Before they were united with their Primarch, the Dusk Raiders conformed very closely die standard raiment of arms and organisational parterns laid out for the early by?the Officio Militaris. The XIVth Legion is noted in record in this period as?maintaining a rounded capacity for multiple modes of?warfare, although with some bias to heavy assault?formations and attritional engagements, as evidenced by the particular use of close-ranged weaponry among its specialised units. With Mortarion as its master much?within the Legion, including its?art?of warfare, changed dramatically over time. He was at?his heart an infantryman, and in his Death Guard he saw the chance to perfect the principle of?the utilitarian warrior on foot who could go anywhere, right on any ground and destroy any enemy through resilience, resolve and implacable aggression. As part of?this doctrine squad formations were nor largely static as with most Legions but were formed, reformed and ordered as needed. To this end a Death Guard Legionary was trained to be equally adept?at?any infantry role he might be called on to perform on the battlefield rather than fighting in a particular role, acting as a Tactical Marine in one battle, a support weapons operator in another and so on, with only Techmarines and other highly specialised occupations remaining separate.

在與原體團聚之前，暮色襲擊者軍團極其遵守軍務(wù)庭在早期制定的那死板的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)化武器涂裝與組織形式。根據(jù)這一時期的記錄，那時的第十四軍團保有著進行多種形式戰(zhàn)爭的全面能力，不過他們也有著對于重型突擊編隊和消耗戰(zhàn)有著某些偏好，軍團特殊單位中對于近程武器的特定使用也證明了這一點。隨著莫塔里安成為了軍團的主宰，包括戰(zhàn)爭藝術(shù)在內(nèi)的軍團內(nèi)部成分隨著時間的推移發(fā)生了巨大的變化。莫塔里安在內(nèi)心中是個步兵，而在他的死亡守衛(wèi)軍團中，他看到了完善他那可以靠著雙足走到任何地方的實用主義戰(zhàn)士信條的機會，（這些戰(zhàn)士可以）走上任何地形，通過快速恢復(fù)能力、決心和無情的侵略攻擊摧毀任何敵人。作為這種信條的一部分，死亡守衛(wèi)的軍團小隊編制并非像大多數(shù)軍團那樣極其靜態(tài)，而是隨著需要而被組建、重組和指揮。結(jié)果就是死亡軍團戰(zhàn)士被訓(xùn)練去同等地擅長任何可能被莫塔里安要求在戰(zhàn)場上扮演的步兵角色，而非以某種特定的角色作戰(zhàn)，死亡守衛(wèi)軍團戰(zhàn)士們要在一場戰(zhàn)斗中充當(dāng)戰(zhàn)術(shù)星際戰(zhàn)士，在另一場戰(zhàn)斗中充當(dāng)支援武器操作手，等等。只有技術(shù)軍士和其他高度專業(yè)化的職業(yè)保持著獨立。

At?its most fundamental level the Death Guard Legion was organized around the principle of equipping individual Space Marines as well as possible, so that they could endure and prevail against any foe encountered, and operate for extended periods without resupply or support if needed. This was a dogma espoused by Mortarion which was readily embraced by the wider Legion, as it built on the independence and surety with which the Dusk Raiders had always fought. Bolter, melta and flamer were now the trinity of weapons around which their wargear was based, keeping supply needs to a minimum. Other types of ranged weapons were deployed sparingly only as the tactical situation or nature of the enemy demanded. Each Death Guard also carried a close combat blade as well—broad trench daggers, warscythes and the heavy slashing?“Kukra”?of Barbarus, forged of dense black ceramsteel, these brutal and efficient weapons soon became a hallmark of the Legion. This reliance on simple but effective tools of war was an outward manifestation of the cardinal belief held by the Legion that the Space Marine himself was the greatest of?all weapons at the Imperiums disposal—a tireless engine of war before which any enemy would eventually succumb, or as Mortarion put it to his Legion: “One man can murder a world given sufficient time and the fortitude to wield the blade again and again, and again until death's work is done.”

