Chapter 15 Chapter fifteen

At eight o'clock Kutuzov rode to the village of Platz in front of Miloradovich's fourth column, which had to replace the columns of Przebyszewski and Langeron who had gone down the mountain.He greeted the regiment ahead, gave the order to advance, and indicated that he himself was attempting to command the column.He stopped short of the village of Platts.Prince Andrew was among the commander-in-chief's many retinues, who stood behind him.Prince Andrei felt excited and exhilarated, steady and composed.It is a feeling a man often has when his long-awaited moment comes.He was convinced that today was his day for the battle of Toulon or the Pont de Arcola.How this event happened, he did not know, but he was convinced that it would happen.He was as familiar with the terrain and conditions of our army as any man in our army was with them.Now there was apparently no need to think about how to carry out his personal strategic plan, which had been forgotten by him.Prince Andrei was already grasping Weyrother's plan, and while he was considering the contingencies that might arise, he was developing new insights, which demanded of him a keen sense of ideals and a firm character.

In the foggy depression on the left there was the sound of firing at each other among invisible armies.It seemed to Prince Andrew that a concentrated battle would break out there, that there would be obstacles. "I'm going to be sent somewhere," thought he, "and I'm going to take a brigade, or a division, with me. Go forth there with the banner of battle, and destroy all obstacles in my way." Prince Andrew could not look indifferently at the banners of the battalions passing by him.He looked at the flag and kept thinking, maybe this is the flag and I must carry it to the head of our troops.

Before dawn, the night mist left only a layer of hoarfrost turned into dew on the highlands, and the mist still filled the valleys like a milky sea.Nothing could be seen clearly in the valley to the left. Our troops went downhill into the valley, and from there came the sound of firing.The dark and clean sky hangs above the high ground. Huangji Jingshi, written by Shao Yong in the Northern Song Dynasty, twelve volumes.Volumes one to six are based on "Book of Changes" six, and on the right is a huge spherical sun.Far ahead, on the other side of the sea of ​​fog, you can see hills with lush forests. The enemy troops must be stationed on these hills, and I don't know what is faintly visible.The guards are entering the foggy place to the right, where there is the sound of horses' hoofs and wheels, and bayonets are sometimes flashing; behind the village on the left, many identical cavalrymen are galloping nearby, and disappear in the sea of ​​​​fog. up.The infantry advanced forward and backward.The Commander-in-Chief stood at the entrance of the village and let the troops walk past him.That morning Kutuzov looked tired and somewhat angry.The infantry passing by him halted without order, evidently not knowing what held him back in front.

"Pray just tell me to line up your troops in several battalion columns and turn around behind the village," Kutuzov said angrily to the approaching general. "My lord general, sir, why don't you understand that when we When walking to attack the enemy, it is impossible to draw a line in this narrow place in this street of the village." "My lord, I originally planned to line up behind the village." The general replied. Kutuzov laughed angrily. "It's good that you're going to spread out the column before the enemy's eyes, that's good!"

"My lord, the enemy is still far away. According to the deployment of the march..." "Army," cried Kutuzov angrily, "who told you that? ...What order is given to you, please do it. " "Yes, as ordered." "Monchev," Nesvitsky whispered to Prince Andrew, "levieuxestd'unehumeurdechien." An Austrian officer, wearing a green plumed hat and a white uniform, rode up to Kutuzov and asked him on behalf of the emperor: "Has the fourth column already entered the battle?" Kutuzov turned away without answering him, and his eyes accidentally fell on Prince Andrey who was standing next to him.Seeing Bolkonsky, Kutuzov's sardonic and fierce eyes softened, as if realizing that his adjutant was not at fault for what had happened.He did not answer the question of the Austrian adjutant, but turned to Bolkonski and said:

"Allezvoir, moncher, silatroisie medivision ade passelevil-lage. Dites-luides'arreteretd'attendremesorBdres."② Prince Andrei had just gone away when he told him to stop. "Etdemandezlui, silestirailleurssontpostes," he added, "Cequ'ilsfont cequ'ilsfont!" he said to himself, and kept making no reply to the Austrians. -------- ①French: Hello, dear, the old man is in a bad mood. ②French: My dear, listen to me and see if the third division has passed through the village.Tell it to stop and obey my orders. ③French: "Ask, have you deployed the vanguard. What are they doing, what are they doing!"

