PLAYER INFORMATION
⇒ Name: San
⇒ Journal:
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fanfictionming⇒ Age: 21+
⇒ Contact: fanfictionming@Plurk
⇒ Characters Played: N/A
CHARACTER INFORMATION
⇒ Name: Zhang Liao
⇒ Age: 27
⇒ Canon: Dynasty Warriors
⇒ Canon Reference:
Here.
⇒ Canon Point: After Xiapi castle, before Guandu
CHARACTER INTERPRETATION
⇒ Appearance: Taking
this look from DW7.
⇒ Personality:
Zhang Liao is one of the older Dynasty Warrior characters, having seen at least 5 installments of the series, added screen time in DW 6, and quite a strong role in the spinoff crossover series Warriors Orochi. Yet through it all there is but one goal, one ambition that continuously drives the character and remains unchanged throughout the years: to be the the best warrior in the land. His pursuit for might as he walks the path of a warrior is what he is best known for. He's a driven individual, determined to be the strongest warrior in the land at any cost. He values both physical and character strength; these are qualities that tend to draw him towards the lords he serves. Guan Yu noted that he followed Lu Bu because of Lu Bu's status as the most powerful warrior at that time. But when Lu Bu is revealed to be a coward afraid of death and willing to cast away honour to preserve his own life, Zhang Liao immediately displayed his scorn for such behaviour and admonished his lord for clinging to life in such a shameless manner.
In his quest for strength, he has fought plenty of battles and duels without thought to his own personal safety. Zhang Liao is extremely courageous; he does not fear death or injury and is willing to throw himself into the heat of the battle. He does not display any fear even when confronted with near impossible odds, like at the Battle of Hefei where he fought off the Wu army of 100,000 with only 800 of his own men. While Lu Bu tried to bargain for his own life, Zhang Liao had calmly come to terms with his own death and was ready to face execution, even demanding it. This holds true much later again when he is forced to face Sun Quan, Lian Shi and Ding Feng by himself in a three on one duel. Already exhausted from the battle he refused to do anything else but stand his ground although he knew he had met the end of the line. "I am a warrior. I can not yield!" With this bold proclamation he made his final attack, never fearing death right to the end.
With his lack of fear and his determined personality, Zhang Liao can very quickly become your worst nightmare to face in battle. He can be quite ruthless as he holds nothing back. During Liu Bei's retreat at Changban he doesn't withhold his blades against Guan Yu, a man he respects and befriended during Guan Yu's brief stay with the Wei Army. He doesn't even spare normal peasants that get in the way of his mission, cutting through them with cruel efficiency. Zhang Liao's got an amazing ability to compartmentalize his personal feelings from his work; he does think that Liu Bei's a righteous man and that killing people who can't defend themselves is wrong, but nevertheless if that's what Lord Cao Cao wants to achieve his vision of a peaceful world without conflict, then that's what Zhang Liao will deliver. It's not any surprise that the Wu troops call him the "Demon of Hefei" when he cut down so many of their number and even nearly captured the lord of Wu, Sun Quan, all while heavily outnumbered. As he puts it himself: "I am my lord's blade. I cut him a path."
Zhang Liao may be quite ruthless in battle, but he is also a very honourable man who wants to live his life in the right way. He honours promises and debts: he convinced Guan Yu to surrender, thus sparing the other man's life as repayment for when Guan Yu requested Cao Cao to spare him after the Battle of Xia Pi. When Guan Yu later left Cao Cao after fulfilling his obligations to the Lord of Wei, it was only Zhang Liao and Xu Huang who pursued him, not to stop him but to have one last test of skill. Guan Yu was promised his freedom if he found news of his brother and both Cao Cao and Zhang Liao held true to that promise. When fighting duels, he wants to fight them man-to-man, one-on-one. And when given the choice, he would rather pick death over surrender/retreat. His honour is very important to him and it must go hand in hand with his strength for him otherwise he feels he does not deserve to be a true warrior.
