战争与和平(上)-第278部分

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　holy　pictures。　“Lord；　my　Creator！　Thou　hast　heard　our　prayer　…”　he　said　in　a　trembling　voice；　clasping　his　hands。　“Russia　is　saved。　I　thank　Thee；　O　Lord。”　And　he　burst　into　tears。


Chapter　18
FROM　THAT　TIME　up　to　the　end　of　the　campaign；　all　Kutuzov’s　activity　was　limited　to　trying　by　the　exercise　of　authority；　by　guile　and　by　entreaties；　to　hold　his　army　back　from　useless　attacks；　man？uvres；　and　skirmishes　with　the　perishing　enemy。　Dohturov　marched　to　Maley　Yaroslavets；　but　Kutuzov　lingered　with　the　main　army；　and　gave　orders　for　the　clearing　of　the　Kaluga；　retreat　beyond　which　seemed　to　Kutuzov　quite　possible。
Everywhere　Kutuzov　retreated；　but　the　enemy；　without　waiting　for　him　to　retire；　fled　back　in　the　opposite　direction。
Napoleon’s　historians　describe　to　us　his　skilful　man？uvres　at　Tarutino；　and　at　Maley　Yaroslavets；　and　discuss　what　would　have　happened　if　Napoleon　had　succeeded　in　making　his　way　to　the　wealthy　provinces　of　the　south。
But　to　say　nothing　of　the　fact　that　nothing　hindered　Napoleon　from　marching　into　these　southern　provinces　（since　the　Russian　army　left　the　road　open）；　the　historians　forget　that　nothing　could　have　saved　Napoleon’s　army；　because　it　carried　within　itself　at　that　time　the　inevitable　germs　of　ruin。　Why　should　that　army；　which　found　abundant　provisions　in　Moscow　and　could　not　keep　them；　but　trampled　them　underfoot；　that　army　which　could　not　store　supplies　on　entering　Smolensk；　but　plundered　at　random；　why　should　that　army　have　mended　its　ways　in　the　Kaluga　province；　where　the　inhabitants　were　of　the　same　Russian　race　as　in　Moscow；　and　where　fire　had　the　same　aptitude　for　destroying　whatever　they　set　fire　to。
The　army　could　not　have　recovered　itself　any　way。　From　the　battle　of　Borodino　and　the　sacking　of　Moscow　it　bore　within　itself；　as　it　were；　the　chemical　elements　of　dissolution。
The　men　of　what　had　been　an　army　fled　with　their　leaders；　not　knowing　whither　they　went；　Napoleon　and　every　soldier　with　him　filled　with　one　desire：　to　make　his　own　escape　as　quickly　as　might　be　from　the　hopeless　position　of　which　all　were　dimly　aware。
At　the　council　in　Maley　Yaroslavets；　when　the　French　generals；　affecting　to　be　deliberating；　gave　various　opinions　as　to　what　was　to　be　done；　the　opinion　of　the　blunt　soldier；　Mouton；　who　said　what　all　were　thinking；　that　the　only　thing　to　do　was　to　get　away　as　quickly　as　possible；　closed　every　one’s　mouth；　and　no　one；　not　even　Napoleon；　could　say　anything　in　opposition　to　this　truth　that　all　recognised。
But　though　everybody　knew　that　they　must　go；　there　was　still　a　feeling　of　shame　left　at　acknowledging　they　must　fly。　And　some　external　shock　was　necessary　to　overcome　that　shame。　And　that　shock　came　when　it　was　needed。　It　was　le　Hourra　de　l’Empereur；　as　the　French　called　it。
On　the　day　after　the　council；　Napoleon；　on　the　pretext　of　inspecting　the　troops　and　the　field　of　a　past　and　of　a　future　battle；　rode　out　early　in　the　morning　in　the　midst　of　the　lines　of　his　army　with　a　suite　of　marshals　and　an　escort。　The　Cossacks；　who　were　in　search　of　booty；　swept　down　on　the　Emperor；　and　all　but　took　him　prisoner。　What　saved　Napoleon　from　the　Cossacks　that　day　was　just　what　was　the　ruin　of　the　French　army；　the　booty；　which　here　as　well　as　at　Tarutino　tempted　the　Cossacks　to　let　their　prey　slip。　Without　taking　any　notice　of　Napoleon；　they　dashed　at　the　booty；　and　Napoleon　succeeded　in　getting　away。
