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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Relationships

• Yue Qinhu — longtime comrade who saved Xu’s life; Xu searched for him for decades and defends his family 185 234.
• 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.
• Lin Tiejun — fellow veteran who tells Xu that Yue Qinhu is alive and accompanies him to Modu 185 211.
• 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.
• Xu Wanqing — great-granddaughter who worries when he leaves home to find Yue Qinhu 191.
• Xu Yiming — great-grandson and military major 689.

Story Role and Major Arcs

• 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.
• 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.
• Modu Memorial Hall: Xu confronts Mei Liangxing for protecting Ito Yūgorō and calls for Mei’s removal and investigation 399.
• 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.

Notable Quotes

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

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