Chapter 6 Chapter Six

Although Balashev was accustomed to the grand and grand scenes of the court, the luxury and extravagance of Napoleon's palace still surprised him. Count Durham led him into a large reception room, where many generals, courtiers, and Polish magnates were waiting, many of whom Balashov had met at the Russian emperor's court.Djurok said that the Emperor Napoleon would receive the Russian general before going for a walk. After waiting for a few minutes, the valet on duty entered the large anteroom, bowed respectfully to Balashov, and begged him to go with him. Balashov entered a small anteroom with a door leading to the study where the Emperor of Russia had sent him on his mission.Balashov stood and waited for about two minutes.There were hurried footsteps behind the door, and the two doors were suddenly pulled open. The idea of ​​everything returning to silence has been produced in ancient times.Just like the ancient Greek Pythagoras preached "eternity" and, at this time, another firm and decisive footsteps sounded from the study: this is Napoleon. He has just dressed for riding a horse. He is wearing a blue uniform, The white vest hangs down to the top of the round belly, the white suede pants hug the fat and short thighs, and a pair of boots are on the feet. But the short hair seems to have just been combed, but there is still a lock hanging in the In the middle of the broad forehead. The white and fat neck is exposed from the collar of the black uniform. The body exudes the smell of perfume, the chin protrudes, and the youthful face shows the solemn and kind expression of the emperor when he received his subjects.

He came out, jerking quickly with each step, throwing his head back slightly.His short and fat figure, coupled with broad shoulders and unconscious chest and belly, showed the dignified and majestic appearance of a well-maintained forty-year-old.In addition, it can be seen that he is in a very good mood that day. He nodded his head as a reply to Balashov's respectful and deep bow, walked up to Balashov, and immediately began to speak, like a person who cherishes every minute of his time and does not need to open his mouth. , and trusting him to always say something well and what needs to be said.

"How do you do, General!" he said. "I have received your letter from Emperor Alexander. It is a pleasure to meet you." He glanced at Balashev's face with his big eyes, and turned away immediately. Evidently, he had no interest in Balashov.It seemed that all he was interested in was what was going on in his mind.Everything outside him is meaningless to him, because he feels that everything in the world is determined only by his will. "I don't want war, and I didn't want it," he said, "but people are forcing me to resort to it. Even now (he emphasized the word), I'm ready to accept whatever explanation you can give me." Then he was clear and brief Explain clearly the reasons for your dissatisfaction with the Russian government.

Judging from the soft, calm, and friendly tone of the French emperor's speech, Balashev was convinced that he wanted peace and was willing to negotiate. "Sire! L'empereur, monmal Atre," When Napoleon finished his speech and cast a questioning glance at the Russian envoy, Balashev began to speak what he had prepared; but the Emperor's gaze made him uneasy. "You are restless—take it easy," as if Napoleon had said to him, and he looked at Balashov's uniform and saber with a faint smile.Balashov collected himself and began to speak.He said that the Emperor Alexander did not believe that the cause of the war was Kuragin's application for a passport, and that Kuragin had done so on his own and without the emperor's consent.

Emperor Alexander didn't want war and had nothing to do with Britain. -------- ①Your Majesty, the Emperor of our country. "Not yet," Napoleon interjected, as if afraid of being swayed by his feelings, frowned, and nodded slightly, making Balashov realize that he could go on. After saying what he was ordered to say, Balashov said that Emperor Alexander wanted peace, but he had one condition for negotiations, namely... Balashov hesitated at this point, and he remembered the sentence that Alexander was in The letter did not write, but ordered that it must be inserted in the edict addressed to Saltykov, and the emperor ordered Balashov to convey this sentence to Napoleon.Balashov remembered the words: "There will be no peace as long as an armed enemy remains on Russian soil." But at this moment a complicated feeling took hold of him.Although he wanted to say this sentence, he couldn't say it.He hesitated and said again: The condition is that the French army must retreat behind the Niemen River.

Napoleon saw Balashov's panic at the last words: his face twitched, and the left calf of his foot trembled rhythmically.Napoleon remained where he was, and began to speak in a louder and more rapid voice than before, and Balashov lowered his eyes more than once in the course of the following words, involuntarily observing the trembling of Napoleon's left calf. Get stronger. "I desire peace no less than Emperor Alexander," he began. "For eighteen months, have I not done everything to win peace? For eighteen months I have waited for an explanation. In order to start negotiations, what What else do you want me to do?" When he spoke, he frowned and made a powerful questioning gesture with his small, fat hands.

