Chapter 12 Volume 1 Chapter 7-2

Napoleon finally found someone to pass on to Alexander, Mr. Tutolmin, the director of the Moscow Correctional Institute. Like a good father, Mr. Tutormin bravely stayed behind after sending most of the orphans away, and begged the French military authorities to protect the house of the reformatory and the caregivers who remained in Moscow.As a director of the empress' charity, his words had a certain authority and were able to influence all walks of life in Petersburg.Napoleon ordered him to be summoned, and had many conversations with him with great enthusiasm.Mr. Tutormin expressed his gratitude to the French for protecting his charitable institution, and Napoleon assured him that the war was waged entirely from political motives, not personal hatred, and that peace was his primary goal.Tutormin asked permission to write a report on the penitentiary to the Empress, and Napoleon readily agreed, adding: "I beg you to write something back to Emperor Alexander, whom I respect as before, and say that I hope Make peace." No sooner had Tutormin's report been written than Napoleon ordered Tutormin's courier to be sent through the French post.

The peace proposal sent by the messenger to Petersburg was regarded by the Russians as evidence that Napoleon was at the end of his rope, and the Russian court replied to Napoleon in silence.Napoleon was shocked by this silence. He had expected that the Russians, exhausted by the war, would seize every opportunity to end the war, and he was used to giving peace orders in the palace of conquered countries. times without success.Napoleon felt a bit in a dilemma. He said angrily: "It is difficult to see that the motivation generated by hatred can prevent us from reaching an understanding. We have reached the ancient capital of Russia. From a military point of view, no matter how advantageous it is, we cannot sign a preliminary peace." A deal that leaves here will be seen as a political failure. All of Europe is watching us, and they will judge as our failure today what we are certain to win next spring. If that happens, the consequences will be disastrous .”

However, Napoleon quickly regained his confidence. He believed that the reason why Petersburg did not respond to his proposal was because he was afraid that the French would ask too high in the negotiations.Now, he said that he would sign the most lenient, easiest, most glorious, and least insulting peace treaty with Russia. He thought that the Russians would definitely seize this favorable opportunity.Therefore, Napoleon decided to write a letter to the Tsar himself, and voluntarily made some unexpected concessions, so that the Tsar would not lose face in front of his own people.He ordered the search among hospitals and Russian prisoners for a high-ranking Russian officer who could deliver a message to Petersburg.

The sender was finally found. He was the younger brother of a Russian diplomat stationed in Germany.Napoleon raised his thoughts about Franco-Russian reconciliation and a peace agreement with the Russian officer, and complained that Alexander was surrounded by bad guys who did not know his peace wishes.The Russian officer replied politely that he doubted that any understanding could be reached as long as the French remained in Moscow.However, he promised to try his best to get Napoleon's letter of peace to Alexander. During his days in Moscow, Napoleon had never been more anxious than he had ever been.In order to hide this emotion, he spent a lot of time every day dealing with everything that happened in the French Empire and its vassal states.He read aloud the poems sent to him by the courier from Paris; he issued various orders to various places in a decisive tone; he spent three nights in a row dealing with the problem of the French Comedy Theater and issued the famous Moscow edict.All France, Poland, and Germany felt his pulse beating as if he were still sitting in the Tuileries.It is difficult for ordinary people to imagine that Napoleon in such an environment would care about these small and complicated civil issues. Only those who understand him best know that he did this for political purposes. He wants to prove to everyone that he is a brain Sober and calm, he especially wanted to convince the Parisians that his war in Russia was going well, otherwise how could he have so much time to deal with these trivial matters?

