Chapter 10 chapter Ten

The French army diminishes and dissolves in exact arithmetic progressions.The much-described crossing of the Berezina was but one of many campaigns in which the French army was wiped out, and by no means the decisive one.If the battle of the Berezina was and still is largely described, it is only because, on the French side, the French army was gradually wiped out before this battle, and this time in Berezina On the broken bridge of the Jina River, groups were suddenly wiped out in an instant, leaving a tragic scene in people's memory.On the part of the Russians, the Battle of the Berezina has been discussed and written so much only because a plan was drawn up in St. strategic trap, to capture Napoleon alive).Convinced that everything was going exactly according to plan, everyone insisted that it was the forced crossing of the Berezina that brought about the downfall of the French army.

Actual figures prove: in fact, the losses of arms and personnel of the French in the forced crossing of the Berezina River were much smaller than those suffered in the battle of Krasnoye. The only significance of the Battle of the Berezina is that this operation proved beyond all doubt that all plans to cut off the enemy were wrong, and the only feasible course of action advocated by Kutuzov - only stalking behind the enemy , is exactly right.The French mob accelerated their escape as they fled, exerting all their strength to reach their destination.The French were running like a wounded beast, and it was impossible to block their escape.Rather than saying it was a forced crossing, it is better to say that what happened on the bridge proved this point.When the bridge collapsed, the unarmed soldiers, the residents of Moscow and some women with children in the French heavy transport team were unable to stop due to the influence of inertia, and rushed onto the boats and the icy river water.

This desire is justified.Things were as bad for those who fled as for those who pursued.Every person in distress, if he falls among his own people, can still count on the help of his companions and occupy a certain position among his own people.If he had surrendered to the Russians, he would still be in the same position of suffering, although he would still be in the same position as many methods in research (such as classification methods, experimental methods, transplantation methods, etc.), but he would inevitably be inferior when it comes to distributing the necessities of life. The French do not need I know that half of them are prisoners. The Russians don't know what to do with so many prisoners, even though they believe they won't freeze to death or starve to death. The French already feel the situation It can only be like this. The most sympathetic Russian officers and those who have a good opinion of the French, even the French who serve in the Russian army, can do nothing for the prisoners. The Russian army is also suffering from that kind of destruction. Woe to the French. Cannot take from the starving soldiers just the bread and clothing they themselves need, and give to the French who are no longer harmless, nor hateful, nor guilty, and yet useless. There are some The Russians did this, but only in rare, exceptional cases.

If you are slow, you will die; hope is ahead.There was no other way to choose but to flee collectively, so the French tried their best to flee collectively. The further the French fled, the more miserable was the situation for their remnants, especially after the battle of Berezina, which according to the Petersburg plan had so high hopes; the Russian officers blamed each other, and especially Kutuzov emotions are also more intense.They believed that Kutuzov must be blamed for the failure of the Berezina plan in Petersburg, and their dissatisfaction, contempt and ridicule against him would become more and more intense.Naturally, the contempt and ridicule were expressed in a respectful manner, which prevented Kutuzov from asking what and why they blamed him.When they reported to him and asked him to approve something, they talked very casually, pretended to go through a painful formality, and winked behind their backs, and they tried to deceive him every time and everywhere.

Just because they couldn't understand him, these people thought there was nothing to talk about with the old man; he would never understand the depth of their plan; Go, go, etc. (they think these are just empty words) to answer.But all this they had heard from him long ago.Everything he said: For example, the need to wait for sustenance philosophical theory and the materialist trend of thought in the natural sciences.The philosophy of the period, soldiers without boots, is so simple, and their advice is complex and wise, it seems obvious to them; he is old and confused, and they are genius commanders without power .

Especially after the army of the great admiral joined forces with the heroic army of Wittgenstein in Petersburg, this sentiment and staff gossip reached a peak.Kutuzov saw this, and he could only sigh and shrug his shoulders.Only once, after the Battle of Berezina, did he become angry, and he wrote the following letter to Bennigsen, who was alone with the emperor: "Because your old illness has relapsed, after reading this letter, please go to Kaluga immediately, and wait for His Majesty's will and appointment." After sending Bennigsen away, Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich (the brother of the Tsar before the October Revolution, the title of brother and grandson-translator's note) came to the army battle, and later Kutuzov transferred him from the army.Now the Grand Duke came to the army, he told Kutuzov Quine, 1908—) as a representative.Inheriting logical positivism and analyzing the language, the emperor is dissatisfied with our army's small record and slow action, and the emperor plans to come to the army in person in the near future.

Kutuzov was an old man with extensive experience both at court and in the army.It was this Kutuzov who was elected commander-in-chief against the emperor's wishes in August of this year, that is, he transferred the crown prince and grand prince from the army, and it was he who, by virtue of his own power, violated the emperor's will and gave up After leaving Moscow, the present Kutuzov immediately understood that his time was over, that this false power in his hands no longer existed.He understood this, and not only in terms of attitudes at court.On the one hand, he could see that the military activity in which he had played a part was over, and he felt his mission accomplished.On the other hand, at this moment he felt that his old body was very tired and needed rest.

