战争与和平(上)-第349章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


The　duellist；　who　insisted　on　the　conflict　being　fought　in　accordance　with　the　principles　of　the　fencer’s　art；　stands　for　the　French；　his　opponent；　who　flung　away　his　sword　and　snatched　up　a　cudgel；　did　like　the　Russians；　and　the　attempted　description　of　the　duel　in　accordance　with　the　rules　of　swordsmanship　has　been　given　us　by　the　historians　of　the　war。
From　the　time　of　the　burning　of　Smolensk　a　war　began　which　did　not　follow　any　of　the　old　traditions　of　warfare。　The　burning　of　towns　and　villages；　the　retreat　after　every　battle；　the　blow　dealt　at　Borodino　and　followed　by　retreat；　the　burning　of　Moscow；　the　capture　of　marauders；　the　seizing　of　transports；—the　whole　of　the　irregular　warfare　was　a　departure　from　the　rules。
Napoleon　was　aware　of　it；　and　from　the　time　when　he　stood　waiting　in　Moscow　in　the　correct　pose　of　the　victorious　fencer；　and　instead　of　his　opponent’s　sword；　saw　the　bludgeon　raised　against　him；　he　never　ceased　complaining　to　Kutuzov　and　to　the　Emperor　Alexander　that　the　war　was　being　conducted　contrary　to　all　the　rules　of　war。　（As　though　any　rules　existed　for　the　slaughter　of　men！）
In　spite　of　the　complaints　of　the　French　that　they　did　not　keep　to　the　rules；　in　spite　of　the　fact　that　the　Russians　in　the　highest　positions　felt　it　somehow　shameful　to　be　fighting　with　a　cudgel；　and　wanted　to　take　up　the　correct　position　en　quarte　or　en　tierce；　to　make　a　skilful　thrust；　en　prime　and　so　on；　the　cudgel　of　the　people’s　war　was　raised　in　all　its　menacing　and　majestic　power；　and　troubling　itself　about　no　question　of　any　one’s　tastes　or　rules；　about　no　fine　distinctions；　with　stupid　simplicity；　with　perfect　consistency；　it　rose　and　fell　and　belaboured　the　French　till　the　whole　invading　army　had　been　driven　out。
And　happy　the　people　that　will　not；　as　the　French　did　in　1813；　saluting　according　to　the　rules；　gracefully　and　cautiously　offer　the　sword　hilt　to　the　magnanimous　conqueror。　Happy　the　people　who；　in　the　moment　of　trial；　asks　no　questions　how　others　would　act　by　the　recognised　rules　in　such　cases；　but　with　ease　and　directness　picks　up　the　first　cudgel　that　comes　handy　and　deals　blows　with　it；　till　resentment　and　revenge　give　way　to　contempt　and　pity。


