战争与和平(上)-第300节

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ight　with　one　another　over　the　spoils；　and　all　this　absorbed　the　Cossacks’　attention。　The　Frenchmen；　finding　themselves　not　pursued　further；　began　to　rally；　they　formed　into　companies　and　began　firing。　Orlov…Denisov　still　expected　the　other　columns　to　arrive；　and　did　not　advance　further。
Meanwhile；　in　accordance　with　the　disposition—“die　erste　Colonne　marschirt；”　and　so　on—the　infantry　regiments　of　the　belated　columns；　under　the　command　of　Bennigsen　and　the　direction　of　Toll；　had　started　off　in　due　course；　and　had；　in　the　usual　way；　arrived　somewhere；　but　not　where　they　were　intended　to　arrive。　In　the　usual　way　too；　the　soldiers　who　had　set　off　gaily；　began　to　halt；　there　were　murmurs　of　dissatisfaction　and　a　sense　of　muddle；　and　they　were　marched　back　to　some　point。　Adjutants　and　generals　galloped　to　and　fro；　shouting　angrily；　quarrelling；　declaring　they　had　come　utterly　wrong　and　were　too　late；　upbraiding　some　one；　and　so　on；　and　finally；　all　washed　their　hands　of　the　business　in　despair；　and　marched　on　simply　in　order　to　get　somewhere。　“We　must　arrive　somewhere　sooner　or　later！”　And　so　they　did；　in　fact；　arrive　somewhere；　but　not　where　they　were　wanted。　And　some　did　even　reach　their　destination；　but　reached　it　so　late　that　their　doing　so　was　of　no　use　at　all；　and　only　resulted　in　their　being　fired　at　for　nothing。　Toll；　who　in　this　battle　played　the　part　of　Weierother　in　the　battle　of　Austerlitz；　galloped　with　unflagging　energy　from　one　part　of　the　field　to　another；　and　found　everything　at　sixes　and　sevens　everywhere。　So；　for　instance；　he　found　Bagovut’s　corps　in　the　wood；　when　it　was　broad　daylight；　though　the　corps　ought　to　have　been　there　long　before；　and　to　have　gone　to　support　Orlov…Denisov。　Disappointed　and　excited　at　the　failure；　and　supposing　some　one　must　be　to　blame　for　it；　Toll　galloped　up　to　the　general　in　command　of　the　corps；　and　began　sternly　reprimanding　him；　declaring　that　he　deserved　to　be　shot。　Bagovut；　a　sturdy　old　general　of　placid　disposition；　had　been　worried　too　by　all　the　delays；　the　muddles；　and　the　contradictory　orders；　and；　to　the　amazement　of　everybody；　he　flew　into　a　violent　rage；　quite　out　of　keeping　with　his　character；　and　said　some　very　nasty　things　to　Toll。
“I　am　not　going　to　be　taught　my　duty　by　anybody；　but　I　can　face　death　with　my　men　as　well　as　any　one；”　he　said；　and　he　marched　forward　with　one　division。　The　valiant　Bagovut；　not　considering　in　his　excitement　whether　his　advance　into　action　now　with　a　single　division　was　likely　to　be　of　use　or　not；　marched　his　men　straight　forward　into　the　enemy’s　fire。　Danger；　shells；　and　bullets　were　just　what　he　wanted　in　his　fury。　One　of　the　first　bullets　killed　him；　the　other　bullets　killed　many　of　his　men。　And　his　division　remained　for　some　time　under　fire　for　no　object　whatever。


