战争与和平(上)-第217章

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His　idea　was　that　the　army　should　move　into　a　position　away　from　the　Petersburg　and　Moscow　roads；　and；　united　there；　await　the　enemy。It　was　evident　that　this　project　had　been　formed　by　Armfeldt　long　before；　and　that　he　brought　it　forward　now　not　so　much　with　the　object　of　meeting　the　present　problem；　to　which　it　presented　no　solution；　as　of　seizing　the　opportunity　of　explaining　its　merits。　It　was　one　of　the　millions　of　suggestions　which　might　be　made；　one　as　reasonable　as　another；　so　long　as　no　one　had　any　idea　what　form　the　war　would　take。　Some　of　those　present　attacked　his　idea；　others　supported　it。　The　young　Colonel　Toll　criticised　the　Swedish　general’s　project　with　more　heat　than　any　one；　and　in　the　course　of　his　remarks　upon　it　drew　out　of　a　side　pocket　a　manuscript；　which　he　asked　leave　to　read　aloud。　In　this　somewhat　diffuse　note；　Toll　proposed　another　plan　of　campaign—entirely　opposed　to　Armfeldt’s；　and　also　to　Pfuhl’s　plan。　Paulucci；　in　raising　objections　to　Toll’s　scheme；　proposed　a　plan　of　direct　advance　and　attack；　which　he　declared　to　be　the　only　means　of　extricating　us　from　our　present　precarious　position；　and　from　the　trap　（so　he　called　the　Drissa　camp）　in　which　we　were　placed。　During　all　this　discussion；　Pfuhl　and　his　interpreter　Woltzogen　（who　was　his　mouth…piece　in　the　court　world）　were　silent。　Pfuhl　merely　snorted　contemptuously　and　turned　his　back　to　indicate　that　he　would　never　stoop　to　reply　to　the　rubbish　he　was　hearing。　But　when　Prince　Volkonsky；　who　presided　over　the　debate；　called　upon　him　to　give　his　opinion；　he　simply　said：　“Why　ask　me？　General　Armfeldt　has　proposed　an　excellent　position　with　the　rear　exposed　to　the　enemy。　Or　why　not　the　attack　suggested　by　this　Italian　gentleman？　A　fine　idea！　Or　a　retreat？　Excellent；　too。　Why　ask　me？”　said　he。　“You　all　know　better　than　I　do；　it　appears。”
But　when　Volkonsky；　frowning；　said　that　it　was　in　the　Tsar’s　name　that　he　asked　his　opinion；　Pfuhl　rose；　and　growing　suddenly　excited；　began　to　speak：
“You　have　muddled　and　spoilt　it　all。　You　would　all　know　better　than　I；　and　now　you　come　to　me　to　ask　how　to　set　things　right。　There　is　nothing　that　needs　setting　right。　The　only　thing　is　to　carry　out　in　exact　detail　the　plan　laid　down　by　me；”　he　said；　rapping　his　bony　fingers　on　the　table。　“Where’s　the　difficulty？　It’s　nonsense；　child’s　play！”　He　went　up　to　the　map；　and　began　talking　rapidly；　pointing　with　his　wrinkled　finger　about　the　map；　and　proving　that　no　sort　of　contingency　could　affect　the　adaptability　of　the　Drissa　camp　to　every　emergency；　that　every　chance　had　been　foreseen；　and　that　if　the　enemy　actually　did　make　a　circuit　round　it；　then　the　enemy　would　infallibly　be　annihilated。
Paulucci；　who　did　not　know　German；　began　to　ask　him　questions　in　French。　Woltzogen　came　to　the　assistance　of　his　leader；　who　spoke　French　very　badly；　and　began　translating　his　utterances；　hardly　able　to　keep　pace　with　Pfuhl；　who　was　proceeding　at　a　great　rate　to　prove　that　everything；　everything；　not　only　what　was　happening；　but　everything　that　possibly　could　happen；　had　been　provided　for　in　his　plan；　and　that　if　difficulties　had　arisen　now；　they　were　due　simply　to　the　failure　to　carry　out　that　plan　with　perfect　exactitude。　He　was　continually　giving　vent　to　a　sarcastic　laugh　as　he　went　on　proving；　and　at　last　scornfully　abandoned　all　attempt　to　prove；　his　position；　as　a　mathematician　will　refuse　to　establish　by　various　different　methods　a　problem　he　has　once　for　all　proved　to　be　correctly　solved。　Woltzogen　took　his　place；　continuing　to　explain　his　views　in　French；　and　occasionally　referring　to　Pfuhl　himself：　“Is　that　not　true；　your　excellency？”　But　Pfuhl；　as　a　man　in　the　heat　of　the　fray　will　belabour　those　of　his　own　side；　shouted　angrily　at　his　own　follower—at　Woltzogen；　too。
“To　be　sure；　what　is　there　to　explain　in　that？”
Paulucci　and　Michaud　fell　simultaneously　on　Woltzogen　in　French。　Armfeldt　addressed　Pfuhl　himself　in　German。　Toll　was　interpreting　to　Prince　Volkonsky　in　Russian。　Prince　Andrey　listened　and　watched　them　in　silence。
