0548翻译：草船借箭（三国演义）
Translation: Borrowing Arrows with Straw Boats (From: Romance of Three Kingdoms)
(translated by: alexcwlin; edited by: Adam Lam)
周瑜看到诸葛亮挺有才干，心里很妒忌。
Zhou Yu noticed Zhuge Liang was very capable and he was jealous.
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有一天，周瑜请诸葛亮商议军事，
One day, Zhou Yu asked Zhuge Liang to come and discuss military affairs.
说∶“我们就要跟曹军交战。
Zhou said: “We are going to engage in battle with Cao’s army.
水上交战，用什么兵器最好？”
What is the best weapon to use for combating in water?”
诸葛亮说∶“用弓箭最好。”
Zhuge said: “Bows and arrows are the best.”
周瑜说∶“对，先生跟我想的一样。
Zhou said: “Yes, you and I think alike.
现在军中缺箭，
Now our army is short in arrows.
想请先生负责赶造十万支。
I wish to ask you in taking care of producing one-hundred-thousand arrows in a rush.
这是公事，希望先生不要推却。”
This is an official matter and I hope you would not decline.”
诸葛亮说∶“都督委托，当然照办。
Zhuge said: “Governor entrusts me with this assignment and of course I will do as you order.
不知道这十万支箭什么时候用？”
I wonder when you will require these one-hundred-thousand arrows available for use.”
周瑜问∶“十天造得好吗？”
Zhou asked: “Could you produce them in ten days?”
诸葛亮说∶“既然就要交战，十天造好，必然误了大事。”
Zhuge said: “Since we are going to engage in battle, making them in ten days could bungle up matters.”
周瑜问∶“先生预计几天可以造好？”
Zhou asked: “How many days do you expect to get them made?”
诸葛亮说∶“只要三天。”
Zhuge said: “Three days will be enough.”
周瑜说∶“军情紧急，可不能开玩笑。”
Zhou said: “Military business is critically urgent and you cannot treat it as a joke.”
诸葛亮说∶“怎么敢跟都督开玩笑？
Zhuge said: “How could I dare to pull a prank on you, Governor?
我愿意立下军令状，
I am willing to subject myself to a military order.
三天造不好，甘受惩罚。”
If I cannot finish the job in three days, I will gladly accept punishment that I deserve.”
周瑜很高兴，
Zhou was very pleased.
叫诸葛亮当面立下军令状，又摆了酒席招待他。
He asked Zhuge to sign a military order on the spot and entertained him with a banquet.
诸葛亮说∶“今天来不及了。
Zhuge said: “I cannot make it to the dinner today.
从明天起，到第三天，请派五百个军士到江边来搬箭。”
Counting three days from tomorrow, please send five hundred soldiers to the riverbank to transport arrows.”
诸葛亮喝了几杯酒就走了。
Zhuge drank a few cups of wine and left.
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鲁肃对周瑜说∶“十万支箭，三天怎么造得成呢？
Lu Su said to Zhou Yu: “How can anyone produce one-hundred-thousand arrows in three days?
诸葛亮说的是假话吧？”
Zhuge Liang had to be fabricating the whole thing up, wouldn’t he?”
周瑜说∶“是他自己说的，我可没逼他。
Zhou Yu said: “He said that all by himself and I didn’t coerce him.
我得吩咐军匠们，叫他们故意迟延，
I will order our military craftsmen to slow down working deliberately.
造箭用的材料，不给他准备齐全。
Also I will not provide the full range of arrow-making materials to him.
到时候造不成，定他的罪，他就没话可说了。
When he could not produce the arrows as he has undertaken to do, then he would have nothing to say when I pass verdict on him.
你去探听探听，看他怎么打算，回来报告我。”
You go and find out what his plan is and report back to me.”
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鲁肃见了诸葛亮。
Lu Su met with Zhuge Liang.
诸葛亮说∶“三天之内要造十万支箭，得请你帮帮我的忙。”
Zhuge said: “To make one-hundred-thousand arrows in three days I need your help.”
鲁肃说∶“都是你自己找的，我怎么帮得了你的忙？”
Lu said: “You bring this upon yourself and how could I possibly help you?”
诸葛亮说∶“你借给我二十条船，每条船上要三十名军士。
Zhuge said: “Loan me twenty boats with thirty soldiers in each boat.
船用青布幔子遮起来，
The boats will be covered up entirely with green cloth curtains.
还要一千多个草把子，排在船的两边。
I also need one-thousand and then some straw bundles to be lined up on both sides of the boats.
我自有妙用。第三天管保有十万支箭。
I have an ingenious plan and on the third day I guarantee there will be one-hundred-thousand arrows.
不过不能让都督知道。他要是知道了，我的计划就完了。”
But the Governor must not know about this, or else if he finds out my plan will not work.”
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鲁肃答应了。
Lu Su promised to do as Zhuge Liang asked.
他不知道诸葛亮借船有什么用，回来报告周瑜，
He did not know what Zhuge would do with the boats, and he returned to report to Zhou Yu.
果然不提借船的事，只说诸葛亮不用竹子、翎毛、胶漆这些材料。
Sure enough he did not mention the arrangement on borrowing boats and only said Zhuge did not use materials such as bamboo sticks, feathers, glue, and vanish.
