Three Kingdoms: Red Cliff · chapter 3 of 8
The Angry Old General
生气的老将军
To sneak fire ships past Cao Cao, old General Huang Gai offers to take a beating in public. Zhuge Liang sees the plan, and one thing it lacks.
Read what you hear
- Zhou Yu 十万支箭，他三天就借来了。三天！还有，他在我手心里写下的，竟然也是那个“火”字。
Shíwàn zhījiàn, tā sān tiān jiù jièlái le. Sān tiān! Háiyǒu, tā zài wǒ shǒu xīnlǐ xiěxià de, jìngrán yě shì nà ge “huǒ” zì.
One hundred thousand arrows, and he borrowed them in three days. Three days! And the word he wrote on my palm was 'fire' too.
- Huang Gai 都督，火攻是好办法。可是曹操的船那么多，我们怎么靠近他？
Dūdū, huǒgōng shì hǎo bànfǎ. Kěshì Cáo Cāo de chuán nàme duō, wǒmen zěnme kàojìn tā?
Commander, fire is a fine plan. But Cao Cao has so many ships. How do we get close to him?
- Zhou Yu 黄老将军，你还没睡？这也正是我睡不着的原因。曹操这个人，谁的话都不太信。
Huánglǎo jiàngjūn, nǐ hái méi shuì? Zhè yě zhèngshì wǒ shuì bù zhe de yuányīn. Cáo Cāo zhè ge rén, shéi dehuà dōu bú tài xìn.
General Huang, you're still awake? That's exactly why I can't sleep either. Cao Cao doesn't trust anyone's word very much.
Chapter 3 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.
- Huang Gai 那就让他信一个人。我去投降。
Nà jiùràng tāxìn yí gè rén. Wǒ qù tóuxiáng.
Then let him trust one person. I will go and surrender.
- Zhou Yu 什么？黄老将军，你为我们打了三代人的仗，怎么能去投降？
Shénme? Huánglǎo jiàngjūn, nǐ wèi wǒmen dǎ le sāndàirén de zhàng, zěnme néng qù tóuxiáng?
What? General Huang, you have fought for three generations of our family. How could you surrender?
- Huang Gai 就是因为我老了，才最合适。人们都知道，我一向脾气不好，也常常和都督吵架。
Jiùshì yīnwèi wǒ lǎo le, cái zuìhéshì. Rénmen dōu zhīdào, wǒ yíxiàng píqì bùhǎo, yě chángcháng hé dūdū chǎojià.
It's because I'm old that I'm the right man. Everyone knows I have a bad temper and often argue with you, Commander.
- Zhou Yu 可是曹操这个人很小心。一封信，他不会相信的。他要看到真的伤。
Kěshì Cáo Cāo zhè ge rén hěn xiǎoxīn. Yì fēngxìn, tā búhuì xiāngxìn de. Tā yào kàndào zhēnde shāng.
But Cao Cao is very careful. He won't believe a letter alone. He'll need to see real wounds.
- Huang Gai 那就给他看。明天开会，我当着所有人的面，骂你。你就当着所有人的面，罚我。
Nà jiù gěi tā kàn. Míngtiān kāihuì, wǒ dāngzhe suǒyǒurén de miàn, mà nǐ. Nǐ jiù dāngzhe suǒyǒurén de miàn, fá wǒ.
Then let him see them. Tomorrow at the meeting I will shout at you in front of everyone. And you will punish me in front of everyone.
- Zhou Yu 黄老将军……我下不了手。
Huánglǎo jiàngjūn… wǒxià bùliǎo shǒu.
General Huang... I can't do it.
- Huang Gai 都督，要打赢曹操，就要有人先疼一下。我这把老骨头，别的没有，就是结实。
Dūdū, yào dǎyíng Cáo Cāo, jiùyào yǒurén xiānténg yí xià. Wǒ zhè bǎ lǎogútou, biéde méiyǒu, jiùshì jiēshí.
Commander, to beat Cao Cao, someone has to hurt a little first. This old frame of mine has nothing else going for it, but it's sturdy.
- Zhou Yu 老将军，你的这份情，我会记一辈子。等我们打赢了，我请你喝最好的酒。
Lǎo jiàngjūn, nǐ de zhè fèn qíng, wǒhuì jì yíbèizi. Děng wǒmen dǎyíng le, wǒ qǐng nǐ hē zuìhǎo de jiǔ.
General, I will remember this kindness for the rest of my life. When we win, I'll treat you to the finest wine.
- Huang Gai 好！那就把酒放在船上。我要一边喝酒，一边看曹操的船着火！
Hǎo! Nà jiù bǎjiǔ fàngzài chuánshàng. Wǒ yào yìbiān hējiǔ, yìbiān kàn Cáo Cāo de chuán zháohuǒ!
Good! Then put the wine on a boat. I want to drink and watch Cao Cao's ships burn!
- Huang Gai 你们这些年轻人，只会说“投降”“不投降”。我早就说过，曹操的兵那么多，我们根本打不赢！我看，大家还是投降吧！
Nǐmen zhè xiē niánqīngrén, zhǐhuì shuō “tóuxiáng” “bù tóuxiáng”. Wǒ zǎojiù shuō guò, Cáo Cāo de bīng nàme duō, wǒmen gēnběn dǎ bù yíng! Wǒ kàn, dàjiā háishi tóuxiáng ba!
