Chapter 35 Chapter Thirty-Five

Kutuzov, with his gray head hanging down, relaxed his heavy body, and sat on the carpeted bench where Pierre had seen him that morning.He does not issue any orders, only agrees or disagrees with the suggestions of others. "Yes, yes, just do that," he said in response to various suggestions, "yes, yes, go, my dear, go and see." He said to this visitor or to that; or , "No, no, we'd better wait." He said.He listened to reports and gave instructions to his subordinates when they asked him to; but when he was listening to the report, he did not seem to care what the reporter meant, but what interested him was the expression on the reporter's face And another thing contained in the tone of speech.Years of war experience made him know that the wisdom of the old man made him understand that leading hundreds of thousands of people in a desperate battle is by no means capable of one person. It is not the cannon and the number of kills that occupy the terrain, but an intangible force called morale, and it is this force that he is watching and directing to the best of his power.

The expression of Kutuzov's whole face is composed, tense, and concentrated (the fatigue of his aging body is barely restrained). At eleven o'clock in the morning he received word that the fort, which had been taken by the French, had been recaptured, but Prince Bagration had been wounded.Kutuzov exclamated and shook his head. "Go to Prince Pyotr Ivanovitch and find out what's going on," he said to an adjutant, and turned to the Duke of Württemberg standing behind him. "Please Your Highness command the First Army, okay?" The prince had hardly left, probably before reaching the village of Semyonovskoe, when his adjutant returned to report to the Order that the prince had asked for reinforcements.

Kutuzov frowned, ordered Dohturov to take command of the First Corps, and asked the prince to come back to him, saying that he could not do without him at such a critical moment.When news of Murat's capture came, the staff congratulated him, and Kutuzov smiled. -------- ①Prince Peter Ivanovich, that is, Duke Bagration. ②The Duke of Württemberg is the brother of Emperor Paul's Empress Maria Feodorovna. ③The news of Murat's capture is incorrect. It was General Bonami who was captured. "Wait, gentlemen," he said. "The battle has been won, and Murat's capture is nothing special. But let's wait and rejoice." In spite of this, he sent an adjutant Inform the whole army of this news.

When Shcherbinin galloped from the left flank to report that the French army had taken the fort and the village of Semyonovskoye, Kutuzov guessed from the voice on the battlefield and Shcherbinin's face that the news was No, he seemed to be stretching his legs, stood up, took Shcherbinin by the arm, and pulled him aside. "Come along, my dear," he said to Ermolov, "and see what is the problem." Kutuzov was in the center of the Russian position - Gorky.Napoleon's attacks on our left flank were repulsed several times.In the center, the French did not advance a single step beyond Borodino.Uvarov's cavalry drove off the French from the left flank.

After two o'clock in the afternoon, the French attack stopped.On the faces of all the people who had returned from the battle, and in the faces of those who stood around him, Kutuzov saw an expression of extreme tension.Kutuzov was pleased with the unexpected success of the day.But the old man's strength was failing.Several times his head drooped, as if about to fall, and he was always dozing off.They served him a meal. General-Adjutant Volzogen (the same man who passed by Prince Andrei and said that the war must be imRaumverlegen, that is, the man Bagration hated so much), came to Kutuzov at mealtime. here.Worzogen was sent by Barclay to report on the situation on the left wing.The prudent Barclay de Tolly, seeing the flight of the wounded and the disarray of the army's rear, concluded, considering all the circumstances of the battle, that the battle was lost, and sent his henchman to the commander-in-chief with the news.

Kutuzov, who was struggling to eat the roast chicken, looked at Volzogen with narrowed smiling eyes. Worzogen walked up to Kutuzov, walking carelessly, with a half-contemptuous smile on his lips and barely touching the brim of his hat with one hand. Worzogen treated the order with deliberate contempt, showing that he was a highly educated soldier, and let the Russians make an idol of a useless old man who knew whom he was dealing with. "Deralte Herr (that's what the Germans call Kutuzov in their own circles) machtsichganzbequem," Worzogen thought to himself, glanced hard at the plate before Kutuzov, and began to follow Barclay's orders. What he himself saw and understood reported to the old gentleman about the situation on the left wing.

-------- ① German: Move to a wide area. ②German: The old man had a very comfortable life. "All the strongholds of our army's positions are in the hands of the enemy, and it is impossible to fight back because there is no army; the soldiers are fleeing and there is no way to stop them," he reported. Kutuzov stopped chewing and looked at him in surprise, as if he did not understand what he was talking about.Woerzogen saw that desalten Herrn was agitated, and said with a smile: "I don't think I have the right to hide from the Honor what I saw... The army is completely in disarray..."

"Did you see it? Did you see it? . . . " Kutuzov frowned, stood up abruptly, and took a few steps towards Vorzogen. "How...how dare you!..." he shouted out of breath, making a menacing gesture with trembling hands. "How dare you, sir, say such things to me. You know nothing. Tell General Barclay for me that his report is false, and that my Commander-in-Chief knows better than he does the true state of the fighting." Worzogen tried to explain, but Kutuzov interrupted him. "The enemy on the left wing has been repulsed, and the right wing has also been defeated. If you haven't seen it clearly, sir, don't tell me what you don't know. Please go back and inform Barclay that I must attack the enemy tomorrow." Kutuzo The husband said sternly, and no one said a word, only the old general's heavy breathing was heard. "The enemy is being driven back everywhere, for which I thank God and our brave army. Victory over the enemy and drive them out of the sacred territory of Russia tomorrow." Kutuzov said, crossing himself, and suddenly his voice was filled with tears. Choked up.Woerzogen shrugged his shoulders, curled his lips, and stepped aside without a word, uberdiese Einge-nommenheitdesalten Herrn ② surprised.

-------- ① German: Mr. ② German: the headstrong to the old man. "Ah, that's not him, my hero," said Kutuzov, looking at a tall, handsome, black-haired general who was climbing up the mound.This general was Raevsky, and he spent the whole day at the main stronghold of the Borodino field. Raevsky reported that our troops held their positions and the French dared not attack any more. After hearing his report, Kutuzov said in French: "Vousnepensezdoncpascommelesautresquenoussommesobligesnousritirer?" "Aucontraire, votrealtesse, danslesattairesindecisesc'esttoujoursleplusopiniaAtrequirestevictorieux," replied Laevsky, "Etmonopinion..."②

-------- ①French: So you don't think we should retreat like others do? ②French: On the contrary, Honor, in a battle in which the outcome is uncertain, whoever is more tenacious wins, my opinion... "Kesarov!" Kutuzov called to his adjutant. "Sit down and write tomorrow's order. And you," he said to another lieutenant, "go to the front and spread the word. Tomorrow we will attack." While Kutuzov was talking to Laevsky and dictating orders, Worzogen returned from Barclay and reported that General Barclay de Tolly wanted the copy issued by the Field Marshal. The plaintext of the command.

Kutuzov ignored Vorzogen and asked someone to write the order. The former commander-in-chief must have written the order to avoid personal responsibility. There is that intangible, mysterious chain which unites the army and constitutes the main nerve of war. This is what is called morale. Kutuzov's words and his order for the next day's attack are Spread along this chain to every corner of the army. By the time it reaches the last link in the chain, the words and commands are far from the original ones.The stories told to each other in all corners of the army are quite different from what Kutuzov said; but the meaning of his words has spread everywhere, because what Kutuzov said was not a cunning trick, but expressed Feelings in the hearts of the Commander-in-Chief and every Russian. The weary, shaken people were comforted and encouraged by the knowledge that we were going to attack the enemy tomorrow, and that the high command had confirmed what they had hoped for.