Nine out of 10 it will be the Wei army's victory. After all if it's a head on clash against Ren Pa...including me, there is not a single commander alive right now capable of besting him.
”
— Ri Boku talking about Ren Pa to his subordinates
Ren Pa is a Great General and a former member of the previous generation of the Three Great Heavens of Zhao. He left his former homelands due to his dislike and disgust with the former and now deceased king of Zhao, Tou Jou, and sought asylum in the state of Wei. After the Sanyou Campaign, he was exiled from Wei for his defeat and left for the superstate of the Chu where he now resides.
Ren Pa has a warrior's build and intense eyes. He has a long mustache and a goatee as well. His face and ears are covered in numerous scars which marks his experiences in almost endless battles. His hair is a mix of grey and white.
Personality[]
Ren Pa is a fearless and war-hungry general who is not above fighting men from his home state to prove this point. He also shows a strong sense of camaraderie and honor with the examples of saving a young Rin Ko from starvation and inviting Ou Ki to drink together at his home. He later stated while he and the other Six Great Generals of Qin were his most bitter enemies, he also viewed them in a manner similar to close friends. Ren Pa's emphasis on camaraderie is additionally shown with a tradition with his four generals where he "hugs" them before battle to boost their fighting spirit.
Ren Pa was saddened by the fact that every last one of his peers and opponents died before him with part of the reason why he led the Sanyou Campaign was because of his frustration with Ou Ki's death.
History[]
In the past, Ren Pa competed against Mou Gou from the state of Qi for military achievements and outdid him at every turn, to the point where Mou Gou left the state to look for better ground to flourish. He fought several battles against the Six Great Generals of Qin, which were his main rivals.
A few months prior to Duke Hyou's Wei campaign, Ren Pa fought against Zhao Great General Gaku Jou. This occurred due to King Tou Jou stripping Ren Pa of his rank and title upon his ascension to the Zhao throne. When the general rejected the message, the infuriated king mustered an army of 50,000 men and appointed Gaku Jou to slay Ren Pa who was now called a traitor to the state of Zhao. The two great generals met before the battle, Gaku Jou asking him to surrender, or he will drag him back to the capital and Ren Pa dares him to try it. His 8,000 men succeed in battle and Ren Pa kills all those present at Gaku Jou's camp, placing his weapon on the general's neck. With the defeated general's surrender, he expresses his dislike for the current leadership in Zhao and says that he was not planning to come back to the state. When Gaku Jou asks if his feelings for Zhao weigh so lightly that he would abandon them, he replies that his feelings towards the battlefield weigh far heavier. Ren Pa compliments Gaku Jou on his warfare but states that compared to the Qin, it only satisfied him 60 percent.
After leading his men to seek asylum in Wei and he met with Ou Ki in his estate in Wei where they drank and talked of old times.
Being dormant for three years, he declares his desire to take to the battlefield again with the appearance of the Qin army. Meeting with his trusted men, The Four Heavenly Kings of Ren Pa, he asks Rin Ko to ride out and take the heads of any outstanding officers he finds. Back in the Wei capital, Ren Pa sits with the King to tell him of Rin Ko's prowess on the battlefield and tells of the time when his "Flying Spear" was able to land a blow on the "Monstrous Bird of Qin" after breaking through the army's defense. He seems to look at the battle terrain with figures when Kyou En asks why he decided to fight the Qin, to which he replies that Ou Ki goaded him into doing so three years ago. Ren Pa then mentions the two powerful swords that Mougou has in his possession before taking to the field with the Wei army. He arrives to find the strategic position on Mount Man taken by Ou Sen and his troops. At his HQ, Ren Pa discusses with Kyou En and Kai Shi Bou on the troop movements and notices that Kanki is setting up his camp on Mount Ryuu. He gives out liquor to all the men as they wait for the main Wei army to arrive the next day.
