Three Kingdoms: Red Cliff · chapter 4 of 8
A Letter Across the River
江那边的信
Cao Cao chains his ships together and trusts a letter from a beaten old general. Zhou Yu is thrilled, until a banner shows him what he forgot.
Read what you hear
- The Young Soldier 大人……我……我想吐……这船一直在晃……
Dàrén… wǒ… wǒ xiǎng tǔ… zhèchuán yìzhí zài huǎng…
Sir... I... I want to be sick... this boat keeps rocking...
- Cao Cao 又吐？你们是北方的兵，骑马能跑一千里，怎么坐船就不行了？
Yòu tǔ? Nǐmen shì běifāng de bīng, qímǎ néng pǎo yìqiānlǐ, zěnme zuòchuán jiù bùxíng le?
Sick again? You're northern soldiers who can ride a thousand li on a horse. Why can't you handle a boat?
- Cao Cao's Adviser 大人，军中一半的人都生病了。他们骑在马上是老虎，站在船上就是小猫。
Dàrén, jūnzhōng yíbàn de rén dōu shēngbìng le. Tāmen qí zài mǎshàng shì lǎohǔ, zhàn zài chuánshàng jiùshì xiǎomāo.
Sir, half the men in the army are sick. On horseback they're tigers, but on a ship they're kittens.
Chapter 4 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of Three Kingdoms: Red Cliff is free, and so are The Second Cup of Tea, Mulan, The Butterfly Lovers, Journey to the West: The Monkey King, Cinderella, The Night of the Nian, Chang'e and the Moon, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, Aesop's Fables, Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, The Ugly Duckling, Pangu and Nüwa: How the World Began, Beauty and the Beast, The Magic Lotus Lantern, Alice in Wonderland, Zhong Kui the Demon Queller, The Odyssey, Robin Hood, Jiang Ziya Goes Fishing, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Kitchen God from start to finish.
- Cao Cao 一群小猫，怎么打周瑜？你们谁有办法，快说！
Yìqún xiǎomāo, zěnme dǎ Zhōu Yú? Nǐmen shéi yǒu bànfǎ, kuài shuō!
A bunch of kittens. How will they beat Zhou Yu? Whoever has an idea, speak up!
- Pang Tong 大人，我有一个办法。大船不晃，人就不吐。
Dàrén, wǒ yǒu yí gè bànfǎ. Dàchuán bùhuǎng, rén jiù bù tǔ.
Sir, I have a way. If the big ships stop rocking, the men will stop being sick.
- Cao Cao 你是谁？
Nǐ shì shéi?
And who are you?
- Pang Tong 我只是一个路过的读书人，想帮大人一个小忙。大人，把您的船一条一条连起来，用铁链锁在一起，它们就会像一块平地一样稳。
Wǒ zhǐshì yí gè lùguò de dúshūrén, xiǎng bāng dàrén yí gè xiǎománg. Dàrén, bǎ nín de chuán yì tiáo yì tiáo lián qǐlái, yòng tiěliàn suǒ zài yìqǐ, tāmen jiù huì xiàng yí kuài píngdì yí yàng wěn.
I'm only a passing scholar who wants to do you a small favor. Sir, link your ships together one by one with iron chains, and they'll be as steady as solid ground.
- Cao Cao 连成一块……好！这个办法好！
Liánchéng yí kuài… hǎo! Zhè ge bànfǎ hǎo!
Linked into one piece... good! That's a fine idea!
- Cao Cao's Adviser 大人，请等一等。如果周瑜用火烧我们，船连在一起，就跑不掉了。
Dàrén, qǐng děng yì děng. Rúguǒ Zhōu Yú yòng huǒshāo wǒmen, chuánlián zài yìqǐ, jiù pǎo bú diào le.
Sir, wait a moment. If Zhou Yu attacks us with fire and the ships are linked, we won't be able to escape.
