战争与和平(上)-第246章

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Yermolov　half　closed　his　eyelids；　and　faintly　smiled；　as　he　heard　those　words。　He　knew　that　the　storm　had　blown　over　him；　and　that　Kutuzov　would　not　go　beyond　that　hint。
“That’s　his　little　joke　at　my　expense；”　said　Yermolov　softly；　poking　Raevsky；　near　him；　with　his　knee。
Soon　after　that；　Yermolov　moved　forward　to　Kutuzov　and　respectfully　submitted：
“The　time　has　not　passed；　your　highness；　the　enemy　has　not　gone　away。　If　you　were　to　command　an　advance？　Or　else　the　guards　won’t　have　a　sight　of　smoke。”
Kutuzov　said　nothing；　but　when　news　was　brought　him　that　Murat’s　troops　were　in　retreat；　he　gave　orders　for　an　advance；　but　every　hundred　paces　he　halted　for　three…quarters　of　an　hour。
The　whole　battle　was　confined　to　what　had　been　done　by　the　Cossacks　of　Orlov…Denisov；　the　rest　of　the　troops　simply　lost　a　few　hundreds　of　men　for　nothing。
In　consequence　of　this　battle；　Kutuzov　received　a　diamond　decoration；　Bennigsen；　too；　was　rewarded　with　diamonds　and　a　hundred　thousand　roubles；　and　the　other　generals；　too；　received　agreeable　recognition　according　to　their　rank；　and　more　changes　were　made　on　the　staff。
“That’s　how　things　are　always　done　among　us；　everything　topsy…turvy！”　the　Russian　officers　and　generals　said　after　the　battle　of　Tarutino；　just　as　they　say　it　nowadays；　with　an　assumption　that　some　stupid　person　had　muddled　everything；　while　we　would　have　managed　quite　differently。　But　the　men　who　speak　like　this　either　do　not　understand　what　they　are　talking　of；　or　intentionally　deceive　themselves。　Every　battle—Tarutino；　Borodino；　Austerlitz—fails　to　come　off　as　those　who　planned　it　expected　it　to　do。　That　is　inevitable。
An　innumerable　collection　of　freely　acting　forces　（and　nowhere　is　a　man　freer　than　on　the　field　of　battle；　where　it　is　a　question　of　life　and　death）　influence　the　direction　taken　by　a　battle；　and　that　can　never　be　known　beforehand　and　never　corresponds　with　the　direction　of　any　one　force。
If　many　forces　are　acting　simultaneously　in　different　directions　on　any　body；　the　direction　of　its　motion　will　not　correspond　with　any　one　of　the　forces；　but　will　always　follow　a　middle　course；　the　summary　of　them；　what　is　expressed　in　mechanics　by　the　diagonal　of　the　parallelogram　of　forces。
If　in　the　accounts　given　us　by　historians；　especially　by　French　ones；　we　find　that　wars　and　battles　appear　to　follow　a　definite　plan　laid　down　beforehand；　the　only　deduction　we　can　make　from　that　is　that　these　accounts　are　not　true。
The　battle　of　Tarutino　obviously　failed　to　attain　the　aim　which　Toll　had　in　view：　to　lead　the　army　into　action　in　accordance　with　his　disposition　of　the　troops；　or　the　aim　which　Count　Orlov…Denisov　may　have　had：　to　take　Murat　prisoner；　or　the　aim　of　destroying　at　one　blow　the　whole　corps；　which　Benningsen　and　others　may　have　entertained；　or　the　aim　of　the　officer　who　desired　to　distinguish　himself　under　fire；　or　the　Cossack；　who　wanted　to　obtain　more　booty　than　he　did　attain；　and　so　on。　But　if　we　regard　the　object　of　the　battle　as　what　was　actually　accomplished　by　it；　and　what　was　the　universal　desire　of　all　Russians　（the　expulsion　of　the　French　from　Russia　and　the　destruction　of　their　army）；　it　will　be　perfectly　evident　that　the　battle　of　Tarutino；　precisely　in　consequence　of　its　incongruities；　was　exactly　what　was　wanted　at　that　period　of　the　campaign。　It　is　difficult　or　impossible　to　imagine　any　issue　of　that　battle　more　in　accordance　with　that　object　than　its　actual　result。　With　the　very　smallest　effort；　in　spite　of　the　greatest　muddle；　and　with　the　most　trifling　loss；　the　most　important　results　in　the　whole　campaign　were　obtained—the　transition　was　made　from　retreat　to　attack；　the　weakness　of　the　French　was　revealed；　and　the　shock　was　given　which　was　all　that　was　needed　to　put　Napoleon’s　army　to　flight。