Zhang Liao also gives respect to those who deserve it. He has a deep respect for Guan Yu and Xu Huang, two men he sees as his idea of a perfect warrior. He once respected Lu Bu as well until Lu Bu revealed his cowardice. It's not even warriors that he respects. When he fought Sun Quan for the last time he at first displayed contempt for the lord of Wu for fighting him with two of his vassals instead of one-on-one. But when Sun Quan explained that he is a ruler and that his strength lies not in his martial prowess but with inspiring people to fight for and with him, Zhang Liao acknowledged Sun Quan's ability to lead people with his dying breath, judging Sun Quan as the lord the Wu ruler claimed he is rather than as a warrior. Zhang Liao looks not at the colour of a flag, but rather at the individual's abilities and goals.
However, you wouldn't be wrong to accuse Zhang Liao of having a one-track mind. His dedication to the path of the warrior can quickly become an inflexible drive that blinds him to everything else. It gets even worse when he misplaces his faith in a bad leader; case in point would be Lu Bu. Zhang Liao believed that Lu Bu was the strongest warrior alive, and that by serving him he too would find this strength. However, to be a warrior is more than having martial skill. It is to live your life with honour and respect, to be just and fair in all dealings, to protect those who can't protect themselves and create a path for those who cannot do so. As a younger man Zhang Liao had yet to realise that being the greatest warrior meant more than just being the best at slaying your opponents. He knew that both Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu were violent men who cared nothing about other people especially those who were weaker, yet he justified his servitude because Lu Bu was clearly the mightiest of them all. He thought that through might, he could achieve peace in the world and destroy the chaos once and for all through vanquishing each of the warring kingdoms. He believed that Lu Bu, with all his strength, would make a good ruler but he failed to realise that strength of body did not mean strength of heart. Lu Bu's embarrassing spectacle before his execution shook Zhang Liao, casting doubt on his goal and even affecting his ability to fight, but the point is that it took a very loud and public display of shame and a betrayal of his own principles before Zhang Liao realised the truth. Nothing short of that will shake him from his course.
After Lu Bu's death, Zhang Liao goes through a brooding phase where he questions the true meaning of a warrior and the pros and cons of attaining ultimate might. Zhang Liao is pretty much one of the more stern and brooding warriors in the Wei army. Rarely smiling, he takes his duties as a general and his desire for perfection very, very seriously, which explains all the philosophizing and reflecting he did once he realised that the path he was on had bred much chaos and tyranny. Other Wei generals comment on his seriousness and advice him not to look too deeply into the meaning of things, but Zhang Liao needed the answers before he could completely dedicate his life and his strength for Cao Cao's vision. Even children fear him; when times are carefree and the children are high-spirited, he comments that he's unsure if he'll be able to get used to them not being terrified of him. He rarely carries any expression other than that of serious and stern and his tone conveys strictness, formality and politeness. Overall, he's not a very friendly person although he does have the capacity to be a good friend. Because at his core, he
is a good person who has a sense of morality. Unlike some of the other generals in Wei (eg Xiahou Dun and Yuan, Dian Wei, Xu Zhu, Cao Ren) who serve Cao Cao zealously, Zhang Liao found Cao Cao's ruthless tactics tough to swallow. When ordered by Cao Cao to withhold nothing back, even at the expense of defenceless peasants, Zhang Liao is clearly shocked and uncomfortable with the idea. This doubt is further reinforced by his own knowledge of Liu Bei as a virtuous man, loved by the common people for his kindness and compassion. While Zhang Liao questioned Cao Cao no further and carried out his mission with every intent of finishing it to the bitter and bloody end; he found himself in awe of Liu Bei's charisma and the love and loyalty that his Liu Bei's retainers had for him. Guan Yu claimed that it was for Liu Bei's dream: a land of benevolence, that all of them would fight Zhang Liao to the death if need be just so that Liu Bei could escape. There is much to be admired in virtuous and honourable men; Liu Bei was one of them and Zhang Liao, in yet another moment of doubt, let Liu Bei slip away before he could kill him.
