Xiahou Mao was the second son of Xiahou Dun, a general who served under the warlord Cao Cao, while Xiahou Mao was a close friend of the founding Emperor Cao Pi.
15 Facts About Xiahou Mao
1.
2.
Xiahou Mao married Princess Qinghe, one of Cao Cao's daughters, though the marriage would be an unhappy one and he once faced accusation of treason from his own family.
3.
Xiahou Mao was appointed by Cao Cao to the secretariat and enoffed; he married Cao Cao's eldest daughter.
4.
When Cao Pi brought about the abdication of Emperor Xian in 220 and became the first emperor of Cao Wei, Xiahou Mao helped sponsor a commentary stele, perhaps as a proxy for his late father Xiahou Dun.
5.
Xiahou Mao was arrested, with Cao Rui going to execute him.
6.
Cao Rui ordered an investigation as to who wrote the memorial and when truth came out, he released Xiahou Mao and restored him as a Master of Writing.
7.
Some time later in Cao Rui's reign, Xiahou Mao was appointed as General Who Guards the East.
8.
When he was assigned to defend the Wei-Shu border, he was not well respected by his colleagues, who assumed that Xiahou Mao would be unable to fulfil his role.
9.
Xiahou Mao escaped to Nan'an Commandery with just 100 horsemen.
10.
Xiahou Mao managed to resist a siege for ten days until Zhuge Liang arrived and directed his efforts towards Tianshui Commandery.
11.
Xiahou Mao begged for his life and was released by Zhuge Liang on the condition that he convinces Jiang Wei to defect to Shu.
12.
Xiahou Mao was simply being played a fool, and was tricked into thinking that Jiang Wei had already defected.
13.
Xiahou Mao went to Tianshui Commandery to meet Ma Zun, the commandery's Administrator, and his false belief of Jiang Wei's defection was reinforced when a fake Jiang Wei led troops to attack Tianshui.
14.
Xiahou Mao was driven off, and so was the real Jiang Wei when he came to Tianshui later.
15.
Xiahou Mao fled with a few hundred loyalists and sought refuge with the Qiang tribes, and, staying true to his words, never returned.