第四十二回  长板坡（下）

…

赵云得脱，望长坂桥而走，只闻后面喊声大震，原来文聘引军赶来。赵云到得桥边，人困马乏。见张飞挺矛立马于桥上，云大呼曰："翼德援我！"飞曰："子龙速行，追兵我自当之。"

Zhao Zilong made it out from the battle field and rode toward Steepslope Bridge. But in his rear arose another tumultuous shouting, it was Cao’s general Wen Ping approaching. Zhao Zilong finally reached the bridge, he and his mount both were spent. He spotted Zhang Fei and his mount were on the bridge, with his spear raised, “Help me, Yide,” he called loudly. “Hasten, Zilong!” Zhang Fei responded, “I will deal with the pursuers!”

云纵马过桥，行二十余里，见玄德与众人憩于树下。云下马伏地而泣。玄德亦泣。云喘息而言曰："赵云之罪，万死犹轻！糜夫人身带重伤，不肯上马，投井而死，云只得推土墙掩之。怀抱公子，身突重围；赖主公洪福，幸而得脱。适来公子尚在怀中啼哭，此一会不见动静，多是不能保也。"

Zilong rode across the bridge and went on another 20 li, where he saw Xuande and other officials were resting under trees. He dismounted and prostrated himself before Xuande, weeping. Xuande sobbed too. Still breathing hard, Zilong said, “10,000 deaths could not redeem my offense. Lady Mi was wounded so badly that she refused my horse and threw herself down a well. I could do nothing but knock over an earthen wall to cover her body. Then, holding the young master on my chest, I broke through the enemy’s lines, and by the favor Heaven bestows on you, my lord, I survived. A moment ago the young master was crying. But he’s stopped moving now, and I fear…”

遂解视之，原来阿斗正睡着未醒。云喜曰："幸得公子无恙！"双手递与玄德。玄德接过，掷之于地曰："为汝这孺子，几损我一员大将！"赵云忙向地下抱起阿斗，泣拜曰："云虽肝脑涂地，不能报也！"

Zilong untied his armor and looked inside. The infant was asleep. “Safe and sound,” he announced happily. “Fortune smiles.” He handed Ah Dou carefully to Xuande, who flung him to the ground the instant he received him. “For the sake of a suckling like you,” Xuande cried, “I risked losing a great commander!” Zilong swept the child off the ground and prostrated himself, saying through his tears, “If I cut my heart out here, I could not repay your kindness to me.”

却说文聘引军追赵云至长坂桥，只见张飞倒竖虎须，圆睁环眼，手绰蛇矛，立马桥上，又见桥东树林之后，尘头大起，疑有伏后，便勒住马，不敢近前。俄而曹仁、李典、夏侯惇、夏侯渊、乐进、张辽、张郃、许褚等都至。见飞怒目横矛，立马于桥上，又恐是诸葛孔明之计，都不敢近前。扎住阵脚，一字儿摆在桥西，使人飞报曹操。

Wen Ping, meanwhile, had tracked Zilong to the bridge. There he found Zhang Fei, tiger-whiskers up-curled, eyes 2 rings of fury, snake-lance in hand. Mounted and poised, Zhang Fei looked out from the bridge. Wen Ping spotted dust rising out of the adjacent shrubs to the east. Suspecting an ambush, he reined in. Soon Cao Cao’s leading generals joined him—Cao Ren, Li Dian, Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Yue Jin, Zhang Liao, Zhang He, Xu Chu, and others. Cao’s commanders contemplated Zhang Fei’s menacing glare and leveled lance. And, too, they remembered Kongming’s clever traps. They dug in west of the bridge, therefore, and posted a man back to Cao Cao.

操闻知，急上马，从阵后来。张飞睁圆环眼，隐隐见后军青罗伞盖、旄钺旌旗来到，料得是曹操心疑，亲自来看。飞乃厉声大喝曰："我乃燕人张翼德也！谁敢与我决一死战？"声如巨雷。曹军闻之，尽皆股栗。曹操急令去其伞盖，回顾左右曰："我向曾闻云长言：翼德于百万军中，取上将之首，如探囊取物。今日相逢，不可轻敌。"

News of the standoff decided Cao Cao to hurry to the scene. Zhang Fei’s probing eye made out Cao Cao’s blue silk umbrella in the distance, his feathered battle-axe and fringed banner. “So he came to see for himself,” Zhang Fei thought. He called out: “I am Zhang Fei of Yan! Have you a man who’ll fight it out to the death?” The power of Zhang Fei’s voice unnerved Cao Cao’s men. At once, Cao Cao ordered the command umbrella removed. Turning to his attendants, he said, “Once Lord Guan told me that Zhang Fei had taken the head of a chief general in the million-strong enemy as easily as removing an object from a sack. Today we have crossed his path and must not take him lightly.”

