The soldiers knew they could not escape, so they determined to die game.
士兵们知道他们已经无法逃走了,于是决心英勇就义。
heavy manual labour:重体力劳动
21. 英勇就义die a heroic and lonely death | 22. 重体力劳动heavy manual labour | 23. 据我回忆as far as I recall