It is only when he discovers Cao Cao's true purpose: to create a land of peace and equal opportunity for all, that he is satisfied with his path. When he settles all doubt and understands that to achieve peace in the land he needs to wield his blades with ferocity and ruthlessness, that is when his true martial prowess reveals itself in a spectacular battle at Hefei, beating back 100,000 Wu soldiers with just 800 of his own. He comes to realise that Cao Cao makes cruel decisions because it is an unfortunate necessity to stop the chaos that was ravaging the land, and that Cao Cao was not fighting his wars just for his own selfish desires, but for the people of China. This worthy goal finally puts his own dilemma at ease, that he was fighting not for himself, but for others who could not.
For a man of his strength and importance though, he is always humble when addressing others and he also tends to downplay his own skill. A perfectionist, he's always looking for a chance to improve his form through sparring be it with a fellow Wei officer or with an enemy officer from Wu or Shu. He insisted not to be addressed by his formal title, "Grand Commander", because he felt no need for it. He is civil to all who prove themselves as good men even if they're part of the enemy army, although he will still cut down with the same brutal efficiency that he comes to be known for.
In short, Zhang Liao can be summed up by the Chinese fist salute: the right hand, formed into a fist, symbolizes martial power and strength. However, the left palm, symbolizing culture and civility, wraps around the right hand to denote restraint and controlled power. The bent fingers of the left hand over the right signifies modesty and humility, and by bringing the left palm and the right fist together with your arms circled is to embrace the whole world as your home, offer your humble cooperation and to seek a kindred spirit through friendly sparring.
⇒ Previous game history: N/A
⇒ Powers and Abilities: Dynasty Warriors characters are one-man armies: enhanced strength, elemental attacks, fast reflexes, ability to jump/double jump/fall without taking damage. In the interest of the game I will nerf these abilities to something a bit more human, akin to this
video. He's still an incredibly skilled fighter with amazing reflexes, dexterity and endurance, but he can't take on armies on his own and has all the weaknesses that a human person would. Zhang Liao can form small shock waves with his twin axes that can hit enemies a short range away from him. He can also summon a small whirlwind that whips around him when he uses a powerful attack known as a "Musou". A "Musou" attack grants him a few seconds of invulnerability and a powerful charge attack that's built on the fierce winds generated by him rapidly spinning his twin axes in a propeller motion.
Other abilities he has includes archery, horseback riding, and minor knowledge of wounds. Not enough for him to save a life but enough to staunch a bleeding wound, to force a man's bone back into place and to tie a wound up tight enough.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
⇒ Personal Effects: Twin Axes and his new Wei armour, as noted in his Appearance link.
⇒ Device: Traditional bamboo scroll.
WRITTEN SAMPLES
⇒ First Person:
Test drive meme.
⇒ Third person:
Zhang Liao stepped through the doors of the barracks. It was not yet dawn, but he could see the tiny splashes of pink far in the horizon: the next watch would probably sound within the hour, signifying the end of the night watch and the change of the guards. Still, there could be no slacking at any point, even near the end of the shift. The small contingent on duty were as alert as ever and as he drew near some, they saluted him sharply. He nodded in return and passed them by: he was here not on official business and there was no need to tire the boys out further.
The empty training grounds within the building were silent, but by the next hour they would be filled with the yells and shouts of soldiers as they carried out their daily drills. For now though, the entire area belonged just to him. He walked to the centre and slowly settled into a battle-ready stance, his twin axes in his hands and poised to strike. Closing his eyes and concentrating, he took a deep breath, released it, and started.
To those who watched, they saw the newly acquired general Zhang Liao training by himself, his axes swinging around the area in a deadly dance that might've beheaded anyone around him. His footsteps were precise and accurate and he left no opening anywhere. Even with his eyes closed, none would be able to approach him. The strength in each jab and slash seemingly
cut through the very air around him.
