草船借箭

公元208年冬，江东大都督周瑜正在筹划对曹操的反击。此时，刚刚与刘备结盟的诸葛亮来到周瑜军中，商议如何应对拥有数十万大军的曹操。

In the winter of 208 AD, the Grand Commander of Jiangdong, Zhou Yu, was planning a counterattack against Cao Cao. At this time, Zhuge Liang, who had just allied with Liu Bei, arrived in Zhou Yu's camp to discuss how to deal with Cao Cao's army of hundreds of thousands.

周瑜深知曹操水军虽众多，但多为北方士兵，不习水性，若能借助东吴精锐水军之力，未必不能一战。

Zhou Yu was well aware that although Cao Cao had a large naval force, most of the soldiers were from the north and were not skilled at naval combat. If he could utilize the elite naval forces of Eastern Wu, it might not be impossible for them to win a battle.

然而，问题在于军中箭矢储备不足，而临时打造数万支箭需时日，难以应对即将到来的战事。

However, the problem lay in the insufficient stock of arrows in the army. It would take time to manufacture tens of thousands of arrows, making it difficult to respond to the imminent war.

会议上，周瑜故意刁难诸葛亮，当着众人的面问道："孔明先生足智多谋，可否在十天内为我军筹备十万支箭？"

During the meeting, Zhou Yu deliberately made things difficult for Zhuge Liang, asking in front of everyone, "Mr. Kongming, you are clever and resourceful. Can you prepare one hundred thousand arrows for my army within ten days?"

周围的将领闻言皆露出讶异之色。十天内制造十万支箭？即便动用全军匠人，日夜不停，也绝非易事。此乃明显刁难，意在削弱诸葛亮在联盟中的地位。

The surrounding generals all showed surprise. To manufacture one hundred thousand arrows within ten days? Even if all the craftsmen were mobilized and worked day and night, it would be no easy task. This was clearly anattempt to undermine Zhuge Liang's position in the alliance.

出人意料的是，诸葛亮不假思索地回答："十天太久，只需三天，我便可为将军献上十万支箭。"

Unexpectedly, Zhuge Liang answered without hesitation, "Ten days is too long; I can present you with one hundred thousand arrows in just three days."

周瑜半信半疑，随即与诸葛亮立下军令状：三日内若能交出十万支箭，诸葛亮将得到重赏；若无法完成，则按军法处置。

Zhou Yu was somewhat skeptical, and he immediately made a military order with Zhuge Liang: if he could deliver one hundred thousand arrows within three days, he would be richly rewarded; if he failed, he would face military punishment.

军令状立下当晚，诸葛亮便请来鲁肃，向他借二十条船，每条船上配备三十名水手，并准备大量的草把和布幔。鲁肃虽然疑惑，但念在两家联盟之情，仍按要求准备齐全。

That very night, after the military order was established, Zhuge Liang asked Lu Su to lend him twenty boats, each equipped with thirty sailors, and prepared a large amount of straw bundles and cloth curtains. Although Lu Su was puzzled, considering the alliance between the two families, he still prepared everything as requested.

第三天凌晨，天气恰如诸葛亮预料的那般起了浓雾。江面上白茫茫一片，能见度极低。

On the third day at dawn, the weather turned foggy exactly as Zhuge Liang had predicted. The river was shrouded in a blanket of white, with extremely low visibility.

诸葛亮命令水手们将船只并排连接，然后在船的两侧挂满湿润的草把和布幔，随后带领船队悄然驶向曹操水军驻扎的北岸。

Zhuge Liang ordered the sailors to connect the boats side by side, then draped them with wet straw bundles and cloth curtains on both sides. He then led the fleet quietly toward Cao Cao's navy stationed on the northern bank.

船队行至曹军水寨附近时，诸葛亮命令士兵敲响战鼓，大声呐喊，做出攻击之势。曹操军中将领听闻江上有敌来犯，因浓雾无法看清敌情，只能下令军士朝声音的方向放箭。

When the fleet approached the Cao army's water fortress, Zhuge Liang ordered the soldiers to beat drums and shout loudly, creating the appearance of an attack. The commanders of Cao Cao's army, hearing that enemies were approaching on the river, could not see clearly due to the fog and could only order their soldiers to shoot arrows in the direction of the sound.

