Zhao Ming

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What if Lo Pan was a cool dude who did cocaine?

Zhao Ming, also known as the Iron Dragon, is one of the two legendary lords for Cathay in Total War: Warhammer 3 and one of the first playable Cathayan characters in any Warhammer setting.

Zhao is the son of the Dragon Emperor and Moon Empress. While his parents chill above Wei-Jin, Zhao runs the Western Provinces of Cathay from the city of Shang-Yang, which borders the Mountains of Mourn and as such has to deal with incursions of Skaven and Ogres. However, being on the entry-point to Cathay he also sees the travellers and traders that make it from the west, with permanent embassies from the Empire, Estalia and Tilea.

Zhao Ming holds great skill in alchemy and likes to integrate it into his armies. He welcomes mages of all kinds, which causes his siblings to worry about his mental stability due to his proximity to the Great Maw, especially when he comes under a moment of eccentricity. This eccentricity is actually treating the people he leads as actual human beings with value and not simply viewing himself as above them unlike the rest of his family, so take it with a grain of salt. He is not exactly on good terms with his older sister Miao Ying, and is often offended by her aloofness when they and their other three siblings meet.

Surprisingly, he's on pretty decent terms with Greasus Goldtooth, the two having met in a negotiation to allow Cathayan Caravans through his territory. The two had bonded over their not so great relationship with their dads and came to an agreement to allow Cathayan Caravans through the Goldtooth lands in exchange for a toll. It seems to be a pretty major friendship, as Zhao's faction in Total War Warhammer 3 comes with a factionwide army upkeep buff to Ogre Mercenaries.

He also turns out to be a bit of a mamas boy and is the Moon Empress' favourite child, which probably contributes to his continued rule over the West while his other siblings think he might be nuts.

Tabletop Extrapolations

While it probably be years before the Old World picks up steam enough to be able to feature Cathay and the Dragon siblings as units, one can extrapolate what kind of abilities Zhao Ming would bring to the tabletop. Thanks to Total War, we know three of these:

• Dragon Shapechange: A bit of a given, though it really begs the question whether Zhao (or any of his siblings) will start out in human form, or dragon.

• Spellcasting: Zhao is a hybrid caster, drawing from both the Lores of Yang and Metal.

• Ward of Iron: Zhao's unique ability in Total War, which gives units surrounding Zhao a boost to their defense.