Zhang (Macanese)

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 21 February 2024.

Zhang (張) was a Chinese laborer who worked in the port city of Macau when it was a colony under the Portuguese Empire in the early 18th century. He lived in a village settlement nestled in a forested valley behind the city with his wife and daughter.

After being saved by the Assassin Edward Kenway from an attack by Shimazu clan ninja, Zhang repayed the favor by allowing Edward and his friend, the navigator John Young, to take shelter in his village. When Edward later helped treat an outbreak of cholera that had claimed his daughter, Zhang once again offered to return the favor. Together with his fellow laborers, he subsequently became an informant for the Assassin in Macau, helping him obtain valuable information about the various happenings in the city.

Following Edward's establishment of the Zhang Wei Union, Zhang joined the organization and relocated to the A-Ma Cultural Village alongside many of his fellow villagers. After Edward's departure from Macau, Zhang became the new leader of the Union, which he continued to run as a legitimate shipping company, extending its sphere of influence from Macau to all of Southeast Asia.

Biography

Meeting Edward Kenway

In February 1725, Zhang was caught in the middle of an engagement in Macau's port between the Assassin Edward Kenway against ninja under the employment of the Templar Shimazu Saito. When a ninja attempted to eliminate Zhang for being a witness to the engagement, Edward saved his life by assassinating the ninja from behind. As more ninja arrived and surrounded them both, they were saved by the arrival of John Young and his ship, who fired a cannonball on the boat they were on and separated the engagement.

After being rescued onto John's ship, Edward sought to re-enter the harbor to pursue Hendrik's lead but increased security around the harbor led him to reconsider. As both him and John needed to lay low for the time being, Zhang offered them shelter at his home settlement nestled in a forested valley. Edward and John accepted the offer and traveled to Zhang's home aboard John's ship.

Zhang welcoming Edward and John to his home

Upon arrival, Zhang showed the pair around the village and helped them settle in. Edward later took John hunting in the nearby forest, with the two sharing their gains with the villagers upon their return to repay their favour of hospitality. However, the feast was interrupted by Zhang's wife, who revealed that their daugther's health was rapidly deteriorating.

Although unaware of the illness the girl was suffering from, Edward and John offered to help in any way they could, especially after being told that the same illness was plaguing the entire village. Believing that a solution of salt and sugar might prove useful, Edward went back to Macau to acquire the resources from a warehouse owned by the affluential businesswoman Madam Lee. Following his return, a remedy was made which saved most of the sick villagers' lives, although it was too late for Zhang's daughter, who ended up passing away.

Edward's informant

Despite the loss of their daughter, Zhang and his wife were nonetheless happy for the chance to spend her final moments together, and personally thanked Edward in the name of the entire village, who were similarly grateful and wanted to repay the favour. Edward initially wanted to turn down the offer, but after John told him it would be considered an insult in Chinese culture, he decided to ask Zhang and his fellow laborers to become his informants in Macau, in the hopes of learning more about Madam Lee. After a week, they managed to learn that Lee had acquired Hendrik's sea log and informed Edward and John.

Later, Edward returned to the village with two chests of treasure and other goods he had received from Lee after striking an alliance with her. While the villagers enjoyed the gifts, Edward came up with a plan to obtain more information in Macau, this time in order to deal with Lee's business rivals, who were backed by the Templars. As such, he had Zhang and his fellow laborers become his informants once again, albeit dressed in fine clothes he had purchased, which made them appear to be of a higher status and allowed them to secure work contracts with major trading companies.

After some time, Zhang managed to learn of a meeting between three higher-ups from Lee's rival trading companies and asked Edward to come meet him in Macau. After the Assassin startled Zhang by approaching him from behind, he pointed Edward to one of the meeting's attendees, Alan Jacob of the Far East Company, who was part of a nearby crowd. Edward then left Zhang in order to follow Alan to the meeting place.

Later, while on his way to the market, Zhang ran into Edward, who was investigating another one of Madam Lee's rivals, Master Sun of the Hualien Trading Company. After heading to a secluded spot to talk, Edward asked Zhang if he knew what Sun's largest shop in Macau was. Zhang then procedeed to lead the Assassin to Sun's ceramic shop, where Edward attempted to set up a business meeting with Sun but was turned down by the store's manager. As they left the shop, Edward spotted a trio of ninja in disguise walking among the crowd and decided to tail them, telling Zhang to head back for his own safety.

Member of the Zhang Wei Union

Journey to Manila

After Edward inadvertently ended his partnership with Madam Lee, he decided to start his own organization, the Zhang Wei Union, which vowed to bring people together, protect them, and conduct business through ethical means. Edward recruited many people from Zhang's village, including Zhang himself, into his new company, and had them relocated to the A-Ma Cultural Village, which became the company's headquarters.

Zhang later accompanied Edward and John Young to Macau to try and drum up business for their organization, but had no success as they were turned down at every step. Eventually, they were approached by a merchant, who revealed that Madam Lee, Master Sun and the Far East Company had blacklisted them to prevent them from finding any clients. However, grateful to Edward for previously defending his ship from pirates, the merchant offered to hire them himself, explaining that he needed someone to escort his vessel to Manila and back for a business endeavor.