Prince Andrei rode off to carry out the commission he had been entrusted with. He overtook the battalions ahead and stopped the 3rd Division, believing that there was indeed no skirmish line ahead of our column.The commanders of the corps advancing ahead were greatly surprised at the commander-in-chief's order to form skirmish lines.The regimental commander was full of confidence, thinking that there were troops ahead and that the enemy would not be entrenched within ten versts.Really, nothing was visible ahead but an open, fog-shrouded lot sloping forward.After ordering his subordinates to make amends on behalf of the commander-in-chief, Prince Andrew rode back.Kutuzov remained where he was, showing his old age, leaning his fat body over the saddle, closing his eyes, and yawning heavily.The troops had stopped advancing, and the soldiers stood with their rifles down.

"Well, well," he said to Prince Andrew, and turning again to the general, who was holding a watch in his hand, said that the columns on the left flank had come down the slope and must be advancing. "My lord, we are still in time," said Kutuzov, yawning, "we are still in time!" he repeated. At this moment, behind Kutuzov, the voices of greetings from various regiments could be heard in the distance, and these voices began to quickly approach the entire line of the Russian column forming a long snake in the march.The one who received the knock could be seen approaching.When the soldiers of the regiment headed by Kutuzov shouted loudly, he rode a few steps aside on horseback, frowned, and looked back.A company of knights in colorful costumes appeared to be galloping along the road outside Platz.Two of them rode ahead of the rest of the knights at a gallop.One was wearing a black uniform with a white cap on his head and was riding on the back of an English-style bay red horse, while the other was wearing a white uniform and riding a black horse.These are the two emperors accompanied by attendants.Standing in the queue, Kutuzov, acting like a veteran, gave the command "Stand at attention!" to the officers and soldiers standing there, raised his hands in salute, and walked towards the emperor.His whole appearance and manner were suddenly changed.With the appearance of a submissive and unreasonable subordinate, he came up to the emperor with a smug deference and raised his hands in a salute, which was obviously disgusting, and the emperor Alexander was very surprised.

Unpleasant impressions flitted across the emperor's young and happy face like a cloud in the clear sky, and then disappeared.After recovering from a minor ailment, he is thinner today than when Bolkonski saw him for the first time abroad on the parade ground in Olmitz, but in his handsome gray eyes there is an amazing combination of solemnity and kindness. Instead, on his thin lips, there were every expression he could express, chiefly that of a good-natured and innocent youth. On the Olmitz parade he was more dignified, here he is more cheerful and vigorous.After galloping for three versts, his face flushed a little, he reined in his horse, breathed a sigh of relief, and turned to look at the faces of his attendants who were as young and as excited as himself.Czartoryzhsky, Novosilitsev, Prince Bolkonsky, Stroganov, and some other attendants were all brightly dressed and cheerful young men.They stopped behind the emperor on their well-bred, unusual, slightly sweating horses, smiling and talking to each other.Emperor Franz was a long-faced, rosy-cheeked young man who rode upright on a beautiful black horse.He looked around apprehensively and deliberately.He called an adjutant in a white uniform to his side, and asked him something. "About what time did they leave?" Prince Andrei thought for a while, smiling as he observed his old friend, and he couldn't help revealing this whenever he recalled the scene of the king's reception. kind of smile.Among the retinue of the two emperors were the gallant herald officers of Russia and Austria, chosen from the Guards and Corps.Among them the horse handlers led some of the Tsar's spare royal horses, beautifully covered with embroidered quilts.