在其最為基礎(chǔ)的層級上，死亡守衛(wèi)圍繞著盡可能將獨立的星際戰(zhàn)士進行裝備的信條進行組織，這樣他們就能忍受并戰(zhàn)勝遇到的任何敵人，而且需要時，他們能在沒有補給和支援的情況下長期運作。莫塔里安信奉著一種被廣大軍團欣然接受的信條，他建立于黃昏突襲者們一向的戰(zhàn)斗獨立性和保證性上。爆彈槍、熱熔槍和火焰噴射器現(xiàn)在是死亡守衛(wèi)的武器三件套，戰(zhàn)爭裝備也是以這些武器為基礎(chǔ)，將補給需要保持在最低。只有在戰(zhàn)術(shù)環(huán)境和敵人特性有所要求時，其他類型的遠程武器才會被保守地部署。每名死亡守衛(wèi)也都攜帶了一把近戰(zhàn)格斗刀——寬血槽的匕首、戰(zhàn)鐮和巴巴魯斯重型砍刀“庫卡拉”，它們由質(zhì)密的黑色陶鐵合金（機仆：“陶鋼”的原文是ceramite，其實跟金屬無關(guān)，“精瓷”可能反而更貼切，creamsteel直譯過來更像是“陶鋼”）鑄造，這些殘忍且高效的武器很快成為了軍團的一項標(biāo)志。這種對于簡單而有效的戰(zhàn)爭工具的依賴是軍團秉持的基本信念一種表向體現(xiàn)：星際戰(zhàn)士本身便是帝國支配的所有武器當(dāng)中最為強悍的——在任何敵人尚未屈服之前，阿斯塔特們就是不會疲憊的戰(zhàn)爭引擎；或者就像莫塔里安對軍團的看法：“只要被給予足夠的時間和反復(fù)揮劍的勇氣，一個人就可以謀殺整個世界，直到死亡的工作事畢”。

The Death Guard relied almost exclusively on its infantry to provide its strategic strength, with the bulk of tactical support firepower coming from heavily armed support squads, and latterly with considerable numbers of Terminators and Dreadnoughts—a tradition begun by the Dusk Raiders, providing reinforcement and assault spearheads where needed. This focus was also one of the reasons the Death Guard Legion developed a particularly admirable record in fighting to clear space hulks of alien infestation and for their ability to destroy fortifications and citadels from within. While the Death Guard did maintain and utilise field armour, support vehicles and transports (as Mortarion would not allow his forces to be circumvented, cut-off or left wanting for their lack), these were not given any primacy in the Legion's tactical doctrine. The only exceptions to this were dedicated siege units such as the Vindicator which was fielded in disproportionately high numbers by the Legion, alongside squadrons of Fellblade super-heavies and Land Raider Spartans in mass warfare. It was notable in hindsight and would prove to be a telling factor on Isstvan III—that a proportionately high number of Death Guard Legion war machine crews were of Terran blood by the time of the Heresy, while the heaviest infantry strike units, particularly the Legion's sizable core of Terminator armour-equipped shock troops, were of Barbarus stock.

死亡守衛(wèi)幾乎僅僅依靠其步兵來提供戰(zhàn)略力量，大部分戰(zhàn)術(shù)支援火力來自重型裝甲支援小隊，之后跟進數(shù)量可觀的終結(jié)者部隊和無畏機甲——該傳統(tǒng)開始于黃昏襲擊者時期，在有需要的地方提供增援和進攻矛頭。這種專注性也是死亡守衛(wèi)在清理異形出沒的太空廢船的戰(zhàn)斗中發(fā)展出極其令人贊嘆的記錄的原因之一，還有就是因為他們從內(nèi)部摧毀防御工事和堡壘的能力。雖然死亡守衛(wèi)確實也保有和使用著戰(zhàn)地裝甲載具、支援載具和運輸載具(莫塔里安不會允許他的部隊因缺乏這些裝備而被包圍、切斷線路或者陷入?yún)T乏狀態(tài))，但它們在軍團的戰(zhàn)術(shù)信條中未被給予任何首要地位，僅有的例外是諸如維護者攻城坦克之類的攻城單位——死亡守衛(wèi)軍團以高得不成比例的數(shù)量使用此類單位，還有就是大規(guī)模戰(zhàn)爭中的殘暴之刃超重坦和斯巴達型蘭德掠奪者中隊。從事后來看，這些現(xiàn)象是很明顯的，而且被證明是伊斯特萬三號戰(zhàn)役中一個有說服力的因素——在叛亂（爆發(fā)）時，死亡守衛(wèi)軍團中有數(shù)量高到不成比例的戰(zhàn)爭機器乘員是泰拉裔；而最為重型的步兵攻擊單位，尤其是軍團中裝備了終結(jié)者動力甲的部隊的大量核心成員是巴巴魯斯族裔。

