Mou Bu

Mou Bu is a Great General of Qin, the leader of Mou Bu Army, and the head of the Mou Family, also a former member of the "Four Pillars" of Ryo Fui. He is the son of Great General Mou Gou and the father of Mou Ki and Mou Ten.

AppearanceEdit

Mou Bu is a tall, muscular man with spiked hair and a short goatee, His court attire is dark jade green robes whereas he wears golden armor with a green cape in battle. He is noted by Shin to be even taller than general Ou Ki.

PersonalityEdit

Initially, an arrogant and short-tempered man, Mou Bu is not afraid to speak his mind in spite of consequences, he considers himself to be the strongest General in all of China. Accompanying this belief, he wishes to re-establish the "Six Great Generals of Qin" with himself as one of their members. Because of his ambition and arrogance, he was contemptuous of Ou Ki, who was considered the strongest general of Qin at the time, regarding him as no more than a relic of the past.

This arrogance would nearly costed Mou Bu his life during the Battle of Bayou which saw the death of Ou Ki, partially because of faulty judgment on his part, upon seeing Ou Ki's military might for himself, he seemed to have become more aware of his own shortcomings and gain strong respect for the dying Ou Ki. This respect is further shown when he asked Shin for Ou Ki's Glaive during the Sanyou Campaign because the boy was not strong enough to wield it yet.

By the time of the Coalition invasion of Qin, Mou Bu seemed to have grown somewhat more humble and respectful, acting less superior to Tou and a bit more like equals. Mou Bu's military behavior has changed as well, having realized his mistake when charging far too deep into enemy lines which Ou Ki warned him of and saw himself as the reason for Qin's defeat. He is not as reckless as he once was though he still retains a dislike for using tactics. On the other hand, he is willing to use them (albeit grudgingly) if it is absolutely necessary for him to win. Since Ou Ki was both an offensive and defensive general, it may be that Mou Bu was inspired by this and realized that being a purely brute force general is not the right way of becoming a truly great general.

HistoryEdit

Mou Bu and his father, Mou Gou originated from the State of Qi but because his father had never won a battle against the Zhao Commander Ren Pa, the family wander from State to State eventually ending up in the State of Qin where they both would have successful military careers.  In later years, Mou Bu met and grew up with a young prince of Chu, Shou Hei Kun who was a political hostage at the time and later abandoned by his state. So, Shou Hei Kun was his best friend who rose up against those ranks with him. The pair later joined the Ryo Fui Faction as two of Ryo Fui's Four Pillars. 

Due to Mou Bu being constantly at Chancellor Ryo's side, he did not have ample opportunities to be on the frontlines. This resulted in his name not becoming very widespread to other States, but this did not stop his potential whose quality wasn't set in stone, as noted by Ou Ki.

StoryEdit

Training ArcEdit

Mou Bu first appears with Ryo's faction at the Qin royal palace after the assassination attempt on the king's life. He interrupts Chancellor Ryo to ask for a royal hearing and threatens Ri Shi when he insults the general for the breach of protocol. When he has their attention, he mentions his wish to revive the "Six Great Generals" system which was used in the time of King Sho. He goes on further about the impact Qin had against its enemies because of the system and Sai Taku chastises him by talking about the problems that the state would face if they were to revive it. Mou Bu declares himself as the strongest in all of China and that he will prove his might to all when Taku mentions that there is someone stronger than him in the room, possibly in the whole state. Revealing that Ou Ki is the last surviving general of "Six Great Generals", Mou Bu states that his era is long gone and he would pulverize him if he interferes. He asks the king to grant him the title of Great General and the ability to freely make war before he is silenced by Ryo Fui.

Battle of Bayou ArcEdit

In response to the Han campaign, Zhao attacked the Qin city of Bayou and this forced the king to call for 100,000 men to relieve the besieged city. Ryo Fui notes that it is fortunate that Mou Bu remained behind with all of Qin's generals occupied in Han and asks the king to appoint him Commander-in-Chief of the relief army. Shou Bun Kun objects to this angering Mou Bu, but he is halted by Shou Hei Kun who asks the opinion of Shou Bun Kun, who explains that Mou Bu leans more towards offense and has no defense. Shou Bun Kun proceeds by saying that the only one man available right now that has those qualities is Ou Ki, angering Mou Bu again. At that moment Ou Ki enters the room. He sizes up the Great General, telling him to piss off but Ou Ki states that he was summoned and Shou Hei Kun confirms this as he was the one who did it for the same reasons Shou Bun Kun just explained. Mou Bu leaves the meeting after Ou Ki is selected as the Commander-in-chief, saying he won't recognize a relic of the past.

