Xiao Han

He who increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorrow. This article contains spoilers, meaning it has information and facts concerning Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple. If you do not want to know about these events, it is recommended to read on with caution, or not at all. This template should be removed from the article 28 August 2024.

"I am Xiao Han. You will remember that name. I guide the Great Ming Assassin Brotherhood as its Mentor."

―Xiao Han to Edward Kenway, 1725.

Xiao Han was the Mentor of the Chinese Brotherhood of Assassins during the early 18th century. He was also the nephew of Sun, the head of the Hualien Trading Company in Macau.

In 1725, Xiao Han sought to acquire a Piece of Eden hidden in the lost Khmer city of Angkor and use it to overthrow the Qing dynasty, under which both the Brotherhood and the Han Chinese people had suffered heavy persecution. However, his efforts were opposed by the British Assassin Edward Kenway, who was also on Angkor's trail and was against the use of the power of the Pieces of Eden for personal gain.

Biography

Early life

Not much is known about Xiao Han's early life other than the fact that he used to be close to his uncle Sun. Unlike Sun, who belived their ancestors' pursuit of noble goals to be the cause of their family's downfall, Xiao Han fully embraced his Assassin heritage and rose to become Mentor of the Chinese Brotherhood.

Meeting with Sun

"How dare you call yourself a descendant of the great master Xiao Yun! You have not only disgraced your homeland... but you have also trampled upon the sacred Creed that has been passed down for generations. It is my duty to execute you in the name of the Assassin Brotherhood."

―Xiao Han denouncing Sun, 1725.

Xiao Han and his fellow Assassins being led to Sun

In 1725, Xiao Han and two of his fellow Assassins, Liu Qing and Xue Yan, arrived at his uncle's floating gambling hall in Macau to discuss a Precursor site believed to be located in Angkor. Sun had gained possession of a sea log given to him by the Templar Shimazu Saito which contained the location of the lost city, but the information was encrypted. Xiao Han was shown the log by his uncle and agreed to help decipher it. Soon after, Sun snatched the log and claimed that, by recovering the treasure in Angkor, he would gain them immense wealth.

When Xiao Han asked his uncle what he intended to do with the treasure, Sun explained that he would present it to the Qing Emperor, expecting to be greatly rewarded in return. He also stated that once the Emperor acknowledged Xiao Han's loyal service to the Qing Empire, he and his Brotherhood would be pardoned for their crimes.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Han used a rope dart and promptly snatched away the log in Sun's hand. He then angrily reprimanded his uncle for surrendering himself to the Manchu regime, stating he was a disgrace to his homeland for trampling on the Creed that had been passed down in their family for generations. As his fellow Assassins drew arms, Xiao Han activated his Hidden Blade and announced he would kill Sun in the name of the Assassins.

Conflict with Edward Kenway

Edward: "The relics of Those Who Came Before are no trinkets to use for your own ends. That goes against everything the Brotherhood believes in. What difference is there between you and the Templars?"

Xiao Han: "I seek to use the treasure for a noble cause. That's the difference. We have a stolen kingdom to reclaim from the foul grasp of barbaric invaders!"

—Xiao Han arguing with Edward, 1725.

Edward stopping Xiao Han from killing Sun

Sun denounced his nephew for betraying him, claiming that Xiao Han would be nothing without his patronage, and ordered his guards to kill him and his fellow Assassins. While Liu Qing and Xue Yan battled Sun's guards, including a number of Saito's ninja followers, Xiao Han chased after a fleeing Sun and eventually cornered him. However, before he could execute his uncle, he was stopped by the British Assassin Edward Kenway. Unaware of Edward's identity or affiliations, a furious Xiao Han attacked him.

Learning that Edward sought the log in his possession, Xiao Han refused to hand it over and the two Assassins began to duel with their swords. After Xiao Han used a rope dart to disarm Edward, the latter lunged at him with his Hidden Blade, prompting Xiao Han to activate his own Hidden Blade and block his attack. As the two realized they were both members of the Brotherhood, they stopped fighting and questioned what the other intended to do with Angkor's treasure.

Xiao Han fighting Edward

Edward claimed that he only sought an adventure before slamming Xiao Han to the ground, causing him to lose the log, which landed near Sun. Xiao Han promptly went to retrieve it but was again stopped by Edward. Annoyed by his fellow Assassin's interference with his plans, Xiao Han explained that he would use the Piece of Eden from Angkor to deliver a great boon to the Brotherhood by overthrowing the Qing dynasty. However, Edward remarked that using Isu technology for personal gain went against everything the Brotherhood stood for and compared Xiao Han to the Templars.