言未已，张飞睁目又喝曰："燕人张翼德在此！谁敢来决死战？"曹操见张飞如此气概，颇有退心。飞望见曹操后军阵脚移动，乃挺矛又喝曰："战又不战，退又不退，却是何故！"喊声未绝，曹操身边夏侯杰惊得肝胆碎裂，倒撞于马下。操便回马而走。于是诸军众将一齐望西奔走。

As Cao Cao spoke, Zhang Fei widened his eyes and shouted again: “Here he stands! Zhang Fei of Yan, who dares to fight with me to the death!” But Cao Cao, daunted by the warrior’s fearless spirit, was content to draw back. Zhang Fei watched the rear lines of Cao Cao’s army budged a little. He lifted his spear and bellowed: “What’s it to be? Don’t want to fight? Don’t want to leave?” The mighty voice still commanded the air when Xiahou Jie, right beside Cao Cao, collapsed and fell from his saddle, panic-stricken. Cao Cao turned and rode back, followed by his commanders.

却说曹操惧张飞之威，骤马望西而走，冠簪尽落，披发奔逃。张辽、许褚赶上，扯住辔环。曹操仓皇失措。张辽曰："丞相休惊。料张飞一人，何足深惧！今急回军杀去，刘备可擒也。"曹操神色方才稍定，乃令张辽、许褚再至长坂桥探听消息。

Zhang Fei’s awesome presence had terrified Cao Cao. Dashing west, he let his cap and hairpin drop, and his hair streamed out behind him. Zhang Liao and Xu Chu overtook him and seized his horse’s bridle. Cao Cao had lost control. “Do not panic, Your Excellency,” Zhang Liao said. “Is one Zhang Fei so fearsome? Turn the army round again and fight. Liu Bei can be taken!” At these words Cao Cao got hold of himself and sent Zhang Liao and Xu Chu back to the bridge to find out what they could.

且说张飞见曹军一拥而退，不敢追赶；速唤回原随二十余骑，解去马尾树枝，令将桥梁拆断，然后回马来见玄德，具言断桥一事。

Zhang Fei dared not pursue Cao Cao’s withdrawing army. He summoned his original retinue of 20-some riders, had them remove the branches from their horses’ tails, and ordered them to pull down the bridge. He then reported back to Xuande.

玄德曰："吾弟勇则勇矣，惜失于计较。"飞问其故。玄德曰："曹操多谋。汝不合拆断桥梁，彼必追至矣。"飞曰："他被我一喝，倒退数里，何敢再追？"玄德曰："若不断桥，彼恐有埋伏，不敢进兵，今拆断了桥，彼料我无军而怯，必来追赶。彼有百万之众，虽涉江汉，可填而过，岂惧一桥之断耶？"于是即刻起身，从小路斜投汉津，望沔阳路而走。

Xuande said, “Your bravery, brother, is beyond question, but not your tactics.” Zhang Fei began to protest. “Cao Cao is man of many schemes,” Xuande continued. “You should have let the bridge stand. Now he’s sure to be back.” “If a single shout sent him reeling several li,” Zhang Fei argued, “he won’t be back for more.” “Had you let it stand,” Xuande explained, “fear of ambush would have continued to deter him from attacking. Now that it’s down, he’ll know we were afraid, having no troops around. His million-man host could ford the Han and the Great River simply by filling them in! How could razing one bridge stop him?” So he ordered his men took off immediately, took the sideways through Mingyang Passage, their destination was Hanjin.

却说曹操使张辽、许褚探长坂桥消息，回报曰："张飞已拆断桥梁而去矣。"操曰："彼断桥而去，乃心怯也。"遂传令差一万军，速搭三座浮桥，只今夜就要过。李典曰："此恐是诸葛亮之诈谋，不可轻进。"操曰："张飞一勇之夫，岂有诈谋！"遂传下号令，火速进兵。

The 2 generals sent by Cao Cao to reconnoiter near Steepslope Bridge reported, “The bridge has been destroyed. Zhang Fei was gone.” “Then he is afraid,” Cao Cao said and presently, he gave orders—sent 10,000 men to build up 3 floating bridges before that night. Li Dian warned, “I fear this is one of the ruses of Zhuge Liang. Let us discuss it carefully.” “Zhang Fei is just a bold warrior, he knows nothing about schemes,” Cao Cao brushed him off. He then ordered for a double-quick advance.

