Zhou Yu is afraid that Zhuge Liang will betray them and take control of the Southland. Therefore he wishes to murder him. Lu Su proposes a plan where Zhuge Jin should convince Zhuge Liang to serve them instead of Liu Bei. Zhou Yu approves. However, the result is that Zhuge Liang persuades Zhuge Jin to serve Liu Bei instead of Zhou Yu. This infuriates Zhou Yu, and he decides to kill Zhuge Liang. Thus he asks Zhuge Liang to accompany him in the name of dealing with military matters, but in reality he is planning to murder him. When Zhou Yu arrives at Three Rivers, he orders Zhuge Liang to cross over to the other side of the river to set fire to Cao Cao’s provisions. The strategy Zhou Yu applies is called “to kill somebody with a borrowed knife”.
周瑜怕諸葛亮反臉取江東，故欲害之。魯肅獻計，要諸葛瑾勸說諸葛亮投降，周瑜從之。結果諸葛亮反勸說諸葛瑾歸降劉備，周瑜生氣，決定要殺諸葛亮，以請他隨行幫辦軍務爲名，實則害之。周瑜一到三江口，命諸葛亮到對江燒曹操軍糧，用借殺刀人之計。