Qualla: Cao (State) https://qualla.com/cao-state en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:38 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_res/siteimages/rsslogo.png Qualla: Cao (State) https://qualla.com/cao-state Cao (State): Introduction https://qualla.com/cao-state/ In 637 BC, a prince named Chong'er passed through the State of Cao during his years of wandering exile. Duke Gong of Cao treated him rudely -- a diplomatic insult that would prove catastrophic. Chong'er would become Duke Wen of Jin, one of the most powerful rulers of the Spring and Autumn period, and his memory was long. Within a few years, Jin's armies crushed Cao and took Duke Gong prisoner. The episode captures the essential tragedy of the State of Cao: too small to make its own destiny, too poorly governed to survive the mistakes it made in the orbit of larger powers.

Read more: Cao (State) on Qualla

]]> Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/w/w/4/p/cao-state-wp/ww4p-cao-state-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Cao (State): A Prince's Inheritance https://qualla.com/cao-state/ The State of Cao was founded in the eleventh century BC by a son of King Wen of Zhou, the legendary sage-king whose descendants established the Zhou dynasty. With its capital at Taoqiu -- roughly the area of modern-day Dingtao County in Shandong Province -- Cao occupied flat coun...

Read more: Cao (State) on Qualla

]]> Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/w/w/4/p/cao-state-wp/ww4p-cao-state-a-princes-inheritance.mp3 0:06 2 full Cao (State): Brothers and Blades https://qualla.com/cao-state/ The state's internal history was violent even by the standards of ancient China. In 826 BC, Count You of Cao was killed by his younger brother, Count Dai, who seized power. The cycle repeated in 760 BC when Duke Mu murdered his elder brother Count Fei and installed himself as the...

Read more: Cao (State) on Qualla

]]> Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/w/w/4/p/cao-state-wp/ww4p-cao-state-brothers-and-blades.mp3 0:06 3 full Cao (State): Caught Between Giants https://qualla.com/cao-state/ During the Spring and Autumn period, Cao found itself crushed between the competing hegemonies of Jin and Chu. Around 630 BC, Cao was a vassal or ally of Chu. When Chu attacked the neighboring State of Song, Jin made a diversionary attack on Cao. After Jin's decisive victory over...

Read more: Cao (State) on Qualla

]]> Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/w/w/4/p/cao-state-wp/ww4p-cao-state-caught-between-giants.mp3 0:06 4 full Cao (State): Extinction and a Surname https://qualla.com/cao-state/ The end came through a final act of miscalculation. Duke Fei of Cao betrayed his patron state Jin by attacking Song. When the Duke of Song retaliated, no Jin troops came to Cao's rescue. The State of Song overwhelmed Cao's defenses, captured Duke Fei, and extinguished the state i...

Read more: Cao (State) on Qualla

]]> Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/w/w/4/p/cao-state-wp/ww4p-cao-state-extinction-and-a-surname.mp3 0:06 5 full