Legion Command Hierarchy

軍團指揮等級體系

When the new-found Primarch was given command of his Legion, his fellow Primarchs and the Lords Militant of the Imperium no doubt waited with some expectation to see what manner of warrior this macabre addition to the ranks of the Emperor's sons would prove. The answer came in a perhaps unexpected form as Mortarion proved himself within the span of?a very few battles to be one of the finest field commanders the Great Crusade had ever seen, ever at the forefront of his forces smashing down foes. The mysterious Primarch had an uncanny sense for the ride of a battle's turning, and where and when forces under his command—sometimes removed by?thousands of miles from his own position— should hold ground or advance to brutal effect—so well did he perceive the ebb and flow of war. Many of his contemporaries, and indeed commentators, since have underestimated Mortarion's razor-sharp intelligence and flare for organisational simplicity and efficiency .These factors, coupled with the ability to inspire a fanarical loyalty in those of Barbaras blood who viewed him as no less than a near-divine saviour, allowed Mortarion to remake his Legion as a single instnimeiit of his will .Of all of the Legions, it was said of the Death Guard that they were but one entity with a single purpose and one body.

當(dāng)新發(fā)現(xiàn)的原體被給予軍團的指揮權(quán)時，他的原體兄弟和帝國的軍事領(lǐng)主們無疑懷著某種期待來等待著的——期待見證這位加入帝皇子嗣行列的恐怖人物會證明何等的戰(zhàn)士之道。莫塔里安以一種可能是讓人始料未及的形式進行了回答：他在僅僅幾場戰(zhàn)斗中就證明了自己是（帝國在）大遠征中曾經(jīng)見證過的最優(yōu)秀的戰(zhàn)地指揮官之一，他總是身處他的部隊碾碎敵人的前線。這位神秘的原體對于戰(zhàn)斗的轉(zhuǎn)向有一種不可思議的感覺，這種感覺也存在于他指揮下的部隊?wèi)?yīng)在何時何地堅守陣地或發(fā)動野蠻的攻勢——某些時候這些部隊距離他自己的位置有數(shù)千英里之遠，他在理解戰(zhàn)爭潮起潮落的方面也做得很好。他的很多同代人，甚至是評論家們都低估了莫塔里安的敏銳才智和他對于組織簡潔性和效率的靈光一閃。這些因素配合著激發(fā)視其為一個不亞于神明的救世主的巴巴魯斯裔們的狂熱的能力允許莫塔里安根據(jù)他的意志將第十四軍團重置為一件獨立的工具。在所有軍團中，據(jù)說死亡守衛(wèi)軍團只是一個有單獨目標(biāo)和形體的實體存在。

Obedience and order in the ranks of the Dearh Guard was absolute and expected, and a clear and unbroken chain of command ran like blood in the Legion's veins. Legionaries were extensions of their sergeanrs’ will, sergeants their captain's, and caprains their commanders, and through them all were instruments of Mortarion, body and soul. Few other ranks or divisions of formal organisation existed, except in very specialized, often technical, roles and each member of the Legion knew their place and the seniority and tasks of those around them without recourse to heraldry and symbol 。All conformed to Mortarion's decree without rancour or dissent, and rivalries and internal strife were observed by outsiders to be few, particularly in comparison to more notably fractious Legions such as the Night Lords or Space Wolves, When an officer died in battle, his successor stepped into his place swiftly and decisively without need for orders or discussion, and so the Legion's chain of command was seamless even under the heaviest losses, contributing to the Death Guard's reputation for endurance in war.

在死亡守衛(wèi)的部隊中，服從和命令是絕對和被要求的，一條清晰且不可打破的指揮鏈像血液一樣在軍團的血管中流動。軍團戰(zhàn)士們是他們的軍士們的意志的延伸，軍士們是他們的連長們的意志的延伸，連長們是他們的指揮官們的意志的延伸，而他們所有人都是莫塔里安的工具，無論是身體上還是靈魂上。第十四軍團中幾乎不存在正式組織的軍銜或分支，除非是某些非常專業(yè)的，通常是技術(shù)上的。軍團中的每名成員和職責(zé)都能在不依靠紋章和符號標(biāo)志的情況下明白他們的地位與周圍人的資歷和任務(wù)。所有人都要毫無敵意和分歧地服從莫塔里安，局外人在第十四軍團中幾乎觀察不到競爭和內(nèi)部沖突，尤其是與諸如午夜領(lǐng)主和太空野狼這些明顯更為難以控制的軍團相比，當(dāng)一位軍官死在戰(zhàn)斗中時，他的繼任者無需命令和討論就能快速果斷地接替他的位置，所以哪怕是在最為嚴(yán)重的損失下，軍團的指揮鏈也是無縫（連續(xù)）的，促成死亡守衛(wèi)在戰(zhàn)爭中的耐久力強的名聲。

