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포향이 손무에게 언급한 의행부가 누구이던가. 춘추시대 최고의 추문과 연관된 사람이었다. 기원전 600년, 의행부는 진영공(613〜599), 그리고 대부 공녕과 함께 하희와 바람을 피웠던 것이다.
당시 하희는 진나라 대부 어숙과 결혼해 하징서를 낳았지만, 어숙이 죽고 홀몸이었다.
그런 하희와 세 사람이 혼음을 벌이며 서로를 향해 하징서의 아버지 같다며 낄낄댔다. 이 추문이 파다해져 대부 설야가 영공을 찾아왔다.
“부디 제후의 체면을 지키소서. 어찌 신하들과 함께 통음하실 수 있다는 말입니까?”
낯이 뜨거워진 영공이 대부 설야를 죽였으나, 하징서가 눈치채고 가병을 동원해 어머니 하희와 열락에 빠져 있던 세 사람을 습격했다.
영공은 벌거벗은 몸으로 도망치다가 하징서의 화살에 맞아 죽었고, 공녕과 의행부는 초나라로 도망쳤다. 왕실까지 점거한 하징서는 공자 오를 진성공(598〜569)으로 옹립했다.
다음 해 겨울 초장왕이 군주 시해범을 징계한다는 명분으로 진 나라를 공격했다. 하징서가 맞섰으나 패배하고 거열형을 당했으며 진 성공은 진晉나라를 방문하던 중이라 무사했다. .
초장왕이 진성공을 불러 “앞으로는 나라를 잘 다스리라”고 훈계한 뒤, 공녕과 의행부도 귀국시켰다.
그 일이 있고 난 뒤, 의행부 집안은 아들때 까지도 숨죽여 지내야 했다. 진애공陳哀公(568〜534)시대에 와서야 손자 의삼량이 다시 대부가 될 수 있었다.
그런데 진애공이 또 진영공처럼 분별없는 애정에 빠져든다. 정부인 정희사이에 도 태자가 있었지만 둘째 부인을 얻더니 그 사이에서 태어난 공자 류를 애지중지하며 도태자를 쫓아내려 한 것이다.
음란 때문에 멸망 직전까지 갔던 진나라가 또 혼돈에 빠졌다.
그 와중에 애공이 불치병으로 숨을 거두며 동생 초에게 류를 부탁했다. 이에 초가 도태자를 암살하고 류를 군주로 세웠다. 이 사실을 도태자의 아들 공손오가 초영왕에게 전했다.
초영왕이 동생 기질을 불러 “공손오를 대동하고 가서 진나라를 징계하라”고 명령했다.
결국 진나라가 또 초나라에게 멸망당하고 초나라의 일개 고을로 만들어 수령에 천봉승을 임명했다. 그러자 의삼량이 앞장서서 반대했다. 마치 자신의 조부가 나라에 폐를 끼친 것을 속죄라도 하듯.
이런 의삼량을 백성이 따르며 세력이 커지자, 초나라가 의삼량을 처형했다. 그 뒤에 천봉승을 소환하고 공손오를 진혜공에 즉위시켰다.
이처럼 진나라가 초나라의 속국과 다름 없게 되었다. 그러니 초나라와 경쟁중이던 오나라가 진나라를 노릴 수밖에 없었다. 이런 상황에서 첩보전을 지휘하던 진나라 혜공의 아들 류가 손무를 체포했던 것이다.
손무가 잡히던 날 새벽이었다. 포강이 버릇처럼 점을 쳐 보았다.
‘어? 화명장장和鳴鏘鏘이라니….’
암수 봉황이 만나 합창한다는 점괘였다. 그날 석양에 손무가 무사를 따라 객관에 들어설 때 포강은 그토록 기다렸던 사람임을 직감했다. 하지만 일절 내색하지 않고 손무에게 방을 안내하고 나오는 데 무사 한 명이 귀띔해 주었다.
“내일이 저놈 제삿날이야. 아무래도 오나라 간첩인 것 같애.”
