| Taku Kei | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Chinese | Ze Gui | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kanji | 澤圭 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Romaji | Takku Kei | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Appearance
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| “ | I thought he was a pretty strange boy, but...on a fundamental level, he's completely different from us. | ” |
—On Shin during the Battle of Dakan Plains. | ||
Taku Kei is a 300-Man Commander of the Qin Military and commander in the Hi Shin Unit. He is one of the oldest veterans of the Hi Shin Unit since their days as a 100-Man Unit.
He was the first squad leader that Ri Shin, Bi Hei and Bi Tou, and Kyou Kai once fought under together during the Keiyou Campaign and the Battle at Dakan Plains.
Appearance[]
Taku Kei is a middle-aged man with a meek appearance that gives him an appearance of weakness in stature and would make one think he is not dependable in combat.
Personality[]
Taku Kei is very quiet and observant man. He grew to respect Shin after witnessing the young man's bravery and amazing accomplishments in battle. Kyou Kai observes that Taku Kei talks in his sleep.
History[]
Taku Kei is married and has six children, his oldest being his daughter and youngest his son. During his time as a 5-man squad leader, despite his squad always being ridiculed as the weakest, no one has ever died under his command.
Story[]
Keiyou Campaign Arc[]
Taku Kei is first seen being mocked because no one wants to be in his squad. He then becomes the squad leader of the leftovers Shin, Kyou Kai, Bi Hei, and Bi Tou.
That night they all introduce themselves. He then informs them they are now comrades that will entrust their lives to each other.
The next day, he tells Shin that they are about to join up with the main body of the 4th Army, and there are five more armies. Later, when Shin is pretending to lead the army, Taku asks Bi Hei what kind of child Shin is. He tells him he is an idiot.
Later, Taku delivers bad news; the 4th Army has been ordered to head toward Gan Castle. He explains to Shin that their final objective is to siege the Wei City of Keiyou. But first, each army of the militia must rendezvous with the official Qin Army at different castles where they will organize them into proper divisions. He tells them that Gan Castle was the worst possible outcome for them. Because the lord of Gan Castle is none other than lord Koku Gou, a commander renowned as the “Star-Eyed Black Dragon.” A man who truly loves fighting from the bottom of his heart and throw his men into the most brutal battlefields. To survive a battle under his command is like escaping from a deathtrap, which could prove harsher than being at the frontlines. And since he’s just been promoted to general, he could be more rash than usual. Which excites Shin, to be fighting under a general.
Later, they find out Gan Castle fell to General Go Kei. So, they are to march to Asui, where the 1st and 2nd Army is, and then attack Keiyou with their combined force.
As they get closer to the battlefield mote small fights keep breaking out. Taku informs them that fighting in the army results in severe punishment. They are then mocked by Hai Rou’s squad. Then they are ordered to get into formation. Shin then pushes them to the front, to see the cavalry unit. Taku then tells Shin to be sure not to step out of formation, because Qin cavalry is very strict on discipline and many of their commanders get offended very easily. Later, while in formation Shin steps out to greet Heki, which shocks everyone.
Then their destination is moved from Asui to Dakan Plains. Five days later, they find out from Heki that the Wei has launched an offensive from Keiyou in an effort to catch them off-guard. In response, the Qin forces have advanced from Asui to Dakan Plains to meet them.
While being split up, they are put in the Baku Koshin Unit. While in the very front everyone starts to get very nervous, except for Shin. Taku then informs them most people in the first rank die during the initial clash of the battle, and they must do whatever it takes to survive the first charge. But Bi Tou starts to doubt their chances. Then Taku tells them that he has never lost a single squad member. He tells them to stay within ten steps of each other. If they always stand back-to-back, they can cover each other’s blind spots. They will attack as five and defend as five. Even against a wounded opponent, they will strike him down together.
When the Battle at Dakan Plains started they charge the Wei who was using the Rock Formation, but Shin runs to very front and jumps over the formation killing a great number of Wei and opening a path for the Qin.
