Guan Shuxian and Cai Shudu, sons of King Wen of Zhou and brothers of King Wu, were part of a total of ten brothers. Their mother was Tai Si, the principal wife of King Wen of Zhou. The eldest was Boyi Kao, the second was Ji Fa of King Wu, followed by Guan Shuxian, Duke of Zhou, Cai Shudu, Cao Shuzhenduo, Cheng Shuwu, Huo Shuchu, Kang Shufeng, and Ran Jizai, with Ran Jizai being the youngest. Among these ten brothers, only Ji Fa and Duke of Zhou were outstanding, assisting King Wen of Zhou. Therefore, King Wen did not appoint Boyi Kao as the crown prince but instead appointed Ji Fa as the crown prince. After King Wen's death, Ji Fa succeeded to the throne as King Wu. By this time, Boyi Kao had already passed away.
King Wu defeated King Zhou of Shang, pacified the realm, and then began rewarding his loyal subjects and brothers. He granted the fief of Guan to Guan Shuxian and the fief of Cai to Cai Shudu, both responsible for managing the remnants of the Shang dynasty and assisting Wu Geng (King Zhou's son). Duke of Zhou was granted the fief of Lu and thus became known as the Duke of Zhou. Cao Shuzhenduo was granted the fief of Cao, Cheng Shuwu the fief of Cheng, and Huo Shuchu the fief of Huo. Kang Shufeng and Ran Jizai were still young and had not been granted fiefs.
After King Wu's death, King Cheng was still young, and Duke of Zhou held great power in court. Guan Shuxian and Cai Shudu suspected Duke of Zhou of being harmful to King Cheng, so they joined forces with Wu Geng in rebellion. Duke of Zhou, following King Cheng's orders, led an attack against Wu Geng, killed Guan Shuxian, and exiled Cai Shudu, providing him with ten chariots and seventy followers. Duke of Zhou then divided the remaining people of the Shang dynasty into two groups: one group was given to Wei Qi, allowing him to establish the State of Song in the land of Song to continue the Shang dynasty's rituals; the other group was given to Kang Shufeng, allowing him to establish the State of Wei in the land of Wei, known as Wei Kangshu. Ran Jizai was also granted the fief of Ran. Kang Shufeng and Ran Jizai were obedient, so Duke of Zhou appointed Kang Shufeng as the Grand Warden of the Zhou dynasty and Ran Jizai as the Minister of Public Works, assisting King Cheng in governing the country. Both earned great renown across the land.
Cai Shudu died after being exiled. His son, Hu, cleaned up his act and behaved very obediently and kindly. Upon hearing this, Duke Zhou appointed Hu as a noble in Lu, which led to good governance in Lu. Duke Zhou then told King Cheng to restore the land of Cai to Hu, allowing him to offer sacrifices to Uncle Cai, who became known as Cai Zhong. The other five uncles each got on with their lives in their own fiefdoms, without taking up official positions in the court.
Cai Zhong was succeeded by his son, Cai Bohuang, then Gonghou, then Lihou, then Wuhou. During Wuhou's reign, King Li of Zhou lost his throne and fled to Zhi, implementing a system of shared rule, causing many feudal lords to betray the Zhou dynasty.
Next, Wuhou died, and his son Yihou succeeded him. Yihou reigned for eleven years, and King Xuan of Zhou ascended the throne. Twenty-eight years later, Yihou died, and his son Lihou succeeded him.
Lihou ruled for thirty-nine years, and King You of Zhou was killed by the Quanrong, leading to the decline of the Zhou dynasty and the relocation of the capital to the east. It was only then that the state of Qin was officially recognized as a vassal state.
After forty-eight years, Lihou died, and his son Gonghouxing succeeded him. Gonghouxing died after two years in power, and his son Daihou succeeded him. Daihou ruled for ten years before dying, and his son Xuanhou Cuo Fu took over.
Xuanhou was in power for twenty-eight years, around the time Duke Yin of Lu took the throne. Thirty-five years later, Xuanhou died, and his son Huanhou Fengren succeeded him. Huanhou ruled for three years before Lu killed its ruler, Duke Yin. Twenty years later, Huanhou died, and his brother Aihou Xianwu succeeded him.