Chapter　8
NAPOLEON　enters　Moscow　after　the　brilliant　victory　de　la　Moskowa：　there　can　be　no　doubt　of　the　victory；　since　the　French　are　left　in　possession　of　the　field　of　battle。　The　Russians　retreat　and　leave　Moscow—well　stocked　with　provisions；　arms；　implements；　and　countless　riches—in　the　hands　of　Napoleon。　The　Russian　army；　of　one…half　the　strength　of　the　French；　during　the　course　of　a　whole　month　makes　no　effort　to　attack。　Napoleon’s　position　is　most　brilliant。　One　would　have　supposed　that　no　great　genius　was　needed　with　an　army　of　double　the　strength　to　fall　upon　the　Russian　forces　and　destroy　them；　to　negotiate　an　advantageous　peace；　or；　in　case　of　negotiations　being　refused；　to　make　a　menacing　march　upon　Petersburg；　or　even；　in　case　of　failure　in　this；　to　return　to　Smolensk　or　to　Vilna；　or　to　remain　in　Moscow；　to　retain；　in　short；　the　brilliant　position　in　which　the　French　army　now　found　themselves。　To　do　all　this　it　was　only　necessary　to　take　the　simplest　and　easiest　measures：　to　keep　the　soldiers　from　pillage；　to　prepare　winter　clothes　（of　which　there　was　a　supply　in　Moscow　amply　sufficient　for　the　whole　army）；　and　regularly　to　collect　the　provisions；　of　which　the　supply　in　Moscow　was；　on　the　showing　of　the　French　historians；　sufficient　to　feed　the　whole　army　for　six　months。　Napoleon；　the　greatest　of　all　military　geniuses；　with　absolute　power；　as　historians　assert；　over　the　army；　did　nothing　of　all　this。
Far　from　doing　anything　of　the　sort；　he　used　his　power　to　select　out　of　all　the　various　courses　open　to　him　the　stupidest　and　most　pernicious　of　all。　Of　all　the　different　things　Napoleon　might　have　done—spending　the　winter　in　Moscow；　going　to　Petersburg；　going　to　Nizhni…Novgorod；　going　back　a　little　more　to　the　north　or　to　the　south；　by　the　road　Kutuzov　afterwards　took—no　course　one　can　imagine　could　have　been　more　ruinous　for　his　army　（as　the　sequel　proved）　than　the　one　Napoleon　actually　did　adopt；　that　is；　the　course　of　staying　in　Moscow　till　October；　letting　the　troops　plunder　the　town；　then　in　hesitation　leaving　a　garrison　behind；　marching　out　of　Moscow；　going　to　meet　Kutuzov　and　not　giving　battle；　turning　to　the　right　and　going　as　far　as　Maley　Yaroslavets；　again　refusing　to　risk　a　battle；　and　finally　retreating；　not　by　the　road　Kutuzov　had　taken；　but　by　Mozhaisk　and　the　Smolensk　route　through　devastated　country。　Let　the　most　skilful　tacticians；　supposing　that　Napoleon’s　object　was　the　destruction　of　his　army；　try　and　devise　a　series　of　actions　which　could；　apart　from　any　measures　that　might　be　taken　by　the　Russian　forces；　have　ensured　with　such　certainty　the　complete　destruction　of　the　whole　French　army　as　the　course　taken　by　Napoleon。
This　the　genius　Napoleon　did。　But　to　say　that　Napoleon　ruined　his　army　because　he　wanted　to　do　so；　or　because　he　was　very　stupid；　would　be　just　as　unjust　as　to　say　that　Napoleon　got　his　troops　to　Moscow　because　he　wanted　to；　and　because　he　was　very　clever　and　a　great　genius。
In　both　cases　his　personal　activity；　having　no　more　force　than　the　personal　activity　of　every　soldier；　was　merely　coincidental　with　the　laws　by　which　the　event　was　determined。
Quite　falsely　（and　simply　because　the　sequel　did　not　justify　Napoleon’s　actions）　do　historians　represent　Napoleon’s　faculties　as　flagging　at　Moscow。　Just　as　before；　and　afterwards　in　the　year　1813；　he　used　all　his　powers　and　faculties　to　do　the　best　for　himself　and　his　army；　Napoleon’s　activity　at　this　time　was　no　less　marvellous　than　in　Egypt；　in　Italy；　in　Austria；　and　in　Prussia。　We　do　not　know　with　any　certainty　how　real　was　the　genius　of　Napoleon　in　Egypt；　where　forty　centuries　looked　down　upon　his　greatness；　because　all　his　great　exploits　there　are　recounted　to　us　by　none　but　Frenchmen。　