him for decades. When Lin Tiejun revealed that Yue was alive, Xu left his own hundredth-birthday preparations to seek him out and defend his descendants 185 190 234. One of the rescues Xu remembers occurred in Goryeo, when Yue carried him three li through the snow after he was shot 295.

Xu eventually reunited with Yue Qinhu in person, accompanied by members of his family. Overcome by his old comrade’s condition, he wept at Yue’s knees and ordered his descendants to kneel and kowtow to the man he credited with making their family’s existence possible. When Yue subsequently recognized him, Xu again broke into tears 381 382.

Appearance

Xu is a white-haired centenarian whose plain dress often leads strangers to mistake him for an ordinary elderly man 184 214.

• Deep facial lines and small, keen eyes 184.
• A straight military bearing despite his age; he sometimes walks with a cane 184 214.
• Also wears an old-style naval uniform on occasion 399.
• Wears a Zhongshan suit at his belated birthday banquet 698.

Personality

Xu is informal with fellow veterans and fiercely loyal to old comrades. He asks Lin Tiejun to call him “Elder Brother Xu,” brushes aside guards’ salutes, and places finding Yue Qinhu above the ceremony planned for his birthday 184 185 234.

He is far less accommodating toward officials who abuse their positions. Xu challenges Wang Hongtao’s treatment of Yue Qinhu’s family, rebukes Hou Liangbing for invoking powerful clans, and demands an investigation when Mei Liangxing protects a war criminal 216 242 399. He also shows respect for service regardless of age or rank: at his banquet, he leads the Xu family in saluting Yue Xiaofei for his own achievements 698 700.

Xu regards loyalty to comrades and their children as central to military morale. Although he acknowledges that Zhao Shanhe’s rescue operation violates discipline, he argues that abandoning a comrade’s family would undermine soldiers’ willingness to fight for one another and personally accepts responsibility for supporting the operation 43.

His opposition to powerful clans is rooted in his belief that authority exists to serve the people rather than privileged families. Even while condemning Gao Zisheng, he orders an impartial investigation into every charge and warns that anyone interfering should also be arrested 225 242. At the Martyrs’ Cemetery, he refuses to let remorseful Bureau 7 agents remain kneeling, telling them that the fallen died so that the living could stand 261.

Xu remains defiant under direct threat. He confronts armed Eagle Country agents without retreating and rejects Skull and Bones’ attempts at intimidation 267 275 301. He also encourages Yue Xiaofei’s ambition to become strong enough to shelter the country and its people, promising the Xu family’s support despite the political risks 709.

Abilities and Influence

Military command

• Served as the Dragon Kingdom Navy’s first commander and reached the rank of nine-star grand general 186 284.
• Earned the wartime reputation of Silver Fox for unpredictable tactics 274.
• Retains the respect of senior officers: generals salute him as their commander, and troops answer his call at the Martyrs’ Cemetery 282.
• Orders air corridors cleared for Zhao Shanhe’s forces and directs the Jiangbei Military Region to receive and support their rescue operation 43.
• Exercises authority over assembled naval, army, and air forces at the cemetery, subsequently ordering them to return to camp once their mission is complete 282 305.

Intelligence and institutional knowledge

• Served in Bureau 7 as Green Pine and knows its concealed founding history, including Yue Qinhu’s role as its founder 242 282.
• His deeper military records are classified SSS+, beyond the reach of an Eagle Country agent investigating him 273.
• Recounts how Yue Qinhu, under the codename Old Farmer, established Bureau 7, trained its first agents, and instituted provisions for fallen agents’ families and retired comrades. He produces a photograph and a top-secret dossier identifying Yue as the founder and Agent No. 1 254 261.
• Uses his authority and his past rescue of Xiao Ma to obtain information about Yue Changlong’s classified imprisonment. His inquiries uncover the treason charge and identify Ye Jincheng as the official who presided over the case and ordered its file sealed 234 305.
• Knows of Skull and Bones’ Twelve Thrones and challenges Smith about the organization’s interest in Yue Xiaofei 301.

Political influence

• Calls Wang Changshun, a founding major general, while confronting Changshun’s son Wang Hongtao over his abuse of authority 217.
• Reports Mei Liangxing’s conduct directly to the head of the Foreign Affairs Department, who agrees to act on Xu’s recommendation to remove and investigate him 399.
• Commands deference from the Jun Family: its representatives wait outside his home for three hours without gaining entry, while Second Master Jun begs his forgiveness after recognizing him over the phone 225 227 229.
• Publicly vouches for Yue Changlong’s appointment as Marshal, arguing that his work enabled the Dragon Kingdom’s carrier fleet to defend the nation’s waters 912.

Items

• Wooden walking cane — used to strike Wang Hongtao during their confrontation at the docks 216 224.
• Old marching pack — carried when Xu leaves Jade Spring Mountain with Lin Tiejun 191.
• Pillar of the Country plaque — displayed in his Jade Spring Mountain villa 185.
• Old flip phone — used to contact senior figures, including Wang Changshun and Jingtao, during confrontations involving Yue Xiaofei 217 286.
• Photograph and top-secret Bureau 7 dossier — presented as proof that Yue Qinhu was Old Farmer, Bureau 7’s founder and first agent 261.
• Dragon Head Cane — carried at his belated birthday banquet; he releases it to clasp Yue Xiaofei’s hand in welcome 697.