During the eleventh year of Ai Hou's reign, Ai Hou married a woman from the state of Chen, while Xi Hou also married a woman from the state of Chen. Xi's wife wanted to return to her family, and as she passed through the state of Cai, the Marquis of Cai disrespected her. Enraged, Xi Hou asked King Wen of Chu to attack Cai, planning to seek help from the state of Cai, which would allow Chu to attack Cai in return. King Wen of Chu followed his advice, captured the Marquis of Cai Ai, and brought him back to Chu. Ai Hou was imprisoned in Chu for nine years and died there. The people of Cai then enthroned his son as Marquis Miao of Cai.
Marquis Miao married his sister to Duke Huan of Qi. Eighteen years later, Duke Huan of Qi and the Princess of Cai were out boating. When the princess refused to stop rowing at Duke Huan's command, he became angry and sent her back to Cai, but they remained on good terms. The Marquis of Cai was furious and married his sister to someone else. Duke Huan of Qi, in turn, attacked the state of Cai, defeated them, captured Marquis Miao, and escorted him to Shao Ling in Chu. Eventually, other vassals interceded on behalf of the state of Cai with Qi, and Duke Huan of Qi returned Marquis Miao to Cai. Twenty-nine years later, Marquis Miao died, and his son succeeded him as Marquis Zhuang.
Marquis Zhuang reigned for three years before Duke Huan of Qi passed away. Fourteen years later, Duke Wen of Jin defeated the state of Chu at Chengpu. Twenty years after that, Crown Prince Shang Chen of Chu killed his father King Cheng and proclaimed himself king. Twenty-five years later, Duke Mu of Qin died. Thirty-three years later, King Zhuang of Chu ascended to the throne. Thirty-four years after that, Marquis Zhuang died, and his son succeeded him as Marquis Shen.
In 655 BC, King Zhuang of Chu attacked the state of Chen, killing their ruler Xia Zhengshu. The following year, Chu besieged Zheng, who surrendered, only to be released by Chu later. In 645 BC, Duke Wen of Jin died, and his son Duke Jing succeeded him.
In 644 BC, King Zhuang of Chu also died. Nearly fifty years later, around 600 BC, Marquis Jing of Jin married a Chu princess to his crown prince, but then slept with her himself. So the crown prince, pissed off, offed Marquis Jing and took over, becoming Marquis Ling of Jin.
In the second year of Linghou's rule, Prince Wei of Chu killed King Jiao Ao of Chu and became the ruler himself, known as King Ling of Chu. Nine years later, Chen's top minister bumped off Duke Ai of Chen. Chu sent Prince Qiji to wipe out Chen and grab the land. Twelve years later, King Ling of Chu lured King Ling of Cai to Shen with a trick, got him steaming drunk, then whacked him and more than seventy of his men. King Ling of Chu then sent Prince Qiji to besiege Cai. In November, Chu conquered Cai and made Prince Qiji the ruler of Cai.
Three years after Chu conquered Cai, Prince Qiji of Chu killed King Ling of Chu and became the ruler himself, known as King Ping of Chu. King Ping of Chu wanted to improve relations with the vassal states, so he reinstated the rulers of Chen and Cai. He put Lu, the Marquis of Cai's youngest son, on the throne—Marquis Ping of Cai. That year, Chu also reestablished Chen.
After ruling for nine years, Marquis Ping of Cai died. Marquis Ling of Jin's grandson (aka the Eastern Marquis) killed Marquis Ping of Cai's son and took over, becoming Marquis Dao of Cai. Marquis Dao's dad was Prince You, Marquis Ling of Jin's son. Marquis Ping offed Prince You when he took the throne, so after Ping died, You's son (the Eastern Marquis) got revenge by killing Ping's son and becoming Marquis Dao. Marquis Dao ruled for three years before kicking the bucket, then his brother, Marquis Shen, took over.
When Marquis Zhaohou of Cai was in power for ten years, he paid his respects to King Zhao of Chu and brought two exquisite robes of fur. He presented one to King Zhao of Chu and wore the other himself. Chu's prime minister, Zichang, wanted the robe but Marquis Zhaohou did not give it to him. Zichang then framed Marquis Zhaohou and detained him in Chu for three years. Marquis Zhaohou knew the situation and presented his remaining robe to Zichang. Zichang accepted the robe and released Marquis Zhaohou. After returning to his country, Marquis Zhaohou went to the state of Jin and requested their help in attacking Chu.
In spring, 517 BC, I went with Duke Ling of Wei to Shao Ling. Through Zhou Changhong, Marquis Cai privately asked Duke Ling of Wei to let him serve as an official in Wei. After hearing Shi's account of Kang Shu's achievements, Duke Ling of Wei allowed Marquis Cai to serve as an official in Wei. That summer, the state of Jin destroyed the state of Shen, angering Chu, which then attacked the state of Cai. Marquis Zhaohou sent his son to Wu as a hostage to secure an alliance against Chu. In the winter, King Helu of Wu and I defeated Chu, capturing their capital city Yingdu. The state of Cai, resentful of Zichang's treachery, saw Zichang flee to the state of Zheng.