During the battle, seeing Bi Hei about to killed by a Wei soldier he saves him, and then Bi Hei deals the finishing blow. They then ask Hai Rou if his squad has seen Shin and Kyou Kai. He responds by saying he must have gone further into enemy lines. Then he asks Taku Kei who he is. He tells him he’s not sure, and he thought he was a pretty strange boy, but on a fundamental level, he’s completely different from them. Later, they start hearing a rumbling sound. Then a thick dust cloud rolls in, they then see Shin who is trying to tell them something. He then saves them from the Wei chariots. They then see they lost more than half of their men. Taku then tells them that that was only the 1st wave. As the 2nd was about to attack Kyou Kai comes from nowhere with a plan. Her plan was to make ramparts by piling up dead bodies. They then inform the survivors of the plan, and they begin to make barricades.
During the 3rd wave Ei from Hai Rou's unit is killed by a spear. Shin pulls it out then jumps and kills a chariot driver, knocking it over the whole chariot unit.
When the 2nd wave comes back from the opposite way, Shin comes back riding a horse. Shin then goes to buy then some time to expand the barricades.
As the few survivors are about to get attacked by the Wei infantry, they are saved by the cavalry.
With barely 100 men left, Baku Koshin tells them they will break through the enemy’s central infantry formation and assault the summit of the hill to slay the Wei General Kyuu Gen.
Kyou Kai tells them the enemy soldiers will be even faster than normal since they’re advancing downhill. Trying to push against that wave of momentum while running uphill will be unbelievably punishing. In exchange, however, they won’t have to spend as much time fighting through them although, the moment they stop moving, only death awaits them.
They then begin to charge the enemy. When he notices Bi Tou has been stabbed, he gets distracted and trips over a corpse. As he is about to be killed, he is saved by Kyou Kai.
When they break through the Wei and are right under the summit, they have close to 40 men left. Then Taku Unit arrives, with Kyou Ji being carried by Bi Hei and Bi Tou, which makes 46. With their strength almost gone Baku Koshin tells them that he won't cut them slack and anyone who does not reach the summit he will cut down afterward. But those who do will be bestowed the honor of being the greatest contributors to this battle. And be rewarded appropriately, with a reward ten times higher than normal. Then Baku Koshin tells Shin to leave his squad, and join the vanguard, which is low on cavalry. They then encourage him to go. On their way up they are protected by Kyou Kai. When they make it to the summit, they are able to hold their ground thanks to general Ou Ki intervening into the battle. Then Shin goes done to join the battle with Duke Hyou. After Duke Hyou kills Go Kei the Wei retreat. And instead of taking Keiyou City, Duke Hyou has them return home.
Battle of Bayou Arc[]
Tak Kei is first seen receiving news from his son that General Mou Gou is decimating the state of Han. Then the Zhao invade, and he is conscripted to repel them. He then bids his wife and son goodbye.
On the march the new unit starts to gather. Then Kou comments saying Shin hasn’t showed up yet. Then everyone begins to worry, Hei calms them down saying there’s no need to worry. It’s unthinkable for him not to come when everyone else has.
When they begin forming squads, the unit starts to worry, because Shin has yet to arrive. Kou asks since Shin’s a 100-man captain he is forming the squads should not concern him. He replies saying they still need him to actually form a unit. As everyone begins to get worried Denyuu spots him.
He then informs everyone that this unit will be a special 100-Man Unit. That does belong to any division, and answers directly to general Ouki. And they will be sent into the most important clashes and undertake the hardest fights. In exchange the rewards will be huge. As Shin begins to introduce his lieutenant En, everyone wonders who the second is? When they begin forming squads, the unit starts to worry, because Shin has yet to arrive. Except for his old squad members. That night Kyou Kai arrives, to everyone's amazement to be their lieutenant. While marching to Bayou, Taku is asked by a boy in his squad, who is scarier Zhao or Wei? He tells him the Zhao have more hatred for Qin because of the incident at Chouhei. When they reach Bayou instead of charging the city, they advance right. To avoid fighting on the open field with Zhao cavalry. Instead of charging with the left army, they are assigned by General Ouki personally to flank the Zhao forces while they are engaged in combat with the Qin Left Army and take General Fuu Ki’s head in the midst of the confusion. Ouki then bestows them the unit the name of the Hi Shin Unit. They proceed by moving behind the thicket, to loop around the Zhao, to strike them where they least expect.
Then while fighting Fuu Ki’s elite guard unit, Shin is encouraged by En and Taku to leave them behind and splits the unit in half taking the squads that can still run, fight, and still have energy in them.