We　cannot　judge　with　certainty　of　his　genius　in　Austria　and　Prussia；　as　the　accounts　of　his　doings　there　must　be　drawn　from　French　and　German　sources。　And　the　unaccountable　surrender　of　corps　of　soldiers　without　a　battle；　and　of　fortresses　without　a　siege；　must　dispose　Germans　to　postulate　Napoleon’s　genius　as　the　unique　explanation　of　the　war　as　it　was　waged　in　Germany。　But　we　have；　thank　God；　no　need　to　plead　his　genius　to　cloak　our　shame。　We　have　paid　for　the　right　to　look　facts　simply　and　squarely　in　the　face；　and　that　right　we　will　not　give　up。
His　activity　in　Moscow　was　as　marvellous　and　as　full　of　genius　as　anywhere　else。　Command　upon　command　and　plan　upon　plan　was　continually　being　issued　by　him　from　the　time　he　entered　Moscow　to　the　time　he　left　it。　The　absence　of　the　citizens　and　of　a　deputation；　and　even　the　burning　of　Moscow；　did　not　daunt　him。　He　did　not　lose　sight　of　the　welfare　of　his　army；　nor　of　the　doings　of　the　enemy；　nor　of　the　welfare　of　the　people　of　Russia；　nor　of　the　conduct　of　affairs　at　Paris；　nor　of　diplomatic　negotiations　as　to　the　terms　of　peace。


Chapter　9
ON　THE　MILITARY　SIDE；　immediately　on　entering　Moscow；　Napoleon　gives　General　Sebastiani　strict　orders　to　keep　a　watch　on　the　movements　of　the　Russian　army；　sends　detachments　along　the　various　roads；　and　charges　Murat　to　find　Kutuzov。　Then　he　gives　careful　instructions　for　the　fortification　of　the　Kremlin；　then　he　makes　a　plan　of　the　coming　campaign　over　the　whole　map　of　Russia；　that　was　a　work　of　genius；　indeed。　On　the　diplomatic　side；　Napoleon　summons　to　his　presence　Captain　Yakovlev；　who　had　been　robbed　and　reduced　to　rags　and　did　not　know　how　to　get　out　of　Moscow；　expounds　to　him　minutely　his　whole　policy　and　his　magnanimity；　and　after　writing　a　letter　to　the　Emperor　Alexander；　in　which　he　considers　it　his　duty　to　inform　his　friend　and　brother　that　Rastoptchin　had　performed　his　duties　very　badly　in　Moscow；　he　despatches　Yakovlev　with　it　to　Petersburg。
Expounding　his　views　and　his　magnanimity　with　equal　minuteness　to　Tutolmin；　he　despatches　that　old　man　too　to　Petersburg　to　open　negotiations。
On　the　judicial　side；　orders　were　issued；　immediately　after　the　fires　broke　out；　for　the　guilty　persons　to　be　found　and　executed。　And　the　miscreant　Rastoptchin　was　punished　by　the　order　to　set　fire　to　his　houses。
On　the　administrative　side；　Moscow　was　presented　with　a　constitution。　A　municipal　council　was　instituted；　and　the　following　proclamation　was　issued：—
“CITIZENS　OF　MOSCOW！
“Your　misfortunes　have　been　cruel；　but　his　majesty　the　Emperor　and　King　wishes　to　put　an　end　to　them。　Terrible　examples　have　shown　you　how　he　punishes　crime　and　breach　of　discipline。　Stern　measures　have　been　taken　to　put　an　end　to　disorder　and　to　restore　public　security。　A　paternal　council；　chosen　from　among　yourselves；　will　compose　your　municipality　or　town　council。　It　will　care　for　you；　for　your　needs　and　your　interests。　The　members　of　it　will　be　distinguished　by　a　red　ribbon；　which　they　will　wear　across　the　shoulder；　and　the　mayor　will　wear　a　white　sash　over　it。　But　except　when　discharging　their　duties；　they　will　wear　only　a　red　ribbon　round　the　left　arm。
“The　city　police　are　established　on　their　former　footing；　and　they　are　already　restoring　order。　The　government　has　appointed　two　general　commissioners；　or　superintendents　of　police；　and　twenty　commissioners；　or　police　inspectors；　stationed　in　the　different　quarters　of　the　town。　You　will　recognise　them　by　the　white　ribbon　they　will　wear　round　the　left　arm。　Several　churches　of　various　denominations　have　been　opened；　and　divine　service　is　performed　in　them　without　hindrance。　Your　fellow…citizens　are　returning　every　day　to　their　dwellings；　and　orders　have　been　given　that　they　should　find　in　the