The South was not always a hopeless pit of squabbling warlords and a hotbed for radicalists. Although Zhang Baitao was not as old as his warlord peers, he is still mature enough to have experienced much of the turmoil since the turn of the century. Having been born before Dongyue Province was marred by further iterations of unequal treaties; before the National Revanchist Party was torn apart by bickering factions. Marshal Zhang at the age of forty, had seen the rise and fall of the party he dedicated his life to - twice, and if fate shall decide, quite possibly a third time. He knows that the time available to achieve his dream grows sparser by the day. Zhang although in his prime, has grown more and more weary of his health.
In his youth, Zhang feared many things that could've caused him an untimely death. As a soldier in the National Revolution Army, it was only natural that the first thing he'd think of would be an enemy's bullets, or even an allies bullet gone astray. These bullets never came for him, unlike many of his comrades, Zhang survived without lasting injuries. Yet now, having endured the hellish warfare of the first Two Northern Campaigns. An enemy that Zhang expected least would begin to tear at him. His body had turned against him. First, shakiness in his hands, then, his vision blurred. But ever so slightly over the years, these small incidences grew to be much more. Though Zhang can still hide it from the general public, all of his closest aids know of the perilous condition he is in. But he will not relent. Not until he can see the unification of Shenzhou.
To have the NRP, the true heirs to the great Sun Wenzi, be proclaimed the rightful rulers of Shenzhou. This cause is what the Zhang family has dedicated itself to. In return for their blind loyalty. It has cost much from their family. A father, a mother and three sons. Baitao is the only one left. He hopes to be the outlier, the anomaly, the one who would break the Zhang family's curse, and achieve their dream. And if the heavens wish to act against him, then so be it. He will not relent.
"Sir, the diplomats sent by The East Hodu Company have arrived."
But first, he must take care of the disease that plagues Dongyue's heart, the Men of the Rose Country, Great Angmoria.