Chapter　2
ONE　of　the　most　conspicuous　and　advantageous　departures　from　the　so…called　rules　of　warfare　is　the　independent　action　of　men　acting　separately　against　men　huddled　together　in　a　mass。　Such　independent　activity　is　always　seen　in　a　war　that　assumes　a　national　character。　In　this　kind　of　warfare；　instead　of　forming　in　a　crowd　to　attack　a　crowd；　men　disperse　in　small　groups；　attack　singly　and　at　once　fly；　when　attacked　by　superior　forces；　and　then　attack　again；　when　an　opportunity　presents　itself。　Such　were　the　methods　of　the　guerillas　in　Spain；　of　the　mountain　tribes　in　the　Caucasus；　and　of　the　Russians　in　1812。
War　of　this　kind　has　been　called　partisan　warfare　on　the　supposition　that　this　name　defined　its　special　significance。　But　this　kind　of　warfare　does　not　follow　any　rules　of　war；　but　is　in　direct　contradiction　to　a　well…known　rule　of　tactics；　regarded　as　infallible。　That　rule　lays　it　down　that　the　attacking　party　must　concentrate　his　forces　in　order　to　be　stronger　than　his　opponent　at　the　moment　of　conflict。
Partisan　warfare　（always　successful；　as　history　testifies）　acts　in　direct　contradiction　of　this　rule。
Military　science　assumes　that　the　relative　strength　of　forces　is　identical　with　their　numerical　proportions。　Military　science　maintains　that　the　greater　the　number　of　soldiers；　the　greater　their　strength。　Les　gros　bataillons　ont　toujours　raison。
To　say　this　is　as　though　one　were　in　mechanics　to　say　that　forces　were　equal　or　unequal　simply　because　the　masses　of　the　moving　bodies　were　equal　or　unequal。
Force　（the　volume　of　motion）　is　the　product　of　the　mass　into　the　velocity。
In　warfare　the　force　of　armies　is　the　product　of　the　mass　multiplied　by　something　else；　an　unknown　x。
Military　science；　seeing　in　history　an　immense　number　of　examples　in　which　the　mass　of　an　army　does　not　correspond　with　its　force；　and　in　which　small　numbers　conquer　large　ones；　vaguely　recognises　the　existence　of　this　unknown　factor；　and　tries　to　find　it　sometimes　in　some　geometrical　disposition　of　the　troops；　sometimes　in　the　superiority　of　weapons；　and　most　often　in　the　genius　of　the　leaders。　But　none　of　those　factors　yield　results　that　agree　with　the　historical　facts。
One　has　but　to　renounce　the　false　view　that　glorifies　the　effect　of　the　activity　of　the　heroes　of　history　in　warfare　in　order　to　discover　this　unknown　quantity；　x。
X　is　the　spirit　of　the　army；　the　greater　or　less　desire　to　fight　and　to　face　dangers　on　the　part　of　all　the　men　composing　the　army；　which　is　quite　apart　from　the　question　whether　they　are　fighting　under　leaders　of　genius　or　not；　with　cudgels　or　with　guns　that　fire　thirty　times　a　minute。　The　men　who　have　the　greater　desire　to　fight　always　put　themselves；　too；　in　the　more　advantageous　position　for　fighting。　The　spirit　of　the　army　is　the　factor　which　multiplied　by　the　mass　gives　the　product　of　the　force。　To　define　and　express　the　significance　of　this　unknown　factor；　the　spirit　of　the　army；　is　the　problem　of　science。
This　problem　can　only　be　solved　when　we　cease　arbitrarily　substituting　for　that　unknown　factor　x　the　conditions　under　which　the　force　is　manifested；　such　as　the　plans　of　the　general；　the　arming　of　the　men　and　so　on；　and　recognise　this　unknown　factor　in　its　entirety　as　the　greater　or　less　desire　to　fight　and　face　danger。　Then　only　by　expressing　known　historical　facts　in　equations　can　one　hope　from　comparison　of　the　relative　value　of　this　unknown　factor　to　approach　its　definition。　Ten　men；　or　battalions　or　divisions　are　victorious　fighting　with　fifteen　men　or　battalions　or　divisions；　that　is；　they　kill　or　take　prisoner　all　of　them　while　losing　four　of　their　own　side；　so　that　the　loss　has　been　four　on　one　side　and　fifteen　on　the　other。　Consequently；　four　on　one　side　have　been　equivalent　to　fifteen　on　the　other；　and　consequently　4x　=　15y。　Consequently　x/y　=　15/4。　This　equation　does　not　give　us　the　value　of　the　unknown　factors；　but　it　does　give　us　the　ratio　between　their　values。　And　from　the　reduction　to　such　equations　of　various　historical　units　（battles；　campaigns；　periods　of　warfare）　a　series　of　numbers　are　obtained；　in　which　there　must　be　and　may　be　discovered　historical　laws。
The　strategic　principle；　that　armies　should　act　in　masses　on　the　offensive；　and　should　break　up　into　smaller　groups　for　retreat；　unconsciously　confirms　the　truth　that　the　force　of　an　army　depends　on　its　spirit。　To　lead　men　forward　under　fire　needs　more　discipline　（which　can　only　be　attained　by　marching　in　masses）　than　is　needed　for　self…defence　when　attacked。　But　this　rule；　which　leaves　out　of　sight　the　spirit　of　the　army；　is　continually　proving　unsound；　and　is　strikingly　untrue　in　practice　in　all　national　wars；　when　there　is　a　great　rise　or　fall　in　the　spirit　of　the　armies。
The　French；　on　their　retreat　in　1812；　though　they　should；　by　the　laws　of　tactics；　have　defended　themselves　in　detached　groups；　huddled　together　in　a　crowd；　because　the　spirit　of　the　men　had　sunk　so　low　that　it　was　only　their　number　that　kept　them　up。　The　Russians　should；　on　the　contrary；　by　the　laws　of　tactics；　have　attacked　them　in　a　mass；　but　in　fact　attacked　in　scattered　companies；　because　the　spirit　of　the　men　ran　so　high　that　individual　men　killed　the　French　without　orders；　and　needed　no　compulsion　to　face　hardships　and　dangers。


Chapter　3
THE　SO…CALLED　“PARTISAN”　WARFARE　had　begun　with　the　enemy’s　entrance　into　Smolensk。　Before　the　irregular　warfare　was　officially　recognised　by　our　government　many　thousands　of　the　enemy’s　soldiers—straggling；　marauding；　or　foraging　parties—had　been　slain　by　Cossacks　and　peasants；　who　killed　these　men　as　instinctively　as　dogs　set　upon　a　stray　mad　dog。　Denis　Davydov　was　the　first　to　feel　with　his　Russian　instinct　the　value　of　this　terrible　cudgel　which　belaboured　the　French；　and　asked　no　questions　about　the　etiquette　of　the　military　art；　and　to　him　belongs　the　credit　of　the　first　step　towards　the　recognition　of　this　method　of　warfare。
The　first　detachment　of　irregulars—Davydov’s—was　formed　on　the　24th　of　August；　and　others　soon　fol