Lu Mao

Historical Record

Lu Mao, courtesy name Zizhang, was the younger brother of Lu Xun, the chief minister of Eastern Wu. Historical accounts describe him as studious from a young age and steadfast in practicing what was right. Chen Rong, Puyang Yi, Jiang Zuan, Yuan Di, and other impoverished but ambitious men associated with him, and he shared his food with them, enduring hardship alongside them. Xu Yuan, a fellow townsman, entrusted his young and vulnerable children to Lu Mao on his deathbed. Lu Mao arranged a burial for him and took in and cared for his son. His cousin Lu Ji died young, leaving two sons and a daughter; while they were still children, Lu Mao brought them into his home and raised them until they were grown, then established separate households for them. He declined appointments and recommendations from the provincial and commandery authorities. These accounts portray him as generous and charitable, and as someone who valued trust and righteousness.^[1]

At the time, the Palace Secretariat official Ji Yan sternly appraised people, sorted officials by ability, and often exposed others’ hidden failings. Lu Mao wrote to counsel him that, in assessing people, he should emulate Confucius’s universal benevolence and Guo Tai’s generosity in helping others, rather than simply dividing people into good and bad and focusing on their faults. With Wang Ye newly established and public opinion needing to be unified, he should treat people generously, remembering their merits and overlooking their failings. Ji Yan did not heed this advice and eventually met his downfall as a result. In the first year of the Jiahe era, Lu Mao was summoned by imperial carriage and appointed Gentleman of the Palace and Director of Selection.^[1][2]

Because Gongsun Yuan was repeatedly deceitful, Sun Quan planned to lead a campaign in person. Lu Mao submitted two memorials urging him to reconsider. He argued that Gongsun Yuan was situated on the coast, far away, and that the expedition would entail a long journey. After crossing the sea, the forces would still have to be divided for combat, while men were needed to guard the ships and transport provisions. An army advancing deep into enemy territory could easily be intercepted. If hostile forces in the north seized the opportunity to act, or the Shanyue rose in revolt, Wu would be abandoning nearby concerns to pursue a distant objective and exhausting its forces. He also cited Emperor Wen of Han, who had not rashly launched a distant campaign against Wei Tuo, and pointed out that the realm was still unsettled. Wu should secure its foundations and let its forces recover, waiting for a favorable moment before acting. Sun Quan read the memorials again and praised their sound reasoning and apt wording; in the end, he did not go to war.^[3][4]

Lu Mao once judged that it was inappropriate for his fellow townsman Wenren Min to receive greater honors in the state than Zong Xiu. Events later proved him right. Lu Mao died in the second year of the Chiw Wu era. His son Lu Xi was also well versed in the classics and other texts, and served as Director of Selection during Sun Hao’s reign.^[5]

In the Novel

The Romance materials provided contain no fictional episodes involving Lu Mao, so they offer no basis for describing his appearances, words, or characterization in the novel. It can only be noted here that the novel does not depict him.^[1]

Key Relationships

Lu Xun was Lu Mao’s elder brother, and Lu Mao was Gu Cheng’s maternal uncle. Gu Cheng and Lu Mao were both summoned during the Jiahe era; this kinship is recorded in historical accounts.^[6][1] Lu Mao’s dealings with Ji Yan were not merely official: he wrote to urge Ji Yan to treat people generously, expressing his disagreement with Ji Yan’s approach to evaluating people.^[1] In his relationship with his sovereign, Lu Mao served as Gentleman of the Palace and Director of Selection. When Sun Quan planned to campaign against Gongsun Yuan in person, Lu Mao dared to submit repeated memorials explaining the risks. Sun Quan ultimately heeded his advice and did not go to war.^[2][3][4] Lu Xi was Lu Mao’s son. Historical accounts note that he too studied the classics and other texts, and served as Director of Selection during Sun Hao’s reign.^[5]

Defining Scenes

The scene that best demonstrates Lu Mao’s political judgment is his twice opposing Sun Quan’s plan to campaign against Gongsun Yuan in person. In his first memorial, he focused on the balance of forces and the practical difficulties of a distant sea crossing: dividing the army over a long journey would weaken its fighting strength, transporting provisions and guarding ships would tie up manpower, and the enemy might exploit the terrain to mount an interception. At the same time, troubles on the northern frontier and unrest among the Shanyue could both erupt while Wu’s forces were away. In his second memorial, he framed his argument around the proper order of state campaigns, maintaining that while the realm remained unsettled, Wu should spare its manpower and let its forces recover rather than pursue a distant objective at the expense of nearer concerns. After rereading the memorials, Sun Quan praised their earnest reasoning and abandoned the campaign. The episode shows Lu Mao’s prudence and pragmatism, as well as his ability to present a ruler with clear arguments about the flaws in a decision.^[3][4]

Another scene that reveals his principles is his urging Ji Yan not to use harsh appraisals to publicize others’ faults. Lu Mao advocated following Confucius’s broad benevolence and Guo Tai’s generosity in helping others, and cultivating good customs through a forgiving approach. His long-standing care for impoverished friends and for children entrusted to him also reflected the steadfast righteousness and generosity embodied in this advice.^[1]