Xiahou Mao Xiahou Mao , Zilin ( 子林 ) , was a military general and civilian administrator of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history . He was the second son of Xiahou Dun . He was given the title " Marquis of the Imperial Domain " ( 列侯 ) and was married to Cao Cao ' s daughter Princess Qinghe . Biography . Xiahou Mao was a close friend of Cao Pi , and after Cao Pi became emperor , he named Xiahou Mao as " General who Stabilizes the West " ( 安西将军 ) , succeeding his father to take charge of Guanzhong , stationed in Chang ' an ( present day Xi ' an ) . In terms of military talent , Xiahou Mao was alleged to be far from his capable father , and according to " Weilüe " , these allegations of incompetence even reached Shu Han , where the general Wei Yan sought to exploit Xiahou Mao ' s incompetence by sending an unexpected army across difficult terrain . The plan was rejected by Zhuge Liang . In 228 , Cao Rui personally led reinforcement to strengthen the local defense against Zhuge Liang ' s Northern Expeditions , and removed Xiahou Mao from his command and reassigned him to a civilian job in the imperial court as Imperial Secretariat ( 尚书 ) . However , Xiahou Mao became slandered by his own wife and younger brothers : Xiahou Dun ' s third and fourth sons Xiahou Zizang ( 夏侯子臧 ) and Xiahou Zijiang ( 夏侯子江 ) . Xiahou Mao ' s younger brothers had constantly misbehaved and abused their powers , and Xiahou Mao disciplined them repeatedly . The younger brothers hated Xiahou Mao for disciplining them and plotted against him by accusing Xiahou Mao of slandering . The younger brothers found an ally , their sister - in - law , Princess Qinghe , who was extremely jealous and upset that Xiahou Mao was keeping numerous concubines and found the opportunity to retaliate by joining her younger brothers - in - law . As a result , Xiahou Mao was arrested and was to be executed by Cao Rui . Xiahou Mao was saved when a military official in the imperial court , Duan Mo ( 段默 ) , requested Cao Rui to investigate the matter further because it was extremely unlike for Xiahou Mao to commit such a serious crime . Cao Rui listened and indeed , investigation revealed that the charges were false . As a result , Xiahou Mao was released from jail and he reassumed the post of Imperial Secretariat . In fiction . Xiahou Mao ' s supposed impotence was dramatized in Luo Guanzhong ' s historical novel " Romance of the Three Kingdoms " . 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 . Xiahou Mao reportedly responded to such criticism as follows : Ever since I was a boy , I have studied strategy , and I am well acquainted with army matters . Why do you despise my youth ? Unless I capture this Zhuge Liang , I pledge myself never again to see the Emperor ' s face . " His early encounter against Shu turned out badly , and he was forced to flee . After consulting with his generals , he planned a successful ambush against famed Shu general Zhao Yun and fought a fifty pass duel against him . Unfortunately for Mao , this victory was only temporary , as Shu generals Zhang Bao and Guan Xing both arrived with ten thousand troops to save Zhao Yun ; Xiahou Mao ' s army was utterly routed by nightfall . Mao escaped to the city of Nan ' an with just one hundred horsemen . He managed to resist a siege for ten days until Zhuge Liang arrived and directed his efforts towards another city , Tianshui . A defeated Wei general named Cui Liang , who was en route to Tianshui , offered Zhuge Liang to convince the governor of Nan ' an , Yang Ling , to turn the city over . In fact , he had no such intention , instead telling Yang Ling what had taken place , and the two of them and Xiahou Mao attempted to lure the Shu army into the city and massacre them . Zhuge Liang saw through the plot , however , and both Cui Liang and Yang Ling were slain by Zhang Bao and Guan Xing , respectively , and Xiahou Mao was captured . He begged for his life and was released by Zhuge Liang on condition he convinced Jiang Wei to defect to Shu . In fact , Xiahou Mao was simply being played a fool , and was tricked into thinking that Jiang Wei had already defected . He went to Tianshui to meet the defender there , Ma Zun , and his false belief of Jiang Wei ' s defection was reinforced when a fake Jiang Wei led an attack upon the city . He was driven off , and so was the real Jiang Wei when he came to Tianshui later . Due to the later defection of Jiang Wei and the betrayal of Yin Shang and Liang Xu ( friends of Jiang Wei ) , the city fell . Xiahou Mao fled with a few hundred loyalists and sought refuge with the Qiang tribe , and , staying true to his words , never returned .