---
title: "苦肉计 | Three Kingdoms in Advanced Chinese, Episode 14 | Mandarin The Wild"
description: "The Beaten General: episode 14 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, retold for advanced learners of Chinese, with audio."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/the-beaten-general-three-kingdoms-advanced-chinese-14"
published: "2026-10-23"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

Chapter 14

# 苦肉计

The Beaten General

HSK 6+ · the same story at every level

火攻之计虽已定下，可要烧曹操的战船，总得有人能把船驶到曹军近处。这天夜里，老将黄盖悄悄来见周瑜，说：“敌众我寡，不宜拖得太久，何不用火攻？”周瑜道：“我正有此意，只恨没有一个人肯去曹军诈降。”黄盖道：“我愿意去。”周瑜道：“不吃些苦头，曹操怎么肯信？”黄盖道：“我受孙家三代厚恩，就是肝脑涂地，也毫无怨悔。”周瑜听了，向他深深一拜。

次日，周瑜召集众将，说：“曹操引百万之众，连营三百余里，不是一日能破的。现令诸将各领三个月粮草，准备迎敌。”话还没说完，黄盖便站出来道：“莫说三个月，就是三十个月也没用！这个月破得了便破；破不了，不如依张昭之言，弃甲倒戈，北面投降！”

周瑜勃然大怒：“两军交战之际，你竟敢说出这种话，乱我军心！”喝令左右把黄盖拉出去斩首。众将一齐跪下求情，周瑜才道：“看在众人面上，暂且免你一死，打一百脊杖！”打到五十杖，众官又苦苦哀求，周瑜才骂道：“暂且记下五十棍，再有怠慢，二罪并罚！”黄盖被打得皮开肉绽，鲜血淋漓，扶回营中，昏死过去好几次。

鲁肃去看孔明，埋怨道：“今天周瑜责打黄盖，我们都是他的部下，不敢犯颜苦谏；先生是客人，为何袖手旁观，一言不发？”孔明笑道：“你这是欺我。周瑜今天毒打黄盖，正是他的计策，你要我劝什么？不用苦肉计，怎能瞒过曹操？你见了周瑜，千万别说我已经知道。”鲁肃这才恍然大悟。后来民间有句歇后语，说的正是这件事：“周瑜打黄盖——一个愿打，一个愿挨。”

黄盖的好友阚泽前来探望，黄盖托他把一封诈降书送给曹操。阚泽扮作渔翁，驾小船连夜到了北岸。曹操把信反复看了十多遍，忽然拍案大怒：“黄盖用苦肉计，叫你来献诈降书，竟敢来戏弄我！”喝令把他拉出去斩首。阚泽面不改色，仰天大笑。

曹操问：“你笑什么？”阚泽道：“我不笑你，我笑黄盖看错了人！”曹操道：“我自幼熟读兵书，这种计策骗不了我；你们若真心投降，为什么不约定日期？”阚泽道：“背叛主人、偷偷出逃，怎能事先约好日期？倘若约好了，到时候没有机会动手，这边却来接应，事情必然泄露。只能见机行事，怎能预先约定？你不明此理，却要屈杀好人，真是不学无术之辈！”曹操听了，改容下席，向他赔礼。不久，曹操派到江东诈降的人也送来密信，说黄盖确实挨了一顿毒打，曹操这才信了几分。

可曹操另有一桩心事：北方兵士不惯乘船，一遇风浪便头晕呕吐。恰在此时，蒋干奉命再去江东打探虚实，带回了一位高人，正是凤雏庞统。当年水镜先生说“伏龙、凤雏，两人得一，可安天下”，伏龙是孔明，凤雏便是庞统。

庞统对曹操说：“大江之中，潮生潮落，风浪不息，北兵不惯乘舟，自然生病。若把大小船只搭配起来，或三十只一排，或五十只一排，首尾用铁环锁住，上面铺上宽木板，不但人可以走，连马也能跑。”曹操大喜，下席拜谢，当即命铁匠连夜打造铁环大钉，把战船一只只锁在一起。这便是有名的“连环计”。

