Xiao "Taskmaster" Ri
Actor: ??
Affiliation: Asia-Pacific Alliance (APA) / China*Rank:* Major General, one star*Role:* Conventional General / APA military leader*Specialism:* Multi-role forces*Nickname:* ‘Taskmaster’
Status: Non-canon character from Generals 2
Xiao “Taskmaster” Ri is a Chinese general and one of the principal military leaders of the Asia-Pacific Alliance in the cancelled project Command & Conquer: Generals 2.
An experienced officer, Xiao made a name for himself during the First War against the GLA, at the time of the events depicted in Generals and Zero Hour.
In particular, he played a major role in the occupation and pacification of Europe, which had been ravaged by the GLA, following the Chinese intervention on the continent.
The victory led to the formation of an alliance between China and Europe, but this eventually fragmented in the years that followed.
Xiao then became a key figure in the creation of the new Asia-Pacific Alliance, a coalition centred on China and a reunified Korea.
Faced with the instability of this fledgling alliance, he employed particularly authoritarian methods: suppressing dissent, eliminating rebel movements and maintaining order at all costs.
His actions gradually transformed this still-fragile coalition into a true global superpower, which dominated the international stage for nearly a decade.
Nicknamed ‘Taskmaster’, Xiao embodies the classic APA General, commanding a versatile army rather than one with extreme specialisation.
His arsenal notably included Red Guards, Inferno and Saboteur squads, Warlord, Gatling and Overlord tanks, Thunderfists, Helix and Fireflies, as well as the heroic unit Yu Hyun Jung.
His bases could be defended by Flamethrower turrets and Gatling Cannons, whilst his signature ability was Offshore Bombardment.
Xiao was thus intended to embody the continuity between the former Chinese army from Generals and the new APA: a victorious veteran of the war against the GLA who had become the strongman of an alliance he had helped transform into a global power.
One detail is best treated as an anecdote rather than an established fact: his biography suggests that Taskmaster might be the Chinese Commander played by the player in the Generals and Zero Hour campaigns*.
Finally, the characters visible on his uniform read ‘Major General of the Asia-Pacific Alliance’, corresponding to a one-star Chinese General.
