I don't understand how Riboku's hypothesis even makes sense. Even if Kanki truly couldn't use orthodox battle tactics in straightforward battles, how is that an issue? He's a 6GG with many generals in his army. Or you suggesting Riboku thought that none of them knew basic warfare either?
And that statement right after seeing Kanki showing similar play that SunBin showed more than hundreds of years ago. Who's SunBin, the descendant of SunTzu , the creator of "Art of war".
With Heki's Army destroyed, the Northern Army destroyed and the HSU/Mouten fleeing the battlefield, it already looked like overwhelming numbers were already destroying the Qin Army. It really didn't look like it needed anything more doing.
He overwhelmed his opponent with great numbers but didn't used his main generals so that could use them in reserve while chipping down Qin's soldiers. Here soldiers are more important or enemy general who's also a 6GG? You can also kill those soldiers later after killing main general.
Riboku just gave away too much time to Kanki to make a counter attack.
Well Kochou deployed all his Generals at and lost his head for it. Attempting to go straight for overkill can result in overreach.
Yeah he has four Generals in his own army but only Bananji is capable of doing what you are describing and he really needs to be kept in case of unforeseen BS like what Kanki is pulling off now.
Different Terrain and different scenarios. Here Riboku encircled and attacked an incoming army which also in plain area and Riboku also calculated it as weakness of opponent. He has overwhelming advantages than why not even use your best commanders as well to finish of enemy.
Also i believe SSJ might also be a martial beast, as shown in the beginning against YTW army.
I was referring to Ouki specifically going after Chousa in that bell shaped area while I think you are referring to Ouki pursuing the Zhao Army into the forest in general.
But still even using the ifs and but like Riboku, if Ouki hadn't gone after killing Houken before the arrival of new army as he already deduced, even after the arrival of Riboku, Ouki could have either used different strategy to counter them or if needed than retreat. A 6GG who knew a new enemy is coming and also could guess that he was the one who orchestrated this whole scenario, could have also prepare a well suited strategy to tackle.
Regardless, if all of Riboku's plans at Bayou had failed and he just rolled up with 40,000 cavalry to a plains battle, the failure of his plan wouldn't have put him at some sizable tactical disadvantage like what happened to Kanki when his plan to kill Keisha failed. Kanki was frowning for a reason.
Still Kanki already started his next move and for that he targeted Kisui and removing his army to reduce numbers of Keisha. But before that Keisha came down the hill to get killed.
If he hadn't came down than Kanki would have first sow internal dispute along with removing Rigan army by targeting Kisui.
The problem here is that this was never Kanki's backup plan, this was a plan Kanki was forced to come up with quickly after his plan to kill Keisha failed hard. He actually straight up gave up on killing Keisha.
So if his plan fails than he can't counter or use another plan ?
Even his counter would have successfully harmed Zhou's army. He gave up on killing Keisha because he first needed to remove advantages held up by Zhao army.
Battle of Shukai Plains goes tits up, he still has plan to surround Gyou, block river from Qin direction and deploy Kochou to stay at city to stop any reinforcements, would have likely stopped Qi resupply if Toujou hadn't interfered
Accept this that Riboku clearly lost to the supply plan made by Ousen.
He kept them under the delusion of being successfully destroying every possible way of supply whether it was Retsubi or yellow river but he used Qi's side of Yellow river which clearly went out of the supervision of Riboku and SSJ, and that was when he wasn't arrested. The moment he got grasp this situation, food supply was overwhelmingly coming from other side of the Gyou which even Kaine present there couldn't se through (don't know she overlooked that or she was so much near Gyou that she couldn't see through other side). So no matter if Riboku is present there or not , till he could grasp or scrutinize the whole big area of Gyou, most of the supply would still be inside Gyou).
Western/southern Zhao campaign from the very beginning till the capture of Gyou is clear and exact victory of Ousen, no matter how many Ifs and buts Riboku could get in his defense.
Kanki fails to kill Keisha..... Shit, let's revolve plan around Kisui. Thank Hara that Kisui is a softy or Kanki would be in a pickle.
Riboku plans for his failures in advance. Kanki seemingly doesn't.
If that was true than Kanki would have lost pretty badly. As if Kanki didn't already knew about the weaknesses of his opponent than till he got to knew about them he would have lost already. Also if he didn't knew beforehand than how he perfectly counter instantly by targeting Rigan, after first plans failure .
Zhao hold all the advantages and even after Keisha's death, they were going to fight against Qin. If they could hold than Riboku would have sent another general as well. But Kanki removed whole Rigan army. That's a huge loss for Zhao at that moment, thus concluded in clear victory for Qin.