Alexander still hadn't responded to Napoleon's peace proposal, so Napoleon couldn't wait any longer. On October 2, he summoned Kolancourt, the former ambassador to Russia, and said to him: "Are you willing to go to Petersburg? You go to see the Tsar, and I will let you bring a letter, and you will go to conclude a peace treaty." Kolan Gu refused the mission. He dissuaded the emperor from doing so, because repeated peace proposals could only tell the tsarist French army that their confidence was low. At the same time, he also frankly told Napoleon that the sacrifice of Moscow by the Russians showed their determination to fight to the end. , and as the weather gets colder, the Russians will have more favorable opportunities. It is impossible for the Tsar to sign a peace treaty on the ruins of Moscow.Napoleon was a little upset, but he still wanted to persuade Coulaincourt to accept the task. He said that the news from Petersburg showed that the Russians were panicking and packing up to move their capital, and the most valuable things had been sent to the interior , and some were even sent to the UK.The tsar was at a loss as to what to do with the situation, as his army was too thin and morale was low.The French army was ready to march on Petersburg, the tsar was in a very difficult situation, and he would certainly agree to peace talks, because only then could he climb out in a dignified manner from the impasse he had set for himself.Despite Napoleon's rhetoric, Coulaincourt refused to obey.In the end, Napoleon had to give in. He said: "Since you are not going to Petersburg, then go to Kutuzov's headquarters!" Kolancourt still refused to obey.Napoleon was furious, and he shouted: "Well, I will send Loristona. He will enjoy the honor of concluding peace and saving the throne of your friend Alexander." Not long after, the ambassador to Russia before the Russian war began Mr. Loristona was sent to Kutuzov's high command.

After the main force of the Russian army withdrew from Moscow, it first retreated east along the Ryazan Avenue, and then went south along the Bachla River. On September 19, they retreated to the left bank of the river and set up positions at Tarutino, southwest of Moscow.Murat led cavalry to set up a barrier in the south to monitor Kutuzov. On October 4, Loristona came to the Russian Army Command located in the village of Tarutino.The arrival of Loristona caused an uproar in Kutuzov's stronghold.Kutuzov wanted to meet Loristoner at the outpost, but was firmly opposed by the Russian general and the British representative Wilson.Wilson sternly warned Kutuzov that the army would refuse to obey him if he dared to do so.Kutuzov immediately reversed his decision, received Loristoner at the headquarters, and refused to negotiate a peace or truce with him, only promising to pass on Napoleon's proposal to the tsar.Of course, this time the tsar still did not reply.

At this time, the situation of the French army was even more difficult.The Russian people have taken up arms extensively for guerrilla warfare, moving in divisions, harassing French city defenses, disrupting lines of communication, and attacking detachments of field troops.Because the couriers in Paris were chased and intercepted by the enemy along the way, they were often unable to send their letters to Moscow in time, and some letters were even intercepted by the enemy.At the same time, Kutuzov also specially sent troops to Smolensk and other places to launch a "small war" against the French army.The Russian army trained a large number of reserve troops in Kaluga, Tula, Ryazan and other places, and established about 200,000 people's armed forces, which were distributed around Moscow for activities.Facing the armed struggle of the Russian people and their measures to fortify the wall and clear the country, the French army far away from the mainland fell into a food shortage. Even in Moscow, they could not find hay and oats.The French who collected fodder in the nearby countryside were repeatedly met with fierce resistance from local farmers and got nothing.The French army was facing the threat of starvation and its morale was extremely low. Napoleon was gradually changing from an occupier of Moscow to a prisoner of Moscow.

At the same time, bad news came one after another: Bernadotte, Crown Prince of Sweden, met with the Russian Emperor in Apo, Finland. Because it tried its best to instigate the British and Swedish troops to land in Germany, cutting off the French army's retreat; Russia also sent a letter to Prussian Prime Minister Hardenburg, hoping that Prussia and Austria would jointly resist France; Marmont, who was fighting in Spain, was defeated, and Joseph was killed by the British Driven out of Madrid; some instability begins in France.Facing the harsh situation, Napoleon clearly realized that he was in danger, and he began to have the idea of ​​withdrawing from Moscow in his mind.However, he still fantasizes that the peace talks can be realized, he has to wait, he can't just give up without success like this, he doesn't believe that the god of fate who has always been shining on him and making him smooth sailing will abandon other things at this moment.At this time, the weather in Moscow was still very mild, and he thought that he still had time to wait. The severe winter and the lack of materials to keep out the cold were not fatal difficulties to him.Colancourt once advised him earnestly: "Winter is a great difficulty. First of all, we lack warehouses; your artillery lacks horses; your wounded and sick lack transport vehicles; your soldiers are poorly dressed. Everyone You need a sheepskin, a pair of strong fur gloves, a hat with earflaps, warm socks, and strong boots, so that the soldiers will not suffer from frostbite. You lack all these. Our horses do not yet have a single How can they pull the cannon with anti-skid irons on the palms? And your communication problem. Your Majesty, I can list many, many items. The weather is fine now, but what will happen in a month and a half? What will happen in a few months? It may not be that long before the weather turns cold." But Napoleon couldn't listen to these opinions, he said stubbornly: "You don't understand the French, they will get everything they need , one kind of material can be substituted for another... The severe winter does not come suddenly in 24 hours. Although we are not as good as the Russians in adapting to the climate, our people are physically stronger than them. We have not yet experienced autumn Well, we'll have plenty of good weather before winter comes."