On November 29, Kutuzov entered Werner—"Dear Werner," he had heard.Kutuzov served twice as governor of Vilna.In the gorgeous city of Vilna, which had been preserved intact from the war, Kutuzov found some old friends and memories of the past, in addition to the comfortable living conditions he had lost for a long time.So he suddenly put aside all his worries about the army and the country, and immersed himself in a peaceful life as much as he was used to. He tried to maintain a peaceful life around him, as if what had happened and what was happening in the course of history were related to everything. He has nothing to do with it.

Chichagov—a man who was most devoted to cut-off and rout tactics—Chichagov, who was going first to Greece and then to Warsaw for a feint attack, but not where he was sent anyway, Chichagov's philosophy is the essence of its own zeitgeist. (The Complete Works of Marx and Engels, No. 1, Chichagov, who was famous for his daring to speak to the emperor, thought that Kutuzov had benefited from him, because in 1811 he was sent to He made peace with Turkey, behind Kutuzov's back, and when he was convinced that the peace had been concluded, he admitted before the Emperor that Kutuzov was to whom it was concluded; it was this Chichagov who first Kutuzov was greeted at the gate of the castle where Kutuzov was to be stationed. Chichagov, dressed in the uniform of a naval officer, with a dagger at his waist and a hat under his arm, handed Kutuzov a report on the battle and the key to the city gate. Chichagov had already learned that Kutuzov had been reprimanded, and in everything he said and behaved showed the contemptuous deference of a young man for a dull old man.

During the conversation with Chichagov, Kutuzov told him in passing that the wagonloads of utensils that had been taken from him in Borisov had been recovered and would be returned to him. "C'est pour medirequejen'ai pass surquo imanger... Jepuisaucontrairevousfournirdetoutdanslecasmemeou, vousvoudrezdonnerdesdiners. ’” said Chichagov, blushing. He wanted to prove that everything he said was correct, so he thought that Kutuzov was paying attention to what he said. Kutuzov showed a subtle, A smile that can see everything "Existential Marxism", represented by French Merleau-Ponty and Sartre; he shrugged and replied: "Cen'estquepourvousdirecequejevousdis. "②

-------- ①French: You mean, I don’t even have any utensils for eating.On the contrary, even if you want to hold a banquet immediately, I can provide all the tableware. ② French: I just want to say what I just said. At Vilna, Kutuzov, against the Emperor's will, stopped the bulk of the army there.According to people around Kutuzov, during his stay in Werner this time, he was mentally exhausted and physically weak.He didn't want to ask about the affairs of the army. He left everything to his generals. He lived an idle life all day long, waiting for the arrival of the emperor. The Tsar, with his retinue—Count Tolstoy, Prince Volkonsky, Arakcheev, etc., left Petersburg on December 7th, arrived in Vilna on the 11th, and drove directly to Drive to the castle.Despite the severe cold, more than a hundred generals and staff officers wore full inspection uniforms, as well as the guard of honor of the Semyonov Regiment were waiting in front of the castle gate. A messenger in a sleigh drawn by three sweaty horses, hastening to the castle before the emperor arrived, shouted: "The Holy Spirit is coming!" and Konovnitsyn ran into the hall , to inform Kutuzov in the porter's hut. A minute later the old man came swaying out of the porch with his fat, bulky figure in a frock coat with badges all over his chest and a ribbon around his waist.Kutuzov, wearing a hat with a brim on his head, and gloves in his hands, slanted with difficulty down the steps and into the street, holding in his hands a report to be presented to the Emperor. -------- ① This kind of hat was originally called "three-cornered hat", but it was changed to two eaves in Alexander's time.When worn, the canopy can be front and rear, or both sides. People ran and whispered, and a three-horse sleigh was galloping, so all eyes were fixed on the approaching sleigh, on which the emperor and Volkonsky sat. figure is clearly visible. With fifty years of experience, all this now disturbed the old general; he carefully patted his clothes and straightened his hat; at the very moment when the Emperor dismounted from the sleigh and raised his eyes to look at him. , he pulled himself together, straightened his body, submitted the report, and began to speak in his slow, even, and pleasant voice. The emperor looked Kutuzov carefully from head to toe with quick eyes, frowned slightly, but immediately restrained himself, took a few steps forward, stretched out his arms, and hugged him. old general.Again, under the influence of long-acquired habits, or perhaps because of his inner thoughts, this embrace did work for Kutuzov again, and he was overwhelmed with gratitude. The emperor greeted the officers and the guard of honor of the Semyonov regiment, and once again shook the old general's hand, and walked with him into the castle. When alone with the old field marshal, the emperor complained of the delay in the pursuit and of the mistakes made at Krasnoe and Berezina.The Tsar informed Kutuzov of his intention to carry the war beyond the borders of the state, and he neither defended nor expressed his opinion.The expression on his face now was the submissive, meaningless expression seven years ago when he listened to the emperor's orders on the battlefield of Austerlitz. When Kutuzov came out of the study, head bowed, he walked heavily and staggeringly, and as he passed the side of the hall, a voice stopped him. "Your Excellency." Someone called him. Kutuzov raised his head and looked for a long time into Count Tolstoy's eyes. The count stood before him with a silver tray in his hand. Kutuzov seemed not to understand what he was asked to do. Suddenly he seemed to remember; a barely perceptible smile flickered across his fat face, and he bent down respectfully and picked up the thing.It was the Order of St. George, First Class.