Yang Xiu was born into a family of talents from generation to generation. He was the great-grandson of the famous minister Yang Zhen and the son of the Grand Marshal Yang Biao of the current dynasty.

He is studious and talented. He was purported to be a filial and honest man when he was young. He later served as the chief clerk of Prime Minister Cao Cao. Yang Xiu was in charge of internal and external affairs of the Prime Minister's Office, which was very in line with Cao Cao's wishes.

Before Zhang Song took office, he did his homework and naturally knew that Yang Xiu was also a verbal debater and wanted to impress Yang Xiu with his own talent.

Although Yang Xiu didn't know why Cao Cao neglected Zhang Song, he also received his order to test Zhang Song's purpose.

Yang Xiu was knowledgeable and talented, and he was self-reliant. He also wanted to see Zhang Song's talent. After accepting Zhang Song's words, it was not easy to debate in the classroom, so he invited him to his office and sit down.

Yang Xiu's status in the Prime Minister's Mansion is not low, and he has a special suite for office and rest. He ordered the waiters to sit in the guest and host after serving tea, and said politely to Zhang Song:

"Mr. I am weak and the road to Shu is rugged. I have worked hard from afar. The Prime Minister is busy with official duties. I told him to take a few more days off. I am not intentionally neglecting Mr. I am please don't be surprised!"

Although Yang Xiu said this beautifully, there were words in his words, which vaguely mocked Zhang Song for being short.

Zhang Song naturally heard the cleverness in Yang Xiu's words, but he wanted to impress Yang Xiu in his talent and learning, so he did not rush to fight back, but said seriously:

"After the order of the Lord, he would not dare to refuse even if he went through fire and water."

The two talked about the customs and culture of Shu and the heroes of Shu. Zhang Song answered it freely, showing his profound knowledge and rich experience. The two are equally knowledgeable and talented, citing classics, and talking very opportunistically. They appreciate each other, just like old friends for many years.

Yang Xiu knew that Zhang Song had been on missions all the way, even if it was really for Liu Zhang, it must be for him to get rewards from the court, so he asked:

"Mr., who is the talented man in Liu Yizhou's account? Who is the current position?"

When Zhang Song heard this, the opportunity to fight back came, he replied very modestly:

"I am not talented and have overestimated the other officials of Yizhou, and I am not very competent. How dare I ask the official of the court?"

Although Zhang Song's other position did not have any real power, he was nominally Liu Zhang's deputy, and he was also considered respected in status.

This time, Liu Zhang sent Zhang Song to Xuchang, not only because of his erudition and eloquence, but also because he had a false position of other people, showing Xichuan's respect for the imperial court and Cao Cao.

Yang Xiu was Cao Cao's chief lieutenant, and he could only be said to be Cao Cao's aide. His role was roughly equivalent to his current secretary and his identity was similar to that of his master. Although he was not of a high level, his status in the court was not inferior to that of the six ministers. He replied proudly:

"I have been wrongly loved by Prime Minister Cao, and I am now the chief clerk of the Prime Minister's Office."

Zhang Song pretended to be very surprised and asked:

"I heard that my grandparents have been with great talent for generations and have learned a lot. My father is the Grand Marshal of the current dynasty. Why not seek a serious official position in the court and assist in being a son today, but instead be satisfied with being an aide under the Prime Minister's Mansion?"

Yang Xiu's status in the Prime Minister's Office is not low, but he is not a court-ordered official, nor is he paid his salary. Zhang Song's implicit intention was naturally to blame him for his lack of integrity and dependent on the powerful minister Cao Cao.

The Han Dynasty literati valued integrity the most. Yang Xiu looked ashamed and reluctantly replied:

"Although I am just an aide to the Prime Minister's Office, the Prime Minister has assigned the important task of military, government, money and food. Sooner or later, I will receive the Prime Minister's teachings and gain a lot of knowledge, so I will take this position."