On September 24, the Mozhiesc Road was cut off by a Russian cavalry regiment and Cossack troops. Napoleon sent several battalions of cavalry and dragoons of the Guards to attack the enemy.Although the soldiers fought valiantly, they were still surrounded by superior enemies and had to lay down their arms. Colonel Mather, several other officers and part of the guards were all captured.This modest loss dealt a blow to Napoleon. He saw that the combat effectiveness of his cavalry was declining, and his line of communication with France was seriously threatened.Soon, several other places on the road leading to Smolensk were also occupied by the enemy, all communication links between Moscow and France were cut off, Vilna, Warsaw, Mainz, and Paris could no longer receive the French emperor's various commands.In Moscow, Napoleon waited in vain for letters from his ministers, government reports, and news from Europe.His temper grew worse, and those around him suffered for it.

There has been no news about the peace talks. On October 13, the first heavy snow of winter fell in Moscow, and Napoleon began to seriously consider what to do next.He called a council of war.At the meeting, the generals had different opinions. Some advocated marching to Petersburg to intimidate the Russian capital, so as to increase the panic of the Russian nobles and strive for peace; male and female.Napoleon thought again and again, thinking that the French army was at the end of its strength, and its strength was insufficient. It was difficult to organize a remote march, and it was impossible to attack Petersburg.If he sticks to Moscow again, he is afraid that the plight of the French army in Russia will lead to domestic political instability.Once the Russian army completely cuts off the retreat of the French army and sticks to Moscow, it is tantamount to suicidal.In the end, Napoleon reluctantly decided to withdraw from Moscow.However, when withdrawing from Moscow, it was necessary to deal a blow to Kutuzov's main force so that he would not dare to pursue him, and this could also be used to improve the morale of the French army.

Difficult retreat In the early morning of October 18, the French army began to withdraw from Moscow.Marshal Motier was ordered to lead 10,000 guards to stay in Moscow temporarily, and Napoleon instructed him to blow up the Kremlin after withdrawing from Moscow.The entire French army advanced along the Kaluga road, preparing to attack Kutuzov.At this time, the French army had a strength of about 108,000 and 569 artillery pieces. They marched on the wide avenue in an 8-way column, followed by countless carriages and wagons loaded with grain and various looted materials.The troops and convoys lined up in a long procession, and even at night, this long procession still hadn't completely left the city gate. On October 21 and 22, the weather was very bad, and the ground was completely covered with ice.Because the horses hadn't been ironed beforehand, many slipped and fell on the ice, never being able to stand up again, and soldiers had to kill the horses while they were still alive for rations.At night, the weather became colder, and many horses pulling the carts froze to death, and the French had to throw away the ammunition boxes and carriages. On October 23, the French army arrived in Borovsk.After Kutuzov learned of this situation, he immediately transferred the main force from Tarutino to Moloyaroslavets not far from Borovsk. At dawn on the 24th, the vanguards of the two armies met at Moloyaroslavitz and a bloody battle began.The battle went on for several hours, and there was still no winner, and the two sides continued to mobilize reinforcements to join the battle.At 11:00 noon, Napoleon rushed to the battlefield and watched the battlefield closely. He hoped that Kutuzov would fight with all his strength in this battle, so that he would have a chance to completely defeat the Russian army.The battle lasted for a day, and the French and Russian armies repeatedly competed for the Moloyaroslavitz position. The flat land changed hands as many as 8 times, and the two sides suffered heavy losses.Finally, the Russian troops withdrew from their positions. That night, Napoleon and his entourage inspected the battlefield.Napoleon was very surprised: Since Kutuzov sacrificed