(Feel free to use it to edit some more if y'all want.)
Tou is Ouki's lieutenant.
Houken isn't Riboku's lieutenant.
Tou doesn't save ouki everytime his plan fails and he's under attack.
Houken saves Riboku everytime his plan fails and he's under attack.
The manner Riboku is "directing" houken is "shit, I'm cornered. papa houken save me".
Riboku's physically didn't fuck anyone noteworthy, but his plans also usually fails big time and is read through by his opponents, hence he's underwhelming.
Again you're using examples that are nothing alike to Riboku and houken.
Houken isn't Riboku's lieutenant.
Tou doesn't save ouki everytime his plan fails and he's under attack.
Houken saves Riboku everytime his plan fails and he's under attack.
The manner Riboku is "directing" houken is "shit, I'm cornered. papa houken save me".
Riboku's physically didn't fuck anyone noteworthy, but his plans also usually fails big time and is read through by his opponents, hence he's underwhelming.
Again you're using examples that are nothing alike to Riboku and houken.
Riboku using a vastly inferior general in Houken for his strategies is a negative on Riboku, because the vastly inferior general is not Riboku's LT. However, Ouki using the vastly superior general Tou to take out leading officers of an army is completely fine.
Tou didn't save Ouki?? Bro really missed Bayou huh. Moubu & Tou are the primary reason Ouki was able to make his escape instead of dying in an army surrounded. Who knows how many other times, Ouki used Tou or got bailed out. We've only had 1 campaign of Ouki-Tou, in which Ouki used Tou to slay the head-commanding officer of the opposing army + then Tou comes in to rescue him.
you keep stating the samething over and over with "Riboku is cornered needed Houken to be saved", yet fail to point to a single relevant example of where that happened.
Duke Hyou vs Riboku? Nope, Houken was already there, Riboku didn't need any saving. If Houken wasn't there, Riboku either would've just fell back and made Duke pursure him into the Ryuudou more or would've changed the strategem. You keep making it seem like Riboku had no other way out.
Against Gekishin?? Nope, the entire plan was to low-diff Gekishin by overwhelming him with himself + Houken + Keisha.
Coalition?? Nope, mans didn't do jackshit except delay a retreat.
WZI? Nope, mans didn't do jackshit except delay Riboku's retreat.
So I ask, where is the "Houken saved Riboku" coming from? Give me the specific scenario where Riboku is cornered and saved by Houken. Where Houken coming in is not part of Riboku's plan. Where Riboku isn't luring mfs in by using Houken. The term "saved" implies that one is in risk of losing their life or battle...and in none of the situations that's the case.
PS: There is no such thing called "Riboku army" idk where you came up with that. He has his handful of vassals, that's about it. The entire army of Zhao was Riboku's army, that's what it means to be Chief of Military, a position higher than a mere general or Great General.