But in his mind's eye, he was no longer at the training grounds. No, in his mind's eye, all he saw was the enemy that he had to kill. The miserable cold bit into his exposed flesh, but it was nothing he could not handle. Even when the flood waters flowed through the city and drowned so many of his men, Zhang Liao continued to cut through all those who dared to face him. Fighting in chest-deep water was his most difficult challenge yet; the water was freezing and the initial rush had slammed him to a wall. He was pretty certain that a bone had been broken somewhere. His axes, once light in his hands, became heavier than gold as the water weighed him down. His energy was leaving him and some of his remaining men had deserted, but Zhang Liao will not yield.
A soldier decked in blue ran towards him, screaming about vengeance. Zhang Liao looked upon his young face and saw so much emotion, so much hope, fear, anger and tears. The boy looked just about 16; no doubt he had entered the army, longing for some glory or honour. Or perhaps he was fighting for his family, his friends, some brother that got himself killed in another battle. Maybe he needed to win a girl's love, even. He looked so sure, so confident that he could take on this beaten-up, exhausted general as his sword swung down to claim Zhang Liao's life.
Blood splurted and a head rolled, but Zhang Liao paid no attention to his latest victim. The water barely washed the red away, but he paid no heed as he hoisted himself up and out of the flooded area. Leaning on his weapons, he took deep breaths to steady himself and to somewhat quell the burning pain inside him. Completely drenched, he was bone-weary, on his last legs. From afar, he heard someone calling out to him, demanding his surrender. One glare was all that was needed to silence the fool, and although he struggled Zhang Liao still managed to pull himself up and lock his axes again with the enemy. He had to push himself, push himself to his very limit and beyond, for that was the only way he would ever accomplish true might. Lord Lu Bu, Lord Chen Gong, Lady Diao Chan, they were all depending on him. There was no way he could stop and he would continue fighting until his arms and legs could move no more.
The distant blow of horns alerted him to the arrival of enemy reinforcement. Shifting his grip to something more comfortable, he yanked an axe out of the chest of an unfortunate soldier, completely ignoring the stream of blood that trickled down from his weapon to his hands. At this point he couldn't tell the difference between water and blood: the colour of the floodwater had mingled so much with the spilt blood that it too had turned red. Maybe there would be time to mourn the dead and worthy foes later, but right now he must turn his attention to the newcomers of the battlefield. Before that though, he must attend to the incoming group of spearmen charging at him. He dodged one spear jab, countered with a swing of one axe while blocking another attack with his other axe. A sudden presence behind him (Commendable. There are strong enemy officers yet in the Wei army) and his body reacted instantly. He summoned more strength and pushed away those in front, and with a yell he turned and raised his blades high in the air, ready to cleave the man who had just managed to touch him on the shoulder with the tip of a sword...
...only it wasn't a sword in the first place. Nor was he in the battlefield at Xiapi castle, drenched in ice-cold water, blood and sweat, with a broken rib and a dislocated shoulder. And the man who had merely tapped him on the back to inform him that it was time for the next watch was not the young man he had intended to split in half, though they're reactions were the same. Fear, just paralysing fear.
The bell sounded the next watch, but none of the soldiers dared move a muscle. All held their breath at the tense scene before them; the feared General Zhang Liao, a relic from the army of the now-dead Lord Lu Bu. While Zhang Liao had yet to attain the same level of strength of his ex-leader, he had generated a reputation for bloodthirsty slaughter and a mechanical ruthlessness that saw no place for mercy or the weak. The older soldiers cursed under their breath at the folly of the foolish, new recruit. Don't disturb the general, that's what they had advised him. But youth courts arrogance and cockiness, and in times of war perhaps even death.
Precise footsteps, marching in time and in rhythm, brought Zhang Liao back to the present. He relaxed his stance and flipping an axe around, extended the blunt end as a handle to help the near-victim up. The fierce expression he wore had faded away to something more stern and scolding, almost like that of a teacher to a student. "Up on your feet recruit. You need more training, but first you need rest."
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