He had a relaxed, almost lax personality, as he kept telling his men to take it slow and easy. Mou Gou always had a calm look on his face but was troubled by the insurmountable wall in his life that was the Zhao great general Ren Pa. He was abnormally strict when it comes to his own family. When under pressure, Mou Gou used to dress as a normal foot soldier and find a quiet place somewhere nearby to clear his head.
He and his son and daughter Mou Aki originated from the State of Qi. During his career in the Qi military, he would find himself pitted against the young soldier of Zhao Renpa in combat, from squad leader to 1000-man commander. But because he never won a fight against the rising prodigy, he emigrated to the State of Qin where he and his son would both have successful military careers. 10 years prior to the events of the manga, he took over a castle of Han, making it his 4th.
Mou Gou was the commander-in-chief of an army of 200,000 men to attack the neighboring state of Han. He was in charge of the troops attacking the city of Kouu which would be conquered in six days. After Kouu, Mou Gou and his Vice generals continued to subdue a total of 11 cities in a single month.
A few years after, he leads a Qin campaign to conquer the Sanyou region in Wei with 250,000 troops at his command and they arrived to besiege the Wei city of Kourou. When told of their losses and lack of progress, Mou Gou just tells his four commanders to check up on their troops, nothing more. He later announced that the plan is to continue the siege for an entire month despite the situation staying the same. Upon hearing a word that the Gyoku Hou Unit has gotten over the walls, he says it is heartwarming to see the energetic youth and hopefully, Ou Hon does not die due to his recklessness. His vice generals capture two Wei cities the day after Kourou falls to the Qin army and Mou Gou sets up a defensive march after some of his commanders are slain in Kinrikan. When told that his enemy is none other than Renpa, he calms his men down and tells them his vice generals are working on counters to defeat him. He engages in his strange habit to destress from the thought of facing Renpa and is encouraged by Shin who meets him accidentally. The next morning, after promoting Mou Ten and Ou Hon to the position of 1000-man commander, Mou Gou makes an exception for Shin provided he kills either 3 enemy commanders or a general. Shin accepts and is given the position along with all the troops from commander Kaku Bi’s unit. He arrives with the army at the Rui Plains around the same time the Wei army reaches Renpa's camp and meets with his Vice Generals, congratulating them on their work.
On the second day of battle, Mou Gou delivers a speech to his troops, telling them to be defensive for the upcoming battle. On the fifth day of battle, he is informed that the Gaku Ka have engaged Rin Ko and hesitates to call him back. He chooses to trust in his grandson's skills, calling him the most talented man born to the Mou family in the last three generations. When Mou Ten returns from his attack on Rin Ko's troops, Mou Gou calls him to share a few drinks and tells him that a battle to the death is drawing near but he won't run away from it. Positioning his HQ on high ground on the sixth day of battle, Mou Gou and his men watch the battle unfold and he recognizes the use of the Rindou, mentioning that it was used in the past to great success against Great General Ou Ki's defensive formations. Shocked at Ren Pa's appearance at his rear, he directs his 8,000 troops to use an anti-defense formation specifically for Ren Pa. Finally leading Ren Pa to a dead end, Mou Gou calls for reinforcements as he attempts to finish him off only to realize that he already escaped its grasp. As his officers worry, telling him that Ren Pa is on his way to their position, he tells them not to panic and states that they can hold out by using the terrain advantage. When Ren Pa arrives, he is mounted and challenges the Great General to combat, stating that they shall exchange words by doing so. While he battles Ren Pa, Mou Gou manages to push back the Great General at various times in the fight and tells him that the golden age Ren Pa speaks of has passed. He moves to finish off the Zhao General but is hit by a powerful swing which kills his horse and severs his left arm at the elbow. Talking to Ren Pa about the end of the golden age, he comments on Shin blocking Ren Pa's blow and tells him that the boy inherited Ou Ki's Glaive. Rising up, he points out Ren Pa's battles as empty since no one can match up to what he wants and rallies his men to attack the Zhao Great General just as Kai Shi Bou arrives with reinforcements. When they see the burning of the Wei HQ, Ren Pa declares the battle as his loss, saying they were checkmated since Ou Sen's practically untouched army was merely waiting for the opportunity to deal a decisive blow. He calls for a ceasefire on terms which Mou Gou accepts. Mou Gou invites Ren Pa to chat but he declines and tells him that Sanyou is an important stronghold of great significance.
He had the Ou Sen Army stay behind to subjugate the region while the heavily wounded returned home. At the reward ceremony in the royal palace, Mou Gou was given the greatest honor for leading the Qin army to victory. He was raised one rank in the nobility, granted the lands of Kahaku and Zen, given 2,000 units of gold and 10 units of treasure.
One year after the end of the Battle of Kankoku Pass, Great General Mou Gou passed away of old age in his bed and was mourned by his grandson, Shin and his retainers along with his son from afar. Before dying he revealed to Shin and his grandson that while he achieved his goal of finding status as a Great General, he had always been jealous and envious of the Six Great Generals as he was never able to become a hero. After lamenting on the past, he advised Shin and his grandson to cooperate and bond with their peers. While they didn't have to get along all the time, just cooperating was enough as this was one of the defining characteristics of the Six Great Generals. Before dying, he exclaimed that it had been quite an adventure.
It's true that Mou Gou's military talents are inferior when compared to other great generals. However in exchange there is no one else that can compare when it comes to his eye for people. If that's the man that Mou Gou has chosen then it won't be a problem.
”
—Mou Bu , On Mou Gou appointing Shin as 1000-Man Commander
STATS
Strength
85 (but strong enough to push back Ren Pa)
Leadership
90
Intelligence
91
Experience
S
Dislike the Six Great Generals
STATS
Strength
89 (but strong enough to push back Ren Pa)
Leadership
90
Intelligence
91
Experience
A
Who?: Mediocre General Foh
Mou Gou was considered an unremarkable general who fought by the book, as he always won against opponents who were weaker than him. This was shown clearly as he always took his time to conduct sieges on enemy cities. To compensate for his mediocre skills as a tactician and strategist, he possessed a good eye for potential, as he recruited Kan Ki and Ou Sen as his Vice Generals.
His usual battle plan was to split his forces into three separate armies, that would invade any region at the same pace. His grandson called him the "Famous Sieger of Cities", who patiently surrounded a city and pressured it with attacks to whittle down enemy morale until an opening appeared to strike. His army's battle style had always been a test of endurance.
Mou Gou wielded a glaive in battle and was strong enough to push back Ren Pa in combat.
He has a unique way of raising morale, it is proven very effective.
In the anime's version of Mou Gou's fight against Ren Pa, the scene where Mou Gou's arm is cut off is censored, instead, his arm got broken. This is later corrected in Season 3 of the anime, where his arm is now missing.
Mou Gou was the last remaining veteran of Qin's old generation of Great Generals to pass away. He is also the only one, who died of natural causes.
Edit