He is later appointed Vice General by Ou Ki and takes the vanguard in the army. Upon arriving at the besieged city of Bayou, he and 40,000 men make up the Qin army's center as the vanguard unit. He faces off against the heavy cavalry of the Ri Haku Army and decimates them with his charge, breaking through with his destructive strength alone. His offensive power during the battle is blunted by the tactics of Ri Haku who excels at defense. After the Zhao retreat, Mou Bu calls the Zhao general a joke when informed by his men of the day's events. The next day, he leads the center army of 20,000 men against Ri Haku and refuses assistance from General Kan Ou. His charge completely breaks through the Ri Haku Army first line as he mocks the general for having been lucky to have mediocre opponents prior to meeting Mou Bu. He continues to fight despite being surrounded by Zhao men but beats them back and after forcing the Zhao general to retreat, he orders his forces to destroy the remaining men. Later on, he is invited to the Qin army headquarters by Ou Ki who gives him control over 5 armies so he can attack the Zhao headquarters in a single sweep. He uses them all the next day in a charge which forces the Zhao to move their headquarters deeper into the forest as they retreat.

Mou Bu arrives with his army at the relocated Zhao HQ and compliments Ryuu Koku on his navigation skills, asking him to come work for him. Ryuu Koku humbly declines and asks if they will proceed to encircle the Zhao with their combined army. Mou Bu states that there is no need as the Zhao have nowhere to run or hide then lead a charge towards their HQ with 25,000 troops. His army manages to push through despite the Zhao forces slowly sapping their strength and Mou Bu spots Hou Ken as he cuts down Qin troops. Upon seeing the Zhao commander-in-chief, he comments that it is his first time meeting a man with such a powerful "martial" aura and Hou Ken's gaze gives him the cold sweats but he charges at him nonetheless. Hou Ken retreats which anger Mou Bu, who follows him into a narrow canyon where the Zhao have set a trap for his cavalry. The trap reduces his forces by half but Mou Bu, despite advice, to withdraw, presses onwards as he has Houken in his sights. As his forces fight their way through an ambush set by Chou Sou, Mou Bu catches up to Hou Ken and bashes his skull open but realizes the dead man is a fake, telling his men to be on guard. As the battle went on, his men were reduced to less than a thousand, most of them exhausted from the prolonged fight against the Zhao troops until the arrival of Ou Ki 's army gave them some hope. He and the remnants of his army watch the battle quietly before using their last reserves of strength to create an escape path for the dying Ou Ki. Seeing the dying Ou Ki, he apologizes for his rashness in the war and asks if the Qin great general has any parting words for him. Ou Ki tells him that he should know what his future tasks are, one of which is becoming a great symbol of Qin's military.

Alliance ArcEdit

Mou Bu appears armed at the meeting with Ri Boku in the royal palace and leaves during the festival after drinking.

Sanyou Campaign ArcEdit

Mou Bu appeared to Mou Ten and Shin when arrived to pass on a message concerning Renpa from Shouheikun. Upon telling his father of the information, he noticed that Mou Gou is disturbed by the news and told the story of his father's past with Ren Pa to his vassals Chou Shi and Rai Ki.

Coalition Invasion ArcEdit

During the Battle of Kankoku Pass, general Mou Bu was stationed, along with general Tou, to the right of the pass, against the Chu army.

Mou Bu's army launched an attack against Chu commander's, general Kan Mei, army using the Echelon Formation. Mou Bu used this attack in the advice of Shou Hei Kun, in order to trick the Chu into believing that Mou Bu was aiming for their right and left units, thus sending all reinforcements to their aid. By doing that, a clear path was formed in the middle of the Chu army, which Mou Bu and his 5000 men took advantage of to reach straight to the enemy commander. The Kyoubou Great Cavalry Corps was sent to prevent Mou Bu from advancing, but they could not deal with the general's brute strength and be utterly defeated.

Kan Mei stood up to the challenge and entered the battle himself. His clash with Mou Bu was one of incredible force, but the Qin general seemed to be overwhelmed by Kan Mei's immense strength. But then Mou Bu laughed, saying he is happier than ever since he could finally fight a strong opponent. The 2 engaged in battle and were almost equal in everything until Kan Mei shattered Mou Bu's wrist, the bone piercing through the skin. Mou Bu nearly passed out but remembered why he was fighting and returned the favor, crushing Kan Mei's mace with full power, forcing a shard of his bone to pierce out his elbow. They had yet another clash that shattered Kan Mei's mace.  In the background, Ka Rin had sent her younger assassin to kill Mou Bu during the duel, and he would have succeeded if not for Mou Ten, who intercepted the assassin but was knocked in between Kan Mei and Mou Bu. The former, enraged at the interruption, instantly sliced him and his horse down. Seeing his son cut down in front of his eyes, Mou Bu snapped and bashed in part of Kan Mei's head. In disbelief, Kan Mei could only watch as Mou Bu swung again, felling and turning the Giant of Chu into pulp. 