so many people to defend the position, why didn't he stick to it to the end, but gave up the position instead?Is its main force skillfully avoiding the French army?If the French could not find a massed enemy force on the side of Moloyaroslavitz, which front should they choose to withdraw to Smolensk?Napoleon immediately called a council of war, but no decision was made, because the French army knew nothing of the enemy's strategy.Napoleon was extremely annoyed by this.Before dawn the next day, he found Coulaincourt and said to him: "This is a bad thing. I beat the Russians every time, but I always got nothing." After pacing up and down for fifteen minutes, he said: "I will go and find out for myself. Is the enemy massed for a decisive battle, or is they retreating, as all indications indicate? That poor Kutuzov will never be able to do it properly." Let's fight! Prepare your horses and set off!" Although Coulancourt tried to persuade him to wait until daylight, his impatience compelled him to set off at once. Napoleon took Marshal Berthier, General Rapp and several generals and 12 light cavalry guards to the forward position. Suddenly, a group of Cossacks with guns rushed towards them, shouting and shouting.It was still very dark at this time, and nothing could be seen clearly 25 yards away. Only the clash of knives and guns and the sound of people fighting indicated that the 12 light cavalry guards walking in front had already exchanged fire with the enemy.The sound of battle was getting closer and closer to Napoleon, and several generals quickly surrounded Napoleon, ready to fight the enemy to the death.Napoleon was in danger of death and capture.At this critical moment, the Polish cavalry and guard light cavalry arrived in time, and with a violent impact, the Cossacks were repelled. Only then did Napoleon and the generals around him breathe a sigh of relief.That night, Napoleon ordered the military doctor Juvan to give him a bottle of strong poison, so that he could take it if he was in danger of being captured. After Napoleon inspected the position, another military council was held.In view of the heavy casualties, Berthier, Murat and others advocated abandoning the decisive battle and retreating northward.Napoleon considered that since the main force of the Russian army was unwilling to fight the French army on a strong position like Moloyaroslavitz, it was even more impossible to fight the French army anywhere else, so he agreed. According to the opinion of the Marshal, he decided to retreat northward to Smolensk along the way he came. On October 28, the French arrived at Mogièsque.Marshal Motier also came here to join the army after blowing up the Kremlin.Napoleon ordered the sick and wounded from the field hospitals to be loaded onto the wagons so that they would not fall into Russian hands.But he never expected that these wounded and sick would all become victims of his kindness. The unfed maple pulls the car and drives 14 to 15 hours a day.The convoy could not leave the road, so it could not be replenished and supplied.Only when quartered did the coachmen leave the road with a few horses in search of food and fodder.Whatever they find, they put away carefully, because they don't know if they will be able to eat tomorrow.Surgeons and doctors have no life-saving food, medicines and bandages to treat diseases, and they themselves have to suffer from hunger, so they can no longer treat the sick and wounded.The wounded were placed in the upper seat of the cart, in the front, behind the luggage, or in the hay, or, if the cart was full, on the roof of the carriage.As long as the car jolted slightly, some wounded and sick people would fall off.However, no one paid any attention to the wounded and sick who fell, because no one dared to stop the carriage, otherwise they would lose their place in the rolling traffic.The coachman who followed had no choice but to let the carriage run over the fallen wounded soldiers, and many wounded were buried under the rolling wheels.Of those who did not fall, many died of the cold and hunger of the night.Now the entire army can only live on horse meat and a little moldy batter. Those horses that fell on the road due to hunger and fatigue are always quickly slaughtered and divided alive by the hungry people.Some vehicles also began to be abandoned due to lack of horses. When passing through the battlefield of Borodino, the scene is even more horrible. 