Chapter　7
MEANWHILE　another　column　was　to　have　fallen　upon　the　French　in　the　centre；　but　of　this　column　Kutuzov　was　in　command。　He　knew　very　well　that　nothing　but　muddle　would　come　of　this　battle；　begun　against　his　will；　and；　as　far　as　it　was　in　his　power；　he　held　his　forces　back。　He　did　not　move。
Kutuzov　rode　mutely　about　on　his　grey　horse；　making　languid　replies　to　the　suggestions　for　an　attack。
“You　can　all　talk　about　attacking；　but　you　don’t　see　that　we　don’t　know　how　to　execute　complicated　man？uvres；”　he　said　to　Miloradovitch；　who　was　begging　to　be　allowed　to　advance。
“We　couldn’t　take　Murat　alive　in　the　morning；　nor　be　in　our　places　in　time；　now　there’s　nothing　to　be　done！”　he　said　to　another。
When　it　was　reported　to　Kutuzov　that　there　were　now　two　battalions　of　Poles　in　the　rear　of　the　French；　where　according　to　the　earlier　reports　of　the　Cossacks　there　had　been　none；　he　took　a　sidelong　glance　behind　him　at　Yermolov；　to　whom　he　had　not　spoken　since　the　previous　day。
“Here　they　are　begging　to　advance；　proposing　projects　of　all　sorts；　and　as　soon　as　you　get　to　work；　there’s　nothing　ready；　and　the　enemy；　forewarned；　takes　his　measures。”
Yermolov　half　closed　his　eyelids；　and　faintly　smiled；　as　he　heard　those　words。　He　knew　that　the　storm　had　blown　over　him；　and　that　Kutuzov　would　not　go　beyond　that　hint。
“That’s　his　little　joke　at　my　expense；”　said　Yermolov　softly；　poking　Raevsky；　near　him；　with　his　knee。
Soon　after　that；　Yermolov　moved　forward　to　Kutuzov　and　respectfully　submitted：
“The　time　has　not　passed；　your　highness；　the　enemy　has　not　gone　away。　If　you　were　to　command　an　advance？　Or　else　the　guards　won’t　have　a　sight　of　smoke。”
Kutuzov　said　nothing；　but　when　news　was　brought　him　that　Murat’s　troops　were　in　retreat；　he　gave　orders　for　an　advance；　but　every　hundred　paces　he　halted　for　three…quarters　of　an　hour。
The　whole　battle　was　confined　to　what　had　been　done　by　the　Cossacks　of　Orlov…Denisov；　the　rest　of　the　troops　simply　lost　a　few　hundreds　of　men　for　nothing。
In　consequence　of　this　battle；　Kutuzov　received　a　diamond　decoration；　Bennigsen；　too；　was　rewarded　with　diamonds　and　a　hundred　thousand　roubles；　and　the　other　generals；　too；　received　agreeable　recognition　according　to　their　rank；　and　more　changes　were　made　on　the　staff。
“That’s　how　things　are　always　done　among　us；　everything　topsy…turvy！”　the　Russian　officers　and　generals　said　after　the　battle　of　Tarutino；　just　as　they　say　it　nowadays；　with　an　assumption　that　some　stupid　person　had　muddled　everything；　while　we　would　have　managed　quite　differently。　But　the　men　who　speak　like　this　either　do　not　understand　what　they　are　talking　of；　or　intentionally　deceive　themselves。　Every　battle—Tarutino；　Borodino；　Austerlitz—fails　to　come　off　as　those　who　planned　it　expected　it　to　do。　That　is　inevitable。
An　innumerable　collection　of　freely　acting　forces　（and　nowhere　is　a　man　freer　than　on　the　field　of　battle；　where　it　is　a　question　of　life　and　death）　influence　the　direction　taken　by　a　battle；　and　that　can　never　be　known　beforehand　and　never　corresponds　with　the　direction　of　any　one　force。
If　many　forces　are　acting　simultaneously　in　different　directions　on　any　body；　the　direction　of　its　motion　will　not　correspond　with　any　one　of　the　forces；　but　will　always　follow　a　middle　course；　the　summary　of　them；　what　is　expressed　in　mechanics　by　the　diagonal　of　the　parallelogram　of　forces。
If　in　the　accounts　given　us　by　historians；　especially　by　French　ones；　we　find　that　wars　and　battles　appear　to　follow　a　definite　plan　laid　down　beforehand；　the　only　deduction　we　can　make　from　that　is　that　these　accounts　are　not　true。
The　battle　of　Tarutino　obviously　failed　to　attain　the　aim　which　Toll　had　in　view：　to　lead　the　army　into　action　in　accordance　with　his　disposition　of　the　troops；　or　the　aim　which　Count　Orlov…Denisov　may　have　had：　to　take　Murat　prisoner；　or　the　aim　of　destroying　at　one　blow　the　whole　corps；　which　Benningsen　and　others　may　have　entertained；　or　the　aim　of　the　officer　who　desired　to　distinguish　himself　under　fire；　or　the　Cossack；　who　wanted　to　obtain　more　booty　than　he　did　attain；　and　so　on。　But　if　we　regard　the　object　of　the　battle　as　what　was　actually　accomplished　by　it；　and　what　was　the　universal　desire　of　all　Russians　（the　expulsion　of　the　French　from　Russia　and　the　destruction　of　their　army）；　it　will　be　perfectly　evident　that　the　battle　of　Tarutino；　precisely　in　consequence　of　its　incongruities；　was　exactly　what　was　wanted　at　that　period　of　the　campaign。　It　is　difficult　or　impossible　to　imagine　any　issue　of　that　battle　more　in　accordance　with　that　object　than　its　actual　result。　With　the　very　smallest　effort；　in　spite　of　the　greatest　muddle；　and　with　the　most　trifling　loss；　the　most　important　results　in　the　whole　campaign　were　obtained—the　transition　was　made　from　retreat　to　attack；　the　weakness　of　the　French　was　revealed；　and　the　shock　was　given　which　was　all　that　was　needed　to　put　Napoleon’s　army　to　flight。


Chapter　8
NAPOLEON　enters　Moscow　after　the　brilliant　victory　de　la　Moskowa：　there　can　be　no　doubt　of　the　victory；　since　the　French　are　left　in　possession　of　the　field　of　battle。　The　Russians　retreat　and　leave　Moscow—well　stocked　with　provisions；　arms；　implements；　and　countless　riches—in　the　hands　of　Napoleon。　The　Russian　army；　of　one…half　the　strength　of　the　French；　during　the　course　of　a　whole　month　makes　no　effort　to　attack。　Napoleon’s　position　is　most　brilliant。　One　would　have　supposed　that　no　great　genius　was　needed　with　an　army　of　double　the　strength　to　fall　upon　the　Russian　forces　and　destroy　them；　to　negotiate　an　advantageous　peace；　or；　in　case　of　negotiations　being　refused；　to　make　a　menacing　march　upon　Petersburg；　or　even；　in　case　of　failure　in　this；　to　return　to　Smolensk　or　to　Vilna；　or　to　remain　in　Moscow；　to　retain；　in　short；　the　brilliant　position　in　which　the　French　army　now　found　themselves。　To　do　all　this　it　was　only　necessary　to　take　the　simplest　and　easiest　measures：　to　keep　the　soldiers　from　pillage；　to　prepare　winter　clothes　（of　which　there　was　a　supply　in　Moscow　amply　sufficient　for　the　whole　army）；　and　regularly　to　collect　the　provisions；　of　which　the　supply　in　Moscow　was；　on　the　showing　of　the　French　historians；　sufficient　to　feed　the　whole　army　for　six　months。　Napoleon；　the　greatest　of　all　military　geniuses；　with　absolute　power；　as　historians　assert；　over　the　army；　did　nothing　of　all　this。
Far　from　doing　anything　of　the　sort；　he　used　his