導(dǎo)語 Introduction
戰(zhàn)爭與和平是人類永恒的話題。早在金戈鐵甲的古羅馬時期，中國的《道德經(jīng)》便給出了斬釘截鐵的論述：“師之所處，荊棘生焉；大軍之后，必有兇年?！崩献诱J(rèn)為：“以道佐人主者，不以兵強(qiáng)天下。其事好遠(yuǎn)?！?nbsp;
War and peace are a never-ending topic for mankind. Back in the distant past when Rome was riddled with silver spears and armored horses, Tao Te Ching from the “Middle Kingdom” had laid down a firm statement: “Where armies are, thorns and brambles grow. The raising of a great host is followed by a year of dearth.” [1] Lao Tzu asserted that “Whoever relies on the Tao in governing men doesn't try to force issues or defeat enemies by force of arms. For every force there is a counterforce.” [2]
唯有愛好和平的國家，才會締造和平的時代。可時至今日，戰(zhàn)爭依舊是懸在人類文明之上的一把利劍。如何讓和平永駐？或許到該挖掘中國智慧的時候了。
Indeed, only with peaceful nations could an era of peace dawn. However, even today, war continues to be a sharp blade loosely hanging above human civilization. What can we do to station peace for good? Maybe it is time to dig into Chinese wisdom for an answer.
相信小伙伴們都聽說了2020年美伊開年大戲。簡單來說，就是老美再出狠招，動用先進(jìn)的武器，在異國他鄉(xiāng)秘密殺害了伊朗高級將領(lǐng)蘇萊曼尼，引發(fā)一系列連鎖反應(yīng)，上百條無辜生命因此喪失。這讓我想起了中國歷史上的一件事。
Dear reader, you must have heard all about the big drama staged between Iran and the US at the start of the new decade. Simply put, the latter once again made a strike and slew Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in Iraq using advanced weaponry. This incident has led to a series of unfortunate consequences, including the loss of hundreds of innocent lives. I was reminded of an occurrence in ancient China.
故事里的“搗蛋鬼”是距今兩千多年的西晉，而“倒霉蛋”則是一個叫東吳的政權(quán)。
In the incident that took place over two thousand years ago, the “troublemaker” was the State of Western Jin and the “victim” was a sovereignty called Eastern Wu.
吳國（公元222年—280年），三國之一，位于中國東南部，國號為“吳”，建國之人是東漢末年割據(jù)一方的軍閥——孫權(quán)，故史學(xué)界稱之為孫吳。由于與曹魏、蜀漢呈鼎立之勢，所統(tǒng)治地區(qū)又居于三國之東，故亦稱東吳 。
The Kingdom of Wu (222-280 AD) was established in what is known today as southeast China by none other than Sun Zhongmou, a prominent warlord at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. To historians, it is hence known as Sun Wu. Eastern Wu is another name given by its geographical status as the eastern counterpart of the Three Kingdoms, the other two being the Kingdoms of Wei and Shu Han.
東吳是三國之中歷時最久的國家，歷四帝，自公元222年建國算起共59年。東吳后期，孫皓稱帝。他生性暴虐，荒淫放蕩，濫殺無辜，致使民不聊生，朝政腐敗。
Eastern Wu survived the longest of the trio and, through four kings, lasted 59 years if you count the time of state establishment in 222 AD. The last king, named Sun Yuanzong, was a man of cruelty, lust, and injustice. Thereby he caused great misery among the people and corruption in the court.
東吳名將陸遜之后陸抗，智勇雙全，年紀(jì)輕輕就被任命為建武校尉?？吹阶约旱膰胰諠u衰落，他感到十分痛心，多次上疏勸諫。但孫皓對此不予理會，依舊我行我素。時逢晉國虎視眈眈，欲南下一統(tǒng)中國。由于陸抗謀略過人，善于用兵，晉國始終無法得逞。
Seeing such an inevitable downfall, the Minister of Defense Lu Youjie, son of leading general Lu Boyan and a young man of wisdom and bravery, felt so painfully worried that he sent up his words of advice many times to the king, who always kept a blind eye to those proposals and went about his ways as usual. It was at a time when the State of Western Jin unleashed its ambition and set out southward to unite the whole of China. Western Jin ’s covetous efforts, however, were thwarted over and over by the smart and skillful Minister of Eastern Wu.