"咻咻咻"的箭声在雾中此起彼伏。诸葛亮的船队故意横向摆布，使得曹军的箭矢大多射中了船帮上的草把和布幔。那些湿润的材料恰好能够牢牢吸住箭簇，使其不至落入江中。

The "whoosh" of arrows echoed in the fog. Zhuge Liang's fleet was intentionally arranged sideways, causing most of the arrows from Cao’s army to hit the straw bundles and cloth curtains on the sides of the boats. Those wet materials were just enough to firmly catch the arrows, preventing them from falling into the river.

约莫两个时辰后，浓雾稍稍散去，诸葛亮见船帮上已插满箭矢，便命令船队悄然撤退。

About two hours later, as the fog began to lift slightly, Zhuge Liang saw that the boat sides were full of arrows and ordered the fleet to quietly retreat.

当船队返回东吴大营时，船身两侧的草把和布幔上已经密密麻麻插满了箭，远远望去，宛如两只巨大的刺猬。

When the fleet returned to the Eastern Wu camp, the straw bundles and cloth curtains on the sides of the boats were densely filled with arrows, appearing from a distance like two gigantic hedgehogs.

周瑜闻讯赶来，看到满船的箭矢，不由得对诸葛亮刮目相看。经过清点，这些船只从曹军那里"借"来的箭矢竟超过了十万支，足以供东吴军队在接下来的战斗中使用。

Zhou Yu hurried over upon hearing the news and was taken aback when he saw the boat filled with arrows. After counting, they discovered that the arrows "borrowed" from Cao’s army actually exceeded one hundred thousand, enough for the Eastern Wu troops to use in the upcoming battle.

周瑜虽然佩服诸葛亮的智慧，但心中却暗生嫉妒。他私下对心腹说道："孔明足智多谋，日后必成大患，不可不防。"

Although Zhou Yu admired Zhuge Liang's wisdom, a sense of jealousy secretly arose in his heart. He privately told his confidant, "Kongming is clever and resourceful, and he will become a great threat in the future; we must be on guard."

这个"草船借箭"的故事流传千年，成为中国历史上智取胜于力取的经典案例。

The story of "borrowing arrows with straw boats" has been passed down for a thousand years, becoming a classic example in Chinese history of winning by intelligence rather than brute force.

诸葛亮利用天时（浓雾）、地利（江面）、人和（曹军的紧张心理）三者相结合，以小博大，不费一兵一卒，就从敌方"借"到了急需的军用物资。

Zhuge Liang combined the favorable timing (fog), geographical advantage (river surface), and psychological advantage (the nervous psychology of Cao's army) to achieve a small victory against a large force, borrowing the urgently needed military supplies without losing a single soldier.

这一事件发生在著名的赤壁之战前夕，为东吴与蜀汉联军最终战胜曹操奠定了重要基础。

This event occurred on the eve of the famous Battle of Chibi, laying an important foundation for the eventual victory of the Eastern Wu and Shu Han coalition against Cao Cao.

赤壁之战后，三国鼎立的局面正式形成，由此揭开了中国历史上一段波澜壮阔的三国时期。

After the Battle of Chibi, the situation of the Three Kingdoms formally took shape, marking the beginning of a magnificent period in Chinese history.

从"草船借箭"这一历史事件中，我们可以看到古人善于利用自然条件和敌方心理，以智谋取胜的军事思想；

From the historical event of "borrowing arrows with straw boats," we can see the ancient peoples' skill in utilizing natural conditions and the enemy's psychology to achieve victory through wisdom;

也体现了中国传统文化中"以柔克刚"、"四两拨千斤"的哲学智慧。这样的智慧不仅在军事上适用，在现代社会中解决各类问题时，同样具有重要的启示意义。

It also reflects the philosophical wisdom of "using softness to overcome hardness" and "using four taels to move a thousand pounds" in traditional Chinese culture. This wisdom is not only applicable in military contexts but also has significant implications for solving various problems in modern society.