When　les　enfants　du　Don　might　positively　capture　the　Emperor　himself　in　the　middle　of　his　army；　it　was　evident　that　there　was　nothing　else　to　do　but　to　fly　with　all　possible　haste　by　the　nearest　and　the　familiar　road。　Napoleon；　with　his　forty　years　and　his　corpulence；　had　not　all　his　old　resourcefulness　and　courage；　and　he　quite　took　the　hint；　and　under　the　influence　of　the　fright　the　Cossacks　had　given　him；　he　agreed　at　once　with　Mouton；　and　gave；　as　the　historians　tell　us；　the　order　to　retreat　along　the　Smolensk　road。
The　fact　that　Napoleon　agreed　with　Mouton；　and　that　the　army　did　not　retreat　in　that　direction；　does　not　prove　that　his　command　decided　that　retreat；　but　that　the　forces　acting　on　the　whole　army　and　driving　it　along　the　Mozhaisk　road　were　simultaneously　acting　upon　Napoleon　too。


Chapter　19
WHEN　A　MAN　finds　himself　in　movement；　he　always　invents　a　goal　of　that　movement。　In　order　to　walk　a　thousand　versts；　a　man　must　believe　that　there　is　some　good　beyond　those　thousand　versts。　He　needs　a　vision　of　a　promised　land　to　have　the　strength　to　go　on　moving。　The　promised　land　for　the　French　on　their　march　into　Russia　was　Moscow；　on　their　retreat　it　was　their　own　country。　But　their　country　was　too　far；　and　a　man　walking　a　thousand　versts　must　inevitably　put　aside　his　final　goal　and　say　to　himself　every　day　that　he　is　going　to　walk　forty　versts　to　a　resting…place　where　he　can　sleep；　and　before　the　first　halt　that　resting…place　has　eclipsed　the　image　of　the　final　goal；　and　all　his　hopes　and　desires　are　concentrated　on　it。　All　impulses　manifest　in　the　individual　are　always　greatly　exaggerated　in　a　crowd。
For　the　French；　marching　back　along　the　old　Smolensk　road；　the　final　goal；　their　own　country；　was　too　remote；　and　the　nearer　goal　on　which　all　hopes　and　desires；　enormously　intensified　by　the　influence　of　the　crowd；　were　concentrated　was　Smolensk。
It　was　not　because　the　soldiers　knew　that　there　were　plentiful　supplies　in　Smolensk　and　reinforcements；　nor　because　they　were　told　so　（on　the　contrary；　the　generals　and　Napoleon　himself　knew　that　the　supplies　there　were　scanty）；　but　because　this　was　the　only　thing　that　could　give　them　the　strength　to　move　and　to　bear　their　present　hardships；　that　they—those　that　knew　better　and　those　that　did　not　alike—deceived　themselves；　and　rushed　to　Smolensk　as　to　a　land　of　promise。
When　they　got　out　on　the　high　road；　the　French　fled　to　their　imagined　goal　with　extraordinary　energy　and　unheard…of　rapidity。　Apart　from　the　common　impulse　that　bound　the　crowds　of　Frenchmen　together　into　one　whole　and　gave　them　a　certain　momentum；　there　was　another　cause　that　held　them　together；　that　cause　was　their　immense　number。　As　in　the　physical　law　of　gravitation；　the　immense　mass　of　them　drew　the　separate　atoms　to　itself。　They　moved　in　their　mass　of　hundreds　of　thousands　like　a　whole　state。
Every　man　among　them　longed　for　one　thing　only—to　surrender　and　be　taken　prisoner；　to　escape　from　all　the　horrors　and　miseries　of　his　actual　position。　But　on　one　hand　the　momentum　of　the　common　impulse　toward　Smolensk　drew　each　individual　in　the　same　direction。　On　the　other　hand；　it　was　out　of　the　question　for　a　corps　to　surrender　to　a　squadron；　and　although　the　French　took　advantage　of　every　convenient　opportunity　to　straggle　away　from　one　another；　and　on　the　smallest　decent　pretext　to　be　taken　prisoners；　those　opportunities　did　not　always　occur。　Their　very　number；　and　their　rapid　movement　in　such　a　closely…packed　mass；　deprived　them　of　such　possibilities；　and　made　it　not　only　difficult　but　impossible　for　the　Russians　to　stop　that　movement　into　which　the　whole　energy　of　that　great　mass　was　thrown。　No　mechanical　splitting　up　of　the　body　could　accelerate　beyond　certain　limits　the　process　of　dissolution　that　was　going　on　within　it。
