Ma Midi, courtesy name Wengshu, was an official who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China.
10 Facts About Ma Midi
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Ma Midi was from Maoling County, Youfufeng Commandery, which is located northeast of present-day Xingping, Shaanxi.
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Ma Midi was a relative of Ma Rong, an influential Confucian scholar and government official.
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Ma Midi studied under Ma Rong's tutelage in his younger days and later joined the government service as a Counsellor Remonstrant.
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In 191, during the reign of Emperor Xian, Ma Midi was promoted to Grand Commandant by Dong Zhuo, the warlord who controlled the Han central government and the figurehead Emperor Xian from 189 to 192.
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Ma Midi became disappointed with Wang Yun and predicted that he would not remain in power for long.
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Ma Midi was proven right: Later in 192, Dong Zhuo's followers, led by Li Jue and Guo Si, seized power from Wang Yun, killed him, and subsequently took control of the central government with Emperor Xian as a puppet ruler.
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Ma Midi was tasked with conferring the appointment "General of the Left" and the noble title "Marquis of Yangzhai" on the warlord Yuan Shu in Shouchun.
9.
When Ma Midi visited Yuan Shu, the latter treated him rudely, seized the fu from him and used it to consolidate his own power base in the Huai River region.
10.
Ma Midi, feeling ashamed of losing the fu, attempted to leave Shouchun, but Yuan Shu stopped him and tried to force him to be his adviser.