"Withdraw the army across the Neman River, Your Majesty," Balashov said. "Across the Nemen?" Napoleon repeated. "Now, then, you wish to withdraw across the Nemen?—only to retreat behind the Nemen?" Napoleon added, glancing at Balashev. . Balashov bowed his head respectfully. Four months ago the evacuation of Pomerania was demanded; now only the evacuation of the Niemen is demanded.Napoleon turned abruptly and began to pace the room. "You said that I was required to withdraw across the Niemen in order to start negotiations; but two months ago I was also required to withdraw across the Oder and Vesna, and you agreed to negotiate."

He walked silently from one corner of the room to the other, then stopped again opposite Balashov.His face was stern like a stone statue, and his left foot was shaking faster than before.Napoleon himself knew this trembling in his left leg. Lavibration demon monllet gaucheestungrandsignechezmio. ① He said it later. -------- ①French: The trembling of my left calf is a great sign. "Proposals such as the withdrawal of the Oder and the Vesna can be made to Prince Badenski, not to me," Napoleon almost cried out, completely unexpected to himself. "Even if you give me Petersburg and Moscow, I will not accept these conditions. You say, I started this war? Who went to the army first, Emperor Alexander, not me. Come now Advise me to negotiate, when I have spent millions, when you are allied with Great Britain and the odds are against you - you are asking to negotiate with me! Why are you allied with Great Britain? What advantage does it give you?" he Talking in a hurry, it was obvious that he had changed the subject, instead of talking about the benefits and possibility of peace, he was just trying to prove how reasonable and powerful Napoleon was, and how unreasonable and wrong Alexander was.

His opening remarks were clearly intended to show that the odds were in his favour, and to say that, obviously, he was still willing to negotiate.But once he started talking, the more he talked, the more he couldn't control his tongue. The whole purpose of what he said now was to exalt himself and insult Alexander at the same time, that is, he did what he had least wanted to do at the beginning of the interview. "It is said that you have made peace with Turkey?" Balashov nodded affirmatively. "A peace has been concluded..." he began, but Napoleon stopped him.He seemed to want to be alone, as pampered people often are, and he could not control his irascibility, and he went on and on and on.

"Yes, I know, you made peace with Turkey without Moldavia and Wallachia. And I could have given your Emperor those two provinces, just as I gave him Finland. Yes," he continued, "I promised Moldavia and Wallachia to the Emperor Alexander, and now he has no more of these beautiful provinces. He could have incorporated them into his own In his dynasty alone, he could expand Russia from the Gulf of Bothnia to the mouth of the Danube. Catherine the Great could do nothing more than that," said Napoleon, growing more and more agitated. , walked up and down the room, and repeated to Balashev almost exactly what he had said to Alexander in Kirsit, "Toutcelaill'aurait du amonamitie. Ah! quelbeauregne, quelbeauregne!" He repeated several times. Then he stopped, took out a gold snuff bottle from his pocket, and sniffed greedily.

