Xiahou Mao

Historical Record

Historical records of Xiahou Mao are extremely scarce. The official history *Records of the Three Kingdoms* contains no independent biography of him, and he is rarely even mentioned in the biographies of others. Therefore, Xiahou Mao's life, official posts, achievements, and even his specific character traits in the histories cannot be verified. This leaves his historical image obscure, in sharp contrast to the vivid role given him in *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*. The histories never record him taking part in any important military action, nor mention his holding any important military or civil post, and there is no record of his clashing with Zhuge Liang. Thus, from the standpoint of the historical sources, Xiahou Mao was not a prominent figure active on the Three Kingdoms stage.

In the Novel

In *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*, Xiahou Mao is portrayed as impatient, miserly, and obstinate ^c:5031. He was a son of Xiahou Yuan, adopted by Xiahou Dun, and married Cao Cao's daughter Princess Qinghe, becoming an Imperial Son-in-Law, and was thus quite respected at court. However, although he held military authority, he had never personally been to the battlefront. During Zhuge Liang's first Northern Expedition, when Cao Rui was greatly alarmed, Xiahou Mao volunteered, claiming he wished to avenge his father, and, presuming on his youthful study of strategy and deep knowledge of the art of war, overrode all objections and even rebuked the Minister over the Masses Wang Lang, accusing him of "colluding with Zhuge Liang to act as an inside agent" ^c:5031. Cao Rui then appointed him Grand Commander and mobilized over two hundred thousand troops from the various routes of Guanxi to fight Zhuge Liang.

Xiahou Mao's military talent is depicted in the novel as utterly mediocre. Facing Zhao Yun, he first sent Han De and his sons out to fight, with the result that Han De's four sons and Han De himself were all slain by Zhao Yun ^c:9485. Xiahou Mao came personally to the front, but seeing Zhao Yun's prowess he grew timid; he adopted the plan of the army adviser Cheng Wu to set an ambush and lure the enemy, but Zhao Yun saw through it, and he retreated in defeat again ^c:9485. Subsequently, Zhuge Liang exploited Xiahou Mao's incompetence and credulity to lay a counter-espionage scheme. He first feigned releasing Xiahou Mao and had him go to induce Jiang Wei to surrender ^c:9488. Xiahou Mao believed it; fleeing along the way he met some commoners and learned that Jiang Wei had supposedly surrendered to Shu, so he hurried to Tianshui city. Zhuge Liang then sent someone to impersonate Jiang Wei challenging the city below, making Xiahou Mao mistakenly believe Jiang Wei had truly surrendered to Shu Han, deepening his suspicion of Jiang Wei ^c:9489. In the end, Zhuge Liang, using Jiang Wei's stratagem, shot a secret letter into the city, causing Ma Zun to suspect that Liang Xu and Yin Shang were colluding with Jiang Wei and to want to kill them both. To save themselves, Liang Xu and Yin Shang opened the city gates and surrendered, and Xiahou Mao and Ma Zun, in their panic, abandoned the city and fled to the Qiang lands ^c:1103. Zhuge Liang appraised Xiahou Mao as "merely letting a duck go," while Jiang Wei was "a phoenix," showing how low Xiahou Mao stood in Zhuge Liang's estimation ^c:1103.

Key Relationships

* Cao Wei (serves): Xiahou Mao was an Imperial Son-in-Law of Cao Wei, given great responsibility by Cao Rui and appointed Grand Commander to lead the various routes of troops in Guanxi against Shu Han. However, his incompetence ultimately led to Cao Wei's setbacks in the early Northern Expedition. (novel only)
* Ma Zun (friend_of): After Xiahou Mao was released by Zhuge Liang, he fled to Tianshui city and was received by the Administrator Ma Zun. The two jointly faced Zhuge Liang's stratagems and in the end abandoned the city together and fled to the Qiang lands ^c:1103. (novel only)
* Zhuge Liang (opponent): As Zhuge Liang's principal opponent in the early Northern Expedition, Xiahou Mao's incompetence and credulity made him a perfect target for Zhuge Liang's stratagems. Zhuge Liang used him to successfully win over Jiang Wei and capture the three commanderies of Tianshui, Nan'an, and Anding ^c:1103. (novel only)
* Zhao Yun (opponent): Xiahou Mao clashed with Zhao Yun on the battlefield and witnessed Zhao Yun's valor firsthand, becoming so afraid that he felt "such a man none can match" ^c:9485. (novel only)
* Jiang Wei (opponent/instrument): Xiahou Mao was the key figure in Zhuge Liang's winning over of Jiang Wei. Zhuge Liang exploited Xiahou Mao's credulity and Ma Zun's suspicion of Jiang Wei to successfully estrange Jiang Wei from the Wei army, ultimately prompting Jiang Wei to surrender to Shu Han ^c:9489. (novel only)

Signature Scenes

* Volunteering to Campaign, Rebuking Wang Lang: Xiahou Mao volunteered before Cao Rui, asking to lead troops against Zhuge Liang. Facing the Minister over the Masses Wang Lang's remonstrance, he not only refused to listen but angrily rebuked Wang Lang, asking "Are you not colluding with Zhuge Liang to act as an inside agent?" and boasted that he would capture Zhuge Liang alive ^c:5031. This scene fully displays his impatient, obstinate character and foreshadows his later failure. (novel only)
* Defeat by Zhao Yun before Mount Fengming: Xiahou Mao personally led a great army to fight Zhao Yun before Mount Fengming. Witnessing Zhao Yun slay Han De and charge straight at him, he hastily fled into his own ranks in fright. This battle not only exposed his military incompetence but also left him deeply impressed by Zhao Yun's valor ^c:9485. (novel only)
* Captured by a Stratagem, Zhuge Liang "Lets the Duck Go": Xiahou Mao fell for Zhuge Liang's counter-espionage scheme in Nan'an city and was captured alive by Guan Xing and Zhang Bao. Zhuge Liang did not kill him but instead gave him clothes and a horse and released him to go induce Jiang Wei to surrender, calling him "merely a duck," in sharp contrast to "a phoenix," Jiang Wei ^c:1103. This scene is a display of Zhuge Liang's wisdom and further highlights Xiahou Mao's insignificance. (novel only)
* Abandoning the City to Flee to the Qiang Lands: Through Zhuge Liang's series of stratagems, Liang Xu and Yin Shang opened the city of Tianshui and surrendered. Xiahou Mao and Ma Zun, in panic, led several hundred men out through the west gate and ultimately fled to the Qiang lands. This marked his complete military failure and ended his major role in *Romance of the Three Kingdoms* ^c:1103. (novel only)