周瑜疑惑起来，说∶“到了第三天，看他怎么办！”
Zhou was puzzled and said: “Let’s see what he would do when the third day comes.”
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鲁肃私自拨了二十条快船，每条船上配三十名军士.
Lu Su privately put aside twenty speedy boats and assigned thirty soldiers to each boat.
照诸葛亮说的，布置好青布幔子和草把子，等诸葛亮调度。
Also he made such setups of green cloth curtains and straw bundles on the boats as requested by Zhuge and everything awaited further instructions from Zhuge.
第一天，不见诸葛亮有什么动静；
On the first day Zhuge did not make any move.
第二天，仍然不见诸葛亮有什么动静；
On the second day Zhuge also did nothing.
直到第三天四更时候，诸葛亮秘密地把鲁肃请到船里。
Around one to three o’clock after midnight on the third day Zhuge secretly asked Lu to come to one of the boats.
鲁肃问他∶“你叫我来做什么？”
Lu asked him: “Why do you ask me to come here?”
诸葛亮说∶“请你一起去取箭。”
Zhuge said: “I invite you to go and get the arrows with me together.”
鲁肃问∶“哪里去取？”
Lu asked: “Where are we going to get them?”
诸葛亮说∶“不用问，
Zhuge said: “There is no need to ask.
去了就知道。”
You will find out when you get there.”
诸葛亮吩咐把二十条船用绳索连接起来，朝北岸开去。
Zhuge ordered to link the twenty boats together with ropes and sail them towards the northern shore.
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这时候大雾漫天，江上连面对面都看不清。
At this time it was heavy fog everywhere and people facing each other could not see clearly the features of the opposite party.
天还没亮，船已经靠近曹军的水寨。
Before the sky turned bright, the boats were close to the navy base of Cao Army.
诸葛亮下令把船头朝西，船尾朝东，一字摆开，
Zhuge ordered the bows of the boats to face west and the sterns to face east in a line formation.
又叫船上的军士一边擂鼓，一边大声呐喊。
He also directed the soldiers on the boats to beat drums and shout at the top of their lungs.
鲁肃吃惊地说∶“如果曹兵出来，怎么办？”
Lu was shocked and said: “What if Cao soldiers come out, and then what are we going to do?”
诸葛亮笑着说∶“雾这样大，曹操一定不敢派兵出来。
Zhuge laughed and said: “The fog is so thick Cao Cao will not dispatch his soldiers to come out.
我们只管饮酒取乐，
We just have to drink wine and enjoy ourselves.
天亮了就回去。”
At daybreak we will go back.”
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曹操听到鼓声和呐喊声，就下令说∶“江上雾很大，敌人忽然来攻，
Upon hearing the drumbeats and shouting, Cao Cao ordered: “The fog is very heavy in the river and the enemies have launched a surprise attack.
我们看不清虚实，
We can’t see clearly what is going on.
不要轻易出动。
Let us don’t get out there impetuously.
只叫弓弩手朝他们射箭，不让他们近前。”
We will only order our archers to shoot at them in preventing them from getting close.”
他派人去旱寨调来六千名弓弩手，到江边支援水军。
He transferred six thousand archers from the ground troop barracks to support the navy by the riverside.
一万多名弓弩手一齐朝江中放箭，箭好像下雨一样。
Over ten-thousand archers shot arrows at the river together, and the arrow fell like raindrops.
诸葛亮又下令把船掉过来，船头朝东，船尾朝西，
Then Zhuge ordered the boats to turn around and face the bows eastward and the sterns westward.
仍旧擂鼓呐喊，
As before the soldiers continued to beat drums and clamor.
逼近曹军水寨去受箭。
Also the boats were sailed closer to catch the shooting arrow.
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天渐渐亮了，雾还没有散。
The sky was getting bright gradually but fog had not dispersed.
这时候，船两边的草把子上都插满了箭。
At that time, straw bundles at both sides of the boats were stuck full of arrows.
诸葛亮吩咐军士齐声高喊“谢谢曹丞相的箭！”
Zhuge Liang ordered the soldiers on the boats to shout out loud: “Thank you Prime Minister Cao for the arrows.”
接着叫二十条船驶回南岸。
Then he ordered the boats to sail back to the southern shore.
曹操知道上了当，可是这边的船顺风顺水，
Cao Cao realized he was tricked but those boats coming from his side were sailing downwind and down-current.
已经驶出二十多里，要追也来不及了。
They already had twenty miles of head-start and it was impossible to catch up.
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二十条船靠岸的时候，周瑜派来的五百个军士正好来到江边搬箭。
When the twenty boats went alongshore, the five hundred solders dispatched by Zhou Yu to pick up arrows at riverside came just in time.
每条船大约有五六千支箭，二十条船总共有十万多支。
Each boat had five to six thousand arrows and multiplied that by twenty boats totaled one-hundred-thousand and then some arrows.
鲁肃见了周瑜，告诉他借箭的经过。
Lu Su met Zhou Yu and told him the entire process in borrowing arrows.
周瑜长叹一声，说∶“诸葛亮神机妙算，
Zhu took a deep sigh and said: “Zhuge Liang is meticulous and calculated.
我真比不上他！”
Truly I am nowhere near his match.”
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