Zhang Song was humiliated by Cao Cao just now, but he still couldn't relieve his hatred. Now that he has the chance to vent his anger, he naturally won't let it go, so he replied with a smile:

"I also heard about Cao Cao's deeds: I don't understand Confucius's way, I don't understand the way of men, I don't understand the way of martial arts, and I don't understand the opportunity of Wu. I specialize in the strong and domineering position. How can I have some teachings?"

Zhang Song said the angry words he had prepared long ago, and felt extremely happy. He looked at Yang Xiu with a smile, waiting for his answer.

Although Yang Xiu was very knowledgeable, he still admired Cao Cao's talent. When he heard Zhang Song's unbridled slander, he couldn't help but feel a little angry and said to Zhang Song:

"Mr. is in the corner of Xichuan and can only listen to rumors. How can you know Prime Minister Cao's talent? I have a book of military tactics written by Prime Minister Cao. I will take it out and you will see that what I said is true!"

Yang Xiu walked into the inner room, took out a new book, and handed it to Zhang Song. He smiled and looked forward to Zhang Song's praise.

This military book was written by Cao Cao in his spare time. After recording it by Yang Xiu, he spent a lot of effort to sort out it out. It was mixed with a lot of his own opinions. He also received Cao Cao's praise for this and felt a little proud.

Zhang Song read the cover of the book with four big words "Meng De's New Book" written by him. He knew that it was written by Cao Cao. From beginning to end, he read it, and there were thirteen articles in total, all of which were the key methods of using troops.

Although Zhang Song was a scholar, he studied literature and martial arts when he was young and read military books. After reading this book "Meng De's New Book", it has rich content and is easy to understand. Although it is not impeccable, it is not easy to find out the flaws in the book, and I secretly admire it.

Of course, Zhang Song could do it, but he could not show his means. Before reading the book, he had already had an idea in his mind and asked on purpose:

"Brother Dezu, do you know whose masterpiece this book is?"

Yang Xiu replied:

"The title of the book "Meng De New Book" was written by the Prime Minister to comprehend the past and present, imitating the thirteen chapters of "Sun Tzu". The gentleman believes that the Prime Minister has no talent, so can this book be passed down to future generations?"

Zhang Song laughed:

"This book is in our Shu, and the three-foot boy can also recite it secretly. What is the 'new book'? This was written by an unknown man during the Warring States Period. Prime Minister Cao thought he could do it, but he could only hide it from his feet!"

Yang Xiu's family background was born. His father Yang Biao was the Grand Marshal of the dynasty. He had a lot of collections of military books and strategies at home. He read military books freely. He compiled this book by himself. Of course, he knew it was not what Zhang Song said, so he blamed him:

"This is the book secretly collected by the Prime Minister. Although it has been completed, it has not been passed down to the world. The gentleman said that children in Shu recited it secretly like streams, which must be a deception!"

Zhang Song dared to be so arrogant, of course, not to deny Cao Cao's military books, but to reveal his extraordinary memory, so he said to Yang Xiu:

"I read this book when I was a teenager. Although it has been decades, I still remember it fresh. If Brother Dezu doesn't believe it, I can recite it."

Without waiting for Yang Xiu to answer, Zhang Song started to recite the "Meng De's New Book" from beginning to end. Yang Xiu held the book and compared it without a word.

Yang Xiu was shocked:

"Sir has the ability to remember everything you see, and he is a genius in the world!"

Zhang Song had already shown his talents and deliberately turned to Yang Xiu to return to Shuzhong.

Yang Xiu tried Zhang Song. Although he didn't know his intention, he didn't dare to let Zhang Song go back to Xichuan without authorization. He said to Zhang Song:

"Sir, stay in the hotel temporarily. Let me report to the Prime Minister and then make an appointment for an interview with you."

Zhang Song achieved his goal and knew that things had turned around. After sincerely thanking Yang Xiu, he returned to the inn to wait for news.
Chapter completed!