It's impossible to translate this exactly, you'll never fully appreciate the piece.
这篇文章不可能准确翻译,所以你也许永远不可能好地阅读它。
In times of peace, when business was bad, Hawkwood and his men would march into a city-state and, after burning down a few farms, would offer to go away protection money was paid to them.
和平时期,当生意萧条时,霍克伍德便带领士兵进入某个城邦,纵火烧毁一两个农场,然后提出,如向他们缴纳保护金,他们便主动撤离。