第一小说网

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第144部分（第1页）

〃What　office　may　you　hold　then？〃

Zhang　Song　replied；　〃Mine　can　hardly　be　called　an　office。　I　am　a　Supernumerary　Charioteer。　But；　Sir；　what　state　affairs　may　you　control？〃

〃I　am　the　First　Secretary　in　the　Palace　of　the　Prime　Minister；〃　replied　Yang　Xiu。

〃They　say　that　members　of　your　family　held　office　for　many　generations；　and　I　do　not　understand　why　you　are　not　in　court　service　actually　assisting　the　Emperor；　instead　of　filling　the　post　of　a　mere　clerk　in　the　private　palace　of　the　Prime　Minister。〃

Yang　Xius　face　suffused　with　shame　at　this　rebuke；　but　he　mastered　himself　and　replied；　〃Though　I　am　among　the　minor　officials；　yet　my　duties　are　of　great　importance；　and　I　am　gaining　experience　under　the　Prime　Ministers　guidance。　I　hold　the　office　for　the　sake　of　the　training。〃

Zhang　Song　smiled；　saying；　〃If　what　I　have　heard　is　true；　Cao　Caos　learning　throws　no　gleaming　light　on　the　way　of　Confucius　or　Mencius；　nor　does　his　military　skill　illumine　the　art　of　Sun　Zi　or　Wu　Qi。　He　seems　to　understand　the　doctrine　of　brute　force　and　holding　on　to　what　advantages　he　can　seize；　but　I　see　not　how　he　can　give　you　any　valuable　training　or　enlighten　your　understanding。〃

〃Ah；　Sir；　that　es　of　dwelling　in　out…of…the…way　parts。　How　could　you　know　of　the　magnificent　talents　of　the　great　Prime　Minister？　But　I　will　show　you　something。〃

Yang　Xiu　called　up　an　attendant　and　bade　him　bring　a　book　from　a　certain　case。　He　showed　this　to　his　guest；　who　read　the　title　〃The　New　Book　of　Cao　Cao〃。　Then　Zhang　Song　opened　it　and　read　it　through　from　the　beginning；　the　whole　thirteen　chapters。　They　all　dealt　with　the　art　of　war。

〃What　do　you　take　this　to　be？〃　asked　Zhang　Song；　when　he　had　finished。

〃This　is　the　great　Prime　Ministers　discussion　of　the　art　of　ancient　and　modern　war　posed　on　the　model　of　Sun　Zis　Treatise　on　the　Art　of　War。　You　may　be　disdainful　of　the　Prime　Ministers　talents；　but　will　this　not　go　down　to　posterity？〃

〃This　book！　Every　child　in　Yizhou　knows　this　by　heart。　What　do　you　mean　by　calling　it　a　new　book？　It　was　written　by　some　obscure　person　of　the　time　of　the　Warring　States；　and　Cao　Cao　has　plagiarized　it。　But　he　has　deceived　no　one　but　you；　Sir。〃

〃But　what　is　the　use　of　your　sarcastic　insult　in　saying　that　your　school　children　know　the　book　by　rote？　It　has　never　been　given　to　the　world；　although　copies　have　been　made。　It　belongs　to　his　private　library。〃

〃Do　you　disbelieve　me？　Why；　I　know　it　and　could　repeat　it。〃

Then　Zhang　Song　repeated　the　whole　book；　word　for　word；　from　beginning　to　end。

Yang　Xiu　said；　〃You　remember　it　like　this　after　only　one　reading！　Really　you　are　marvelous。〃

He　boasted　not　a　handsome　face；

Nor　was　his　body　blessed　with　grace。

His　words　streamed　like　a　waterfall；

He　read　a　book　and　knew　it　all。

Shus　glories　could　he　well　rehearse；

His　lore　embraced　the　universe。

Or　text　or　note　of　scholiast

Once　read；　his　memory　held　fast。

At　leave…taking　Yang　Xiu　said；　〃Remain　a　while　in　your　lodgings　till　I　can　petition　our　Prime　Minister　to　give　you　another　interview。〃

Zhang　Song　thanked　him　and　left。

By　and　bye　Yang　Xiu　went　to　see　Cao　Cao　on　the　matter　of　receiving　the　emissary　from　the　west　and　said；　〃Sir；　why　did　you　formerly　treat　Zhang　Song　so　off…hand？〃

〃He　spoke　very　rudely。　That　is　why。〃

＇e＇　Cao　Cao　hated　Mi　Heng；　who　was　critial　of　him。　Yet　he　did　not　kill　Mi　Heng。　Instead　he　sent　Mi　Heng　on　mission　to　Jingzhou；　where　Huang　Zhu；　a　general　of　Liu　Biao；　killed　Mi　Heng　over　a　wine　cup。　Mi　Heng　was　one　of　the　most　treasured　writers　in　ancient　China。

〃But　you　bore　with　Mi　Heng*。　Why　not　with　this　man？〃

〃Mi　Hengs　reputation　for　scholarship　stood　highest　of　all；　and　I　could　not　bear　to　put　him　to　death。　But　what　ability　has　this　Zhang　Song？〃

〃To　say　nothing　about　his　speech　being　like　the　River　of　Heaven；　nothing　daunts　his　talent　for　dialectic。　I　happened　to　show　him　your　new　treatise；　he　read　it　over　once　and　could　repeat　it。　From　this；　it　is　evident　he　is　cultured　and　has　a　prodigious　memory。　There　are　few　like　him　in　the　world。　But　he　said　the　book　was　the　work　of　an　obscure　person　of　a　few　hundred　years　back；　and　every　school　child　in　his　country　knew　it。〃

〃It　only　shows　that　the　ancients　and　I　are　in　secret　sympathy；〃　replied　Cao　Cao。

However；　Cao　Cao　ordered　the　book　to　be　torn　up　and　burned。

〃Then　may　I　bring　him　to　see　you；　Sir；　that　he　may　see　the　glory　of　our　court。〃

Cao　Cao　grudgingly　consented；　saying　〃I　am　reviewing　troops　tomorrow　on　the　western　parade　ground。　You　may　bring　him　there　and　let　him　see　what　my　army　looks　like。　He　will　be　able　to　talk　about　it　when　he　goes　home。　When　I　have　dealt　with　the　south；　I　shall　take　the　west　in　hand。〃