The galloping arrival of these brilliant young men refreshed the sulky Kutuzov headquarters with youth, vigor, and confidence in victory, as a breath of fresh field air was suddenly blown into a stuffy room. "Why don't you start, Mikhail Ilarionovitch?" said the Emperor Alexander, turning hastily to Kutuzov, while he looked respectfully at Emperor Franz. "I am waiting, Your Majesty," replied Kutuzov, bowing respectfully. The emperor turned his ears sideways and frowned slightly, indicating that he hadn't heard clearly. "Your Majesty, I'm waiting," Kutuzov repeated himself (when Kutuzov was saying "I'm waiting", Prince Andrey noticed that Kutuzov's upper lip moved unnaturally. trembling for a moment), "Your Majesty, the columns have not assembled yet."

The king heard it, but it seemed that he did not like the answer; he shrugged his slightly arched shoulders and glanced at Novosilitsev, who was standing beside him, as if complaining to Kutuzov. like. "Mikhail Illarionovich, you know, we are not in the queen's playground. The parade will not start until all the regiments have arrived." The king looked into Emperor Franz's eyes again and said, As if to invite him to the parade, or to listen to him, but the Kaiser Franz continued to look around without listening to him. "That's why there is no beginning, king," Kutuzov said in a booming voice, as if in case he might not be able to hear what he was saying, and at that moment a shudder appeared again in one part of his face. "King, the reason it didn't start is because we weren't on the parade, and we weren't on the queen's playground." He said clearly and unequivocally. The king's attendants exchanged glances for a moment, and their faces showed expressions of dissatisfaction and reproach. "No matter how old he is, he shouldn't, never should talk like that." The faces expressed that thought. The king looked intently into Kutuzov's eyes, waiting to see if he had anything more to say.And Kutuzov bowed his head respectfully, and seemed to be waiting too.The silence lasted for nearly a minute. "But, Your Majesty, just give orders," said Kutuzov, raising his head, again changing his tone into that of a dull, not very prudent, obedient general. He drove on, calling to Miloradovich, the commander of the column, and giving him the order to attack. The troops moved again, and two battalions of the Novgorod corps and one battalion of the Apsheron corps moved away from the king. When a battalion of Apsheron passed by, the blushing Miloradovich was wearing a uniform without a military overcoat, with medals on his chest and a tasseled cap on one side, and hurried Galloping forward, he suddenly reined in his horse in front of the emperor, and raised his hands heroically in salute. "God bless you, General," said the king to him. "Mafoi, sire, nousferonscequequiseradansnotrepossibilite, sire," he replied cheerfully, but his bad Frenchaccent provoked a jeer from the gentlemen of the emperor's chamberlain. -------- ① French: Your Majesty, we will do everything possible. Miloradovich turned his horse sharply and stood a few paces behind the king.The king's presence made the officers and soldiers of the Apsheron regiment feel excited and excited. They walked in unison, valiantly and briskly, past the two emperors and their attendants. "Partners!" Miloradovich shouted in that loud, confident and cheerful voice. Obviously, the bursts of shooting, the anticipation of the battle, the appearance of the heroic officers and soldiers of the Apsheron Corps, And the appearance of the Suvorov-style comrades who moved swiftly past the two emperors made him so excited that he forgot that the king was there, "Comrades, this is not the first village you are going to capture now! he shouted. "We are all happy to serve!" shouted the soldiers. The king's horse, hearing the sudden cry, galloped aside.This royal horse, which had been carrying the king's review as early as in Russia, endured the absent-minded kick of the king's left foot on the battlefield of Austerlitz, just like on the Place de la Mars, it pricked up its ears at the sound of shooting, and it Neither did it understand the meaning of the shooting sound it heard, nor the meaning of the black horse that Emperor Franz was riding next to it, nor what the rider said, thought, and felt that day. all meanings. With a smile on his face, the king pointed at the heroic officers and soldiers of the Absheron Corps, then turned to a close minister, and said something unknown.