A　snowball　cannot　be　melted　instantaneously。　There　is　a　certain　limit　of　time　within　which　no　application　of　heat　can　thaw　the　snow。　On　the　contrary；　the　greater　the　heat；　the　harder　the　snow　that　is　left。
Of　the　Russian　generals　no　one　but　Kutuzov　understood　this。　When　the　flight　of　the　French　army　took　its　final　direction　along　the　Smolensk　road；　then　what　Kutuzov　had　foreseen　on　the　night　of　the　11th　of　October　began　to　come　to　pass。　All　the　generals　and　officers　of　the　Russian　army　were　eager　to　distinguish　themselves；　to　cut　off　the　enemy’s　retreat；　to　overtake；　to　capture；　to　fall　upon　the　French；　and　all　clamoured　for　action。
Kutuzov　alone　used　all　his　powers　（and　the　powers　of　any　commander…in…chief　are　far　from　great）　to　resist　this　clamour　for　attack。
He　could　not　tell　them　what　we　can　say　now：　he　could　not　ask　them　what　was　the　object　of　fighting　and　obstructing　the　road　and　losing　our　men；　and　inhumanly　persecuting　the　poor　wretches；　when　one…third　of　that　army　melted　away　of　itself　without　a　battle　between　Moscow　and　Vyazma。　But　drawing　from　the　stores　of　his　aged　wisdom　what　they　could　understand；　he　told　them　of　the　golden　bridge；　and　they　laughed　at　him；　slandered　him；　pushed　on　and　dashed　forward；　exulting　over　the　wounded　beast。
Near　Vyazma；　Yermolov；　Miloradovitch；　Platov；　and　others；　finding　themselves　in　the　neighbourhood　of　the　French；　could　not　resist　the　desire　to　cut　them　off　and　to　fall　upon　two　French　corps。　In　sending　to　inform　Kutuzov　of　their　project；　they　slipped　a　blank　sheet　of　paper　into　the　envelope　instead　of　the　despatch。
And　in　spite　of　Kutuzov’s　efforts　to　restrain　the　army；　our　soldiers　attacked　the　French　and　tried　to　bar　their　way。　The　infantry　regiments；　we　are　told；　marched　to　attack　them　with　music　and　beating　of　drums　and　slew　and　were　slain　by　thousands。
But　as　for　cutting　off　their　retreat—none　were　cut　off　nor　turned　aside。　And　the　French　army；　brought　into　closer　cohesion　by　danger；　and　slowly　melting　as　it　went；　kept　still　on　its　fatal　way　to　Smolensk。


Part　Fourteen
Chapter　1
THE　BATTLE　of　Borodino　with　the　occupation　of　Moscow　and　the　flight　of　the　French；　that　followed　without　any　more　battles；　is　one　of　the　most　instructive　phenomena　in　history。
All　historians　are　agreed　that　the　external　activity　of　states　and　peoples　in　their　conflicts　finds　expression　in　wars；　that　the　political　power　of　states　and　peoples　is　increased　or　diminished　as　the　immediate　result　of　success　or　defeat　in　war。
Strange　are　the　historical　accounts　that　tell　us　how　some　king　or　emperor；　quarrelling　with　another　king　or　emperor；　levies　an　army；　fights　a　battle　with　the　army　of　his　foe；　gains　a　victory；　kills　three；　five；　or　ten　thousand　men；　and　consequently　subdues　a　state　and　a　whole　people　consisting　of　several　millions；　and　incomprehensible　it　seems　that　the　defeat　of　any　army；　one　hundredth　of　the　whole　strength　of　a　people；　should　force　that　people　to　submit。　Yet　all　the　facts　of　history　（so　far　as　we　know　it）　confirm　the　truth　of　the　statement；　that　the　successes　or　defeats　of　a