When the army arrives, it is led by Haku Ki Sai who is the commander-in-chief, and this shocks some of the Heavenly Kings until Ren Pa explains that he is just a figurehead for the war. He does the pre-battle ritual for everyone except Gen Bou then tells them to get into their positions. Watching the first battle unfold, he notes the resistance on the Qin side and the devastating effects of Gen Bou's tactics. Ren Pa later comments that Gen Bou's retreat is in his nature as he is a strategist, not a warrior general and he must have accomplished his task.
Later he baits Ou Sen into a trap at the Wei Di, arriving with a small army of 1,000 men to save Kyou En from the Qin general. Surprised by Ou Sen's decision to retreat, both Ren Pa and Kyou En's armies chase them as they head into the forest region. As they chase after the Qin, he comments that Ou Sen reminds him of Haku Ki and they stop to find that the Qin Vice General has built a fortress in the mountain nearby. Ren Pa orders the men to set up camp at the base of the mountain and surround the fort. Pointing out Ou Sen's twisted personality, he leaves Kyou En to watch over the fortress and tells him that killing the enemy commander will end the war.
He appears at the rear of Mou Gou's headquarters, challenging the Great General to a duel and when he gets no response, orders his 2,000 troops to scale the mountain. Breaking past the first line of defense, he notices that Mou Gou is using the "strategy of broken paths" and states that he is really being serious this time around. Going on his short memory on the fort's layout, Ren Pa is able to navigate past the traps until he is led into a dead-end by Mou Gou manipulating the layout. He easily escapes from the dead end and figures out the quickest way to Mou Gou's position, stating that even 40 years were not enough for Mou Gou to be a challenge. Wondering if something happened to Rin Ko, Ren Pa finally arrives at the Qin headquarters and is surprised when Mou Gou does not run. He engages the Great General in combat and is surprised at both his strength and resilience. Mou Gou manages to knock down Ren Pa so hard that the legs of his warhorse give way. Enraged at his opponent's words, Ren Pa decapitates his horse and severs his arm in one swing (in Anime, however, only wounding his arm) then kills two of Mou Ten's men when the young Qin tries to attack him in vengeance for his grandfather's wound. Telling Mou Gou that he underestimates the Golden Age far too much and when his wounded foe points out the coming change that even Ou Ki could not fight, Ren Pa calls him a buffoon for dying after his return to the battlefield. Shin talks back to him but he tells Shin to get a name "worth his time" before the Qin commander throws one of Rin Ko's swords at his feet, stating he slew the Heavenly King. In his rage, he attacks Shin and is surprised when the boy is able to block his blow, wondering what kind of sword he wields before knocking him back. After listening to Mou Gou's words, he remembers that Ou Ki said something similar about the end of their golden age when he visited many years back. He raises up his weapon to kill Shin but stops when Mou Gou tells him that Shin inherited Ou Ki's Glaive. Asking what Ou Ki's last moments where like, Ren Pa hears Shin's words and is in awe as to the gap between him and the great generals of his era. After seeing Kai Shi Bou's arrival and the burning of the Wei Headquarters by Kan Ki, Ren Pa tells his subordinates that they are going home as they have lost the battle. When Kai Shi Bou protests, Ren Pa tells and everyone present to look at the battlefield as a whole and informs every one of the threat posed by Ou Sen to the Wei troops, given that his practically untouched forces were merely waiting for the opportunity to deal a decisive blow, and that there was simply no time to rally the Wei army before that. This fact, in addition to their losses, leads him to call it a "checkmate" and he proposes a ceasefire in terms which are agreeable to General Mou Gou. When Kai Shi Bou apologizes for his mistake with Kan Ki, Ren Pa states that their main issue was actually the death of Rin Ko at the hands of "nameless soldiers", as his lieutenant was the true strength of the Wei center army. Talking to Shin, Ren Pa informs him of what is expected of a Great General and mentions the "unification of all China" as the only way Shin can surpass the old era. Handing back Rin Ko's sword to Shin, he tells Mou Gou that the region of Sanyou is of great significance among others before leaving the field with his troops.