30,000 unattended corpses lay in the fields, becoming a rich food for crows.When the French army approached the battlefield, swarms of black crows soared into the sky, screaming piercingly and going away.The corpses of the warriors were pecked by the crows into strange shapes, beyond recognition, emitting a foul stench.The French army was shocked by the sight in front of them. Could it be that following the emperor to Russia ended up with such a result?Disappointment and war weariness spread quickly as the soldiers began to curse those who had started the war in their hearts.Napoleon also seemed to be aware of the depressed mood of the soldiers, and he ordered the troops to hurry up and leave this eerie place. On October 29, the army arrived in Grzyatsk.The cold intensified and the march became more difficult.At the same time, the Cossacks and peasant guerrillas continued to attack the retreating troops, and Kutuzov also followed and pursued them. The inescapable death was attacking the French army from all sides. On November 6, the French army arrived at Dologo Bush, leaving only 50,000 men capable of fighting.Napoleon endured all the hardships of the march, and, as ever, he sought to inspire his soldiers by setting an example.He walked for hours on snowdrifts, leaning on a cane, talking to soldiers who marched alongside him.He told everyone that the troops would winter camp in Smolensk, and that the tired days would be over by then, and that Smolensk would have enough supplies for the troops.Everyone was encouraged by his words, and every tired face showed a little anger because of the approach to Smolensk. Everyone fantasized about the happy time and bright prospects after arriving in Smolensk.The entire ranks of the army rushed forward desperately. Napoleon was also intoxicated by his own ideas, and he had even begun to imagine how to review his mighty and neat army array in Smolensk.At this moment, the messenger brought him a shocking news: an attempted coup d'état in Paris.Marais, a republican general imprisoned in a Paris prison, escaped on October 23. He announced that Napoleon was killed in Russia, forged the decree of the Senate on the restoration of the republic, and arrested the police chief Savary, causing chaos in Paris. Two hours later, Marley was arrested and sentenced to death by a court-martial.Napoleon was shocked by this news. After scolding the police for their incompetence and dereliction of duty, the idea of ​​returning to France appeared in his mind for the first time. He excitedly said to General Rapp beside him: "Has it arrived? Is this the point? My regime is so unstable that one man can cause harm, and he is still a prisoner? If in my own capital, three adventurers can shake my crown with a bold blow, then I The crown is not securely on my head. Rapp, misfortunes never come singly, things better end here, I can't be everywhere. I must go back to Paris, I'm going to Paris to revive public opinion. I must get men and money, A few big hits and wins can restore everything." The temperature continued to drop, and the weather became colder and colder. There were people lying to death from freezing, starvation and exhaustion everywhere along the way.The people marched tenaciously in spite of this miserable sight, tempted by the riches of Smolensk.It was getting closer and closer to Smolensk, and people even saw the gleaming spiers of the city under the sunlight, and the spirit of the whole army was lifted. At noon on November 9, the army entered Smolensk.But the material inventory here is quite different from what Napoleon imagined, and it cannot meet the needs of the troops at all.Some officers, even some senior officers, unable to withstand the oppression of hunger, left their command and rushed to the front of the column in order to get something to eat. The depressing news is still coming: the Balague Dilier Army, which was reinforced from France, was ordered to occupy the position on the road from Smolensk to Yernia, but the advance guard of this army Under the command of General Augereau, only a very fragile position was occupied in Lachewo. Soon, he was besieged by the Russian army. General