손무가 장강 연안의 소주에서 출발한 시각이 묘시卯時였다. 사시巳時에 중원 쪽에 있는 장강의 북쪽 해안에 내렸으니 강을 건너는 데 두 시간 이상 걸린 것이다. 낙읍의 도성은 정방형으로 둘레가 50여리에 달했다. 각 방면마다 3개의 문이 있고 중앙에 3층 높이의 거대한 왕궁이 있었다. 왕궁 좌우로 4개씩 구역이 나뉘어 건물이 즐비했으며, 그 사이 대로는 오가는 우마차와 인파로 늘 북적였다.

    수장실은 왕궁 바로 옆에 있어 경비가 삼엄했다. 손무도 전서 장군의 손자임을 증명하는 신표를 보여 주고서야 들어갈 수 있었다. 그동안 아버지나 할아버지로부터 말로만 듣던 곳이었다. 과연 상상했던대로 웅장했다. 2층으로 된 건물의 1층에 전설로만 듣던 황제의 사관 창힐蒼頡이 목탄으로 글씨를 써 놓은 곰 가죽부터 시작해, 하나라와 상나라에 이어 주나라의 공문, 복희씨의 음양오행, 《산해경》, 열국의 위치, 언어와 문화, 제후들, 전쟁 역사 등을 새겨 놓은 갑골甲骨(거북이나 소 등 동물 뼈), 도자기, 비단, 옥돌, 심지어 자작나무 껍질까지 잘 정리되어 있었다. 수장실의 2층에는 각종 청동 제기, 예복 등이 진열되어 있었으며 그곳 한가운데에는 청동기로 만든 뚜껑 없는 상자 안에 주공이 만든 주례周禮가 놓여 있었다.

    누가 이 많은 사료들을 이토록 일목요연하게 정리했을까?

    바로 노자였다. 노자가 이곳에 지난 30년간 수장사守藏史(도서관장)로 있으면서 문서나 도서뿐 아니라 각종 문물까지 일목요연하게 정리해 놓고 어디론가 종적을 감추었다.  손무는 매일같이 수장관이 열리면 바로 들어가 문을 닫을 때까지 끼니도 잊고 순임금 이후부터 서주 시기까지 역사를 탐독했다. 기억력이 좋아 숙소에 돌아가면 읽은 것 중에서 중요한 부분만 다시 기록해 두었다. 수장실의 관리들도 손무가 순임금의 먼 후손인 줄 알고부터는 더 친근하게 대했다. 

▲필자/ 이동연 작가.     ©브레이크뉴스

<*The following is [the full text] of the English article translated by 'Google Translate'. 'Google Translate' is working hard to improve understanding. It is assumed that there may be errors in the English translation.>

[Novel The Art of War 7]

Laozi organizes the historical materials of the Zhou royal library.

Sun Tzu set out from Suzhou on the banks of the Yangtze River at the hour of the rabbit. He landed on the northern shore of the Yangtze River in the central plains at the hour of the snake, so it took more than two hours to cross the river. The capital city of Luoyi was square and had a circumference of about 50 li. There were three gates on each side, and a huge three-story palace was in the center. The palace was divided into four sections on the left and right, and there were many buildings, and the streets between them were always bustling with horse-drawn carriages and people. The chief's office was right next to the palace, so it was under tight security. Sun Tzu could enter only by showing his official seal proving that he was the grandson of General Jeon Seo. It was a place he had only heard about from his father and grandfather. It was as magnificent as he had imagined. On the first floor of the two-story building, there were well-organized items, starting with the bear skin on which the legendary emperor's historian Changjie had written letters with charcoal, followed by official documents from the Xia and Shang dynasties, Fuxi's theory of yin and yang and the Five Elements, the Shan Hai Jing, oracle bones (animal bones such as turtles and cows) inscribed with the locations of the nations, their languages ​​and cultures, the feudal lords, and the history of wars, porcelain, silk, jade, and even birch bark. On the second floor of the storage room, various bronze ceremonial items, ceremonial clothes, etc. were displayed, and in the middle of the room was the Zhou Li created by the Duke of Zhou in a bronze box without a lid.

Who organized all these historical materials so clearly?  It was none other than Laozi. Lao Tzu had been the head of the library here for the past 30 years, and he had organized not only documents and books but also various cultural relics in a neat and tidy manner before disappearing somewhere.  Sun Tzu would go in as soon as the library opened every day and read history from the Shun era to the Western Zhou period without even eating until the library closed. He had a good memory, so when he returned to his quarters, he would write down only the important parts of what he had read. The managers of the library also became more friendly to Sun Tzu after they learned that he was a distant descendant of Shun.