Prostrating before Kei Bin, Ren Pa admits his failure in the campaign and is exiled from Wei by the king instead of facing execution. He then sought asylum in the state of Chu.
By the wishes of Shin, Rin Ko's body was sent back to Ren Pa. In turn, Ren Pa sent him highly expensive ginseng renowned for its restorative qualities. Unfortunately, the Hi Shin Unit was unaware of its values or properties.
During the Coalition War against Qin, Ren Pa is seen advising the Chu king on what he should do next after the loss of Kan Mei and Rin Bu Kun. He advised that the Chu not send more reinforcements into Qin as there was the risk that they could be ambushed by Qin armies who held out in cities along the periphery that the Coalition Army didn't capture. He also mentions that the war is not over as Ri Boku has yet to make a move on the battlefield.
He is seen organizing a meeting between Ka Rin and Ri En shortly after Shun Shin Kun was assassinated to reorganize Chu's Imperial court to avoid weakening the state from a succession crisis.
As Ren Pa returns from a victorious battle against Wei, En Sei, a messenger from Kantan, asks him to help Zhao following the death of Ko Chou. He agrees to rescue Zhao but Kaku Kai fears his return as Ren Pa was not afraid to voice his dislike for the previous King Tou Jou's behavior and "hobbies", which is why he was dismissed and exiled. He even came into conflict with Rin Shou Jo even though he was a high ranking noble. Ren Pa will not hesitate to wipe out the royal court when he will see its state and the behavior of the new king Yuu Boku, who is even worse than his father. Kaku Kai, in order to save his life, falsifies the messenger's report to make Ren Pa look like an elderly man unable to serve Zhao and so the king refused his help. It is stated that Ren Pa will never return to Zhao for the rest of his life.
Abilities[]
“
Ren Pa is... a man who possesses many different "faces" in his role as a general. Before the battle breaks, he is a "Strategical general" that is capable of constructing elaborate schemes and battle plans. And once the battle begins, he can become an "Instinctual general" capable of sensing the battle's flow with intuition alone.
As a member of the first generation of the Three Great Heavens of Zhao, Ren Pa was one of the mightiest generals of the warring states as he was considered a rival and equal to the Six Great Generals of Qin and the Seven Fire Dragons of Wei. With achievements and victories that number in the thousands, Ren Pa is a greatly feared and respected figure of sufficient repute considered the benchmark to other great figures in China. His skills are so advanced that even Ri Boku during Sanyou Campaign stated that no one, not even himself, could defeat him in a direct battle. Even greatly outnumbered, Ren Pa defeated his fellow great general Gaku Jou quite easily during his civil war.
With the total stat of 291, Ren Pa matches the Military God, Gaku Ki and the Fourth Great and Lord of Death, Yo Tan Wa, making them the three characters with the highest total stats introduced so far in the series. An extremely well-rounded general, Ren Pa demonstrates great ability in virtually all aspects of warfare.
Physical Abilities[]
Glaive Mastery: Displaying incredible and great physical prowess on the field of combat, Ren Pa is strong enough to break through an enemy infantry unit single-handed, behead and kill multiple opponents easily and even destroy a falling boulder with a single swing of his glaive. Ren Pa's physical strength is such that he is able to kill Mou Gou's horse and cut off the old general's left arm with one swing of his glaive during their duel.
Immense Strength: As a legendary Great General, Ren Pa was also privy to prodigious weight from decades of battlefield experience and achievements, He was able to overpower Shin with a single blow who was in awe of the blow of a true Great General. Shin later stated that the strength behind Ren Pa's blade was so great that compared to it the blow from Hou Ken felt light like a tiny pebble (but it's also possible that Shin exaggerated to mock Hou Ken).[1] His strength were so great they were compared to the likes of Ou Ki and Gai Mou.