Augereau led more than 2,000 people to surrender to the Russian army.The French army lost not only a much-needed fresh force, but also extremely valuable food stores.At the same time, Eugene's corps suffered heavy losses in the battle with the Cossacks, and Witsk was occupied by the Russians.In addition, a South Russian army went straight to Berezina from Turkey, preparing to block the retreat of the French army.All the bad news came to Napoleon in an instant, and he had to completely abandon his plan for the winter camp in Smolensk.He had to pass through Berezina before the Russians cut off the crossing, otherwise, he was in danger of being wiped out. Although Napoleon, who escaped from the Berezina River and fell into trouble, was very painful and disturbed, he still tried to give an optimistic impression on the surface. He said to the people around him: "Every measure I take is to strengthen the The strength of the troops. Kutuzov is likely to be worn down on the march, he will move further and further away from his reserves, and he will be left in a country that we have exhausted. Ahead of us, there were huge supplies in warehouses, and the Russians would starve there. "His words are so feeble in the face of harsh reality that people are no longer moved by them. After withdrawing from Smolensk, the situation of the French army was even worse. Many people fell and were unable to get up again, so they were frozen to death.The horses died in great numbers, and the whole cavalry had to dismount and walk.Napoleon ordered all the vehicles to be burned so that the remaining horses could haul the cannon, but some of the cannon had to be discarded.At the same time, partisans and Cossacks attacked the vanguard and stragglers with increasing courage. On November 15, the French army encountered a strong Russian army at Krasno.In order to drive the Russian army away and ensure the safety of the follow-up troops, Napoleon decided to carry out a surprise attack under the cover of night. Before dawn on November 16, General Roger was ordered to attack the Russian army, and the Russian army was repelled.It can be learned from the captured Russian army that Eugene's army is being besieged by Kutuzov's main force.Napoleon hastily sent two battalions of hussars from the Guards to the rescue.The Guards were the only unit not to suffer losses during the expedition.The two battalions of hussars lived up to Napoleon's expectations and rescued Eugene's army from the siege of the enemy.However, the French lost 14,000 men in this battle. Eugene's army narrowly escaped death, but Ney's army, which was walking behind the column, faced an even greater disaster.At this time, the communication links between the various legions were basically cut off by the enemy, and it was impossible to transmit reports and orders. The Ney Legion had to fight alone, dealing with Kutuzov's large force.Ney's army suffered heavy losses, with only 3,000 left in the end.The remnant army was forced by Kutuzov to the Dnieper River, and Ney commanded the remnant army to cross the Dnieper River desperately.Due to the thin ice, many people fell into the river and drowned or froze to death, and half of the cannon was lost.As a result, only Ney and 800 soldiers survived and came to join the main force. Napoleon's army was preparing to retreat quickly to Minsk, because Minsk was the nearest supply station, and Napoleon hoped that the supplies there could supply the army. On November 22, the French army arrived at Tolozen.Here, Napoleon was stunned to learn that a Moldavian army had taken Minsk on November 6.The fall of Minsk not only meant the loss of all the military supplies that the French army had been longing for for a long time, but also the French army's retreat was directly cut off. In the face of the harsh environment and extreme difficulties, Napoleon did not get discouraged and gave in. His character was like tempered steel, which became stronger and stronger as it was tempered.He immediately made up his mind: speed up the retreat, cross the Berezina River before Kutuzov, and then take a slightly northerly route to Vilna.The only bridge across the Berezina River was in Borisov, and he believed that his Polish division must be doing its best to protect this bridge, because this bridge is related to the life