第一小说网

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第189部分（第2页）

〃A　dog　bit　a　mans　toe；　and　two　tumorous　growths　ensued；　one　of　which　itched　intolerably　and　the　other　pained　severely。　Hua　Tuo　said　the　painful　one　contained　ten　needles；　and　the　other　a　couple　of　chess　pips；　black　and　white。　He　opened　the　two　swellings；　and　the　contents　were　as　he　had　said。　Really　he　is　of　the　same　class　of　physician　as　masters　Bian　Que*　and　Zang　Kong　of　old　times。　He　lives　at　Jincheng；　not　far　away；　and　could　be　here　very　soon。〃

Cao　Cao　summoned　him。　As　soon　as　he　arrived；　Hua　Tuo　felt　the　pulse　and　made　careful　examination。

〃Prince；　your　headaches　are　due　to　a　malignant　humor　within　the　brain　case。　The　humor　is　too　thick　to　get　out。　Swallowing　drugs　will　do　no　good。　But　I　propose　to　administer　a　dose　of　hashish；　then　open　the　brain　case　and　remove　the　thickened　humor。　That　will　be　a　radical　cure。〃

〃You　mean　you　want　to　kill　me？〃　cried　Cao　Cao　angrily。

〃O　Prince；　you　have　heard　how　I　cured　Guan　Yu　of　the　poison　that　had　got　into　his　bones？　I　scraped　them；　and　he　did　not　hesitate　a　moment。　Your　malady　is　trifling；　and　why　do　you　mistrust　me？〃

〃A　painful　arm　may　be　scraped；　but　how　can　you　cut　open　a　mans　head？　The　fact　is　you　have　conspired　with　some　of　Guan　Yus　friends　to　take　this　opportunity　to　make　away　with　me　in　revenge　for　his　death。〃

Cao　Cao　told　his　lictors　to　hale　Hua　Tuo　to　gaol；　and　there　he　was　tortured　to　try　to　find　who　were　his　acplices。

Jia　Xu　pleaded　for　him；　saying；　〃The　man　possesses　rare　skills。　To　kill　him　is　to　waste　his　talents。〃

But　the　intervention　was　of　no　avail。

〃The　man　wants　to　get　a　chance　to　kill　me。　He　is　the　same　sort　of　scoundrel　as　Ji　Ping。〃

The　wretched　physician　was　subjected　to　worse　sufferings。

His　gaoler　was　a　certain　Wu；　nicknamed　〃The　Gaoler〃　by　nearly　everybody。　He　was　kindly　disposed　to　Hua　Tuo　and　saw　that　Hua　Tuo　was　well　fed。

Hua　Tuo　conceived　a　liking　for　his　gaoler　and　said　to　him　one　day；　〃I　am　doomed；　I　know。　The　pity　is　that　my　Black　Bag　treatise　on　medicine　may　be　lost。　You　have　been　most　kind　to　me；　and　as　I　have　no　other　way　of　repensing　you；　I　will　give　you　a　letter　to　my　wife　telling　her　to　send　the　Black　Bag；　and　I　will　give　it　to　you　that　you　may　carry　on　my　art。〃

Wu　the　Gaoler　rejoiced　greatly；　saying；　〃If　I　have　that　book；　I　will　throw　away　the　menial　position　of　gaoler；　travel　about　the　country　healing　sick　folks；　and　spread　your　virtue。〃

The　letter　was　written　and　given　to　Wu　the　Gaoler；　who　lost　no　time　in　traveling　to　Jincheng　to　meet　with　Hua　Tuos　wife；　and　she　gave　him　the　Black　Bag　to　bring　back　to　Hua　Tuo。　After　Hua　Tuo　had　read　through　the　book　carefully；　he　presented　it　to　Wu　the　Gaoler；　who　took　it　home　and　hid　it　away。

Ten　days　after　this；　Hua　Tuo　died　in　prison。　Wu　the　Gaoler　bought　a　coffin　and　had　him　buried。　This　done；　he　quitted　the　prison　and　went　home。　But　when　he　asked　for　the　book；　he　found　that　his　wife　had　discovered　it　and　was　using　it　to　light　the　fire。　He　snatched　away　what　was　left　of　it；　but　a　whole　volume　was　missing；　and　what　was　left　amounted　only　to　several　pages。　He　vented　his　anger　in　cursing　his　wife。

But　she　retorted；　saying；　〃If　you　bee　such　a　learned　person　as　Hua　Tuo；　you　will　only　die　in　prison　like　him。　What　good　did　it　all　do　him？〃

It　struck　Wu　the　Gaoler　that　there　was　something　in　what　she　said；　and　he　ceased　grumbling　at　her。　But　the　upshot　of　all　this　was　that　the　learning　in　the　〃Treatise　of　the　Black　Bag〃　was　finally　lost　to　the　world；　for　what　was　left　only　contained　the　recipes　relating　to　domestic　animals。

Hua　Tuo　was　the　ablest　of　physician；

Seeing　what　diseases　were　lurking　within　beings。

Alas！　That　he　died；　and　his　writings

Followed　him　to　the　Nine　Golden　Springs。

Meanwhile；　Cao　Cao　became　worse；　the　uncertainty　of　the　intentions　of　his　rivals　aggravating　his　disease　not　a　little。　Then　they　said　an　envoy　had　e　with　letter　from　Wu；　and　it　ran　like　this：

〃Thy　servant；　Sun　Quan；　has　long　seen　destiny　indicates　Your　Highness　as　master　of　all；　and　looks　forward　with　confidence　to　your　early　accession　to　the　dignity　of　the　Son　of　God。　If　you　will　send　your　armies　to　destroy　Liu　Bei　and　sweep　rebellion　from　the　two　River　Lands；　thy　servant　at　the　head　of　his　armies　will　submit　and　accept　his　land　as　a　fief。〃

Cao　Cao　laughed　as　he　read　this；　and　he　said　to　his　officers；　〃Is　this　youth　trying　to　put　me　on　a　furnace？〃

But　Minister　Chen　Qun　and　the　attendants　seriously　replied；　〃O　Prince；　the　Hans　have　been　feeble　too　long；　while　your　virtues　and　merits　are　like　the　mountains。　All　the　people　look　to　you；　and　when　Sun　Quan　acknowledged　himself　as　your　minister；　he　is　but　responsive　to　the　will　of　God　and　the　desire　of　humans。　It　is　wrong　that　you　oppose　when　such　contrary　influences　work　to　a　mon　end；　and　you　must　soon　ascend　to　the　high　place。〃

＇e＇　King　Wen；　aka　the　Scholar　King；　founder　of　the　Zhou　Dynasty；　father　of　King　Wu。　King　Wen　did　not　actually　founded　the　dynasty；　but　he　laid　the　foundation　for　Zhou。　At　the　end　of　Shang　Dynasty；　the　state　Zhou　of　King　Wen　had　already　possessed　two…thirds　of　the　empire；　but　King　Wen　still　faithfully　served　the　last　emperor　of　Shang。　The　final　conquest　was　pleted　by　King　Wu　and　King　Wus　brother；　the　Duke　of　Zhou。　。。。。。

Cao　Cao　smiled。　〃I　have　served　the　Hans　for　many　years。　Even　if　I　have　acquired　some　merit；　yet　I　have　been　rewar