English Original
During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Fu Jian, ruler of the State of Qin, controlled northern China. In 383 AD, he led a massive army of 900,000 infantry and cavalry to attack the State of Jin, located south of the Yangtze River. The Jin forces, led by generals Xie Shi and Xie Xuan, mustered only 80,000 troops for defense. Confident in his overwhelming numerical advantage, Fu Jian sought a swift victory.
Unexpectedly, the 250,000-strong vanguard of Fu Jian's army was decisively defeated at Shouchun by a clever Jin military maneuver, suffering over 10,000 casualties, including the death of its commanding general. This disastrous loss shattered the morale of Fu Jian's troops, with many soldiers becoming panic-stricken and looking for chances to flee. Observing the Jin army's orderly ranks and high spirits from the city wall, Fu Jian remarked to his brother, Fu Rong, "What a formidable enemy! Why did people claim the Jin army was weak?" He deeply regretted underestimating his foe.
Reeling from the defeat, Fu Jian redeployed his forces along the north bank of the Feishui River, hoping to regain the initiative using the favorable terrain. The Jin generals then proposed that Fu Jian's army retreat slightly to allow the Jin troops space to cross the river and engage. Fu Jian saw this as a golden opportunity, believing the Jin commanders lacked basic military knowledge. He planned to launch a sudden attack while the Jin army was mid-crossing and readily agreed.
However, the moment the retreat order was given, Fu Jian's army fell into utter chaos and could not be controlled. Seizing this advantage, the Jin army crossed the river and launched a fierce assault. Fu Jian's troops fled in disarray, abandoning their equipment, and the battlefield was strewn with their corpses. Fu Rong was killed in the chaotic fighting, and Fu Jian, wounded by an arrow, escaped. The Jin army achieved a brilliant victory against vastly superior numbers.
This story originates from "The Life of Fu Jian" in the Records section of The History of the Jin Dynasty. The idiom "every bush and tree looks like an enemy" is derived from this event and describes a state of extreme paranoia and nervousness.
中文翻译
东晋时期，前秦君主苻坚控制了华北。公元383年，他率领九十万步骑兵大举进攻长江以南的东晋。晋军由谢石和谢玄率领，仅以八万兵力抵抗。苻坚自恃兵力绝对优势，企图速战速决。
不料，苻坚的二十五万先锋部队在寿春地区被晋军巧妙的战术击败，损失惨重，折兵万余，先锋大将阵亡。此战严重挫伤了前秦军队的士气，许多士兵惊恐万分，伺机逃跑。苻坚和其弟苻融在寿春城墙上看到晋军阵型严整、士气高昂，苻坚对弟弟说：“这是多么强大的敌人啊！为什么有人说晋军兵力不足？”他深感后悔自己轻敌了。
受此惨败影响，苻坚将军队部署在淝水北岸，试图凭借有利地形重夺主动权。晋军将领随即建议前秦军队稍向后撤，留出空间让晋军渡河作战。苻坚认为机会来了，觉得晋军将领不懂基本兵法。他计划趁晋军渡河时发动突袭，并确信此计可行，于是欣然接受了建议。
然而，撤退令一下，前秦军队顿时溃乱，无法控制。晋军趁势渡河，追击攻击敌军。前秦军队丢盔弃甲，仓皇逃窜，战场上尸横遍野。苻融在混战中被杀，苻坚中箭逃走。晋军以少胜多，取得了辉煌胜利。
此故事出自《晋书·载记》中的《苻坚传》。成语“草木皆兵”便源于此，用以形容人极度恐慌、疑神疑鬼的心理状态。