그 말에 놀랜 포강이 손무를 빼내 진나라 도성을 탈출했던 것이다.
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.<*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.>
[The Art of War 44]
The Greatest Scandal of the Spring and Autumn Period
Who was Yixingfu, whom Bao Xiang mentioned to Sun Wu? He was linked to the greatest scandal of the Spring and Autumn Period. In 600 BC, Yixingfu, along with Duke Ying of Jin (613–599) and his minister Gongning, had an affair with Xia Xiu.
At the time, Xia Xiu was married to the minister Eosuk of the Jin Dynasty and gave birth to Xia Jingshu, but Eosuk died, leaving her widowed.
The three of them engaged in sexual intercourse, laughing at each other as if they were Xia Jingshu's fathers. This scandal became so widespread that Xia Xiu, the minister Xueye, came to visit Duke Ying.
"Please save your honor as a feudal lord. How can you possibly have sex with your subjects?"
Embarrassed, Duke Ying killed Xueye, but Xia Jingshu, recognizing this, mobilized his troops and attacked the three men, who were indulging in their passion with their mother Xia Xi. Duke Yeong fled naked, but was killed by He Jingshu's arrows. Gong Ning and Yi Xingfu fled to Chu. He Jingshu, who had taken control of the royal palace, installed Duke Wu as the Duke of Jin (598–569).
The following winter, King Zhuang of Chu attacked Jin under the pretext of punishing the assassination of his ruler. He Jingshu resisted but was defeated and executed by dismemberment. Duke Jin of Jin, visiting the state of Jin, was unharmed.
King Zhuang summoned Duke Jin of Jin and admonished him, "Govern the country well from now on," then sent Gong Ning and Yi Xingfu back to their homeland.
After this incident, the Yi Xingfu family remained in hiding, even during the reign of their son. It was not until the reign of Duke Ai of Chen (568–534) that his grandson, Yi Sanliang, was able to regain the title of grandson.
However, Duke Ai of Chen, like Duke Ying of Chen, fell into indiscriminate love. Although he had a son, Prince Tao, with his first wife, Jeonghui, he took a second wife and doted on Prince Liu, the son born from that marriage, attempting to oust Prince Tao.
The Jin dynasty, already on the brink of destruction due to adultery, fell into chaos once again.
Amidst this, Duke Ai, dying of an incurable illness, entrusted his younger brother, Prince Chu, with the care of Liu. Chu then assassinated Prince Tao and installed Liu as its new ruler. Prince Tao's son, Gongsun Wu, relayed this news to King Ying of Chu.
King Ying summoned his younger brother, Ji Qi, and ordered him to "take Gongsun Wu and go punish the Jin dynasty."
Finally, Jin was once again destroyed by Chu, reduced to a mere province within Chu, and Tianfeng Sheng was appointed as its governor. However, Yi Sanliang took the lead in opposing this, as if to atone for the harm his grandfather had caused the state.
Yi Sanliang's power grew as the people followed him, and the Chu dynasty executed him. Afterwards, he summoned Tianfeng Sheng and enthroned Gongsun Wu as Duke Hui of Jin.
In this way, Jin became little more than a vassal state of Chu. Therefore, Wu, which was competing with Chu, had no choice but to target Jin. It was in this situation that Liu, son of Duke Hui of Jin, who was commanding intelligence operations, captured Sun Wu.
It was dawn on the day Sun Wu was captured. Po Gang, as was his custom, read his fortune.
"Huh? A harmonious sounding bell..."
It was a horoscope predicting a male and female phoenix meeting and singing together. That day, as Sun Wu followed the warrior into the guesthouse at sunset, Po Gang instinctively knew that this was the person he had been waiting for. However, he showed Sun Wu his room without showing any emotion, and as he was leaving, one of the warriors whispered,
"Tomorrow is that guy's memorial service. I think he's a spy from Wu."
Startled by these words, Po Gang rescued Sun Wu and fled the Jin capital.
