中英雙語話歷史 第42期:三國鼎力
In 208 Cao Cao led his army to march south, seized Prefect Jingzhou (now Hubei province) and posed a direct menace to Sun Quan, who ruled in the middle and lower course of the Yangtze River.
Meanwhile, Liu Bei, the descendant from the rulers of the former Han, although in exile, striving to restore the power of Han, led his remaining soldiers to seek support from Sun Quan.
此時正在流亡中的漢皇室後代劉備也起兵欲興漢室，率荊州的殘餘勢力與江東的孫權結合。In the Yangtze River valley, Sun Quan was uncertain of his best course of action, and Liu Bei sent his brain-trust Zhuge Liang to state the reasoning.
孫權猶豫不定，是否與劉共同抗曹。
At Zhuge Liang, s instance ,Sun Quan decided after a hot debate at his headquarters, however, to send troops forward under the command of Zhou Yu to join Liu Bei and to test Cao Cao’s strength.
劉備派軍師諸葛 亮到孫權處說服孫出兵，在軍中一番討論之後，孫權決定派大將周瑜與劉備聯合出兵以探曹操兵力虛實。If their defence should be unsuccessful, he could withdraw most of his men and still have a reserve army with which to negotiate terms.
這樣即便不能勝曹，自己也還有一定實力與曹操和談。The allies met Cao Cao ’ s forces at the Red Cliffs (on the Yangtze between present-day Wuhan and Yueyang) and for a few days the two groups faced one the other across the river.
孫、曹大軍在赤壁（現武漢和岳陽一帶）會戰。戰初幾日，兩軍隔江對峙。The men of Cao Cao from the north had already taken part in a long campaign with several forced marches and they were not used to the southern waterways and marshlands, therefore there was sickness in the camp.
曹操的軍士多爲北方人，又長途跋涉來南方作戰，他們不熟水性和南方的地勢，因而軍中許多人病倒。Besides some of the Cao Cao's army and all of the fleet had formerly served Liu Bi-ao, they were undecided about their new master.
此外曹軍中還有許多步兵和全部的水兵是劉表的降兵，許多人並不真心忠於曹操。For his own part, Cao Cao probably regarded the operation as a reconnaissance in force： if he was successful in defeating the allies and driving them to separate surrenders, so much the better； if not, he could withdraw and look for another occasion in the future.
對曹操而言，這一次的戰爭也是檢驗其實力的時候，如果能打敗孫劉聯軍，將其各個擊破是再好不過;如果戰敗，自己還能撤回日後尋找機會再戰。Cao Cao's first attack was driven back and then the wind changed against him and Zhou Yu sent in an attack with fire-ships.
曹操的首次進攻被擊退,此時風向逆刮，周瑜乘勢用火攻。In the technology of warfare at that time，fire was a common weapon，and when used in the right circumstance it could create large-scale destruction.
在當時，火是一種常見的武器，在適當的條件下能造成很大的殺傷力。Whatever preparations Cao Cao may have made against the threat, he was compelled to abandon his position and retreat, and the allies enhanced their victory with tales of slaughter.
儘管曹操是有備而來,此時也不得不棄船後撤。After Cao Cao pulled back to his northern base, Sun Quan consolidated his position of the south. While Liu Bei seized part of the regions under the jurisdiction of Jingzhou Prefecture and later took Yizhou( mostly in present-day Sichuan Province) in the West.
曹操大敗，退回北方，劉備得以佔據荊州，後人益州（今四川境內）。And so situation arose in which the country was divided and ruled by the three feudal lords.
從此，曹、孫、劉三大勢力成鼎足之勢。The battle at the Red Cliffs has become one of the most celebrated battles in Chinese history, and it was the last chance for many years to re-unite the empire, for it was the control of the middle Yangtze which meant survival or surrender of the south.
赤壁之戰成爲中國歷史上有名的戰役，它也是最後一次統一中國南北的機會，因爲對長江中游地帶的控制就意味着南方是繼續存在還是歸順北方。It is also the theme of several plays and poems and the centre-piece of the great historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms .
同時它也是許多短劇和詩歌的主題，著名的歷史題材小說《三國演義》就是據此而成。In 215 Sun Quan ’ s field marshal Lv Meng was sent to seize the southern com-manderies of Jingzhou province. Liu Bei ’ s general Guan Yu brought an army in counter-attack. Taking advantage of their fighting in Jingzhou, Cao Cao attacked from Chang ’an across the Qinling Range Divide，seized Hanzhong and opened the way for a direct attack on Liu Bei.
公元215年，孫權大將呂蒙奪取了荊州以南的城池，劉備的大將關羽欲奪回失地，曹操趁機出兵攻佔了漢中，直接威脅着劉備的蜀地。Both were concerned by the threat from the northern Cao, Liu Bei and Sun Quan reconciled, defeated Cao Cao and killed one of Cao’s general Xiahou Yuan in Hanzhong.
劉備與孫權和解回兵漢中，擊潰曹軍，並斬殺曹操大將夏侯淵。Cao Cao brought reinforcements in an attempt to remedy the damage, but he could not regain the territory, and was compelled to retreat across the Qinling Divide.
曹操集合兵力以求挽回損失，但未能奪回漢中，只得撤回秦嶺以北。So Liu Bei ’ s borders were secured against the north, and in celebration of the victory he proclaimed himself King of Hanzhong.
劉備在北的疆域得到了鞏固，並稱漢中王。In the autumn of 219, as Guan Yu was committed to the attack up the Han River and the siege of Fan city, Cao Cao sent envoy to unite with Sun Quan, thus Lu AAeng prepared a secret invasion and struck westwards along the Yangtze against Jiangling.
公元219年秋，劉備的大將關羽進攻曹操的樊城，曹操遣使與東吳聯盟。孫權的大將呂蒙便藉機襲取江陵。The surprise was complete, Guan Yu’s position collapsed in ruins, he himself was killed in Maicheng and the greater part of his army surrendered.
計謀得逞，於是孫曹兩軍夾擊，斬關羽於麥城，大多軍士投降。Sun-Liu ally was totally destroyed，Cao Cao’s position in the Han valley was restored, and Sun Quan held all the territory east of the Yangzi gorges.
孫劉聯盟被徹底破壞，北方的局勢得以緩和。孫權佔據了長江以東的地區。After Cao Cao's death in 220, his son, Cao Pi, deposed the Eastern Han emperor of Xian and proclaimed him Emperor of Wei.
建安二十五年(220)曹操病逝，其子曹丕逼獻帝退位，自立爲帝，國號爲魏。In thevfollowing year, Liu Bei declared himself Emperor of Han being descendant of former Han, which historically known as the Kingdom of Shu or Shu Han, and made Chengdu his capital.
次年，劉備也在成都稱帝，劉備因身爲漢室宗親，故國號仍爲漢，史稱蜀國或蜀漢。In 229, following the example of Cao Pi and Liu Bei, Sun Quan called himself Emperor of Wu with the capital at Jianye(now Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province) which marked the real beginning of the era of the three kingdoms in Chinese history.
公元229年，仿曹丕和劉備，吳王孫權在建業（今江蘇南京一帶）稱帝，國號吳。三國分立時代正式開始。
