Cai Mao

Historical Record

Cai Mao, courtesy name Degui, was a native of Xiangyang and the brother-in-law of Liu Biao, Governor of Jing Province at the end of the Eastern Han. When Liu Biao first arrived in Jing Province, he was recruited along with local notables such as Kuai Liang and Kuai Yue, becoming an important strategist and aide to Liu Biao. At the time Liu Biao faced a complex situation: rampant clan-bandits in Jiangnan and Yuan Shu entrenched in Nanyang. Cai Mao, together with Kuai Yue and others, jointly devised plans for Liu Biao, helping him to stabilize the situation in Jing Province. Kuai Yue once offered Liu Biao a plan to swiftly pacify the internal disorder of Jing Province by luring and killing the clan-bandit leaders and absorbing their followers, and Cai Mao may also have played an important role in this process; the bandits Zhang Hu, Chen Sheng, and others of the Xiangyang region were ultimately persuaded to surrender by Kuai Yue and Pang Ji, allowing the Jiangnan region of Jing Province to be pacified ^c:6205.

In the later period of Liu Biao's rule over Jing Province, Cai Mao's political influence grew ever stronger, especially in the matter of Liu Biao's succession, where he played a key role. Liu Biao favored his younger son Liu Cong, and Cai Mao and Zhang Yun and others became Liu Cong's staunch supporters and partisans. To ensure that Liu Cong could succeed smoothly, they joined forces to push aside Liu Biao's elder son Liu Qi. According to the Dianlun, when Liu Biao fell gravely ill, Liu Qi returned to visit him, but Cai Mao and Zhang Yun, fearing that Liu Qi might move his father and possibly change Liu Biao's intended succession, used the pretext that Liu Qi bore the heavy responsibility of Jiangxia to bar him at the gate, not letting father and son meet. In the end, Liu Qi was forced to return to Jiangxia, while Liu Cong, with the support of Cai Mao and others, was installed as heir ^c:3233.

In the thirteenth year of Jian'an (208 CE), Cao Cao's great army marched south and reached Xiangyang. By this time Liu Biao had died and Liu Cong had succeeded. Facing Cao Cao's powerful onslaught, Cai Mao, together with Kuai Yue, Fu Xun, and other principal officials of Jing Province, persuaded Liu Cong to surrender to Cao Cao. Although Liu Cong had hesitated, trying to rely on the land of Jing Province to resist Cao Cao, Fu Xun, with the argument that "rebellion and obedience have their grand norms, and strength and weakness have their fixed momentum," analyzed Liu Cong's disadvantages in resisting Cao Cao and pointed out that Liu Bei too was insufficient to oppose Cao Cao, ultimately prompting Liu Cong to decide to surrender the whole province. Cai Mao was undoubtedly one of the core figures in this surrender, and his stance and actions directly affected the fate of Jing Province ^c:3233.

In the Novel

In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Cai Mao is shaped into a narrow-minded, jealous, and toadying villain, differing from his image in the histories as an important strategist of Liu Biao, and his deeds are greatly fictionalized and dramatized. He makes his first appearance displaying conflict with Sun Jian. When word spread that Sun Jian was secretly hiding the Imperial Hereditary Seal, Cai Mao and Kuai Yue, on Liu Biao's orders, led troops to intercept Sun Jian. In the battle with Huang Gai, Cai Mao was struck on his heart-protecting mirror by a blow from Huang Gai's whip and fled in defeat, highlighting his inferior martial skill ^c:6206. Later, when Sun Jian attacked Xiangyang, Cai Mao ignored Kuai Liang's advice to dig deep moats and raise high ramparts, and instead sallied out to give battle, only to be defeated by Cheng Pu, leading to a crushing defeat of the Jing Province army. It was only on account of his sister Lady Cai that Liu Biao did not punish him under military law ^c:3234.

Cai Mao's suspicion of and efforts to exclude Liu Bei are an aspect specially depicted in the novel. When Liu Bei came to join Liu Biao, Cai Mao did his utmost to slander him, advising Liu Biao not to take him in, and even proposing to behead Sun Qian to ingratiate himself with Cao Cao ^c:6208. He acted in collusion with his sister Lady Cai, repeatedly scheming to harm Liu Bei. Lady Cai once spoke to Liu Biao at night, hinting that Liu Bei harbored the intent to swallow up Jing Province, while Cai Mao plotted to assassinate Liu Bei in the guest lodge. Sensing it, Liu Bei fled by night; unable to overtake him, Cai Mao instead inscribed a poem on the wall to frame Liu Bei ^c:13459.

Afterward, Cai Mao again conspired with Lady Cai, holding a banquet at Xiangyang in Liu Biao's name to entertain the officials of the various commanderies, but in fact intending to do away with Liu Bei at the banquet. He laid careful plans, blocking the east, south, and north gates of Xiangyang, leaving only the west gate leading to the Tan Stream, reckoning that Liu Bei could not cross it ^c:13463. However, alerted by Yi Ji, Liu Bei rode the Dilu horse leaping across the Tan Stream and once again escaped danger. Cai Mao pursued to the stream's edge and still tried to shoot Liu Bei with arrows, but failed ^c:13467. When Zhao Yun arrived soon after and demanded of Cai Mao Liu Bei's whereabouts, Cai Mao lied that he did not know ^c:6209.

When Liu Biao fell gravely ill, Cai Mao, together with Lady Cai, Zhang Yun, and others, went still further: obstructing Liu Qi from visiting, forging a deathbed command, deposing the elder for the younger, and installing Liu Cong as lord of Jing Province. When the aide-official Li Gui called their action that of "traitors who sell out the state," Cai Mao actually had him beheaded, further highlighting his cruelty and tyranny ^c:3240.