至此，黄盖的船已经备好，诈降书已经送到，曹操的战船也都锁在了一起。可时值隆冬，江上刮的全是西北风，火一放起来，反倒会烧到自己。真是万事俱备，只欠东风。

**1,026 characters** in this chapter

Chapter 15 of 40**借东风**

[Next chapter 借东风](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/borrowing-the-east-wind-three-kingdoms-advanced-chinese-15)

[Back to the series](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/series/three-kingdoms-advanced)

## Words in this chapter

- [勃然大怒bórán-dànùto fly into a rage](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E5%8B%83%E7%84%B6%E5%A4%A7%E6%80%92)
- [鲜血淋漓xiānxuè-línlídripping with blood](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E9%B2%9C%E8%A1%80%E6%B7%8B%E6%BC%93)
- [面不改色miànbù-gǎisèto remain calm](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E9%9D%A2%E4%B8%8D%E6%94%B9%E8%89%B2)
- [见机行事jiànjī-xíngshìto act according to circumstances](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E8%A7%81%E6%9C%BA%E8%A1%8C%E4%BA%8B)
- [计jìplan](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E8%AE%A1)
- [何hé(literary) what](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E4%BD%95)
- [怨yuànresentment](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E6%80%A8)
- [次日cìrìthe next day](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E6%AC%A1%E6%97%A5)
- [召集zhàojíto call together](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E5%8F%AC%E9%9B%86)
- [余yúmore than](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E4%BD%99)
- [依yīaccording to (as in 依法)](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E4%BE%9D)
- [投降tóuxiángto surrender](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E6%8A%95%E9%99%8D)
- [之际zhījìat the time of](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E4%B9%8B%E9%99%85)
- [一齐yīqítogether](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E4%B8%80%E9%BD%90)
- [暂且zànqiěfor the time being](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E6%9A%82%E4%B8%94)
- [哀求āiqiúto plead](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E5%93%80%E6%B1%82)

## Chapters

1. [1**桃园结义**The Oath in the Peach Garden](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/oath-in-the-peach-garden-three-kingdoms-advanced-chinese-1)
2. [2**温酒斩华雄**Slaying Hua Xiong Before the Wine Cools](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/slaying-hua-xiong-three-kingdoms-advanced-chinese-2)
3. [3**三英战吕布**Three Heroes Fight Lü Bu](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/three-heroes-fight-lu-bu-three-kingdoms-advanced-chinese-3)
4. [4**煮酒论英雄**Heroes Over Warm Wine](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/heroes-over-warm-wine-three-kingdoms-advanced-chinese-4)
5. [5**千里走单骑**A Thousand Li Alone](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/a-thousand-li-alone-three-kingdoms-advanced-chinese-5)
6. [6**古城相会**Reunion at the Old City](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/reunion-at-the-old-city-three-kingdoms-advanced-chinese-6)
7. [7**马跃檀溪**The Leap Across the Tan Stream](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/the-leap-across-the-tan-stream-three-kingdoms-advanced-chinese-7)
8. [8**三顾茅庐**Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/three-visits-to-the-thatched-cottage-three-kingdoms-advanced-chinese-8)
9. [9**单骑救主**Zhao Yun Rides Alone](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/zhao-yun-rides-alone-three-kingdoms-advanced-chinese-9)
10. [10**喝断长坂桥**Zhang Fei at Changban Bridge](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/zhang-fei-at-changban-bridge-three-kingdoms-advanced-chinese-10)
11. [11**舌战群儒**Zhuge Liang Against the Scholars](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/zhuge-liang-against-the-scholars-three-kingdoms-advanced-chinese-11)
12. [12**蒋干盗书**Jiang Gan Steals a Letter](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/jiang-gan-steals-a-letter-three-kingdoms-advanced-chinese-12)
13. [13**草船借箭**Borrowing Arrows with Straw Boats](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/borrowing-arrows-with-straw-boats-three-kingdoms-advanced-chinese-13)
14. 14**苦肉计**Reading
15. [15**借东风**Borrowing the East Wind](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/borrowing-the-east-wind-three-kingdoms-advanced-chinese-15)
16. [16**华容道**The Huarong Road](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/the-huarong-road-three-kingdoms-advanced-chinese-16)

Story series · Advanced · HSK 6+