战争与和平(上)-第366章

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rtain；　and　therefore　the　more　closely　our　soldiers　followed　the　heels　of　the　French；　the　greater　the　distances　they　had　to　traverse。　It　was　only　by　following　at　a　considerable　distance　that　they　could　take　advantage　of　short　cuts　across　the　zig…zags　made　by　the　French　in　their　course。　All　the　skilful　man？uvres　suggested　by　the　generals　were　based　on　forced　marches　at　accelerated　speed；　while　the　only　rational　object　to　be　aimed　at　was　the　diminution　of　the　strain　put　on　the　men。　And　this　was　the　object　to　which　all　Kutuzov’s　efforts　were　directed　during　the　whole　campaign　from　Moscow　to　Vilna；—not　casually；　not　fitfully；　but　so　consistently　that　he　never　once　lost　sight　of　it。
Not　through　reason；　not　by　science；　but　with　all　his　Russian　heart　and　soul；　Kutuzov　felt　and　knew；　as　every　Russian　soldier　felt　it；　that　the　French　were　vanquished；　that　their　foes　were　in　flight；　and　that　they　must　see　them　off。　But　at　the　same　time　he　felt　with　his　soldiers；　as　one　man；　all　the　sufferings　of　that　march；　unheard　of　at　such　speed　and　in　such　weather。
But　the　generals；　especially　those　not　Russian；　burning　to　distinguish　themselves；　to　dazzle　people；　to　take　some　duke　or　king　prisoner　for　some　incomprehensible　reason—those　generals　thought　that　then；　when　any　battle　was　sickening　and　meaningless；　was　the　very　time　for　fighting　battles　and　conquering　somebody。　Kutuzov　simply　shrugged　his　shoulders　when　they　came　to　him　one　after　another　with　projects　of　man？uvres　with　the　ill…shod；　half…clothed；　and　half…starved　soldiers；　whose　numbers　had　in　one　month　dwindled　to　one…half　without　a　battle；　and　who　would　even；　under　the　most　favourable　circumstances；　have　a　longer　distance　to　traverse　before　they　reached　the　frontier　than　they　had　come　already。
This　desire　on　the　part　of　the　generals　to　distinguish　themselves；　to　execute　man？uvres；　to　attack；　and　to　cut　off　the　enemy；　was　particularly　conspicuous　whenever　the　Russian　army　did　come　into　contact　with　the　French。
So　it　was　at　Krasnoe；　where　they　had　expected　to　find　one　of　the　three　columns　of　the　French；　and　stumbled　upon　Napoleon　himself　with　sixteen　thousand　troops。　In　spite　of　all　Kutuzov’s　efforts　to　avoid　this　disastrous　engagement；　and　to　keep　his　men　safe　for　three　days　at　Krasnoe；　there　was　a　slaughter　of　the　disordered　bands　of　the　French　by　the　exhausted　soldiers　of　the　Russian　army。
Toll　wrote　out　a　disposition：　first　column　to　advance　to　this　spot；　and　so　on。　And　as　always；　what　was　done　was　not　at　all　in　accordance　with　that　disposition。　Prince　Eugene　of　Würtemberg　kept　up　a　fire　from　the　hills　on　the　mob　of　French　as　they　raced　by；　and　asked　for　reinforcements；　which　did　not　come。　In　the　nights　the　French　dispersed　to　get　round　the　Russians；　hid　themselves　in　the　woods；　and　all　that　could　struggled　on　again。
Miloradovitch；　who　declared　that　he　had　no　wish　to　know　anything　about　the　commissariat　arrangements　of　his　detachment；　who　could　never　be　found　when　he　was　wanted；　that　chevalier　sans　peur　et　sans　reproche；　as　he　called　himself；　always　eager　for　parleys　with　the　French；　sent　messengers　to　demand　their　surrender；　wasted　time；　and　did　not　carry　out　the　orders　given　him。
“I　make　you　a　present　of　that　column；　lads；”　he　said　to　his　men；　pointing　out　the　French　to　his　cavalry。　And　the　cavalry；　with　spur　and　sabre；　urged　their　broken…down　horses　into　a　trot；　and　with　immense　effort　reached　the　column　he　had　bestowed　on　them；　that　is　to　say；　a　mob　of　frozen；　numb；　and　starving　Frenchmen。　And　the　column　laid　down　their　weapons　and　surrendered；　which　was　what　they　had　been　longing　to　do　for　weeks　past。