The overall Legion Mortarion had reordered into seven "Great Companies"?of considerably larger size than standard Legion organisational structures would mandate—the number seven and its derivations seeming to hold occult and ritual significance both to Mortarion and the culture of his blighted world of adoption. Notionally each company was to hold some 70,000 Space Marines, the desired strength of the Dearh Guard Legion's number then some 490,000 Legiones Astartes—although in reality nothing approaching this number was ever achieved. Attrition and bloodshed, as well as the constraints of time and resources,were to see the Legion never reach this number but?the figure remains, if nothing else，a measure of Morrarion’s ambition.

莫塔里安把整個軍團分為七個“大連”，其規(guī)模比標(biāo)準(zhǔn)軍團組織結(jié)構(gòu)所要求的要大得多——對于莫塔里安與收養(yǎng)他的枯萎世界的文化而言，數(shù)字“7”及其派生含義似乎具有深奧且儀式性的含義。理論上每個連隊擁有大概70,000名星際戰(zhàn)士，死亡守衛(wèi)軍團期望的兵力數(shù)大概是490000名軍團阿斯塔特——但事實上死亡守衛(wèi)軍團的兵力從未接近過這個數(shù)字。由于（資源）損耗和（人員的）流血犧牲以及時間和資源的限制，軍團人數(shù)從未達到過這個數(shù)目，但這種數(shù)字仍然存在，如果沒有其他的話，就是對于莫塔里安野心的一種評估。

Elite units, favoured or chosen warriors singled out from the rest, and sub-formations within the Death Guard Legion were also noticeably lacking in comparison to other Legions, with only a few exceptions - the most notable of which were known as the Deathshroud. Singled out by Mortarion they were veteran warriors, chosen for their skill-at-arms, fearlessness and their proven endurance, and were often selected from Death Guard who had survived where their comrades had fallen，?often quite literally having been left the 'last man' from an assault force or particularly bloody defence. The Deathshroud formed Mortarion's silent bodyguard, and in peace or war it was said that at least two of their number remained within forty-nine paces of?their Primarch at any time.

相比于其他軍團，死亡守衛(wèi)軍團中的精英單位、從其他軍團戰(zhàn)士中挑選而出的被青睞或被選中的戰(zhàn)士和次級編隊也明顯缺失，只有少數(shù)例外——其中最著名的被稱為死亡壽衣，他們是由莫塔里安挑選而出的老兵戰(zhàn)士，他們受選是因為其武器技藝、無畏精神和他們被證明的忍耐力，莫塔里安通常也會從那些其戰(zhàn)友全部陣亡但其自己（獨自）幸存的死亡守衛(wèi)戰(zhàn)士中挑選死亡壽衣，這些戰(zhàn)士通常是某支進攻部隊或者某場極其血腥的防御戰(zhàn)中遺留下的字面意義上的“最后一人”。死亡壽衣們組成了莫塔里安寂靜的衛(wèi)隊，在非戰(zhàn)爭或者戰(zhàn)爭時期，據(jù)說至少有兩名死亡壽衣成員在任何時候都保持在其原體的四十九步距離之內(nèi)。

War Disposition

戰(zhàn)爭配置

Unlike some Legions whose operations were often diffused into separate commands, taskforces and campaigns, the Death Guard were accustomed to fight as one. So it was that the XIVth?Legion came to the Isstvan system with its almost complete strength, the most accurate of which placed it at approximately 95,000 Space Marines, 70 capital vessels and perhaps three times that number of smaller escort and assault craft.