却说玄德行近汉津，忽见后面尘头大起，鼓声连天，喊声震地。玄德曰："前有大江，后有追兵，如之奈何？"急命赵云准备抵敌。曹操下令军中曰："今刘备釜中之鱼，阱中之虎；若不就此时擒捉，如放鱼入海，纵虎归山矣。众将可努力向前。"众将领命，一个个奋威追赶。

Xuande’s procession was approaching Hanjin. Suddenly a great cloud of dust was rising from behind, the loud drums and shouting as if could reach the sky. A dismayed Xuande said, “Before us is the Great River; behind is the pursuers. What should we do?” He sent Zhao Zilong to prepare a defense. Cao Cao gave order to his men, “Now, Liu Bei is a fish in the fish kettle, a tiger in the pit. If we don’t catch him right now, it would like the fish get back to the sea and the tiger escape to the mountains. Therefore every commander must do his best to press on.” Received this order, commanders were bring out the best of them, they went for the kill.

忽山坡后鼓声响处，一队军马飞出，大叫曰："我在此等候多时了！"当头那员大将，手执青龙刀，坐下赤兔马，原来是关云长，去江夏借得军马一万，探知当阳长坂大战，特地从此路截出。曹操一见云长，即勒住马回顾众将曰："又中诸葛亮之计也！"传令大军速退。

Suddenly, with a sound of drums, a body of soldiers emerged from the back of the hillside, their leader shouted, “I have waited here for so long!” The commander was holding the green-dragon saber and rode Red Hare, it was Lord Guan. He had gone to Jiangxia to ask for help and had returned with 10,000 men. Having heard of what had happened in Steepslope, he had taken this very road to intercept the pursuers. As soon as spotted Lord Guan, Cao Cao reined in and turned to his commanders, “Again,” He said, “we were trapped by Zhuge Liang!” He ordered the army to withdraw instantly.

云长追赶十数里，即回军保护玄德等到汉津，已有船只伺候，云长请玄德并甘夫人、阿斗至船中坐定。云长问曰："二嫂嫂如何不见？"玄德诉说当阳之事。云长叹曰："曩日猎于许田时，若从吾意，可无今日之患。"玄德曰："我于此时亦投鼠忌器耳。"

Lord Guan chased Cao Cao’s army for dozen li before he rode back to see Xuande safely to Hanjin, where boats had been readied. Lord Guan bade Xuande, Lady Gan and Ah Dou settled themselves in one of them. He asked, “Why don’t I see my other sister-in-law?” Xuande told him of Lady Mi’s death in Dangyang. “Had you let me kill Cao Cao on the hunting field at Xuchang,” Lord Gaun said with emphasis, “you might have spared yourself this disaster.” “I had to consider how such an act could injure us.” Xuande replied.

…

曹操与众将议曰："今刘备已投江夏，恐结连东吴，是滋蔓也，当用何计破之？"荀攸曰："我今大振兵威，遣使驰檄江东，请孙权会猎于江夏，共擒刘备，分荆州之地，永结盟好。孙权必惊疑而来降，则吾事济矣。"操从其计，一面发檄遣使赴东吴；一面计点马步水军共八十三万，诈称一百万，水陆并进，船骑双行，沿江而来，西连荆、峡、东接蕲、黄、赛栅联络三百余里。

Cao Cao said to his generals, “Xuande has fled to Jiangxia. If he forms an alliance with Sun Quan, our problems will multiply. What is the best way to defeat him?” “Now that we are in the field on a grand scale,” Xun You advised, “sent a messenger to the Southland summoning Sun Quan to join you in Jiangxia for a hunting party—with Xuande as the quarry! Offer Sun Quan half of Jingzhou to seal your amity. He will be too frightened, too confused not to submit. Our cause will thrive.” Cao Cao approved this advice and sent an envoy south. At the same time he called up a force of 830,000—infantry, cavalry, and marines—which he rumored numbered a full million. Cao Cao’s host advanced by land and sea. The cavalry rode along the Great River parallel to the long line of war-boats stretching westward back as far as Jiangling and the gorges, and eastward as far as Qichun and Huangzhou. The encampments extended for 300 li.

…

【本文翻译仅为外语学习及阅读目的，原文作者个人观点与译者及译言网无关】