Director Kang Honglei has churned out several solid dramas (See Without Looking, When We Were in France) over the years, but is still best known for 2006 hit drama Soldiers Sortie. He’s returning to familiar ground this time with The Lord of Land War 陆战之王, an upcoming military drama about tanks that stars Chen Xiao (Nothing Gold Can Stay) and Wang Lei (Rose Faith) as the protagonists.

Zhang Nengliang (Chen Xiao) is a fuerdai (second generation rich) who fails the university entrance exams and joins the People’s Liberation Army as a member of the tank crew. Squad leader Niu Nuli (Wang Lei) comes from a rural village, and missed out on a place in the military academy twice due to Zhang Nengliang. They start off on the wrong foot, though eventually become fast friends after being allocated to the same team. The only female crew member is Huang Xiaomeng (Zhang Yaqin), an earnest tomboy who becomes the army’s first female tank driver.