In 516 BC, the Wu forces retreated, and King Zhao of Chu regained control of Chu. In 514 BC, the Chu Grand Minister mourned the plight of the Chu people and planned to attack Cai, which greatly alarmed Duke Zhao of Cai. In 494 BC, Confucius went to Cai. King Zhao of Chu attacked Cai, leaving it terrified and prompting a plea for help from Wu. To keep Cai further away from Chu, Wu suggested that Cai relocate its capital, so that Wu could more easily come to its aid; Duke Zhao of Cai agreed privately without consulting his ministers. The Wu army came to rescue Cai and relocated its capital to the Zhou region. In 492 BC, Duke Zhao of Cai planned to visit the King of Wu, but the ministers, fearing another relocation, ordered Zeili to assassinate Duke Zhao; they then silenced Zeili to bury the evidence and enthroned Duke Zhao's son Shuo, thus becoming Duke Cheng of Cai.
In 488 BC, the State of Song destroyed the State of Cao. In 482 BC, Tian Chang of Qi killed Duke Jian of Qi. In 479 BC, Chu destroyed the State of Chen. In 473 BC, Duke Cheng of Cai died, and his son Duke Sheng succeeded him. Duke Sheng died after fifteen years, and his son Duke Yuan succeeded him. Duke Yuan died after six years, and his son Duke Qi succeeded him.
In 447 BC, King Hui of Chu destroyed the State of Cai, and Duke Qi of Cai fled, leading to the cessation of sacrifices in Cai. This was 33 years after Chen's fall.
The descendants of Boyi Kao are unknown regarding where they were given land. King Wu's biography records that the descendants of King Wu founded the Zhou dynasty. Guan Shuxian's rebellion ended in his death, leaving no heirs. The family history of Duke Zhou records that Duke Zhou Dan's descendants founded the Lu state. The family history of Duke Cai records that Duke Cai Shudu's descendants founded the Cai state. The family history of Duke Cao records that Duke Cao Zhenduo's descendants founded the Cao state. The descendants of Cheng Shuwu are not recorded in historical records. Huo Shuchu's descendants were destroyed during the reign of Duke Xiang of Jin. Kang Shufeng was given land as a feudal lord, and his descendants founded the Wei state, as noted in the family history of Wei. The descendants of Ran Jizai are not recorded in historical records.
According to Sima Qian, Guan Shu and Cai Shu rebelled, and their deeds are not worth recording. However, after King Wu of Zhou passed away, King Cheng was still young, creating chaos among the people. Thanks to the assistance of his brothers Cheng Shu, Ran Ji, and others in running the government, the vassal states eventually swore allegiance to Zhou. Therefore, I have recorded their deeds in the family history.
Duke Cao Zhenduo was the younger brother of King Wu of Zhou. After King Wu defeated King Zhou of Shang, he assigned the Cao land to Shu Zhenduo.
Shu Zhenduo was succeeded by his son, Taibo Pian. Taibo Pian was succeeded by his son, Zhongjun Ping. Zhongjun Ping was succeeded by his son, Gongbo Hou. Gongbo Hou was succeeded by his son, Xiaobo Yun. Xiaobo Yun was succeeded by his son, Yibo Xi.
Yibo ruled for twenty-three years, during which time King Li of Zhou fled to Zhi land. After ruling for thirty years, Yibo died, and his younger brother Youbo Qiang succeeded him. Youbo ruled for nine years, then his younger brother Su killed Youbo and took the throne, becoming Duke Dai. In the first year of Duke Dai's reign, King Xuan of Zhou had already been ruling for three years. After a 30-year reign, Duke Dai died, and his son, Huibo Si, took the throne.
Duke Hui ruled for twenty-five years. King You of Zhou was killed by the nomadic Quanrong, forcing the Zhou dynasty to move eastward. The nation's strength weakened, and many vassals betrayed the Zhou. At this time, the state of Qin also became a vassal state. After ruling for thirty-six years, Duke Hui died, and his son Shifu succeeded him. However, his brother Wu killed Shifu and took over, becoming Duke Miao. Three years later, Duke Miao died, and his son Huan succeeded him for life.
