longwaydie

117. 第三章

Chapter 3

118. 部队在黎明的时候出发了。

The army set out at dawn.

119. 没有选择大道，而是在不见人烟的小路上前进。在一片迷朦的晨雾中，士兵们沉着地迈着步子，整个队伍保持着严整的队形，以平稳而不容置疑的步伐前进，行列之间保持着恰当的距离：既不多一分显得松散也不少一分显得无序。在这只队伍中，你不会看见混乱和喧闹，没有嘻笑和下流的叫骂，听不见彼此间粗俗的笑话和逗趣。一如战争期间，他们静悄悄地行进，时刻保持着警惕，防范着敌人的偷袭，细致地勘查每一处可疑的地方，辨别着天然存在的物体和人为制造的陷阱。从未有过一支军队，如此有序而务实，远离尘世的一切低级趣味，以非凡的气势和令人生畏的平静，在亘古不变的苍茫大地上这般走过。

They didn't choose the main road, but on the remote path. In the misty morning fog, the soldiers walked calmly. The whole team kept a strict formation, moving forward with a steady and unquestionable pace, keeping a proper distance between the ranks. In this team, you won't see chaos and noise, no laughing and obscene shouting. Just as during the war, they marched quietly, kept vigilant all the time, prevented the enemy's sneak attack, carefully explored every suspicious place, and distinguished the natural objects and man-made traps. There has never been an army so orderly and pragmatic, with extraordinary momentum and daunting calm, walking through the unchanging vast land.

120. 对于这一次的任务，每个人都尽心尽力地去理解其中的命令，他们第一次这样认真地思考着。对于上校来说，死亡是一件存在于远方某个未知角落里正等着他们去与之相会的事物。同以往一样，原则上来说，上校是欢迎不期而遇的各种突发事件的。这样的变数和不安，有利于一个指挥官磨练自己的头脑，显露自己卓而不凡的才智，激发出无尽的潜能。遗憾的是，过去战争的日子里，他们一直习惯于服从国王直接做出的各种明确指示，这虽然大大简化了事情的复杂性，却难免让人觉得单调。如今国王给了他们充分自主决定的空间，上校对于可以自由地执行任务感到满意。

For this task, everyone tried their best to understand the order. For the first time, they thought it seriously. For the Colonel, death is something that exists in an unknown corner in the distance, waiting for them to meet. As in the past, the Colonel, in principle, welcomed unexpected incidents. Such variables and uneasiness are conducive for a commander to hone his mind, reveal his outstanding intelligence, and stimulate endless potential. Unfortunately, in the past days, they were used to obeying all kinds of clear instructions directly given by the king, which greatly simplified the complexity of things, but inevitably made people feel monotonous. Now that the king had given them full autonomy, and the Colonel was satisfied with the freedom to carry out their mission.

121. 不过，死亡如果在某个时刻突然降临——这种可能性极小，因为闭合定律在起作用——他并不会因为如愿地完成任务而感到更多的高兴。相反，上校希望让事情有条不紊地进行，任务应该尽量完成的出色，用人们的话说“干的漂亮”，因此应该先充分地理解任务，主动出击，慢慢靠近目标，最后顺利地赢得胜利。这就要求一切都应该在他们的掌握之中，即使死亡也不该例外。

However, if death suddenly comes at a certain moment - the possibility is very small, because the law of closure is working - he will not be happier to complete the task as he wishes. On the contrary, the Colonel wants things to be carried out in an orderly way. The task should be accomplished as well as possible. In people's words, "well done". Therefore, he should first fully understand the task, take the initiative to attack, slowly approach the target, and finally win the victory. This requires that everything should be under their control, even death is no exception.

122. 所以，当他们走过一程又一程，仍然没有发现任何预示着死亡可能存在的迹象时，上校仍然保持着高度的敏感，每天都一丝不苟地指挥着部队前进，严格按照规矩处理军中的大小事务。到了晚上，上校就在自己的帐篷里详细地记录行军日志，默默地思考着身上的重任，直到夜已经很深的时候，他才站起身，最后一个去休息。

Therefore, when they went through one journey after another, they still did not find any signs that indicated the possibility of death, the Colonel still maintained a high degree of sensitivity, instructed the army to advance meticulously every day, and handled the military affairs in strict accordance with the rules. In the evening, the Colonel kept a detailed diary of the march in his tent, silently thinking about his heavy responsibilities. Until it was very late in the night, he stood up and was the last to rest.