Relationships

• Yue Qinhu — longtime comrade who saved Xu’s life; Xu searched for him for decades and defends his family. At their reunion, Xu identifies him as the Xu family’s benefactor and orders his descendants to kneel in gratitude 185 234 381.
• Yue Xiaofei — Yue Qinhu’s grandson, whom Xu invites to call him “Grandpa Xu.” Xu protects him, later salutes his service, and pledges the Xu family’s support 214 698 709. Yue shields Xu with his own body when Smith explodes; Xu later brings Ye Kunlun to treat the critically ill young man and provokes the scientist into attempting a rescue 301 344.
• Yue Changlong — Yue Qinhu’s son and Yue Xiaofei’s father. Xu investigates his secret imprisonment at Xiaofei’s request and later publicly supports his appointment as Marshal 234 305 912.
• Lin Tiejun — fellow veteran who tells Xu that Yue Qinhu is alive and accompanies him to Modu 185 211.
• Qin Lie — fellow founding military figure with whom Xu is known as one of the Dragon Kingdom military’s Twin Pillars 43.
• Xu Sanjiang — eldest son; a five-star general and political commissar of the North Sea Theater 244.
• Xu Sihai — son; a three-star general and president of Naval Engineering University 191.
• Xu Mingzhu — daughter and deputy director of a naval weapons research institute 191 659.
• Qin Qianshan — son-in-law, Xu Mingzhu’s husband, and commander of the Longdu Military Region 191.
• Xu Wanqing — great-granddaughter who worries when he leaves home to find Yue Qinhu 191.
• Xu Yiming — great-grandson and military major 689.
• Xu Jingtao — family member who addresses Xu as “Grandpa” and serves as captain of the Dragon Kingdom’s first aircraft carrier 286 697.
• Ouyang Jian — naval officer who recognizes Xu at the docks and places himself between Xu and Wang Hongtao’s armed guards 214 217.
• Xiao Tian Ce — Eastern Frontier commander who salutes Xu as his commander and accompanies him onto the cemetery platform 284.

Story Role and Major Arcs

• Support for the Jiangcheng rescue: Xu defends Zhao Shanhe’s decision to rescue Yue Xiaofei, orders the air routes cleared, and directs the Jiangbei Military Region to assist. He assumes responsibility for the consequences 43.
• The search for Yue Qinhu: Xu meets Lin Tiejun at Jade Spring Mountain, learns his missing comrade is alive, and leaves his birthday gathering to find him 184 185 191. After pretending to accept his family’s birthday arrangements, he secretly packs his military gear and takes a hidden mountain trail, deciding to help Yue Xiaofei in Modu first 190.
• The Modu docks and Martyrs’ Cemetery: He intervenes when officials target Yue Xiaofei and his allies. His confrontations with Wang Hongtao, Hou Liangbing, and Eagle Country agent Smith gradually expose his military and intelligence history 214 216 242 274 284.
• Gao Zisheng’s investigation: Xu rejects Gao’s claims of a misunderstanding, lists his attacks on the Yue family, and orders a full investigation without interference. He also dismisses Gao’s attempts to invoke the Jun Family and overseas citizenship as protection 225.
• Revealing Bureau 7’s founder: Xu recounts Old Farmer’s history and proves that Yue Qinhu founded the bureau. When most of the assembled agents repudiate Hou Liangbing and kneel in remorse, Xu tells them to stand in honor of the fallen 254 261.
• The armed cemetery standoff: Xu defies Smith and gives Hou Liangbing a final opportunity to arrest the foreign agent. After Hou chooses Smith’s side, Xu declares him an enemy of the Dragon Kingdom. The arrival of the Xu family and military forces exposes the extent of Xu’s continuing authority 275 276 282.
• Smith’s explosion and its aftermath: Xu rejects Skull and Bones’ threats and questions its interest in Yue Xiaofei. When Smith’s tattoo activates and his chest explodes, Yue leaps forward to shield Xu 301. Xu subsequently makes three birthday toasts honoring the soldiers, martyrs, and nation-building heroes, then dismisses the troops and resumes investigating Yue Changlong’s case 305.
• Saving Yue Xiaofei: Xu brings Ye Kunlun to the hospital as the person he believes might save Yue. When Ye declares Yue’s condition almost certainly fatal, Xu challenges his ability, prompting him to attempt treatment with the Ouroboros gene stabilizer and Pangu cell-repair agent 344.
• Reunion with Yue Qinhu: Xu finally finds his old comrade, weeps at his condition, and has his family pay their respects. He is overjoyed when Yue recognizes him 381 382.
• Modu Memorial Hall: Xu confronts Mei Liangxing for protecting Ito Yūgorō and calls for Mei’s removal and investigation 399.
• Welcoming the returning heroes: Xu joins the reception at Modu Naval Port and praises Yue Xiaofei after the returning aircraft carrier group arrives 504.
• The belated birthday banquet: Xu gives Yue Xiaofei the manor’s highest welcome honors, leads his family in a salute, and publicly recounts Yue’s service to the Dragon Kingdom 694 698 700. He emphasizes Yue’s achievements in the East Sea crisis, Japan, and the defense of Modu, making clear that the honor is earned by Yue himself rather than merely inherited from his grandfather 699.
• Backing Yue Xiaofei in Longdu: In a private meeting after the banquet, Xu warns Yue about the Cao Family’s influence. Yue’s resolve to become a towering tree sheltering the nation wins Xu’s pledge of unconditional family support, after which Xu raises the subject of Yue’s father 709.
• The military parade: Xu publicly supports Yue Changlong’s appointment as Marshal when an old general questions his qualifications. Alongside Zhao Mengsheng and Ye Jincheng, he defends Changlong’s contributions, specifically citing the work that made the carrier fleet’s maritime defense possible 912.

Notable Quotes

“Military law can restrain a soldier’s actions, but not his heart!” 43

“We’re only old, not dead yet!” 188

“Let the whole world hear once more just how loudly the Eastern Dragon can roar!!!” 282

“If the sky falls, the Xu Family will hold it up for you!” 709

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