| Earl Shi | |||||||||||||||||
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| Chinese | Zí Yǒng Bǎi | ||||||||||||||||
| Kanji | 紫詠伯 | ||||||||||||||||
| Romaji | Earl Shi Ei | ||||||||||||||||
| Epithet | Best Spear User of the State of Wei Seven Fire Dragons | ||||||||||||||||
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| “ | There is not a single practitioner of the spear, who does not know the name of "Earl Shi" of Wei. | ” |
— Ou Hon on Earl Shi's fame. | ||
Earl Shi, also known by his birth name Shi Ei and adopted name of Shi Haku, was a Great General of the Wei Military and a member of the Seven Fire Dragons's previous generation. He was the lover and stepbrother of Shi Kika before she was tragically killed by Tai Ro Ji.
Appearance[]
Earl Shi was an average-sized man with long hair and a youthful appearance for a man who was in his late 40s and having been a Great General for more than 14 years.
Personality[]
According to Rei Ou, Earl Shi was an emotionless man devoid of desire, ambition, color, and senses, with his only emotional support being his younger stepsister and later fiancée, Shi Kika. From what was shown, Earl Shi was mostly a silent man only speaking when spoken to. In combat, he appears to be relaxed while mowing down and slaughtering his enemies.
The Earl had a vindictive side to him as shown when he killed three of Wei's Fire Dragons including Tai Ro Ji, who was responsible for his lover's death, and his stepfather, the previous Shi Haku.
With the loss of Kika, he became little more than a cold and heartless killing machine, without a single weakness to exploit. It can be presumed that after Shi Kika was killed, Earl Shi longed for death. Just before dying his last thoughts were of Shi Kika and going "home", indicating he had found living to be pointless and that death was his way to see his late lover, with his last words being: Finally...I return... before falling off his mount.
History[]
Shi Ei at the time, was the stepchild of the previous Earl Shi, Shi Haku. His mother followed into the previous Shi Haku's household where he met Shi Kika, another stepchild brought in by a different woman. Both of them would lose their respective mothers to a passing epidemic, leaving them to be shunned by the rest of the household. Shi Ei was told to "hurry up and die" and continued to be sent into the fiercest battles, time and time again. Whereas Kika was tormented at the estate daily.
By the age of 15, he was accustomed to being the sole survivor of these clashes and had also killed a great number of foes numbering over five hundred.
In the end, the previous Shi Haku was not able to father a child, and his legacy was passed on to Ei. Not only that, but Shi Ei would go on to become a Great General worthy of the Wei Fire Dragon name, whereas Kika had grown into a beauty whose name resounded throughout the royal capital of Dairyou.
| “ | Whether it be the name of 'Earl Shi', or even the fame of the Fire Dragons, I could not care less about either of them. So long as I am able to stay by your side, I'm willing to give up everything. All I desire is to be together with you. | ” |
— Shi Ei to Kika | ||
One day, Shi Ei and Kika asked their father Shi Haku for permission to marry, to which he refused. The refusal was simply out of hatred, Shi Kika and Shi Ei's relationship was already well known by that point and no one would have opposed the marriage. The previous Shi Haku could not stand the thought of Shi Ei, a man who shared none of his blood, obtaining everything he desired. Shi Ei being the man he was, hastily declared that he was willing to give up even his Fire Dragon rank if his wish was not fulfilled.
When out at a balcony that overlooked Dairyou, Shi Ei told Shi Kika that the moment he returned from his next campaign he would take her as his wife.
During the campaign, Shi Ei and Rei Ou received an urgent message from his family's estate. The previous Earl Shi had married Shi Kika off to Tai Ro Ji of the Wei Fire Dragons shocking everyone present. Tai Ro Ji was infamous for being a "wife-killer", even though he had only killed those deemed "unworthy" of being his wife.
Bravely refusing to give up her love for Shi Ei, Shi Kika was cut down by Tai Ro Ji. Enraged, Shi Ei cut down and gruesomely murdered the previous earl. He then gathered two of the other Fire Dragons Gai Mou and Rei Ou and managed to convince them in aiding him, the three waged war against Tai Ro Ji along with Shou Sen and Ba Tou, two Fire Dragons who sided with Tai Ro Ji. Ultimately, it was Earl Shi himself who single-handedly slew all three of Fire Dragons.
As punishment, Earl Shi, Gai Mou, and Rei Ou were to be executed, but due to Go Kei swaying the then king of Wei, they were incarcerated in an underground prison instead. There they remained for the next 14 years in total darkness until the battle of Choyou.
Story[]
Fire Dragons of Wei Arc[]
With Qin General Tou leading a Qin invasion in Wei's Choyou regions, Great General Go Hou Mei requested the assistance of the earl, Gai Mou, and Rei Ou, the three surviving Fire Dragons. Before facing the Tou Army and their allies, the three had already conquered the Qin cities of Sou, Bidai, and Hokudai all of which fell to them within a single day of sieging.
After not participating in the battle the first two days, on the 3rd day after a large offensive attack from the Gyoku Hou Unit which was leading one of Qin's 3 armies, Earl Shi came to the battlefield and started participating in the battle. The earl and his army were able to devastate the ranks of the Gyoku Hou, the earl personally slaying dozens of their soldier in an overwhelming manner. His soldiers could only be astonished at their general's intake strength after year of imprisonment with some commenting that it had only grown, one of the earl's soldier comments that it must be the result of years of resentment before another soldier orders him to keep to himself as such words would only remind the general of the old days.