When Shin and the others head back to find the rest of their unit, they find no one left. Then Kyou Kai spots them.
A few days later, the Hi Shin Unit was folded into the 4th army to hit the Zhao HQ with their whole army. They then charged the foot of the mountain to set up their HQ. Then they see that the Zhao had practically made it into a fortress. When they enter the Zhao start retreating. Den Ei notices that the Zhao were already long gone by the time they got there. And have moved their HQ and soldiers to a new location. That night they camp in the mountains with the with the rest of the Army. They are then informed that the Zhao have attacked. When they are formed into ranks, a giant man jumps from a hill, and starts slaughtering the unit. Shin then begins to duel him, then Kyou Kai appears. He then tells them his name is Hou Ken, the Zhao Army’s Commander-in-Chief. Shin and Kyou Kai pincer Houken. Shin is quickly blown away by Houken. Then he fights Kyou Kai, and they have a fierce duel. Then 500 Zhao arrive under the command of Man Goku. Shin then rises and orders his to fall back and regroup, while Shin and Kyou Kai cover them. Instead, the Kan Ou Army shows up and attacks the Zhao. During the chaos, everyone slowly finds their way back to Shin. When Shin wants them to fight Houken, Suu Gen tells him that he understands his feelings, but he should take a minute to calm down and think it through. And they cannot defeat him by blindly charging like that. If they were to fail in their gambit after entering the middle of that, there’s no doubt their unit will be annihilated. Shin reminds him of when they took Fuu Ki’s head, and how many of their men gave up their lives so they could take it. And how their center and right armies sacrificed thousands, and what they had to show for it. That is what war is. But right now, the Zhao Commander-in-Chief was right in front of them. But he agrees with him, so he asks if anyone wants to pull out. Shin has everyone apart from him and Seki’s squad split into three groups. Take position surrounding Houken from three directions. Gathering as many of the nearby spears as possible. Then hold position and wait for the signal. On Seki’s whistle signal, all three groups made a beeline for Houken. Then throw spears at him from all three directions. He deflected all of them, but while he deflected them Shin snuck up on him from behind. He still noticed him, but Shin knew he would and dodged the swing. When he goes to cut him, Shin knew that Houken would still notice and go for another swing, so he dodged it and slashed him. But it didn’t work. Before he could make another move, he is hit by the backend of his glaive. And before Houken can kill Shin, Kyou Kai protects him, and is blow away. Then as he goes to kill Shin, he is protected by the Bi brothers and Taku. Then the unit comes to their aid. Then they retreat. They are then chased down by Man Goku. While on the run, Den Ei tells Bi Tou to hang on to him no matter what, because it doesn’t matter how many of them die, so long as he stays alive the Hi Shin Unit will never die. Then they are attacked by Man Hoku. The Bi brothers manage to get Shin out. Hai Rou goes to Man Goku to buy Shin time, and says to him if he really thinks that a half assed blockade is enough? And they are the Hi Shin Unit that blew right through the Fuu Ki Army of 20,000 before taking his head, and if he underestimates them, they’ll take his head. Mangoku tells him to try it. Hai Rou then tells him that the Hi Shin Unit won't die there. They then retreat. The next morning, they find the others after hearing Seki’s whistle. Bi Hei tells everyone Shin will be fine in Tou’s hands. He tells them to send out search teams, and he has a pretty good idea what direction they’re in. But Seki tells them Shin has returned, carrying a Bi Tou. As everyone is relieved of their return, Shin tells Hei he’s sorry. And lays a lifeless Bi Tou down.
