Mao Jie

Mao Jie (died 216¹), courtesy name Xiaoxian,² was an official serving under the warlord Cao Cao during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He was from Pingqiu County, Chenliu Commandery, which is located east of present-day Fengqiu County, Henan. On the recommendation of Man Chong, Mao Jie joined Cao Cao. Mao Jie was very skilled when it came to domestic policies promoting the prioritisation of agriculture.

Dismissal and death

After Cui Yan's death in 216, Mao Jie was very displeased. He then met an ex-rebel who had been sentenced to qing (黥; a form of punishment which involved branding a criminal by tattooing his face), and whose wife and children had been enslaved by the government. Mao supposedly said to the man, "Maybe, this is why it had not been raining." (implying that the man had been treated unjustly). Someone reported this to Cao Cao;³ greatly angered, Cao imprisoned him. After Huan Jie and He Qia interceded on Mao's behalf, Mao was dismissed from service; he later died at home.⁴⁵

References

• Chen, Shou (3rd century). Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi).
• Pei, Songzhi (5th century). Annotated Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi zhu).

Notes