During Xiao Han and Edward's argument, Sun grabbed the log and began to make his escape. Upon seeing this, Xiao Han abandoned Edward and began to chase after his uncle, soon calling upon Liu Qing and Xue Yan to help him recover the log. Sun ordered his remaining guards to slow down the Assassins, but Xiao Han and his companions easily dispatched them. As Edward caught up with them from behind, Liu Qing and Xue Yan engaged him in combat to buy their Mentor enough time to assassinate Sun and recover the sea log.

Xiao Han killing Sun

Using a rope dart to stop Sun dead in his tracks, Xiao Han confronted his uncle and began to choke him. Sun tried to plead for his life, but Xiao Han ignored and stabbed him with his Hidden Blade, ending his uncle's life to prevent him from bringing more dishonor upon their ancestors, or himself. He then took the sea log from his body, but it was promptly stolen by Edward.

Xiao Han once again tried to make his "brother from the west" sympathize with his cause, but as Edward refused to allow the Chinese Assassins to use Angkor's treasure for their own gain, the Mentor declared him to be their enemy. Xiao Han was then joined by Liu Qing and Xue Yan as they surrounded Edward, but before anything could happen, they all witnessed the gambling ship being bombarded with cannon fire by Jeong. Xiao Han used this distraction to snatch away the sea log from Edward and, after warning him to stay out of their way, left alongside Liu Qing and Xue Yan.

Alliance with Madam Lee

Lee: "Now that Master Sun is gone, all of Macau is in my hands. Why should I let you join our treasure hunt?"

Xiao Han: "Don't you wish to set the world right again? I know why you forsook your name, Huiyin Li."

—Xiao Han trying to convince Lee to ally with him, 1725.

The following morning, Xiao Han, Liu Qing and Xue Yan approached Jeong as the admiral and her crew were investigating the wreckage of Sun's gambling den to confirm his death. Jeong initially aimed her pistol at the Assassins, but after Xiao Han revealed that he had acquired the sea log sought by Jeong's patron Lee Huiyin, the admiral agreed to grant them an audience with her.

Xiao Han forming an alliance with Lee

Meeting with Lee at the Mandarin's House, Xiao Han proposed an alliance to recover Angkor's treasure, believing that joining forces would allow them to find the artifact much quicker. However, Lee was reluctant to work with another Assassin after how her partnership with Edward had ended.

Xiao Han explained that, although Edward was an Assassin, he did not understand the Chinese Brotherhood's mission. However, he believed that Lee would be able to sympathize with their cause much easier given her past, as she too had been persecuted under the Qing regime.

As Xiao Han revealed his knowledge of Lee's true name and background, Jeong pointed her pistol at him, but Lee was interested to hear what the Mentor had to say and allowed him to continue speaking. After Xiao Han explained his goal to overthrow the Qing dynasty and end the persecution of the Han Chinese people, Lee agreed to the partnership, but only because she believed it would allow her to gain more power and influence.

Pursuing the Fenghuang

"Do not be so hard on yourselves. These were no adversaries we faced. It seems our brother from the west is no pushover in terms of skill. But with our sights set on the same destination, our paths are bound to cross eventually. This will not happen again next time."

―Xiao Han to his fellow Assassins after their fight with Edward's crew, 1725.

After learning that Edward and the members of his Zhang Wei Union had left Macau to pursue a possible lead to Angkor's location, Xiao Han and his fellow Assassins joined Jeong and her fleet as the admiral pursued the Union's ship, the Fenghuang, eventually ambushing it near the Philippines. After the Fenghuang sank most of Jeong's fleet, the admiral sailed Xiao Han, Liu Qing and Xue Yan close to the ship, allowing them to board it using their gliders. They then used their Greek fire bombs to set the deck on fire and killed many of the ship's crew in the resulting commotion.

Xiao Han fighting Edward aboard the Fenghuang

During the chaos, the Union's engineer, Yun Pyeong-Gyu, realized that water only made the Greek fire burn more fiercely and insturcted the crew to use sand to extinguish the flames. Upon spotting Yun, Xiao Hun attempted to kill him as the engineer became frozen in place due to his fear. However, he was stopped by Edward, who engaged the Chinese Mentor in a duel.

After Xiao Han and Edward reached a stalemate, the latter was joined by several crew members who held the Chinese Mentor at gunpoint. Upon seeing Xue Yan be defeated by Shimazu Saito and noticing that a storm was approaching, Xiao Han declared that there was no point in continuing the fight and ordered his Assassins to retreat. They all used parachutes to glide back to Jeong's ship, where Xiao Han asked the admiral if she could resume her pursuit of the Fenghuang.