Huan ruled for thirty-five years, and then Duke Yin of Lu became ruler. Five years later, Lu killed its ruler, Duke Yin. One year later, Duke Du of Song killed his own ruler, Duke Shang, and also killed Kongfu. After ruling for fifty-five years, Huan died, and his son Zhuang succeeded him.
Zhuang ruled for twenty-three years, during which Duke Huan of Qi began to dominate the vassals. After ruling for thirty-one years, Zhuang died, and his son Li succeeded him. Nine years later, Li died, and his son Zhao succeeded him. Zhao ruled for six years, and Duke Huan of Qi defeated the State of Cai, reaching as far as Shao Ling in Chu. Nine years later, Zhao died, and his son Gong succeeded him.
During Gong's sixteen-year reign, Prince Chong'er of Jin fled through Cao, where the ruler treated him disrespectfully and even wanted to see if his ribs were abnormally prominent. Despite advising the ruler against it, Li Fuji secretly treated Chong'er well. Twenty-one years later, Duke Wen of Jin, Chong'er, attacked Cao, captured Gong, brought him back to Jin, and ordered the army not to enter the area where Li Fuji's family lived. Some advised Duke Wen, saying, "Duke Huan of Qi used to restore vassal states. Now you've imprisoned the Cao ruler and destroyed a fellow-surname state. How will you justify this to the other vassals?" Duke Wen then sent Gong back to Cao.
Twenty-five years later, Duke Wen died. Thirty-five years later, Gong died, and his son Wen Shou succeeded him. After ruling for twenty-three years, Wen died, and his son Xuan Qiang succeeded him. Seventeen years later, Xuan died, and his brother Cheng Fuchu succeeded him.
Back in 672 BC, Duke Li of Jin led troops to attack the Cao state, nabbed Duke Cheng of Cao, then let him go. In 668 BC, Luan Shu and Zhongxing Yan offed Duke Li. In 650 BC, Duke Cheng of Cao died, and his son, Duke Wu, took over. In 644 BC, Prince Qiji of Chu bumped off King Ling and took the throne. In 643 BC, Duke Wu of Cao died, and his son Duke Ping inherited the throne. After four years, Duke Ping passed away, and his son Duke Dao succeeded him. That year, Song, Wei, Chen, and Zheng all went up in flames.
In 635 BC, Duke Jing of Song succeeded to the throne. In 634 BC, Duke Dao of Cao went to Song to meet Duke Jing but got locked up by the Song state! The Cao people put Dao's brother Ye on the throne—Duke Sheng. Duke Dao kicked the bucket in Song, and they eventually shipped him back to Cao for burial.
In 630 BC, after five years, Duke Sheng got whacked by his brother Tong, who then became Duke Yin of Cao. Four years later, Duke Yin was killed by his brother Lu, who succeeded him as Duke Jing of Cao. After ruling for four years, Duke Jing passed away, and his son Boyang took over.
In 627 BC, someone in Cao had a crazy dream: a bunch of nobles were plotting to wipe out Cao at the ancestral temple! Cao Shu Zhenduo stopped them and suggested waiting for Gong Sunqiang to return before making any decisions, which everyone agreed to. The next day, they went to find Gong Sunqiang but discovered there was no such person in Cao. The dreamer told his kid, "If I croak and you hear Gong Sunqiang's in charge, get outta Cao—fast!" Once Duke Boyang took over, he was all about hunting and archery.
In 621 BC, there was a man named Gong Sunqiang in Cao who also enjoyed hunting and archery. He gave Duke Boyang a white goose he'd bagged, chatted him up about hunting, and subtly checked out the political scene. Duke Boyang loved it. He made the guy city governor, giving him a piece of the action. The minute the dreamer's son heard, he hightailed it out of there.
Gongsun Qiang talked about his ruthless plan in front of Cao Boyang. In 610 BC, Cao Boyang adopted his advice, betrayed the state of Jin, and switched allegiance to the state of Song. Duke Jing of Song led troops to attack the state of Cao, but Jin didn't lift a finger to help. In 609 BC, the state of Song destroyed the state of Cao, captured Cao Boyang and Gongsun Qiang, and had them executed. From then on, the Cao dynasty was wiped out. Sima Qian said: I looked into how Duke Gong of Cao blew it by ignoring Xi Fuji. Cao had 300 chariots – a clear sign they didn't value talent. And Shu Zhenduo's dream? Wasn't he trying to save Cao's ancestral rites? If Gongsun Qiang hadn't messed things up, maybe Shu Zhenduo's family wouldn't have gone down in history.