and death of the entire army.At the same time, Napoleon also prepared for the worst. He said to Coulaincourt: "If we can cross the Berezina River, I will be able to control the situation, because I will get two new corps, plus guards. Army, enough to crush the Russians. If we can't cross the river, we'll have to try the pistols. You talk to Duroch, if we have to rush out The enemy's blockade, what can we take with us. We must prepare in advance to destroy all the supplies that cannot be taken away, so as not to throw the enemy's war spoils. I would rather grab food with my hands in the interval of battle than take my decorations. Leave the forks to the enemy. Go check with Duroc to see what his department has to deal with, keep it a secret. We'll also make sure you and I keep your weapons in good order, because we might Had to fight." On November 24, at Losnica, sad news came: three days before a fierce battle had taken place at Borisov, the vital bridge guarded by the Polish division had been taken by a Cossack force.Everyone who heard the news was shocked. The only way for the French army to retreat was cut off, and Kutuzov's pursuit troops were only a day and a night away from the French army. Many people began to despair.But Napoleon was not intimidated by the danger in front of him. Instead of being depressed, he was more energetic than before. If he wants to succeed, he has to fight hard.He began to issue a series of orders to the troops: Udino's army crossed the river at Studjanka, 15 kilometers upstream of Borisov; Covering the bridge; Davout and Eugene's corps served as the rear guard, guarding Kutuzov's main force, and retreating slowly.In order to confuse the Russian army, Napoleon sent another one to pretend to cross the Berezina River downstream. A part of the French army pretended to cross the river, which really attracted the attention of the Russian army.At this time, Wittgenstein's army had entered the northeast of Pobel, and seeing the French army seeking crossing downstream, he immediately notified the situation to the Chichagov army on the right bank of the Berezina River.After Chichagov received the information, he focused on guarding the downstream crossing point, leaving only about 5,000 people from one division in Borisov to monitor the upstream situation. At 5 o'clock in the evening on November 25, French engineers began to build a bridge in the chin-deep river with floating ice, regardless of the severe cold.Without bridge brackets and planks, they demolished local houses.More and more people gathered on the shore, all kinds of arms, soldiers and officers mixed together, all in ragged clothes and pale faces.Napoleon stayed in a hut on a steep slope by the river, restless and sleepless all night. At dawn on the 26th, he appeared at the bridge-building site. He strode up and down the bank, stopping from time to time to chat casually with the soldiers. At 1 p.m., the two bridges were completely erected, and the infantry and cavalry began to cross the river in an orderly manner.Oudinot's army first entered the right bank, repelled the Russian army on the right bank, and then captured Sembin, and the French army finally gained a foothold on the right bank. On November 27, the bulk of the French army began to cross the river.Only then did the Russian army realize that they had been fooled, and immediately dispatched troops to attack, but it was too late. Most of the French army had already crossed the river, leaving only Victor's army on the left bank. On the 28th, Chichagov's army attacked Udino and Ney's corps on the right bank, and Wittgenstein's army attacked Victor's corps on the left bank.However, the Russian attack lacked vigor, and Kutuzov's army failed to reach the Berezina River in time. The plan of the Russian army to encircle and annihilate the French army fell through, and the exhausted French army miraculously escaped. Just as the Victor Legion was about to cross the bridge after repelling the Russian army, suddenly more than 10,000 stragglers who were chased by the Cossack cavalry rushed to the bridge.Suddenly, there was chaos on the Berezina embankment. These panicked people did not obey the command and rushed to get onto the bridge. Victor's army had to use force to block these people at the bridge, so that the regular