Chapter 4

Chapter 4 The city of Ba Sing Se is the capital of the Earth Kingdom. It is where the Earth Kingdom ruler lives, and is the center of culture, education, finance, and agriculture as well. My father and uncle knew that if Ba Sing Se fell, the Earth Kingdom would fall. If the Earth Kingdom falls, the Fire Nation will complete its destiny and control the entire world. Ba Sing Se is the key. Iroh tried years back to invade the walled fortress, but failed miserably. He didn't take the Earthbenders' defenses and their resolve seriously enough, and it cost him dearly. Since Iroh's failure, my father has been obsessed with taking Ba Sing Se. His war minister and generals have been working for years on a device to break through Ba Sing Se's fortified outer wall—an enormous drill. When I learned the drill was completed and on its way to the city, I knew that this would be the means to make up for my recent difficulties in capturing Iroh, Zuko, and the Avatar. How sweet that I will be the one who finally completes the capture of Ba Sing Se. I will take command of the drill and lead the Fire Nation to victory. I will deliver the crushing blow that takes

第四章永固城是土强国的首都。 它是土强国统治者居住的地方，也是文化、教育、金融和农业的中心。 我父亲和叔叔都知道，如果永固城陷落，土强国也会随之灭亡。 如果土强国灭亡，烈火国将完成自己的使命，控制整个世界。 永固城是关键。艾洛多年前曾试图入侵这座有城墙的堡垒，但失败了。 他没有把土宗的防御和决心当回事，这让他付出了沉重的代价。 艾洛失败后，我父亲一心想拿下永固城。 他的军事大臣和将军们多年来一直在研究一种突破永固城坚固的外墙的装置——一种巨大的演习。 当我得知演习已经完成并在前往城市的路上时，我知道这将是弥补我最近在捕获艾洛，祖寇和神通时遇到的困难的方法。 我是最后完成永固城攻陷的人，这多好啊。 我来指挥演习带领烈火国走向胜利。 我会给你致命一击

down the city and destroys the Earth Kingdom in one powerful assault. Once Ba Sing Se is in my hands, all else will become irrelevant. The Earth Kingdom will be ours, and the war will be over quickly—with my father in his rightful position as ruler of the entire world. Mai, Ty Lee, and I caught up to the drill a short distance from Ba Sing Se. I immediately took command from the war minister, who had been leading the attack. He boasted that the drill would easily break through the outer wall of Ba Sing Se in a single day. Then he showed me the device. The drill stood one hundred feet tall and was actually made up of two parts. The drill itself, which would bore an opening in the wall, was completely encased in a metal shell. The drill was connected to the shell by a series of braces, and the shell was impervious to any known substance or force. I am thrilled! The drill is an incredibly efficient tool encased in armor that cannot be pierced. This machine is virtually unstoppable, and with it I shall begin the final phase of the Fire Nation's world victory! I continued toward Ba Sing Se. The war minister remained with me and my crew, who ran the enormous contraption.

摧毁了这座城市，并在一次强大的进攻中摧毁了土强国。 一旦永固城落入我手中，其他一切都将变得无关紧要。 土强国将是我们的，战争将很快结束——我父亲将成为整个世界的统治者。 梅、泰·李和我在离永固城不远的地方追上了钻头。 我立即从领导这次进攻的陆军部部长那里接过指挥权。 他夸口说，钻头一天之内就能轻而易举地打穿永固城的外墙。 然后他给我看了那个装置。 钻头有100英尺高，实际上由两部分组成。 钻本身，将在墙上钻出一个开口，被完全包裹在一个金属外壳中。 钻头通过一系列支架连接到外壳上，外壳不受任何已知物质或力的影响。 我太激动了！钻是一种非常有效的工具，它包裹在无法穿透的装甲中。 这台机器势不可挡，有了它，我将开启火宗世界胜利的最后阶段！我继续朝永固城走去。 陆军部部长留在我和我的船员身边，他们管理着这个巨大的装置。

My father had also sent a fleet of small tanks to accompany the drill, in case we met any resistance. I laughed as I peered from the drill's command bridge at the tiny tanks, which looked like children's playthings flanking us on either side. The view from the command bridge spread out before me as we approached the city. At my first glimpse of our target—the outer wall—the thrill of conflict swept through my bones. I live for conquest and success, and this time I will not fail my father. "This drill is a feat of scientific ingenuity and raw destructive power," the war minister said as the wall drew closer. He certainly does love his mechanical monstrosity. But his boasting grows tiresome. "Yes, so you've said," I responded. "Once it tunnels through the wall, the troops accompanying us in the tanks will storm the city. The Earth Kingdom will finally fall, and you can claim Ba Sing Se in the name of your father. Nothing can stop us," the war minister continued. Ty Lee leaned over my shoulder and peered out the window. "What about those guys down there?" she asked. I followed her gaze and spotted a platoon of