"Quelbeauregneauraitpue Atreceluidel' emperor Alexandre． "② -------- ① French: He could have gotten all this with my friendship.Ah, what a beautiful dynasty, what a beautiful dynasty. ②French: What a beautiful dynasty the dynasty of Emperor Alexander was! He gave Balashov a regretful look, and Balashov was about to say something when he interrupted him hastily. "Can he expect and seek what he has not found with my friendship?..." Napoleon said, shrugging his shoulders in bewilderment, "impossible, he would rather be surrounded by my enemies, And who are those people?" he continued. "He recruited to himself such men as Stein, Armfeld, Bennigsen, Winzengerode and the like. Stein—a traitor expelled from his country, Armfeld—a Womanizer and schemer, Wenzengerode—a French desperado, Bennigsen was more of a soldier than the others, but still an idiot who would do nothing in 1807 except will bring back terrible memories of the Emperor Alexander...if they are of any use, we can still use them." Napoleon went on, his words barely keeping up with the incessant stream of thoughts that he also wished to express, and he asked him to express them It is justice and strength (in his concept, justice and strength are the same thing). "But they are useless, neither in war nor in peace! Barcreby is said to be capable of all men; from his first actions, I do not think so. What are they doing, what are these courtiers doing? Ahh! Puffrey's constant advice, Armfield's bickering, Bennigsen's observation, and Balcre, who is called to action, doesn't know what to decide, and the time goes by. There's only one Bagera Ji Weng—is a soldier. Although he is stupid, he has experience, insight, and decisiveness... What role does your young emperor play in this group of useless talents? They ruined his reputation, Blame all responsibility on him. Unsouverainnedoit, e Atreal'armeequequandilestgener-al." He said, clearly a direct and open challenge to the Emperor Alexander.Napoleon knew that Emperor Alexander wanted to be a military strategist himself. -------- ①French: An emperor should stay in the army only when he is a military strategist. "It's been a week since the war started, and you haven't been able to hold Vilna, you've been cut in half, you've been driven out of the Polish provinces, and your army is complaining." "On the contrary, Your Majesty," said Balashov, who could barely remember what he said, struggling to articulate the words, "our troops are in the throes of blood." "I know it all," interrupted Napoleon, "I know it all. I know the number of your battalion as well as my own. You don't have two hundred thousand troops, but I have twice as many troops as you." To tell you the truth," said Napoleon, forgetting that these truths mean nothing, "I tell you mapabroled'honneurquej'dicinqcenttrentemillehommesdececotedelaVistule. Peace is the proof. The Swedes—they were doomed to be ruled by a mad king, and their king was a madman, and they replaced him—Bernadotte was king; After the queen, she immediately went mad, because as a Swede, only madness would make an alliance with Russia." Napoleon smiled maliciously, and brought the snuff bottle to his nose again. -------- ① French: To be honest, I have 530,000 people on this side of the Vistula River. Balashev wanted to refute every beautiful sentence of Napoleon and had reason to do so. He kept making gestures to speak, but was always interrupted by Napoleon.He wanted to say that he objected to speaking that the Swedes were unwise, that they were an island when Russia supported Sweden; but Napoleon stifled his voice with a growl.Napoleon was in a state of excitement when he needed to talk, and talk and talk, just to prove to himself that he was right.Balashev felt embarrassed: as an emissary, he feared losing his dignity and felt obliged to refute; but as a human being, he cringed mentally at a time when Napoleon was apparently in a daze of rage for no reason.He knew that everything Napoleon was saying now meant nothing, and that he would be ashamed of it when he was sober.Balashov stood with downcast eyes, looking at Napoleon's thick, moving legs, avoiding his gaze as much as possible. "What do you want me to do with your allies?" said Napoleon. "I have allies too—these are the Poles: they have eighty thousand men, they fight like lions, and they will number two hundred thousand." Probably because he had told this obvious lie, Balashev stood before him in the same air of resignation and said nothing. Going up to Balashov, he gestured swiftly and vigorously with his snow-white hands, almost shouting: "Please understand that if you turn Prussia against me, tell you, and I'll wipe it off the map of Europe," he said, pale and vicious, patting the other with one small hand. Only. "Yes, I will drive you across the Dvina, across the Dnieper, and restore the barrier against you, which Europe has allowed to be destroyed, despite the guilt and ignorance of Europe. Yes, it is you Future fate, this is your retribution for alienating us." He said, and walked back and forth in the room silently several times, his fat shoulders twitching, he put the snuff bottle into the vest pocket of his suit, and then He took it out again and raised it to his nose several times; finally he stopped in front of Balashov.He was silent for a while, looking mockingly into Balashov's eyes, and said softly: "Etce pendent quel beauregneaurait puavoirvotremal Atre." -------- ①French: But what a dynasty your emperor should have had! Balashev felt compelled to counter, saying that things were not so bleak in Russia's view.Napoleon was silent and continued to stare at him mockingly, obviously not listening to Balashov.Balashev said Russia is optimistic about the outcome of the war.Napoleon nodded magnanimously, as if to say: "I know, it is your responsibility to say this, but I hope you don't believe what you say, you are convinced by me." When Balashov finished speaking, Napoleon took out his snuffbox and sniffed again, and at the same time tapped his foot on the floor twice as a signal.The door opened; one of the court servants bowed respectfully and offered the emperor his hat and gloves, another handed over his handkerchief, and Napoleon, without looking at them, turned to Balashov: "In my name, please assure Emperor Alexander," he said, taking his hat, "that I am as loyal to him as ever: I know him well, and I speak highly of his noble character, Jenevousretiensplus, general, vousre Bcevrezmalettreal'empereur." Napoleon hurried to the door.People ran through the anteroom and down the stairs. -------- ①French: I won't delay you any longer, general, you will receive my reply to your emperor.