Mao Jie

Mao Jie (died 216), courtesy name Xiaoxian,(毛玠字孝先，...) Sanguozhi, vol.12. 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; 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.(崔琰既死，玠内不悦。后有白玠者：‘出见黥面反者，其妻子没为官奴婢，玠言曰“使天不雨者盖此也”。’太祖大怒，收玠付狱。.....时桓阶、和洽进言救玠。玠遂免黜，卒于家.) Sanguozhi, vol.12. The volume also recorded the exchange between Mao Jie and Zhong Yao for this case. In his annotation, Sun Sheng criticized Cao Cao for Mao Jie's dismissal. He compared Cao unfavorably to Emperor Gaozu of Han, noting that while Liu Bang did imprison Xiao He, Xiao He later regained his chancellorship after he was released, whereas Mao Jie was never given another post after his dismissal. (孙盛曰：魏武于是失政刑矣。《易》称‘明折庶狱’，《传》有‘举直措枉’，庶狱明则国无怨民，枉直当则民无不服，未有征青蝇之浮声，信浸润之谮诉，可以允釐四海，惟清缉熙者也。昔者汉高狱萧何，出复相之，玠之一责，永见摈放，二主度量，岂不殊哉！) Sun Sheng's annotation in Sanguozhi, vol.12.

See also Lists of people of the Three Kingdoms

Notes

References

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