我父亲还派了一支小型坦克车队陪同演习，以防我们遇到任何抵抗。 当我从演习指挥桥上看着我们两侧的小坦克时，我笑了，它们看起来就像孩子们的玩具。 当我们接近城市时，指挥桥上的景色在我面前展开。 当我第一眼看到我们的目标——外墙时，冲突的快感席卷了我的骨髓。 我为征服和成功而活，这次我不会让我父亲失望。 “这次演习是科学智慧和原始破坏力的壮举，”这位战争部长在墙越来越近的时候说。 他当然喜欢他的机械怪物。 但他的吹嘘越来越令人厌烦。 “是的，你是这么说的。”我回答。 “一旦它挖通了城墙，我们的坦克部队就会袭击这座城市。 土强国终将沦陷，你就可以以你父亲的名义占领永固城。 没有什么能阻止我们，”战争部长继续说道。 泰·李靠在我的肩膀上，凝视着窗外。 “下面那些人呢？”她问。 我顺着她的目光，发现了一排

Earthbenders lining up in the path of the drill. The war minister snorted his contempt for Ty Lee's concern. "Please. The drill's metal shell can handle any Earthbending attack." He is really starting to get on my nerves. I need to cover all possibilities. I will take no chances. "Oh, I'm sure it can," I said. "But just to be on the safe side —Mai, Ty Lee, go take the Earthbenders out. I want nothing standing in our way." "All right!" Mai cried as she and Ty Lee headed for the exit. "Finally something to do!" I watched as the Earthbenders created a huge column of rock directly in our path on the battlefield below. The grinding tip of the drill pierced the rock tower, easily pulverizing it into dust, and the drill rolled steadily forward. Well… perhaps the war minister is correct in his complete confidence in the machine. This may indeed prove to be an easy task. Father will be so impressed with me! Ty Lee and Mai slid down the outside shell of the drill and leaped toward the Earthbenders. Mai flung daggers to provide cover for Ty Lee, who bounced and tumbled her way to a large man—obviously the Earthbenders' captain. One by one, she struck key pressure points on his body, first blocking his bending

御土师在钻的路上排成一排。 陆军部部长对泰·李的关心嗤之以鼻。 “请。钻子的金属外壳可以抵御任何御土术的攻击。” 他真的开始让我心烦了。 我需要涵盖所有的可能性。 我不会冒险的。“哦，我相信它会的，”我说。 “但为了安全起见——麦，泰·李，去把御土师干掉。 我不想让任何东西阻挡我们。” “好吧!”梅哭着和泰·李走向出口。 “终于有事可做了！”我看着土宗们在战场的正前方造了一个巨大的石柱。 钻头的磨尖刺穿岩塔，轻而易举地将其粉碎成灰尘，钻头稳步向前滚动。 也许陆军部部长对这台机器的完全信任是正确的。 这可能确实是一项简单的任务。 爸爸一定会对我印象深刻的！泰·李和麦从钻头的外壳上滑下来，向土宗们跳去。 麦挥舞着匕首为泰·李提供掩护，泰·李弹跳着，跌跌撞撞地向一个大个子冲去——显然是土宗的队长。 她一个接一个地敲击他身体上的关键压力点，首先阻止他弯腰

ability, then causing him to collapse onto the ground. With their captain defeated, and Ty Lee and Mai gaining the upper hand, the Earthbenders quickly retreated. The girls slipped back inside the drill, which rumbled on, unimpeded, inching closer to the wall. "This drill is so slow," Mai complained, falling back into the seat to catch her breath. "Slow!" the war minister exclaimed. "Breaking through the outer wall of Ba Sing Se took General Iroh six hundred days!" he continued. "We will do so in one." Mai shrugged. "Whatever." Ty Lee suddenly pointed out the window at a cloud of dust rolling toward the drill. "Hey, look at that. It's so… poofy. You know. Poof." What is that? Is there something hidden within the cloud? I can't imagine it could be something that would pose a serious threat to this machine. "Don't worry, Princess," the war minister said smugly. "I'm sure it's nothing. Just a harmless cloud of dust." A few seconds later the cloud vanished, as if the drill had run right over it. Maybe he was right. Perhaps it was simply a harmless dust cloud. Some trick of the wind. We

能力，然后导致他倒在地上。 随着他们的队长被击败，泰·李和麦占据了上风，土宗们迅速撤退。 姑娘们又溜进钻子里，钻子继续轰隆作响，畅通无阻，一点一点地靠近墙头。 “这个钻头太慢了，”麦抱怨道，倒在座位上喘口气。 “慢点！” “艾洛将军花了六百天才攻破永固城的外墙！” “我们会一次性完成。”梅耸耸肩。 “不管”。泰·李突然指着窗外滚滚而来的灰尘。 “嘿，看那个。它太……肥了。 你知道的。噗。”那是什么？ 云里藏着什么东西吗？ 我无法想象它会对这台机器造成严重威胁。 “别担心，公主，”军政大臣得意地说。 “我相信这没什么。只是一团无害的尘埃。” 几秒钟后，乌云消失了，好像钻头正好从它上面钻过去了。 也许他是对的。也许那只是一团无害的尘埃云。 这是风的把戏。我们