Leadership[]
Ren Pa was a leader of great caliber. In the battle of Sanyou, despite having to lead Wei soldiers, his mere presence was capable of arousing enormous morale in Wei's soldiers and great fear in Qin's while the former was at a tactical disadvantage. He also inspired great loyalty in his subordinate generals, the Heavenly Kings- a desire to fulfill Ren Pa's will gave Rin Ko the strength to continue fighting even though fatal wounds. Even with his departure from Zhao so, he is still known as a hero of the kingdom to the Zhao soldiers before being marked as a traitor.
Before the start of great battles, he had a habit of embracing his subordinates which had the effect of greatly increasing their morale; even a general of meager caliber like Haku Ki Sai became able to, by proxy, greatly inspire the Wei army. Ren Pa was able to lead over 400,000 soldiers with great efficiency in the battle of Chouhei, being entrusted to command the nation's full military might.
Tactical Abilities[]
According to Mou Gou, Ren Pa is the prefect hybrid or multifaceted Great General. He is both a "Strategical" and an "Instinctual Type" that uses two alternating traits of "hardness" and "softness" in his style of warfare. This is shown through his sheer ferocity on the battlefield and his ability to use himself as bait to lure out enemy troops for his soldiers to kill.
Master Strategist: As a former student of Gen Pou, Ren Pa's strategical abilities are highly formidable as he is capable to construct elaborate schemes and battle plans before any battle breaks. His defense strategies are very formidable to the point that even protected the land of Chouhei for two whole years as he was able to stalemate Qin forces led by two members of Six Great Generals - Haku Ki and Ou Ki during the Battle of Chouhei. Not only that, when he perceives that it is the right moment to attack, he personally leads direct charges into enemy lines with ferocious momentum. Even before the direct clash of armies, he would typically send Rin Ko to whittle down the enemy's capable commanders through assassinations, which was considered strategic foresight beyond any known active Wei generals at the time. During the Battle of Sanyou, he was shown to outsmart Ou Sen in battle by predicting that the Qin general would use the Wei Di as a trap, causing him to retreat. Ren Pa was also able to assess that he would be defeated in Sanyou through limited information before the tide had turned, as such managing to minimize Wei's casualties.
Instinctual Type: Once battles begin, Ren Pa use his instinct to sense the flow of every battle with intuitions alone. Before entering Mou Gou's fort, he was able to locate all the suspicious areas and roughly predicted the locations of traps. Then, by relying on his photographic memory and instinct, he could navigate this complicated maze despite the fact he couldn't see the hill as a whole. Mou Gou later commented that Ren Pa is the only man capable of such a feat. Further, not only was he able to discern the locations of the traps on Mou Gou's fortress, but also predicted the maze could be manipulated from the beginning, allowing him to conquer the hill despite it being designed for decades of observation to defeat and kill him.
Quotes[]
[To Shin] "What's needed to become a Great General is... The "willpower of a hundred!" And also, the arm strength of a hundred! Furthermore, the knowledge of a hundred! And the experience of a hundred and the luck of a hundred too!"(Chapter 241, page 6–7)
[To Shin] "That fierce age of ours already belongs in the annals of legend. No matter how large of a storm you kick up in the future, the only thing that will ever thrown your way are "what if's". What if those legendary figures of old still existed in this generation?"(Chapter 241, page 11)
Trivia[]
Ren Pa is a crying drunk.
Ren Pa considered the "Six Great Generals of Qin" to be friends as they understood each other through warfare.
After Mou Gou's passing, Ren Pa is the only known member of the old generation's great generals from King Sho's era to still be alive.
Wikipedia lists him ("Lian Po") as one of the four generals "commonly known" as the greatest generals of the Warring States period. That's alongside Ou Sen ("Wang Jian"), Haku Ki ("Bai Qi"), and Ri Boku ("Li Mu").
Part of his strength comes from his Four Heavenly Kings, mainly Rin Ko who he adopted as a son.
Ren Pa and Rin Shou Jo exchanged a "pledge of eternal friendship" and shared a brotherly bond.