鎮(zhèn)守襄陽邊境地區(qū)的晉車騎將軍羊祜(kù) 見陸抗能攻善守，知道要立即打敗東吳并不容易，便改變對東吳的策略，向其拋出了橄欖枝。陸抗明白羊祜的用意，便也以同樣的態(tài)度相待。在邊境，兩人常派使者往來，以示友好。因此，當(dāng)時吳、晉部分邊境一度出現(xiàn)了和平局面。
In Western Jin’s army, the General of Chariots Yang Shuzi found Lu skilled in both attack and defense when he was stationed in the border area of Eastern Wu. He knew that an immediate defeat would be difficult. So he changed his strategy and extended an olive branch. Understanding what this meant, Lu reciprocated. At the border the two military leaders often sent messengers to each other showing good will. For a while peace seemed to be returning to some parts of the border between Eastern Wu and Western Jin.
吳君孫皓聽說了這種情況，大感不悅，便派人責(zé)問陸抗。陸抗回答：“臣不如此，正是彰其德，于祜無傷也。”
Upon hearing this, the King of Eastern Wu was very much displeased. He sent someone to question Lu, and the latter replied, “I would have fanned up Yang's authority and prestige in his army had I taken an aggressive approach.”
孫皓聽后，不以為然，仍想出兵攻晉，于是便頻頻調(diào)兵。
Still desiring to attack Western Jin, the king paid no heed to what Lu had said. He ordered frequent military deployments.
陸抗得知此事后便又向?qū)O皓上疏說：“今不務(wù)富國強(qiáng)兵，力農(nóng)畜谷，使文武之才效展其用，百揆之署無曠厥職。明黜陟以厲庶尹，審刑賞以示勸沮，訓(xùn)諸司以德。而撫百姓以仁，然后順天乘運(yùn)，席卷宇內(nèi)，而聽諸將徇名，窮兵黷武，動費(fèi)萬計，士卒雕瘁，寇不為衰，而我已大病矣!”這一番勸告也未能使孫皓醒悟。
"Now the court should get a stronger hold of agriculture, secure food reserves, and strengthen state power.” When he learned this, Lu sent his words of caution up to the king again. “Have talented individuals work to their potential and officials at all levels not neglect their duties. Punish and reward rigorously to inspire all officials. Enforce criminal penalty with prudence as a warning to the common people. If we continue to pursue an undeserved reputation, emphasize formalism, spend state revenue by tens of thousands of taels deploying military forces everywhere, and tire out our soldiers, we will go under even without an imminent threat of the enemy.” Once again his substantial advice failed to wake the king up to reality.
如陸抗所料，東吳國力日漸衰退。他死后，晉軍便揮師南下，討伐東吳，吳國最終為晉所滅。
As Lu had predicated, the Kingdom of Eastern Wu was gradually declining. After the minister died, Western Jin charged south and conquered the kingdom.
誠然，歷史不可妄加評判功過，亦不可隨意與現(xiàn)代之事畫等號。但我們可以截取一段歷史，將其放大，分析其中的教訓(xùn)。
History is not to be subjected to simple judgment, nor can it be willfully equated to any modern event. But it may be safe for us to dissect a small part, zoom in on it, and see if there are any lessons to learn.
如今，隨著科技和經(jīng)濟(jì)的發(fā)展，世界趨向大同，各國利益縱橫交貫，牽一發(fā)而動全身。吳國的悲劇告訴我們，不愿正視自身頑疾，一味戀戰(zhàn)，缺乏長期的戰(zhàn)略眼光和大局意識，勢必會引火上身，導(dǎo)致國衰民窮，徹底垮敗。正如本杰明·富蘭克林以經(jīng)典西方視角寫下的那句名言：“戰(zhàn)爭的代價不會在戰(zhàn)時償付；這筆賬單之后才會來到?！?/span>
Nowadays, technological and economic advancements keep pushing the world toward a unity so compact that when one part gets irritated, the whole body is shaking up. The tragedy of Eastern Wu warns us that a total failure, one in which both the state and the people suffer, is bound to come when top leaders indulge in belligerence and refuse to address their own ills without a mind on long-term strategy and cooperation, as Benjamin Franklin echoed in a typically Western fashion, “Wars are not paid for in wartime; the bill comes later.”
[1] 林語堂譯 / Tr. by Lin Yutang
[2] 米切爾譯 / Tr. by Stephen Mitchell
（感謝清夢smile為本文提供歷史素材和專業(yè)見解。）
(A million thanks to Crystal for providing historic references and professional insights as reflected herein.)
（歡迎各界朋友對本專欄提寶貴意見和建議！）
(Any comments or suggestions are welcome!)