- Cao Cao 哈哈哈！你读书读糊涂了。用火，要有东风。现在是冬天，只有北风，周瑜要是烧我们，只会烧到他自己！
Hāhāhā! Nǐ dúshū dú hútú le. Yònghuǒ, yào yǒu dōngfēng. Xiànzài shì dōngtiān, zhǐyǒu běifēng, Zhōu Yú yàoshi shāo wǒmen, zhǐhuì shāo dào tā zìjǐ!
Ha ha ha! You've read so many books you've lost your head. Fire needs an east wind. It's winter, and we only get the north wind. If Zhou Yu tries to burn us, he'll only burn himself!
- Cao Cao 传令下去！所有的大船小船，今晚都用铁链连起来！
Chuánlìng xiàqù! Suǒyǒu de dàchuán xiǎochuán, jīnwǎn dōu yòng tiěliàn lián qǐlái!
Pass the order! Every ship, big and small, is to be linked with iron chains tonight!
- The Young Soldier 大人，真的吗？船连起来以后，真的就不晃了？
Dàrén, zhēnde ma? Chuánlián qǐlái yǐhòu, zhēnde jiù bùhuǎng le?
Sir, really? Once the ships are linked, they really won't rock?
- Cao Cao 不晃了。你可以在上面吃饭、睡觉，还可以在上面骑马。
Bùhuǎng le. Nǐ kěyǐ zài shàngmiàn chīfàn, shuìjiào, hái kěyǐ zài shàngmiàn qímǎ.
No more rocking. You'll be able to eat and sleep on it, and even ride a horse on it.
- The Young Soldier 那我的马也可以上船吗？它吐得比我还厉害！
Nà wǒ de mǎ yě kěyǐ shàngchuán ma? Tā tǔ dé bǐ wǒ hái lìhài!
Can my horse come aboard too? It has been sicker than I have!
- Cao Cao 可以可以！马、兵、粮食，全都可以上去。你别再问了！
Kěyǐ kěyǐ! Mǎ, bīng, liángshí, quándōu kěyǐ shàngqù. Nǐbié zài wèn le!
Yes, yes! Horses, soldiers, grain, all of it can go up. Now stop asking!
- The Young Soldier 太好了！我终于不用吐了！大人，您真是天下第一聪明人！
Tàihǎo le! Wǒ zhōngyú búyòng tǔ le! Dàrén, nín zhēnshì tiānxià dìyī cōngmingrén!
Wonderful! I don't have to be sick anymore! Sir, you're the cleverest man under heaven!
- Cao Cao 那当然。对了，刚才有一条小渔船，送来了一封信。给我看看。
Nà dāngrán. Duì le, gāngcái yǒu yì tiáo xiǎo yúchuán, sònglái le yì fēngxìn. Gěi wǒ kànkan.
Of course I am. Oh, right, a small fishing boat just delivered a letter. Let me see it.
- Cao Cao 黄盖的信？他说周瑜打了他，他要带着船和粮食来投降，船头会插一面青色的大旗……
Huáng Gài de xìn? Tā shuō Zhōu Yú dǎ le tā, tā yào dài zhe chuán hé liángshí lái tóuxiáng, chuántóu huì chā yí miàn qīngsè de dàqí…
A letter from Huang Gai? He says Zhou Yu beat him and he wants to bring ships and grain to surrender. His lead boat will carry a big green flag...
- Cao Cao's Adviser 大人，上次周瑜也骗过您。这个信，会不会又是一个骗局？
Dàrén, shàngcì Zhōu Yú yě piànguò nín. Zhè ge xìn, huì búhuì yòu shì yí gè piànjú?
Sir, Zhou Yu tricked you last time too. Could this letter be another trap?
- Cao Cao 我也想过。所以我让人去打听了：黄盖被打，是真的。他三天下不了床。
Wǒ yě xiǎng guò. Suǒyǐ wǒ ràng rén qù dǎtīng le: Huáng Gài bèi dǎ, shì zhēnde. Tā sān tiānxià bùliǎo chuáng.