123. 国王年轻的时候经常做一些奇怪的梦，这些纷乱的梦的碎片发着灰色的亮光，暗示着一些神秘的事物。这些被认为来自天使的启示，无法破译但能感知，国王根据这些启示编制了一些令人费解的谜语。每当他来到一座陌生的城池，总要说出一个谜语，承诺如果能有人猜到答案，他就放弃进攻。然而从未有人能说出谜底，因而没有一座城池能够逃脱战争的恶梦。

When the king was young, he often had some strange dreams. The fragments of these dreams were gray and bright, suggesting some mysterious things. These revelations, which are believed to come from angels, can not be deciphered but can be perceived. Based on these revelations, the king compiled some puzzling riddles. Whenever he came to a strange city, he always said a riddle and promised that if someone could guess the answer, he would give up the attack. However, no one has ever been able to tell the answer, so no city can escape the nightmare of war.

124. 因此，当他们在上校的带领下，沿着当年国王征服整个星球的路线重新经过那些一个又一个曾被他们无情攻陷的城市时，人们以为他们又带来了谜语和灾难。站在城墙上的人们总是一眼就认出他们那令人不安的整齐步伐：“上帝啊，是他们！”人们惊慌失措地打开了大门。

Therefore, when they, led by the Colonel, followed the route of the king conquering the whole planet and passed through the cities which they had been mercilessly conquered, people thought that they had brought riddles and disasters again. The people standing on the wall always recognize their disturbing and orderly steps at a glance: "God, it's them!" People opened the door in a panic.

125. 然而，上校只是在四处询问哪里有最智慧的人，打听着哪里可以找到死亡。自然，没有人能回答上来，于是他们就从城市穿过，又走上了荒野，直到他们在一片广袤的平原上遇见了一个流浪的部落。这些人的家园在战争中被摧毁了，他们无家可归，带着自己的家当和马车在帝国的大陆上漂泊。长久的流放造就了他们坚强而狡猾的性格，因此当队部在地平线上刚刚露面，人们就拿起了自己的武器，排好阵势等待着。在足够近的地方将士们停下来，两边的人互相看着对方。空气中充满了一种紧张的气氛，上校第一个打破沉默：“以陛下的名义，请你们当中最智慧的人出来谈话。”

However, the Colonel was just asking around where the wisest people could be and where death could be found. Naturally, no one could answer, so they went through the city and into the wilderness, until they met a wandering tribe on a vast plain. These people's homes were destroyed in the war, they were homeless, with their own belongings and carts on the Empire's continent. Long-term exile has created their strong and cunning character, so when the team site just appeared on the horizon, people picked up their weapons and lined up to wait. Close enough, the soldiers stopped and the people on both sides looked at each other. There was a tension in the air, and the Colonel was the first to break the silence, "In the name of your majesty, ask the wisest of you to come out and talk."

126. 人群中一片骚动，一位年长的老者走上前来。上校欠了欠身：“我们奉陛下的命令，寻找死亡。您可知道它在何处？”老者没有开口，人群中有人喊了一嗓子：“到地狱去吧！”与此同时响起一声清脆的耳光。

There was a commotion in the crowd, and an old man came forward. The Colonel bowed, "We are ordered by your majesty to search for death. Do you know where it is? " The old man didn't speak. Someone in the crowd called out, "Go to hell!" At the same time, there was a sound of a clear slap in the face.

127. 上校的目光越过老者，看见一位气得脸色通红的母亲正拽着一个小伙子想把他拖进帐篷中。上校急忙喊道：“请不要走。”那位惊恐的老妇人只好停下来，一边责骂年轻人一边哀求：“请您宽恕他吧，大人，他的脑袋被驴子踢了。”上校温和地示意小伙子过来，年轻人一边揉着自己火热的脸颊一边委屈地说从来没有人认真对待过他的话，然后解释说如果要找到死亡就应该去地狱那里看看，可惜的是他自己还没有亲自去过所以不知道该怎么走。上校拍拍他的肩膀，命人给了他一枚帝国的金币作为奖励，然后带着部队继续前进。走出很远的时候，那个快活的年轻人在后面大声喊着：“祝您好运，替我问候死神！”

The Colonel looked over the old man and saw an angry mother dragging a young man into the tent. "Don't go, please," the Colonel cried hastily. The frightened old woman had to stop, scolding the young man and pleading, "Please forgive him, my Lord, he was kicked in the head by a donkey." The young man rubbed his cheek and said wrongly that no one had ever taken him seriously. Then he explained that if the army wanted to find death, they should go to hell. Unfortunately, he had not been there himself, so he didn't know how to go. The Colonel patted him on the shoulder, gave him an imperial gold coin as a reward, and then carried on with his army. When walking far away, the cheerful young man yelled at the back, "Good luck and give my regards to death!"