Accepting the job, Edward, John and Zhang used the ship of the former pirate captain Rupiya to sail to the Philippines. Once they arrived in Manila, the merchant thanked Zhang for the escort and went to conduct his business in the city. However, during the journey back to Macau, the crew caught sight of a pirate ship attacking a Dutch East India Company vessel. Edward decided to take the pirate ship as a prize and ordered Rupiya to attack it, much to Zhang's horror.

Edward's plan to seize the pirate ship ultimately failed when the vessel sank due to the damages it had sustained, though he did manage to rescue a number of slaves held aboard, including the Korean scholar and engineer Yun Pyeong-Gyu. Zhang later clarified to Edward and John that Yun's homeland was located near Cipango and was known for its rich cultural and academic tradition. Once they eventually returned to Macau, Edward referred the liberated slaves to Zhang should they wish to join the Zhang Wei Union.

Voyage to the Paracel Islands

Later, Edward accepted a job from Jan van Aert, the Dutch East India Company's chief navigator, to rid the Paracel Islands of pirates. He informed Zhang and John, who believed that the job was too dangerous and broke their vow to only accept honest shipping contracts, but the Assassin argued that securing a partnership with the Dutch East India Company was their best chance to grow their organization. Edward then volunteered to complete the job alone, but both Zhang and John refused to let him endanger himself and insisted that they accompany him.

En route to the islands, Edward devised a plan to destroy the pirates' stronghold while Rupiya and Zhang provided as a distraction, with the latter posing as a prisoner. Once the pair arrived at the pirate base, Rupiya went to celebrate with the pirates, as their captain was an old acquaintance of his, while Zhang was imprisoned in a cage alongside the pirates' other slaves. Zhang and the other prisoners were rescued later that night by Edward after he had planted explosives around the stronghold, though the commotion attracted the attention of the pirates, initiating a gunfight.

Chased by the pirates, Zhang and the others managed to return to Rupiya's ship and escape from the islands. Zhang later took part in the naval battle against the pursuing pirates, helping to raise the sails as part of Edward's plan to lure the pirates into a trap where they were killed by hwachas.

Following the crew's return to Macau, Edward met with Jan, who agreed to uphold his end of their deal by securing a five-year partnership between the Dutch East India Company and the Zhang Wei Union. However, the Assassin referred Jan to Zhang, who he claimed was the true head of the Union, much to both Zhang and Jan's surprise.

Shimazu clan civil war

Thanks to the Union's partnership with the Dutch East India Company, the organization grew rapidly, receiving numerous shipping contracts. However, Edward later decided to turn his attention back to the sea log stolen by the Templars, which was the only lead to the location of Angkor, which both the Assassins and Templars sought.

While meeting with Edward and John in his office to discuss the situation, Zhang revealed that the ninja who had stolen the log had been recently seen in the company of Master Sun. He also told them about rumors that the ninja had split into two opposing factions: the mainland Japanese ninja and those originating from overseas. This intrigued Edward, who decided to head to Macau to investigate alongside Zhang and John.

At the city market, the trio witnessed an altercation between two groups of ninja, which eventually escalated into a three-way standoff between the Dutch East India Company, Madam Lee and Master Sun, who had allied themselves with the Japanese and the mixed-blood ninja, respecitvely. Fortunately, Edward and Jan were able to break up the fight before more damage was done, and Zhang assisted with the repairs afterwards.

Later, Edward was tasked by Fuma Sukuna, the leader of the Japanese ninja, to assassinate Shimazu Saito, who was leading the mixed-blood ninja and serving as Sun's bodyguard aboard his floating gambling hall. Edward informed Zhang and John about his new mission and claimed that it was an opportunity to retrieve the log, which was in Sun's possession. He then asked Zhang and John for their help, to which they both immediately accepted.

Taking over

Eventually, Edward was forced to leave Macau and appointed Zhang as the official leader of the Zhang Wei Union. Visiting Zhang at his residence in the A-Ma Cultural Village prior to his departure, the Assassin entrusted him with a book that Zhang vowed to keep safe. He then assured Edward that his organization would remain in good hands, and promised that they would find a way to continue helping him, wherever he was in the world.

Legacy

By the 21st century, Zhang's former residence in the A-Ma Cultural Village had become one of the region's many popular tourist attractions. In 2023, the site was visited by Noa Kim and Shimazu Sei, who sought to trace Edward's steps and learn where he had gone after leaving Macau. Noa infiltrated the residence using a secret entrance he discovered using his Eagle Vision, and retrieved the book Edward had entrusted to Zhang.

Personality and traits

Zhang was an honest and hard-working man who greatly valued his family and friends. After his life was saved by Edward, he felt that he owed him a great debt, which only increased as the Assassin continued to help Zhang and his fellow villagers. This significantly improved their way of life, as Zhang went from a simple laborer to a successful businessman seemingly overnight.

Over time, Zhang developed a genuine friendship with Edward and went to great lengths to repay all the good the Assassin had done for his village. Following the loss of his daughter to cholera, Zhang mourned her death, but did not blame Edward for failing to save her, instead thanking the Assassin for rescuing the rest of his village. When Edward volunteered to complete a dangerous mission, Zhang refused to abandon him, claiming that he was "family" and insisting that he come along.

Despite his initial job as a laborer, Zhang was a well-cultured man, possessing a great deal of knowledge about the various happenings in Macau, as well as other countries' cultures such as Korea. However, he also had a cowardly side, as he was easily startled by Edward at one point, and generally disliked finding himself in dangerous situations.

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple