Chapter 3 third chapter

After the Russian army evacuated from Borodino, it was stationed in the area around Fili.After inspecting the position on horseback, Ermolov came to see the marshal. "It's not okay to fight on such ground," he said.Kutuzov looked at him in surprise and asked him to repeat.When he had finished, Kutuzov held out his hand to him. "Give me your hand," he said.He looked at the hand, felt for the pulse, and said, "You're not feeling well, dear. Think about what you said." Kutuzov got out of the carriage at Poklon Hill, six versts from Dorogomilov Pass, and sat down on a bench by the side of the road.A large group of generals gathered around him.Count Rastoptchin from Moscow was among them.This group of elites was divided into groups and discussed with each other the pros and cons of the position and the status of the troops from June to July.Published in the same year.Included in Volume 9 of The Complete Works of Lenin.This book critiques, various proposals, the current situation in Moscow, in general on military issues.Everyone feels that although it has not been given the mission of discussion and has no such title, this is a military meeting.The conversation stays within these common questions throughout.When private gossip was revealed or inquired about, the voice dropped, and immediately turned to common issues.There was no banter, no laughter, not even a smile among these people.Everyone tried to maintain a dignified status, and although the groups were discussing separately, they all tried to maintain a close distance from the commander-in-chief (the bench on which he sat became the central point of each group), and the voice should always be within his ear.The Commander-in-Chief listened and occasionally asked what those around him were saying, but took no part in the conversation and expressed no opinion.He spent most of his time listening to a small group talk, then turned away with a despondent look—as if they were not talking at all what he wanted to understand.Some speak of the chosen position, not of the facts, but of the intelligence of those who chose it; The battle of Manca was narrated in detail by the Frenchman Croza who had just arrived in Spanish uniform (this Frenchman, together with some German princes serving in the Russian army, analyzed the siege of Zaragoza city. ①Once It was expected to defend Moscow in the same way).In the fourth circle, Count Rastoptchin was talking about his determination to die with the Moscow Volunteers, and he could not but regret that he was in an uncertain situation, which, if he had known beforehand, would have been worse. will be different...After the people in the fifth circle explained the depth of their strategic assumptions, they talked about where the troops should move in the future.People in the sixth circle can't say enough.Kutuzov's face grew more and more anxious and depressed.From all the conversations of these people, Kutuzov saw that the defense of Moscow was impossible in any military sense, in the full sense of the word, that is, to a great extent, if Where some bewildered commander-in-chief gives the order to fight, there will only be confusion, and the battle will still not happen; it won't happen because the senior officers not only admit the impossibility of holding on, but talk only of the unquestionable abandonment of it. What happened after a defensive battle.How could officers lead soldiers into battle where they thought it impossible to fight?The lower-level officers and even the soldiers (they also talked a lot) also think that it is impossible to defend, so they can't fight recklessly knowing that they have failed.If it is said that Bennigsen insisted on defensive warfare, and others have discussed it, the question itself is meaningless at this moment, and its significance is only as an excuse for refutation and conspiracy.Kutuzov understood this.

-------- ① In 1808, the French army besieged the Spanish city of Zaragoza, and the city was defended for several months before being captured by the French army. After choosing the position, Bennigsen insisted on defending Moscow after a passionate display of patriotism for Russia (for which Kutuzov could only frown).Kutuzov clearly saw his purpose: if the defense battle failed—put the blame on Kutuzov, he would return to the school without fighting. Sha Tan".Yes, but if it succeeds—it will be credited to its own account, and if the proposal is not adopted—it will absolve itself of the guilt of abandoning Moscow.But this conspiracy could not move the old man now.A dreadful question seized him, the answer to which he had yet to hear from anyone, how to unravel it.The question is now simply: "Was it me who let Napoleon into Moscow? When did I let him in? When was it decided? Was it yesterday when I gave Platov the order to retreat, or When I was going to take a nap the night before and order Bennigsen to deal with military affairs? Or sooner?... But when, exactly when will this terrible thing be decided? Moscow should give up, the army It is time to retreat, so this order must be given." Giving this terrible order seemed to be the same as refusing to assume the post of commander-in-chief.But differently, he loves power and is used to it (he envied the respect Prince Prozorovsky received as a member of his staff while stationed in Turkey); , It was against the emperor's will and obedience to the people's will that he was selected as the commander-in-chief.He believes that he is the only one who can act as the Yuan Rong in this critical moment, and that he is the only one in the world who can fearlessly admit the invincible Napoleon as his opponent; order, he shuddered.Something should be decided, time to put an end to the increasingly rambunctious chatter around him.

He summoned several leading generals. "Matete, fut-ellebonneoumauvaise, n'aqu'as'aiderd'elle-meme." Having said this, he rose from his stool, and rode in a carriage to Fili, where his army was quartered. -------- ①French: Whether my head is good or bad, I can only rely on it.