You young people just keep saying 'surrender' or 'don't surrender.' I've always said Cao Cao has too many men and we can't win! I say let's all surrender!
- Zhou Yu 大胆！你敢在军中说投降？来人！这个老将军，先打他一顿！
Dàdǎn! Nǐ gǎn zài jūnzhōng shuō tóuxiáng? Lái rén! Zhè ge lǎo jiàngjūn, xiāndǎ tā yídùn!
How dare you! You say 'surrender' in the middle of camp? Guards! Give this old general a beating!
- Huang Gai 你打吧！我为江东打了三十年仗，今天却被你这个小孩子打！哎呀……
Nǐ dǎ ba! Wǒ wèi Jiāngdōng dǎ le sān shí nián zhàng, jīntiān què bèi nǐ zhè ge xiǎoháizi dǎ! Āiyā…
Go ahead! I fought thirty years for Jiangdong, and today I'm beaten by a boy like you! Ow...
- Narrator 士兵们不敢看，都低下了头。黄盖被打得站不起来了。
Shìbīng men bùgǎn kàn, dōu dīxià le tóu. Huáng Gài bèi dǎ dé zhàn bù qǐlái le.
The soldiers dared not look and lowered their heads. Huang Gai was beaten until he could not stand.
- Lu Su 都督！他年纪那么大了！请你饶了他吧！
Dūdū! Tā niánjì nàme dà le! Qǐng nǐ ráo le tā ba!
Commander! He is so old! Please spare him!
- Zhou Yu 不要再说了。鲁肃，你带他回去休息。谁也不许去看他！
Búyào zàishuō le. Lǔ Sù, nǐ dài tā huíqù xiūxi. Shuí yě bùxǔ qù kàn tā!
Say no more. Lu Su, take him away to rest. No one is allowed to visit him!
- Lu Su 是……是……哎呀，这可怎么办，这可怎么办……
Shì… shì… āiyā, zhè kě zěnmebàn, zhè kě zěnmebàn…
Yes... yes... oh dear, what are we going to do, what are we going to do...
- Zhuge Liang 鲁兄，喝口茶。你已经念了好几遍“这可怎么办”了。
Lǔ xiōng, hēkǒu chá. Nǐ yǐjīng niàn le hǎo jǐ biàn “zhè kě zěnmebàn” le.
Have some tea, Brother Lu. You've said 'what are we going to do' several times already.
- Lu Su 先生，你看见了吗？都督竟然打了黄老将军！你怎么这么安静？
Xiānsheng, nǐ kànjiàn le ma? Dūdū jìngrán dǎ le huánglǎo jiàngjūn! Nǐ zěnme zhème ānjìng?
Master, did you see? The commander actually beat old General Huang! Why are you so calm?
- Zhuge Liang 我看见了。我也看见了黄老将军的眼睛。他被打的时候，没有真的生气。
Wǒ kànjiàn le. Wǒ yě kànjiàn le huánglǎo jiàngjūn de yǎnjing. Tā bèi dǎ de shíhou, méiyǒu zhēnde shēngqì.
I saw. And I saw General Huang's eyes. When he was being beaten, he wasn't truly angry.
- Lu Su 你的意思是……这是假的？
Nǐ de yìsi shì… zhè shì jiǎ de?
You mean... it was fake?
- Zhuge Liang 我什么也没说。鲁兄，你也什么都没有看出来，对不对？
Wǒ shénme yě méi shuō. Lǔ xiōng, nǐ yě shénme dōu méiyǒu kàn chūlái, duì bú duì?
I said nothing. And you, Brother Lu, noticed nothing, right?
- Lu Su 对，对，我什么也没看见！我一个字也不会说！
Duì, duì, wǒ shénme yě méi kànjiàn! Wǒ yí gè zì yě búhuì shuō!
Right, right, I saw nothing! I won't say one word!
- Zhuge Liang 这就对了。都督想得很好：黄老将军去投降，火船就能靠近曹操。
Zhè jiù duì le. Dūdū xiǎng dé hěn hǎo: huánglǎo jiàngjūn qù tóuxiáng, huǒchuán jiù néng kàojìn Cáo Cāo.
That's right. The commander has thought it out well: with General Huang surrendering, the fire ships can get near Cao Cao.
- Lu Su 那……那不是很好吗？你为什么不笑？
Nà… nà búshì hěn hǎo ma? Nǐ wèishénme búxiào?
Then... isn't that good? Why aren't you smiling?
- Zhuge Liang 因为都督想到了火，也想到了黄老将军。可是，他还没有想到一样东西。
Yīnwèi dūdū xiǎngdào le huǒ, yě xiǎngdào le huánglǎo jiàngjūn. Kěshì, tā hái méiyǒu xiǎngdào yí yàng dōngxi.
Because the commander has thought of fire, and of General Huang. But there's one thing he hasn't thought of yet.
- Lu Su 什么东西？
Shénme dōngxi?
What thing?
- Zhuge Liang 风。
Fēng.
The wind.
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What does old Huang Gai volunteer to do?
“我去投降”
- Why does Huang Gai say he is the right man for the job?
“就是因为我老了，才最合适”
- Why does Cao Cao need to see real wounds?
“曹操这个人很小心”
- What does Zhuge Liang tell Lu Su about General Huang's beating?
“他被打的时候，没有真的生气”
- What has Zhou Yu not yet thought of, according to Zhuge Liang?
“风”