I've thought of that too. So I sent men to find out: the beating was real. He couldn't leave his bed for three days.
- Cao Cao 一个老人被打成那样，当然恨周瑜。我相信他。让他来！
Yí gè lǎorén bèi dǎchéng nà yàng, dāngrán hèn Zhōu Yú. Wǒ xiāngxìn tā. Ràng tā lái!
An old man beaten like that would certainly hate Zhou Yu. I believe him. Let him come!
- Zhou Yu 好！曹操上钩了！鲁肃，快看，他的船全用铁链连起来了，连成了一座水上的大城！
Hǎo! Cáo Cāo shànggōu le! Lǔ Sù, kuài kàn, tā de chuán quányòng tiěliàn lián qǐlái le, liánchéng le yízuò shuǐshàng de dàchéng!
Yes! Cao Cao has taken the bait! Lu Su, look, all his ships are linked with iron chains, into one great city on the water!
- Zhuge Liang 一条大龙，躺在江上，动不了了。都督，恭喜你，你的火就要有地方烧了。
Yì tiáo dàlóng, tǎng zài jiāngshàng, dòng bùliǎo le. Dūdū, gōngxǐ nǐ, nǐ de huǒ jiùyào yǒu dìfang shāo le.
A great dragon lying on the river, unable to move. Congratulations, Commander. Your fire now has a place to burn.
- Zhou Yu 先生，这都是你和我想出来的火攻。你说，如果烧起来，曹操的八十万大军会怎么样？
Xiānsheng, zhè dōu shì nǐ hé wǒ xiǎng chūlái de huǒgōng. Nǐ shuō, rúguǒ shāo qǐlái, Cáo Cāo de bāshíwàn dàjūn huì zěnmeyàng?
Master, this fire attack is something you and I thought of together. Tell me, if it catches, what will happen to Cao Cao's eight hundred thousand?
- Zhuge Liang 当然会全部烧光。只要有风。
Dāngrán huì quánbù shāoguāng. Zhǐyào yǒufēng.
They'll all be burned, of course. As long as there's wind.
- Zhou Yu 风？说到风……你看，山上那面旗，现在正往哪边飘？
Fēng? Shuō dào fēng… nǐ kàn, shānshàng nà miàn qí, xiànzài zhèngwǎng nǎbiān piāo?
Wind? Speaking of wind... look at that banner on the hill. Which way is it blowing right now?
- Zhou Yu 往我们这边飘……北风。全是北风！火只会烧回我们自己的船上！
Wǎng wǒmen zhèbiān piāo… běifēng. Quánshì běifēng! Huǒzhǐ huì shāo huí wǒmen zìjǐ de chuánshàng!
Toward us... north wind. Nothing but north wind! The fire would only burn our own ships!
- Zhou Yu 怎么办……怎么办！我想了三个月……只差一阵东风……
Zěnmebàn… zěnmebàn! Wǒ xiǎng le sān gè yuè… zhǐchà yí zhèn dōngfēng…
What do I do... what do I do! I planned for three months... and all I lack is an east wind...
- Lu Su 都督！都督！你怎么了？快来人！
Dūdū! Dūdū! Nǐ zěnme le? Kuàilái rén!
Commander! Commander! What's wrong? Someone, quick!
- Zhou Yu 东风……东风……
Dōngfēng… dōngfēng…
East wind... east wind...
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- Why are Cao Cao's northern soldiers unhappy on the ships?
“我想吐”
- What idea does the passing scholar give Cao Cao?
“用铁链锁在一起”
- What worries Cao Cao's adviser about linked ships?
“船连在一起，就跑不掉了”
- Why does Cao Cao trust Huang Gai's letter?
“黄盖被打，是真的”
- What problem suddenly dawns on Zhou Yu?
“火只会烧回我们自己的船上”