Jeong revealed that Edward's crew had sailed into the storm, forcing her to call off the pursuit as she did not want to risk losing her fleet. However, she assured the Assassin that they would eventually catch up to Edward and make him pay for betraying Lee. Liu Qing and Xue Yan then apologized to Xiao Han for their defeat, but the Mentor told them that it was not their fault, as their opponents were stronger than they had anticipated, and that, given their pursuit of the same prize, their paths were bound to cross again.

Search in the Philippines

"Out destination has not changed. We sail to Cebu. Although... perhaps we will not even need to make it all the way. If we track down the natives who took the artifacts of Those Who Came Before... we may be able to secure the artifact before it even reaches Cebu."

―Xiao Han explaining his plan to Lee, 1725.

Xiao Han and his fellow Assassins meeting with Lee in Manila

Some time later, Xiao Han and his fellow Assassins accompanied Jeong and Lee to Manila, where a riot had occurred recently. While Lee met with the Lieutenant Governor-General to secure their passage to the Southern Seas, the Chinese Assassins investigated around the city to uncover details about the riot. They learned that a monk had used a Piece of Eden – a crescent amulet – to incite the riot, and that Edward had fought him, but ultimately lost the amulet to members of a native resistance against the Spanish colonists in the Philippines.

Following this, Xiao Han and the others met with Lee and Jeong, where the Mentor informed them of their findings. When Lee questioned what their next move was, Xiao Han claimed that they would travel to Cebu, where another lead to Angkor's location could be found.

However, the Mentor then pointed out that the journey may be unnecessary, as if they managed to intercept the native resistance fighters along the way, they could simply take the Piece of Eden they had stolen. As Lee praised Xiao Han for his cunningness and placed her hand on his shoulder, she told him that he had free reign to do as he pleased.

Personality and traits

"Fellow brother of the Creed or not... there can be no mercy for anyone who stands in the way of our grand cause."

―Xiao Han to Edward Kenway, 1725.

Xiao Han was a stoic individual who made it his life's mission to overthrow the Qing Empire and establish a new imperial dynasty in China, under which the Brotherhood could thrive again. He despised the Manchus for their treatment of the Han Chinese people like himself, referring to them as "barbaric invaders" on multiple occasions, and believed that removing them from power would benefit not just the Assassins, but all of the Han people. To this end, he sought to acquire Angkor's Piece of Eden, which caused Edward Kenway to compare him to the Templars, who similarly wished to use the power of the Pieces of Eden for personal gain. However, Xiao Han believed that, unlike the Templars, his cause was a noble one.

Xiao Han attempting to kill Yun Pyeong-Gyu

Entirely focused on his mission, Xiao Han refused to allow anyone to prevent him from accomplishing it, be it his own uncle Sun, or his "brother from the west" Edward. He denounced Sun for surrendering himself to the Manchu regime and eventually killed him, believing that his uncle was a disgrace not just to their bloodline, but also to the Creed. Similarly, after Edward interfered with his plans, Xiao Han branded him an enemy of the Chinese Brotherhood and warned him to stay out of their way or else he would face the "wrath of their blades".

Xiao Han's determination to succeed in his goals went so far that he was willing to eliminate anyone he perceived as an obstacle. During his boarding of the Fenghuang, he ruthlessly killed many of the ship's crew and almost executed Yun Pyeong-Gyu, who was unarmed and begging for mercy; this action can be seen as a breach of the Creed's first tenet.

That being said, Xiao Han was not completely unreasonable, as when Liu Qing and Xue Yan apologized to him for their failure to defeat Edward's crew, the Mentor told them not to be so harsh on themselves. He claimed that it was not their fault as their opponents were much stronger than they had anticipated, and that they would have their chance to exact retribution when their paths crossed again.

Equipment and skills

Xiao Han was a skilled swordsman, easily dispatching a number of Sun's guards aboard his gambling ship and holding his own against Edward Kenway, a powerful warrior in his own right. He had also mastered the use of the rope dart, which he wielded effectively in battle to disarm his enemies, or outside of combat to snatch away items from a target's hand. Unlike most contemporary Assassins, Xiao Han utilized only one Hidden Blade, which he wore on his left arm.

During their voyage to the Philippines, Xiao Han and his fellow Chinese Assassins sported gliders and parachutes which allowed them to fly for short distances. They also carried Greek fire bombs, which created a thick smoke upon detonation and flames that could not be extinguished with water.

Gallery

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  Close-up of Xiao Han's face
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  A young Xiao Han with Sun
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  Xiao Han reading Hendrik's sea log
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  Xiao Han with his fellow Assassins
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  Xiao Han facing Edward
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  Xiao Han using the rope dart
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  Xiao Han pursuing Sun
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  Xiao Han and his fellow Assassins meeting with Lee
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  Xiao Han and Liu Qing using parachutes to escape the Fenghuang

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple