The Word Bearers followed much of the structure of the Legiones Astartes during their earliest incarnation. Warriors belonged to squads, squads to companies and companies to chapters. This functional structure remained largely unchanged from when the Legion was the Imperial Heralds until their overt treachery on Isstvan V. The rediScovery of their Primarch and the influx of recruits from Colchis did little to change the Legion's basic structure, rather it added layers of organisation. This second layer of organisation was concerned, not with the makeup of units on the battlefield, but with the ideology of?those units.

在懷言者軍團(tuán)最早被塑造成型時(shí)，他們遵循了阿斯塔特軍團(tuán)的很多結(jié)構(gòu)。戰(zhàn)士們屬于小隊(duì)，小隊(duì)屬于連隊(duì)，連隊(duì)屬于戰(zhàn)團(tuán)。從第十七軍團(tuán)尚為帝國傳道者之時(shí)，直到他們在伊斯特萬五號(hào)公然叛變，這套運(yùn)行結(jié)構(gòu)都未在很大程度上發(fā)生變化。原體的回歸與科爾奇斯新兵的涌入也幾乎未能改變軍團(tuán)的基本結(jié)構(gòu)，而是增加了組織層級。第二套組織層級所關(guān)注的并非是戰(zhàn)場上單位的構(gòu)成，而是這些單位的思想觀念。

The Word Bearers employed all the squad configurations seen across other Legions, with a tendency towards keeping the size of all units high. While other Legions might be content with or even favour, units of only a handful of warriors, the Word Bearers would typically keep its line units at a much higher strength. Squads of twenty were common across all companies and chapters, and typically took a tactical configuration. These squads formed the core of the Legion and the keystone of its philosophy of war: the aggressive advance of?warriors in force.

懷言者軍團(tuán)使用了在其他軍團(tuán)中能看到的所有小隊(duì)結(jié)構(gòu)配置，而且他們傾向于讓所有單位都保持在大規(guī)模的狀態(tài)。雖然其他軍團(tuán)可能滿足于甚至是偏好僅由少數(shù)戰(zhàn)士構(gòu)成的單位，但懷言者軍團(tuán)通常會(huì)在前線單位中保持多出很多的兵力。在懷言者軍團(tuán)的戰(zhàn)團(tuán)和連隊(duì)中，二十人組成的小隊(duì)是常見的，而且他們通常采取戰(zhàn)術(shù)小隊(duì)配置。這些小隊(duì)組成了軍團(tuán)的核心以及軍團(tuán)戰(zhàn)爭哲學(xué)的基本原則：部隊(duì)中戰(zhàn)士們的侵略性前進(jìn)。

Squads in turn belonged to companies, usually a hundred strong though sometimes larger or smaller depending on their role's nature. The Word Bearers had a tendency to dedicate companies to a particular battlefield role, designating companies as assault companies, line breaker companies, reconnaissance companies, and so on. These companies would often deploy in combination, again showing the Word Bearers' favour for massed forces and sledgehammer actions.

小隊(duì)依次屬于連隊(duì)，連隊(duì)兵力通常為一百，不過有些時(shí)候也會(huì)根據(jù)他們的角色特性而或大或小。懷言者傾向于專門讓若干連隊(duì)們擔(dān)任某個(gè)具體的戰(zhàn)場角色，并將連隊(duì)們指定為突擊連、陣線突破連和偵察連，等等。這些連隊(duì)通常會(huì)被聯(lián)合部署，這再次展現(xiàn)了懷言者對于大規(guī)模部隊(duì)和強(qiáng)有力作戰(zhàn)行動(dòng)的偏好。

Companies were grouped together into chapters of between 500 and 3,000 warriors. Each chapter bore a name and sigil based on the constellations of Colchis: The Serrated Sun, The Osseous Throne, The Crescent Moon, The Weeping Hand, The Coiled Lash, The Exalted Gate, The Twisting Rune, The Scold's Bridle, The Night’s Chalice—each were found within the Legion's ranks. These large formations were often the building blocks of Word Bearers campaigns. Most Crusade fleets consisted of at least one full chapter, and the largest might have several.

連隊(duì)會(huì)被一起組合成人數(shù)在500到3000之間的戰(zhàn)團(tuán)。每個(gè)戰(zhàn)團(tuán)都擁有一個(gè)基于科爾奇斯星座的名稱和紋章：鋸齒烈陽、白骨圣座、新生白月、垂淚之掌、螺旋長鞭、顯赫高門、纏繞符文、訓(xùn)斥之韁、黑夜圣杯——每個(gè)都能在軍團(tuán)的部隊(duì)中被找到。這些大型編隊(duì)通常是懷言者戰(zhàn)役的基本單位。大多數(shù)懷言者遠(yuǎn)征艦隊(duì)至少由一個(gè)戰(zhàn)團(tuán)組成，最大的那些可能包含數(shù)個(gè)戰(zhàn)團(tuán)。

Although their methods of?war were often workmanlike in application, they always displayed a taste for the symbolic act. War was not just a process, it was a message, and so the Word Bearers would often include notes of the spectacular into their campaigns to make their point. A number of unique formations in their ranks echo this tendency. As an example, the Chapter of the Broken Scythe consisted of armoured artillery, siege tanks and mounted flamer squads. Their role was to level cities and strongholds in a single attack and leave nothing but Scorched rubble. Also of note are the Ashen Circle. Descending from the sky on jump packs, they were the destroyers of false gods, ashen angels sent to reduce libraries and shrines to cinders with flamer and, where a truly lasting destruction was required, phosphex. Attached to chapters but standing as a circle apart, only the most dedicated could enter their ranks. Many passed through their ranks before ascending to the role of Chaplain.

雖然他們的戰(zhàn)爭方法在應(yīng)用中經(jīng)常是技術(shù)嫻熟的，但懷言者們經(jīng)常會(huì)對象征行為表現(xiàn)出品味。戰(zhàn)爭不僅是一個(gè)過程，它是一種使命，所以懷言者們通常會(huì)在他們的戰(zhàn)役記錄中加入顯眼的注釋以表達(dá)自己的觀點(diǎn)。許多獨(dú)特的懷言者編隊(duì)都會(huì)回應(yīng)這種傾向，例如，破刃之鐮?wèi)?zhàn)團(tuán)由裝甲炮兵、攻城坦克和裝備火焰噴射器的小隊(duì)組成，他們負(fù)責(zé)在單次的進(jìn)攻中將敵人的城市和據(jù)點(diǎn)夷為平地，只留下被燒焦的瓦礫。同樣值得注意的是灰燼之環(huán)部隊(duì)，他們是搗毀偽神之人，他們使用跳躍背包從天而降，是被派去用噴火器焚滅圖書館和圣地的的灰燼天使，而且倘若真的需要持續(xù)的毀滅時(shí)，他們會(huì)動(dòng)用磷火武器?；覡a之環(huán)附屬于戰(zhàn)團(tuán)，但會(huì)以內(nèi)環(huán)的形式獨(dú)立分開運(yùn)行，只有最具獻(xiàn)身精神的戰(zhàn)士才能加入該部隊(duì)。許多人在晉升為牧師之前都有被晉升為灰燼之環(huán)的經(jīng)歷。

It is worth noting that throughout its history, the XVIIth Legion made extensive use of bonded auxiliaries. In the days when the Unification Wars were blurring into the Great Crusade, the XVIIth Legion would often recruit bands of?militant followers from those they had conquered. This practice continued throughout the Great Crusade, and these formations were often as much mobs as they were military formations, but again their presence in many campaigns added to the XVII’s ability to apply overwhelming force to an enemy.

值得注意的是，第十七軍團(tuán)在其歷史上廣泛使用輔助軍。當(dāng)統(tǒng)一戰(zhàn)爭正在向大遠(yuǎn)征漸進(jìn)時(shí)，第十七軍團(tuán)就經(jīng)常在被征服者中招募好戰(zhàn)追隨者組成的戰(zhàn)幫。這一行為也持續(xù)貫穿了大遠(yuǎn)征，這些編隊(duì)通常是與軍事編隊(duì)一樣多的暴徒隊(duì)伍，但是他們在許多戰(zhàn)役中的再次出現(xiàn)還是提升了第十七軍團(tuán)向敵人施加壓倒性兵力的能力。

Legion Command Hierarchy

軍團(tuán)指揮等級體系

Lorgar was both commander and spiritual father to his Legion. The hierarchy of?authority within the Legion reflected this dual nature, divided between military and spirituality, between mind and heart. On the one hand, the Legion followed simple and robust lines of authority. A chapter master led each chapter, a captain each company and a sergeant each squad. It was common for a chapter master to designate one of the captains as "sub commander", to act as his lieutenant. The second line of authority in the chapter was spiritual. The Chaplains, although nominally attached to companies and chapters, in reality were a brotherhood unto themselves. While each was a warrior, their concerns were not for the business of direct command, but for the strength of their brothers?spirits, for the clarity of?their purpose and the purity of their actions. Each Chaplain fitted into their own hierarchy, with ascending tiers of knowledge and respect. High Chaplains were the ruling circle of their kind, and at their centre was the First Chaplain.

珞珈是第十七軍團(tuán)的指揮官兼精神圣父，軍團(tuán)內(nèi)的權(quán)力等級體系反映了這一雙重特征，分為軍事與精神之間、意識(shí)與心靈之間。一方面，第十七軍團(tuán)遵循著簡單且強(qiáng)有力的權(quán)力線條，每位戰(zhàn)團(tuán)之主都領(lǐng)導(dǎo)著一個(gè)戰(zhàn)團(tuán)，每位連長都領(lǐng)導(dǎo)著一個(gè)連隊(duì)，每位軍士都領(lǐng)導(dǎo)著一個(gè)小隊(duì)。一位戰(zhàn)團(tuán)之主指派一名連長作為“次級指揮官”擔(dān)任自己的副官也是常見情況。戰(zhàn)團(tuán)中的第二條權(quán)力線條是精神層面的。雖說牧師們名義上附屬于連隊(duì)和戰(zhàn)團(tuán)，但事實(shí)上他們自己就是一個(gè)兄弟會(huì)。雖然每位牧師都是一名戰(zhàn)士，但他們并不關(guān)注如何直接的指揮任務(wù)，他們關(guān)注的是對兄弟們精神的增強(qiáng)，讓兄弟們志慮忠純。每名牧師都與自己的等級相適應(yīng)，隨知識(shí)和受尊重程度不斷提高，等級也不斷提升。高階牧師們是牧師群體的統(tǒng)領(lǐng)內(nèi)環(huán)，居于其中心的是首席牧師。

The two strands of authority within the Word Bearers often crossed and blurred. While theoretically separate, no lowly line captain would question the authority of a senior Chaplain. Given that the reasons for fighting were as important to the Word Bearers as victory, decisions about the course of a war or battle were often made by the Chaplains and enacted by the commanders. This blurring and fusion of the spiritual and military command was also present in Lorgar's inner circle. This group comprised the Legion's ruling council, and included both commanders and Chaplains. Even within this small group there were two who held more power and authority than any others. The names of Kor Phaeron and Erebus are now heavy with infamy, and one cannot help but wonder if the Imperium's fate would not have been different if these two had not been Lorgar's most trusted counsellors.

懷言者軍團(tuán)中的兩條權(quán)力線條經(jīng)常交叉和漸進(jìn)。雖說理論上兩條線是分離的，但沒有哪位低階連長會(huì)質(zhì)疑一位高階牧師的權(quán)力?？紤]到對于懷言者而言戰(zhàn)斗和勝利同樣重要，通常會(huì)由牧師們做出關(guān)于戰(zhàn)爭和戰(zhàn)斗走向的決定，并由指揮官通過。這種精神和軍事指揮互相融合與混淆的現(xiàn)象也出現(xiàn)在了珞珈的內(nèi)部圈子里，這個(gè)團(tuán)體由軍團(tuán)的統(tǒng)帥會(huì)議組成，包括了指揮官們和牧師們，而哪怕是在這個(gè)小團(tuán)體里，也有兩個(gè)人擁有比其他人更多的影響力和權(quán)力——他們就是現(xiàn)在極為臭名昭著的科爾 法倫和艾瑞巴斯，我們也不禁要思索：倘若這二人并非珞珈最為信任的顧問，帝國的命運(yùn)是否也會(huì)有所不同。

War Disposition

戰(zhàn)爭配置

The strength of the Word Bearers at the time of the Isstvan V Dropsite Massacre was thought to be approximately 140,000. It is now clear that this figure was a lie. Four decades earlier, when the Legion was rebuked at Khur, it was approximately 100,000 strong. That they had made a notable increase in recruitment was clear, but far from swelling their numbers by 40,000, the Word Bearers had grown to a far greater strength. Mass recruitment from every world they conquered, and the use of rapid geneseed implantation and hypno-indoctrination meant that by some reports their numbers might even have rivalled those of the Ultramarines. Certainly the scale of their actions during the opening phases of the war, and the casualties they suffered, indicate that few others could have approached them in size.

懷言者兵力在伊斯特萬五號(hào)登錄點(diǎn)大屠殺時(shí)被認(rèn)為是大約140,000，現(xiàn)在很明顯這個(gè)數(shù)據(jù)是假的。在登錄點(diǎn)大屠殺四十年前，懷言者軍團(tuán)在Khur世界（機(jī)仆：完美之城所在的世界）遭到訓(xùn)斥，那時(shí)他們的兵力大約為100,000。很明顯懷言者軍團(tuán)征兵數(shù)有了顯著的增長，而且并非僅僅增長了40,000名戰(zhàn)士，他們的兵力膨脹到了一個(gè)大得多的數(shù)量。懷言者在他們征服的每個(gè)世界上大規(guī)模征兵，而且會(huì)使用快速基因種子植入和催眠灌輸?shù)姆绞剑ㄖ圃煨卤瑩?jù)某些報(bào)告稱他們的人數(shù)甚至已經(jīng)能夠匹敵極限戰(zhàn)士。他們在戰(zhàn)爭初始階段的行動(dòng)規(guī)模和他們遭受的傷亡顯示幾乎沒有其他軍團(tuán)能接近他們的數(shù)量。

In addition to the surge in numbers of the Word Bearers, the number of vassal warbands and half-feral fanatics who accompanied them reached extraordinary numbers. In the extermination phase of the Isstvan V Dropsite Massacre, one survivor estimated that a horde of?50,000 faced the Loyalist enclave of Nurin. That such forces were lost and yet more were unleashed on world after world in the years that followed shows that behind the Word Bearers themselves stood millions more willing to die at their command.

除了懷言者軍團(tuán)戰(zhàn)士的數(shù)量激增之外，配合第十七軍團(tuán)作戰(zhàn)的仆從軍戰(zhàn)幫和半蠻人暴徒幫派數(shù)量也嚴(yán)重?cái)U(kuò)大。在伊斯特萬五號(hào)大屠殺的滅絕階段，一名幸存者估計(jì)Nurin飛地的忠誠派部隊(duì)要面對50，000人的懷言者仆從軍部落。再隨后的幾年中，此類部隊(duì)損失了，但是有更多的被釋放在一個(gè)又一個(gè)世界上，這表明在懷言者背后還站著數(shù)百萬原因在他們的指揮下而死的仆從兵。

Given the actions of so called Abyss class vessels in later campaigns, it is also clear that Lorgar had increased his Legion's naval strength, possibly to levels which exceeded that of the Imperial Fists, who were thought at the time to control the largest fleet of any Legion. Such an increase in strength, and the delicacy with which it was concealed, indicates that Lorgar went into the war ready to embrace the carnage that would follow.

考慮到所謂的深淵級戰(zhàn)艦在隨后戰(zhàn)役中的行動(dòng)，很明顯珞珈也提升了第十七軍團(tuán)的海軍實(shí)力，而且可能超過了帝國之拳軍團(tuán)的海軍實(shí)力，后者在當(dāng)時(shí)被認(rèn)為控制著所有軍團(tuán)中最大的艦隊(duì)。懷言者軍團(tuán)軍力的增加以及被隱藏起圓滑敏感表明珞珈在前往伊斯特萬五號(hào)參戰(zhàn)時(shí)便準(zhǔn)備擁抱之后的大屠殺了。