Xiahou Mao

Chinese
t=夏侯楙
s=夏侯楙

Xiahou Mao (? – ?) was a Chinese military Wei general and civilian administrator under the powerful warlord Cao Cao during the late Eastern Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms Period in ancient China and the second son of Xiahou Dun. His Chinese style name was Zilin (子林). He was given the title “Marquis of the Imperial Domain” (Lie Hou, 列侯) was married to Princess Qinghe (Qinghe Gongzhu, 清河公主) the daughter of Cao Cao.

Xiahou Mao was a very good friend of Cao Pi, and after Cao Pi became emperor, he named Xiahou Mao as "Stabilizing West General" (An Xi Jiangjun, 安西将军), succeeding his father to take charge of Guanzhong, stationed in Chang'an (长安, current day Xi'an). Xiahou Mao was far from his capable father and this was gravely dramatized in the novel Romance of Three Kingdoms in which Xiahou Mao was described as being assigned by Cao Rui to defend the Shu/Wei border against Zhuge Liang's northern campaign. However, he was not well-respected by his colleagues, who assumed that Xiahou Mao would be unable to fulfil his role. Xiahou Mao reportedly responded to such criticism as follows:

Ever since I was a boy, I have studied strategy, and I am well acquainted with army matters. Why do you despise my youth? Unless I capture this Zhuge Liang, I pledge myself never again to see the Emperor's face."

His early encounter against Shu turned out badly, and he was forced to flee. After consulting with his generals, he planned a successful ambush against famed Shu general Zhao Yun and fought a fifty pass duel against him. Unfortunately for Mao, this victory was only temporary, as Shu generals Zhang Bao and Guan Xing both arrived with ten thousand troops to save Zhao Yun; Xiahou Mao's army was utterly routed by nightfall. Mao escaped to the city of Nanan with just one hundred horsemen. He managed to resist a siege for ten days until Zhuge Liang arrived and directed his efforts towards another city, Tian Shui. A defeated Wei general named Cui Liang, who was on route to Tian Shui, offered Zhuge Liang to convince the governor of Nanan, Yang Ling, to turn the city over. In fact, he had no such intention, instead telling Yang Ling what had taken place, and the two of them and Xiahou Mao attempted to lure the Shu army into the city and massacre them.

Zhuge Liang saw through the plot, however, and both Cui Liang and Yang Ling were slain by Zhang Bao and Guan Xing, respectively, and Xiahou Mao was captured. He begged for his life and was released by Zhuge Liang on condition he convinced Jiang Wei to defect to Shu. In fact, Xiahou Mao was simply being played a fool, and was tricked into thinking that Jiang Wei had already defected. He went to Tian Shui to meet the governor there, Ma Zun, and his false belief of Jiang Wei's defection was reinforced when a fake Jiang Wei led an attack upon the city. He was driven off, and so was the real Jiang Wei when he came to Tian Shui later. Due to the later defection of Jiang Wei and the betrayal of Yin Shang and Liang Xu (friends of Jiang Wei), the city fell. Xiahou Mao fled with a few hundred loyalists and sought refuge with the Qiang tribe, and, staying true to his words, never returned.

In reality, these events depicted in the novel never happened, because everyone was well aware the fact that Xiahou Mao was not as capable as his father in military affairs. In fact, when in 228, Cao Rui personally led reinforcement to strengthen the local defense against Zhuge Liang's Northern Expeditions, Cao Rui removed Xiaohou Mao from his command and reassigned him to a civilian job in the imperial court as Shangshu (尚书). However, staying in imperial court did not help and Xiaohou Mao's fate was turning for worse because he was slandered by his own wife and younger brothers: the Xiahou Dun's 3rd son Xiahou Zizang (夏侯子臧) and 4th son Xihou Zijiang (夏侯子江):

Xiahou Mao's younger brothers had constantly misbehaved and abused their powers, and Xiahou Mao disciplined them repeatedly. The younger brothers hated Xiahou Mao for disciplining them and plotted against him by accusing Xiahou Mao of slandering. The younger brothers found an ally, their sister-in-law, Princess Qinghe, who was extremely jealous and upset that Xiahou Mao was keeping numerous concubines and found the opportunity to retaliate by joining her younger brothers-in-law. As a result, Xiahou Mao was arrested and was to be executed by Cao Rui. Xiahou Mao was saved when an official in the imperial court, a military officer of Changshui (长水), Duan Muo (段默) requested Cao Rui to investigate the matter further because it was extremely unlike for Xiahou Mao to commit such a serious crime. Cao Rui listened and indeed, investigation revealed that the charges were false. As a result, Xiahou Mao was released from jail and Cao Rui promoted to Suppressing East General (Zhen Dong Jiang Jun, 镇东将军). Because his wife was Cao Cao's daughter and the uncle of Cao Rui, she was not punished for slandering Xiahou Mao.

ee also

*Three Kingdoms
*Han dynasty
*Personages of the Three Kingdoms
*"Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms"
*"Romance of the Three Kingdoms"

References

External links

*http://kongming.net/novel/sgz/xiahoudun.php