不同于某些通常將自己的運作分散在獨立的指揮組、特遣隊和戰(zhàn)役中的軍團，死亡守衛(wèi)軍團習(xí)慣于作為一個整體來戰(zhàn)斗，所以第十四軍團帶著幾乎全部兵力前往了伊斯特萬星系，其中最為準(zhǔn)確的數(shù)據(jù)是：死亡守衛(wèi)軍團（在伊斯特萬星系）投放了大約95,000名星際戰(zhàn)士，70艘主力艦以及數(shù)量可能三倍于此的小型護衛(wèi)艦船和突擊艇。

For some considerable time before the betrayal the Death Guard Legion had fought beside the Sons of Horus in the galactic north, either attacking targets of extreme environmental hazard alongside specialized units, or often joining in open battle to form an unbreakable anvil against which the forces of fellow Legions caught and smashed the foe.

在大叛亂之前相當(dāng)多的時間段中，死亡守衛(wèi)在銀河系北部與荷魯斯之子并肩作戰(zhàn)，無論是和專門的部隊一起攻擊有極端環(huán)境危害的目標(biāo)，還是經(jīng)常加入公開戰(zhàn)斗來組成（用于）針對被兄弟軍團拖住的敵軍部隊的堅不可摧的鐵砧，并將敵人徹底粉碎。

Deployed to the surface of Isstvan III it is believed were a little under a third of the Legions forces, comprising the principal elements of its 2th，5th and 7th Great Companies, as well as a detachment of Legion Fellblades and siege gear. This numbered not only the bulk of the Death Guards Terran blood but many others besides, forming an effective fighting fore to retake the rebel world. It is not known if?these non-Terran elements were also distrusted by their master Mortarion to follow him in revolt against the Emperor, merely deemed a necessary sacrifice as part of?the Warmaster's plan.

人們相信被部署到伊斯特萬三號表面的只是不到死亡守衛(wèi)軍團三分之一成員的少數(shù)部分，組成了第2、第5和第7大連的主要部分，以及一支軍團殘暴之刃和攻城裝備分遣隊。這些部隊不僅是死亡守衛(wèi)軍團的大部分泰拉裔成員，而且還有很多其他成員，他們組成了收復(fù)這個叛亂世界的一支實際戰(zhàn)斗先遣隊。我們不知道他們的主宰莫塔里安是否不相信那些非泰拉裔死亡守衛(wèi)也會追隨他加入反叛帝皇的叛亂，僅僅視之為戰(zhàn)帥計劃某部分的必要犧牲。

Given the observed nature of the Legion it is then all the more shocking perhaps that despite their unity of purpose and the unflinching loyalty of his Death Guard, that it seems apparent that Mortarion simply did not trust some within his ranks, particularly those of Terran stock, and so conspired in their merciless destruction at Isstvan III. So was Mortarion's betrayal felt the most keenly and bitterly by those he cast down, a loyalty scorned that turned into burning hatred of their former master. Ironically it was also Mortarion's doctrine of endurance and self-sufficiency, and the Legions experiences fighting on the deadliest of battlefields that allowed the betrayed Death Guard to respond swiftly and eflectively to their plight and danger—for in proportion it appears more of them survived the initial viral bombardment of Isstvan III than any other Legion force stranded there, and it was their dogged resistance and will to fight despite the odds which allowed them to prove such a thorn tn the traitors'?side.

考慮到第四軍團某些被觀察的天性，也許更為令人震驚的是：雖然死亡守衛(wèi)軍團目標(biāo)統(tǒng)一，戰(zhàn)士們對于莫塔里安擁有堅定的忠誠，但很明顯，莫塔里安就是不信任他部隊中的某些人，尤其是那些泰拉裔，所以也在伊斯特萬三號上對其陰謀進行了無情的毀滅。那些遭到莫塔里安拋棄的死亡守衛(wèi)們也對原體的背叛有著最為強烈和痛苦的感受，他們忠誠的蔑視轉(zhuǎn)變成了對于前主子的強烈憤恨。諷刺的是，也正是莫塔里安關(guān)于忍耐力和自給自足的信條，以及軍團在最為致命的戰(zhàn)場上的作戰(zhàn)經(jīng)驗允許遭到背叛的（忠誠派）死亡守衛(wèi)們快速靈活地應(yīng)對他們的困境與危局——按比例來看，在伊斯特萬三號最初的病毒轟炸當(dāng)中，死亡守衛(wèi)軍團的幸存者多于其他被困于此的軍團。盡管身處逆境 ，但正是他們堅韌的抵抗力和戰(zhàn)斗意志允許忠誠派死亡守衛(wèi)戰(zhàn)士們證明自己是刺入叛徒們（部隊）的一根利刺。