Of　all　these　men　the　one　for　whom　Prince　Andrey　felt　most　sympathy　was　the　exasperated；　determined；　insanely　conceited　Pfuhl。　He　was　the　only　one　of　all　the　persons　present　who　was　unmistakably　seeking　nothing　for　himself；　and　harbouring　no　personal　grudge　against　anybody　else。　He　desired　one　thing　only—the　adoption　of　his　plan；　in　accordance　with　the　theory　that　was　the　fruit　of　years　of　toil。　He　was　ludicrous；　he　was　disagreeable　with　his　sarcasm；　but　yet　he　roused　an　involuntary　feeling　of　respect　from　his　boundless　devotion　to　an　idea。
Apart　from　this；　with　the　single　exception　of　Pfuhl；　every　speech　of　every　person　present　had　one　common　feature；　which　Prince　Andrey　had　not　seen　at　the　council　of　war　in　1805—that　was；　a　panic　dread　of　the　genius　of　Napoleon；　a　dread　which　was　involuntarily　betrayed　in　every　utterance　now；　in　spite　of　all　efforts　to　conceal　it。　Anything　was　assumed　possible　for　Napoleon；　he　was　expected　from　every　quarter　at　once；　and　to　invoke　his　terrible　name　was　enough　for　them　to　condemn　each　other’s　suggestions。　Pfuhl　alone　seemed　to　look　on　him　too；　even　Napoleon；　as　a　barbarian；　like　every　other　opponent　of　his　theory；　and　Pfuhl　roused　a　feeling　of　pity；　too；　as　well　as　respect；　in　Prince　Andrey。　From　the　tone　with　which　the　courtiers　addressed　him；　from　what　Paulucci　had　ventured　to　say　to　the　Tsar；　and　above　all　from　a　certain　despairing　expression　in　Pfuhl　himself；　it　was　clear　that　others　knew；　and　he　himself；　that　his　downfall　was　at　hand。　And　for　all　his　conceit　and　his　German　grumpy　irony；　he　was　pitiful　with　his　flattened　locks　on　his　forehead　and　his　wisps　of　uncombed　hair　sticking　out　behind。　Though　he　tried　to　conceal　it　under　a　semblance　of　anger　and　contempt；　he　was　visibly　in　despair　that　the　sole　chance　left　him　of　testing　his　theory　on　a　vast　scale　and　proving　its　infallibility　to　the　whole　world　was　slipping　away　from　him。
The　debate　lasted　a　long　while；　and　the　longer　it　continued　the　hotter　it　became；　passing　into　clamour　and　personalities；　and　the　less　possible　it　was　to　draw　any　sort　of　general　conclusion　from　what　was　uttered。　Prince　Andrey　simply　wondered　at　what　they　were　all　saying　as　he　listened　to　the　confusion　of　different　tongues；　and　the　propositions；　the　plans；　the　shouts；　and　the　objections。　The　idea　which　had　long　ago　and　often　occurred　to　him　during　the　period　of　his　active　service；　that　there　was　and　could　be　no　sort　of　military　science；　and　that　therefore　there　could　not　be　such　a　thing　as　military　genius；　seemed　to　him　now　to　be　an　absolutely　obvious　truth。　“What　theory　and　science　can　there　be　of　a　subject　of　which　the　conditions　and　circumstances　are　uncertain　and　can　never　be　definitely　known；　in　which　the　strength　of　the　active　forces　engaged　can　be　even　less　definitely　measured？　No　one　can；　or　possibly　could；　know　the　relative　positions　of　our　army　and　the　enemy’s　in　another　twenty…four　hours；　and　no　one　can　gauge　the　force　of　this　or　the　other　detachment。　Sometimes　when　there　is　no　coward　in　front　to　cry；　‘We　are　cut　off！’　and　to　run；　but　a　brave；　spirited　fellow　leads　the　way；　shouting　‘Hurrah！’　a　detachment　of　five　thousand　is　as　good　as　thirty　thousand；　as　it　was　at　Sch？ngraben；　while　at　times　fifty　thousand　will　run　from　eight　thousand；　as　they　did　at　Austerlitz。　How　can　there　be　a　science　of　war　in　which；　as　in　every　practical　matter；　nothing　can　be　definite　and　everything　depends　on　countless　conditions；　the　influence　of　which　becomes　manifest　all　in　a　moment；　and　no　one　can　know　when　that　moment　is　coming。　Armfeldt　declares　that　our　army　is　cut　off；　while　Paulucci　maintains　that　we　have　caught　the　French　army　between　two　fires；　Michaud　asserts　that　the　defect　of　the　Drissa　camp　is　having　the　river　in　its　rear；　while　Pfuhl　protests　that　that　is　what　constitutes　its　strength；　Toll　proposes　one　plan；　Armfeldt　suggests　another；　and　all　are　good　and　all　are　bad；　and　the　suitability　of　any　proposition　can　only　be　seen　at　the　moment　of　trial。　And　why　do　they　all　talk　of　military　genius？　Is　a　man　to　be　called　a　genius　because　he　knows　when　to　order　biscuits　to　be　given　out；　and　when　to　march　his　troops　to　the　right　and　when　to　the　left？　He　is　only　ca