troops of the army could quickly cross the bridge. At this time, the Russian army launched a fierce attack on the last troops crossing the river.The cannon whizzed past, blasting a long and narrow gap in the crowded and motionless crowd. The people were frightened out of their wits and fled for the road. Thousands of people flocked to the bridge again desperately. Suddenly, with a "bang", a bridge collapsed, and the people on the bridge fell into the water, and were swallowed by the icy river water amidst bursts of screams.The crowded crowd flocked to another bridge like a tide, and the crowd was so dense that no water could escape. Only those who dared to climb over the piles of dead bodies could finally squeeze onto the other bridge.Cursing, shouting, dying cries, and distressed cries for help from those who fell into the water all merged into one, roaring like a furious storm.In order to prevent the Russian army from crossing the river to pursue and ensure the main force to retreat smoothly, Napoleon no longer cared about the lagging soldiers who had not yet crossed the river, so he ordered the bridge to be blown up. More than 10,000 stragglers had no way to escape, and soon all died under the artillery fire of the Russian army. After crossing the Berezin, the French marched day and night to Vilna.Napoleon firmly believed that Vilna was the end point of the retreat, that his army would be camped there for the winter, and that Vilna would have enough supplies to supply the army.Although people still have to fight with hunger, cold and pursuing enemies, there are not so many worries on people's faces.Werner has become the heaven that everyone yearns for, a safe haven from all storms.Just as the French army was speeding towards Vilna with good hopes, a rare severe cold hit the surviving troops. The temperature suddenly dropped by dozens of degrees. You will never be able to stand up.There are also many people who were frozen to death when they camped too close to the campfire, and ended up dying instead.Dozens, hundreds of people die almost every moment.The road leading to Vilna was littered with French corpses. On December 3, as soon as the French army arrived in Moro de Geno, they received 14 letters from Paris.After carefully reading the letter from Paris, Napoleon said to General Coulaincourt: "Under the current situation, I can only control Europe in the Tuileries Palace." So Napoleon began to prepare for returning home.However, Napoleon hesitated on the issue of whether the command should be given to Prince Eugene or Marshal Murat. He consulted Coulancourt, who believed that Prince Eugene would be more trusted by the army. Although Murat is a hero on the battlefield, he does not have a strong personality and the concept of establishing order, nor does he have the vision to save and rebuild this remaining team.Plus, he has an insatiable vanity.After much consideration, Napoleon decided to hand over the command to Murat, because Napoleon believed that Murat's military rank made it impossible for him to obey orders under Eugene's account. If this power was given to Eugene, Murat would leave the army. １２月６日，拿破仑在高级将领会议上宣布了自己即将回国的决定，元帅们起先表示不同意，他们担心皇帝一旦离开军队，这支历尽千辛万苦的军队就会完全垮掉，只有皇帝才能给这支奄奄一息的军队以力量。拿破仑耐心地向元帅们说明，他之所以要回国，并非由于胆怯，而是由于那里太需要他了。如果没有他，谁也不可能采取紧急的征兵办法组织至少３０万人的新军来对付春天里可能进犯的敌人。他相信缪拉元帅一定能将军队带到维尔纳，只要进入了维尔纳，部队就不会再有危险了。元帅们最终同意了拿破仑的决定。拿破仑坚决要求元帅们暂时对他的离去保守秘密，以免影响士气。 当天夜里，拿破仑一行坐上雪橇，秘密地回国了。这次远征俄罗斯，以法军的彻底失败而告终。法军损失了４０万大军，１０００门大炮，１７．５万普军马。可拿破仑丝毫没有灰心之意，在返回巴黎的路上，他很平静地与科兰古谈起征俄的失败原因，没有自责，没有痛苦，好像只是一位输了棋的象棋大师，趁刚刚输了的这局棋和力图取胜的下一局棋之间的休息时间，冷静地分析自己的错误。他认为这场战争的失败不是因为敌人太强大，他至今仍对亚历山大及其将领持蔑视态度，也不是因为他发动的这场战争在政治上不合时宜，而是应归咎于恶劣的天气以及波兰人没有按照他的命令去征召军队。他说：“亚历山大烧毁俄国的城镇，甚至烧毁莫斯科，简直是一种愚不可及的行为。既然他如此信赖冬天，为什么还要用火呢？他有武器和军队可以打仗，可是在不打仗的军队上白白花那么多的钱，这不是发疯吗？一个人在同敌人战斗时，不应该再摧残自己。库图佐夫的退却事实上是愚蠢的。把我们毁灭的原因是俄国的冬天。我们是气候的牺牲品，那时的好天气欺骗了我。假如我早两个星期撤出莫斯科，那我的军队一定早到了威特斯克。要是我那样做了，那就应该是我去嘲笑俄国人和亚历山大了，那他就会后悔早没同我进行谈判了。我们的一切灾难取决于那１４天以及人们没能执行我的命令去征召波兰的哥萨克人。” 经过１２个昼夜的秘密旅行，拿破仑一行于１２月１８日到达杜伊勒里宫。此时的巴黎已被一片悲哀气氛所笼罩，因为巴黎人民已从１２月１６日的公报上得知法国远征俄罗斯的结局。成千上万个家庭正为失去亲人痛苦不已。 不久又传来了维尔纳失守的消息。法军在俄军的追击下，于１２月１０日被迫撤出维尔纳。１２月１４日，残军渡过涅曼河进入东普鲁士。贝尔蒂埃因劳累和沮丧而病倒。身为总指挥官的缪拉见残军不断溃散，倍感无回天之力，便不辞而别，化装溜回了那不勒斯。拿破仑虽对这一消息感到有些意外，但没有感到特别沮丧，因为巴黎的局势使他很受鼓舞，他说：“那个可怕的公告有它的影响，可是我看，我回来所带来的喜悦比我们的灾难所引起的痛苦要大得多。公告给人民更多的是忧伤，而不是气馁。人们的这种心理将会影响维尔纳政府，不用三个月，我将东山再起，那时整个局势就会改观。"他对未来总是充满信心。