Mou Bu was then asked by the Gaku Ka's men to say some final words to his fallen son, but he refused, saying Mou Ten would not die because he was the son of Mou Bu!!. Still in a fit of rage Mou Bu, along with his men, would go on to massacre the remnants of the Kan Mei Army completely changing tides of the war. When the coalition forces finally retreated from Qin, Mou Bu would lead his army to attack the retreating army from the rear.   After the Coalition Army retreated to Qi, Mou Bu followed them attacking their rear which forces the Coalition to disband.

Sometime later, Mou Bu was later honored as the General with the most achievements from the war. His Nobility rank was raised by two, he was given the lands of Ryuujin and Shunjin, along with 3000 units of gold and 10 units of treasure.

Kyou Kai's Revenge ArcEdit

Sometime later, on the frontlines of the Qin/Wei border, Mou Bu received the news of his father Mou Gou's pending death. However, he refused to leave the frontlines and when he received the final word of Mou Gou's death he simply asked to be alone with some liquor to drink. He then reminisced of their journeys throughout China trying to find a place to flourish, finally stating it was a really long journey and lifting a toast to his father.

State of Ai ArcEdit

Mou Bu was tasked by Shou Hei Kun to defend Qin on Gento from Chu's attack led by Ka Rin and her own army. He, alongside Roku O Mi, Ou Hon, and his son Mou Ten defended the land.

Western Zhao Invasion ArcEdit

Mou Bu is mentioned by Ri Boku during his meeting the king of Qin, Ei Sei. At the time of the campaign, he was in the Qin-Chu border, where Ka Rin Army also stationed, going to fight him if the campaign failed.

AbilitiesEdit

Mou Bu has been called the "Unrivaled Strongest Man in Qin" because of his brute force approach to battle, employing direct cavalry charges and melee to overpower his enemies. It has been inferred that Mou Bu might surpass any other general in China in terms of pure brute strength. His son Mou Ten even stated that as far as offensive might goes, Mou Bu can already be considered the greatest in Qin's history.[1] Only with physical power, he managed to repel Ri Haku's snake formation despite being completely encircled. Ou Ki late commented that such a feat does not exist in tactics.[2]

Immense Strength: Mou Bu is a powerful warrior and his weapon of choice displays his brute strength on the battlefield. His massive club can easily smash through armored cavalry and he can also wield the massive weapon with one hand. According to Ou Ki, Mou Bu's natural talent as a warrior could well be a match for any of the Six Great Generals.[3] He could clash equivalently with Kan Mei, the Giant of Chu whose colossal strength could easily decimate armies, and ultimately surpassed him during their duel.

Leadership: In addition, general Mou Bu also possesses amazing skills in raising morale. While leading from the front he can greatly boost the confidence of his men as seen when he made an army of untrained peasants overpower professional Zhao soldiers. During the Battle of Kankoku Pass with a simple speech, he caused in his army the explosion of morale that greatly enhanced the fighting spirit of his soldiers.

Tactical abilities: Despite his brutish nature Mou Bu was noted to have a very good understanding of warfare.[4] During the Battle of Bayou, he decided not to break Ri Haku's formations on the first day in order to reduce the number of casualties. Most of the infantry soldiers in the army were conscripted in an emergency and due to this their morale was at an all-time low. To prepare his troops and give them a new source of confidence he restrained himself from penetrating deep into the enemy formation until the next day.[5] Since Ou Ki's death, Tou has remarked that Mou Bu has become stronger. Having been shown to be very patient in the handling of his army during the Battle of Kankoku Pass. Despite his conflicting preferences, Mou Bu was shown to be capable of executing a high-level attack strategy that was considered impractical by most strategists and tacticians without any outside help from advisors. However, it should be noted that Mou Bu's weakness is in his inability to employ defensive strategies that were exploited during Chou Sou's trap.

GalleryEdit

Mou Bu's profile

Mou Bu slays the fake Hou Ken

Mou Bu vs Kan Mei

Mou Bu unleashes his full strength

Mou Bu strikes Kan Mei

Mou Bu slays Kan Mei

Mou Bu spreading death and destruction across the battlefield

Mou Bu and Mou Gou's past

Strength winning over tactics

Moubu on volume 13 cover

Mou Bu in robes

Mou Bu's character design anime S1

Mou Bu

Mou Bu Slays Gou Ran

Mou Bu's strength

Mou Bus slays Hou Ken's double

Mou Bu enraged

Mou Bu in Anime season 2