After Liu Cong surrendered to Cao Cao, Cai Mao and Zhang Yun together presented Cao Cao with the military intelligence of Jing Province, and were therefore appointed by Cao Cao as Marquis Who Guards the South and Grand Commander of the Naval Forces, with Zhang Yun as Marquis Who Aids Compliance and Deputy Commander of the Naval Forces ^c:6210. However, Cao Cao did not trust them, merely making temporary use of their familiarity with naval warfare. On the eve of the Battle of Red Cliffs, Zhou Yu used the ruse of having Jiang Gan steal a letter, leading Cao Cao to mistakenly believe that Cai Mao and Zhang Yun were colluding with the enemy, and in the end, in a great rage, Cao Cao had the two beheaded. Only then did Cao Cao realize he had fallen for the scheme, but it was too late ^c:13479. Cai Mao's end in the novel is the final retribution for his sinister and cunning character, and also foreshadows the defeat of Cao's army at the Battle of Red Cliffs.

Key Relationships

* Liu Biao's faction (senior_official): Cai Mao was an important strategist recruited when Liu Biao first arrived in Jing Province, helping Liu Biao stabilize the situation along with Kuai Liang, Kuai Yue, and others ^c:6205. In Liu Biao's later period, he was a core figure within the faction, with decisive influence on the politics of Jing Province.
* Liu Cong (serves): Cai Mao was a staunch supporter and chief partisan of Liu Cong's succession, exerting great effort to push aside Liu Qi and install Liu Cong ^c:3233. When Liu Cong surrendered to Cao Cao, Cai Mao also actively persuaded and brought it about.
* Liu Biao (kin_of): Cai Mao was Liu Biao's brother-in-law, and this connection by marriage gave him a special standing and influence within Liu Biao's faction. In the novel, Liu Biao even overlooked Cai Mao's faults on account of Lady Cai ^c:3234.
* Lady Cai (kin_of): Cai Mao was close to his sister Lady Cai; in Liu Biao's later period the two jointly pushed aside Liu Qi and installed Liu Cong, and in the novel repeatedly conspired to harm Liu Bei ^c:13457.
* Liu Qi (political_rival): To install Liu Cong, Cai Mao did his utmost to push aside Liu Qi, even preventing Liu Qi from visiting the gravely ill Liu Biao ^c:3233.
* Liu Bei (political_rival): In the novel, Cai Mao was full of hostility toward Liu Bei, repeatedly slandering him and setting traps in attempts to bring about his death ^c:6208.
* Cao Cao (serves): After Liu Cong surrendered, Cai Mao and Zhang Yun submitted to Cao Cao and were appointed commanders of the naval forces, charged with training the Jing Province navy ^c:6210.
* Zhang Yun (ally): Cai Mao and Zhang Yun were close allies in both history and the novel, jointly supporting Liu Cong and surrendering to Cao Cao together to serve as naval generals ^c:3233.
* Kuai Yue (ally): In history, Cai Mao and Kuai Yue were both important strategists of Liu Biao, jointly working to stabilize Jing Province ^c:6205. In the novel, Kuai Yue also once discussed with Cai Mao how to deal with Liu Bei ^c:13463.

Iconic Scenes

* Liu Biao first stabilizing Jing Province, Cai Mao offering plans (historical): When Liu Biao first arrived in Jing Province, facing the predicament of clan-bandits holding sway and the threat of Yuan Shu, Cai Mao, together with Kuai Liang, Kuai Yue, and others, devised plans for Liu Biao, helping him pacify Jing Province and stabilize the situation ^c:6205.
* Obstructing Liu Qi's visit to ensure Liu Cong's succession (historical): When Liu Biao fell gravely ill, Cai Mao and Zhang Yun joined forces to obstruct Liu Qi from visiting his father, to ensure that Liu Cong could smoothly succeed to the post of Governor of Jing Province ^c:3233.
* Persuading Liu Cong to surrender and submit to Cao Cao (historical): As Cao Cao's great army bore down, Cai Mao, together with Kuai Yue, Fu Xun, and others, jointly persuaded Liu Cong to surrender to Cao Cao, bringing about the disposition of Jing Province ^c:3233.
* Intercepting Sun Jian and being defeated by Huang Gai (novel only): On Liu Biao's orders, Cai Mao led troops to intercept Sun Jian, who was secretly hiding the Imperial Hereditary Seal, but was defeated in the battle with Huang Gai ^c:6206.
* Outside Xiangyang, suffering a crushing defeat by ignoring good advice (novel only): When Sun Jian attacked Xiangyang, Cai Mao ignored Kuai Liang's advice and sallied out to give battle, only to be defeated by Cheng Pu, leading to a crushing defeat of the Jing Province army ^c:3234.
* Slandering and seeking to harm Liu Bei (novel only): After Liu Bei came to join Liu Biao, Cai Mao repeatedly slandered him to Liu Biao, trying to drive a wedge between Liu Biao and Liu Bei, and even proposing to behead Sun Qian to ingratiate himself with Cao Cao ^c:6208.
* Holding a banquet at Xiangyang and scheming to harm Liu Bei (novel only): Cai Mao conspired with Lady Cai to set a Hongmen-style banquet at Xiangyang, intending to do away with Liu Bei at the banquet. He laid careful plans, blocking the city gates and leaving only the west gate leading to the Tan Stream, reckoning that Liu Bei had no way to escape ^c:13463.
* In Cao Cao's camp, beheaded through Zhou Yu's stratagem of sowing discord (novel only): On the eve of the Battle of Red Cliffs, Zhou Yu used the ruse of having Jiang Gan steal a letter, leading Cao Cao to mistakenly believe that Cai Mao and Zhang Yun were colluding with the enemy, and in the end, in a great rage, Cao Cao had the two beheaded, foreshadowing the defeat of Cao's army ^c:13479.