As the Gyoku Hou attempt a counterattack, Earl Shi and his soldiers flank Ou Hon and his unit as the commander meet. On the next day, he was finally slain by Ou Hon of the Gyoku Hou Unit, when he noticed that Earl Shi possessed no sense of self-preservation, thus allowing the young Qin commander to pierce him with one fatal thrust. While noticing Shi Kika's presence behind him as he dies, he silently noted that at long last, he could finally return home to Shi Kika's side, where they could both be happy.
Abilities[]
| “ | Damn it! Damn it all!! How in the world can this be happening?! M-Much less slaying him, the mighty Gyoku Hou Unit can even touch him! They're all being swept aside one after another...S-so this is...One of the Seven Wei Fire Dragons, Earl Shi of the Spear! | ” |
—Ban You on Earl Shi's strength. | ||
| STATS | |
|---|---|
| Strength | 96 |
| Leadership | 90 |
| Intelligence | 86 |
| Experience | S |
| Degree of rage: 99 | |
| STATS | |
|---|---|
| Strength | 96 |
| Leadership | 90 |
| Intelligence | 86 |
| Experience | S |
| Degree of rage: 99 | |
As a member of the first generation of Seven Fire Dragons of Wei, Earl Shi was one of the most dominant figures who ravaged the plains of China together with Zhao's Three Great Heavens and Qin's Six Great Generals. He was said to be a general who possess both military knowledge and martial valor.[1]
Physical Abilities[]
Immense Strength: Earl Shi possessed an immense strength with his spear technique focusing on "power". This was due to him being sent to brutal battlefields from a very young age and mowing down countless masses of enemies in the past. At the age of 15, he already killed over 500 enemies and since then he kept receiving more experience under extreme circumstances. It is also said that his skills didn't grow rusty, but rather he surpassed his form from the last decade despite being imprisoned for 14 years.
Master Spearman: Earl Shi is said to be Wei's best spear wielder and is widely considered the best in China.[2] His mastery of the spear is said to be so great that he can deal grievous blows to the point his enemies are incapable of noticing that they've been struck.[3] Earl Shi's techniques were self-taught through sheer combat experience. His spear skills were strong enough to even overpower Ou Hon, another talented spear user. His movements were hard to predict, and Ou Hon noted that the Earl was above him in terms of speed and strength.[4] Unlike Ou Hon's spear technique which emphasizes "accuracy", Earl Shi's spear seeks the "power" to bring down a foe with a single blow, mimicking overpowering destructive strength. Perhaps his most impressive achievement is single-handedly slaying three other Fire Dragons: Tai Ro Ji, Shou Sen, and Ba Tou during the internal conflict.[5]
- Dragon's Talon: A lethal spear technique used by advanced spear wielders and requires immense training as well as mastery of the spear to be used in combat. It relies on the manipulation of the spear by its wielder to change the trajectory of the blow at will.
Leadership[]
Earl Shi was a capable leader and was able to command men effectively in battlefields. He tended to lead charges in the frontline.
Tactical Abilities[]
Earl Shi showed impressive tactical skills based on his experience on battlefields. He launched a surprise attack using War Chariots to attack the Gyoku Hou Unit left wing to draw out the main cavalry of the center wing. Earl Shi then led an assault on the weakened center wing. After that, he used his reserve troops to cut off the enemy's retreat and slowly surround them.[6]
Weaknesses[]
Earl Shi possessed only one weakness - the fact that he was a man who rejected the notion of "living," lacking the instinct of self-preservation. All humans, by nature, will protect their vitals out of reflex, but with the loss of Shi Kika, the earl didn't bother to protect himself, leaving himself open to Ou Hon's ability to penetrate a single point.[7]
Gallery[]
Manga[]
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Trivia[]
- Before becoming the heir of his family, Earl Shi's name was Shi Ei.
- Like most of the Fire Dragons it's unlikely Earl Shi is based on any real-life military commander.
- Earl Shi was the last person to join the original Seven Fire Dragons.[8]
[]
| Wei | |
|---|---|
| Royal Family | An Ri † • Kei Bin • |
| Prime Minister | Gek Ka Kou • |
| Officials | Ha Ri • Shin Ryou Kun |
| City Lords | Ryuu Tai • |
| Citizens | Shi Kika † • |
| Military | |
| Great Generals | Go Hou Mei • Gai Mou • |
| Fire Dragons of Wei | Go Hou Mei • Gai Mou • Go Kei † • Shi Ei † • Rei Ou † • Shou Sen † • Ba Tou † • Tai Ro Ji † |
| Generals | Ran Bi Haku • Jun Ei • Ryuu Han • Haku Ki Sai † • Kyuu Gen † • Ba Kai † • Fuu Haku ‡ • Kou † • Ga Gyuu † • Shi Tai † • |
| Commanders | Gyo'En • Shuu Kou • En Bi • Ba Shu Ri • Ba Kai † • Tei Bi • Gi Ryou † • Gou Tan † • Kan Toku † • Duke Haku † • Fuu Kan † • Kou Ri Gen † • Dou Sei † • |
| Strategists | Jun Sou • Ha Ri • Hyou Ki ‡ • |
| Affiliates | Ren Pa • Ren Pa Army • Four Heavenly Kings • Rin Ko † • Gen Pou † • |
References[]
- ↑ Chapter 388 page 6
- ↑ Chapter 397 page 1
- ↑ Chapter 388 page 14
- ↑ Chapter 391 page 15
- ↑ Chapter 390 page 11
- ↑ Chapter 389 page 4
- ↑ Chapter 397 page 1
- ↑ Chapter 390 page 9