第144部分(第1/7 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　Xiu's　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　Minister's　guidance。　I　hold　the　office　for　the　sake　of　the　training。〃

Zhang　Song　smiled；　saying；　〃If　what　I　have　heard　is　true；　Cao　Cao's　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　Minister's　d