Now having lost contact with the other Qin forces, reduced to 13 squad leaders and 36 men the Hi Shin Unit began to revive. They picked up their weapons and began to advance forward without binding their wounds. They find a Qn flag, but it turns out to be a trap set by the Zhao general Shou Mou. They are saved by the Qin cavalry lead by general Ou Ki. After a fierce skirmish Ou Ki slays Shou Mou in one swing. They then travelled with the Ou Ki Army, when the cavalry and foot soldiers separated due to the mountainous terrain. When they reach the Zhao HQ, they learn that Mou Bu is under attack by the Zhao and go to help him. As they are about to fight the Zhao the Zhao Three Great Heavens’s flag goes up to everyone’s surprise. Shou Sa notes after their last member Ren Pa defected to Wei the previous year, he thought they had dissolved. So, Hai Rou states that it must be a new member. Then, as the Qin’s morale is almost covered by the Zhao’s Ou Ki goes and raises the Qin’s. Ou Ki tells them that the right army will be baited to lure out the Zhao, and he will be the attacker. After Ouki’s lieutenant Tou engages the enemy, and exterminates their archers, the infantry charges the Zhao. As the arrows are about to come, they turn left to target the Zhao base camp. Then, Ouki takes to the field and battles Hou Ken. Shin then asks Kyou Kai who does she think is stronger Hou Ken or General Ou Ki? She tells him Houken and gets angered comments from the unit. Hai Rou states that they’ve lost a lot of comrades to him. Kyo Gai says they have earned the right to see Houken’s final moments. Shousa says that they are a special unit that answers directly to the general. And Den Ei says the only orders they were given by the general was to be “bait.” Shin tells then the only thing that matters right now is general Ouki's fight with Houken. As Ouki is about to finish off Houken, he stops, and everyone hears rumbling. They are then surrounded by a huge Zhao army with a Great Heavens flag. The 2000-3000 spectators collapsed in an instant. And the location devolved into a huge melee with cavalry and infantry alike. The Hi Shin Unit then starts blowing through the Zhao.
During Ou ki's and Hou ken's duel, Shin notices Gi ka going to shoot the general As Ouki was about to finishes off the Bushin, he is hit by an arrow from Gi Ka's bow before Shin cuts him in two and giving Hou Ken the opportunity to stab his glaive into Ou Ki's chest. His soldiers then drop their weapons in utter despair at the sight of these. Then Ouki rises and telling his men to never give up even until death. Then to prove it to his men he swings his glaive at Houken, who easily catches it. Then Ouki starts pushing down cutting Houken's neck. He then explains what a general is. Houken then pulls out his glaive and goes to slay Ouki, but it's blocked by Tou. Shin then hops on Ouki's horse to hold him up. Tou says his unit will act as the distraction, and Ouki's bodyguard team and the Hi Shin Unit will escort Ouki to the left at full speed. Then Mou Bu and his soldiers use their last reserves to open up a route for them. At Ouki's final moments, he tells Shin it is impossible for him to train him. And for a great general like him to personally teach him is too food for a bug like him to begin with.
And matters like those he needs to learn by running between battlegrounds himself. And delve into and overcome strife and carnage together with his men. And bestows him his glaive before dying. Half a month later, the Ouki Army, which had remained at the front lines out of caution, returned home.
Coalition Invasion Arc[]
During the Battle of Kankoku Pass, he was seen struggling in a melee with Bi Hei, Kou, Kei and others of the infantry against the Man Goku Army's own infantry and when they were about to get over run Den Yuu and Ka Ryo Ten arrive and saved them while trying to get the shattered unit together.
Koku You Campaign Arc[]
Taku Kei is seen outside of Shin’s tent crying with Kou as he listens to how Shin wants the Hi Shin Unit to be.
Western Zhao Invasion Arc[]
Taku Kei is seen leaving Kanyou along with the rest of the Hi Shin Unit. Upon Shin's death after his duel with Hou Ken, Taku Kei is seen together with Chuu Tetsu, pushing soldiers aside to get to him. They both break down in tears with the rest of the Hi Shin Unit at sight of Shin's body. Taku Kei is among the soldiers to witness Shin coming back to life soon after. He is later promoted to the rank of 200-Man Commander after the capture of Gyou city.
Three Pillars Arc[]
He is promoted to a 300-Man Commander.[1]
Abilities[]
As an experienced veteran and an original member of Hi Shin Unit, Taku Kei proves to be a capable commander in battlefields.
Physical Abilities[]
Taku Kei is good at using a sword.
Leadership[]
Taku Kei shows to be a capable leader as he is able to lead his men well in battlefields. Under his leadership, no men died on his watch.
Tactical Abilities[]
Taku Kei has a decent military knowledge as he is able to apply the basic principles of a Go/Wu by the book in battlefields. Because of that and his experience in battlefields, no men died under his watch.
Gallery[]
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References[]
- ↑ Chapter 812, page 5