At　Krasnoe　there　were　taken　twenty…six　thousand　prisoners；　a　hundred　cannons；　a　stick　of　some　sort；　which　was　promptly　dubbed　a　“marshal’s　baton。”　And　the　generals　disputed　among　themselves　who　had　gained　most　distinction　in　the　action；　and　were　delighted　at　it；　though　they　were　full　of　regret　at　not　having　captured　Napoleon　or　some　marshal　and　hero；　and　blamed　one　another；　and　above　all　Kutuzov；　for　failing　to　do　so。
These　men；　drawn　on　by　their　own　passions；　were　but　the　blind　instruments　of　the　most　melancholy　law　of　necessity；　but　they　believed　themselves　heroes；　and　imagined　that　what　they　were　doing　was　the　noblest　and　most　honourable　achievement。　They　blamed　Kutuzov；　and　declared　from　the　very　beginning　of　the　campaign　he　had　prevented　them　from　conquering　Napoleon；　that　he　thought　of　nothing　but　his　own　sensual　gratifications；　and　would　not　advance　out　of　Polotnyany　Zavody　because　he　was　comfortable　there；　that　he　had　checked　the　advance　at　Krasnoe；　that　he　had　completely　lost　his　head　when　he　heard　Napoleon　was　near；　that　one　might　really　suppose　he　had　a　secret　understanding　with　Napoleon；　that　he　had　been　bought　over　by　him；　and　so　on　and　so　on。
And　not　only　contemporaries；　misled　by　their　own　passions；　have　spoken　thus。　Posterity　and　history　have　accepted　Napoleon　as　grand；　while　foreign　writers　have　called　Kutuzov　a　crafty；　dissolute；　weak；　intriguing　old　man；　and　Russians　have　seen　in　him　a　nondescript　being；　a　sort　of　puppet；　only　of　use　owing　to　his　Russian　name　…


Chapter　5
IN　1812　AND　1813　Kutuzov　was　openly　accused　of　blunders。　The　Tsar　was　dissatisfied　with　him。　And　in　a　recent　history　inspired　by　promptings　from　the　highest　quarters；　Kutuzov　is　spoken　of　as　a　designing；　intriguing　schemer；　who　was　panic…stricken　at　the　name　of　Napoleon；　and　guilty　through　his　blunders　at　Krasnoe　and　Berezina　of　robbing　the　Russian　army　of　the　glory　of　complete　victory　over　the　French。　Such　is　the　lot　of　men　not　recognised　by　Russian　intelligence　as　“great　men；”　grands　hommes；　such　is　the　destiny　of　those　rare　and　always　solitary　men　who　divining　the　will　of　Providence　submit　their　personal　will　to　it。　The　hatred　and　contempt　of　the　crowd　is　the　punishment　of　such　men　for　their　comprehension　of　higher　laws。
Strange　and　terrible　to　say；　Napoleon；　the　most　insignificant　tool　of　history；　who　never　even　in　exile　displayed　one　trait　of　human　dignity；　is　the　subject　of　the　admiration　and　enthusiasm　of　the　Russian　historians；　in　their　eyes　he　is　a　grand　homme。
Kutuzov；　the　man　who　from　the　beginning　to　the　end　of　his　command　in　1812；　from　Borodino　to　Vilna；　was　never　in　one　word　or　deed　false　to　himself；　presents　an　example　exceptional　in　history　of　self…sacrifice　and　recognition　in　the　present　of　the　relative　value　of　events　in　the　future。　Kutuzov　is　conceived　of　by　the　historians　as　a　nondescript；　pitiful　sort　of　creature；　and　whenever　they　speak　of　him　in　the　year　1812；　they　seem　a　little　ashamed　of　him。
And　yet　it　is　difficult　to　conceive　of　an　historical　character　whose　energy　could　be　more　invariably　directed　to　the　same　unchanging　aim。　It　is　difficult　to　imagine　an　aim　more　noble　and　more　in　harmony　with　the　will　of　a　whole　people。　Still　more　difficult　would　it　be　to　find　an　example　in　history　where　the　aim　of　any　historical　personage　has　been　so　completely　attained　as　the　aim　towards　which　all　Kutuzov’s　efforts　were　devoted　in　1812。
Kutuzov　never　talked　of　“forty　centuries　looking　down　from　the　Pyramids；”　of　the　sacrifices　he　was　making　for　the　fatherland；　of　what　he　meant　to　do　or　had　done。　He　did　not　as　a　rule　talk　about　himself；　played　no　sort　of　part；　always　seemed　the　plainest　and　most　ordinary　man；　and　said　the　plainest　and　most　ordinary　things。　He　wrote　letters　to　his　daughters　and　to　Madame　de　Sta？l；　read　novels；　liked　the　company　of　pretty　women；　made　jokes　with　the　generals；　the　officers；　and　the　soldiers；　and　never　contradicted　the　people；　who　tried　to　prove　anything　to　him。　When　Count　Rastoptchin　galloped　up　to　him　at　Yautsky　bridge；　and　reproached　him　personally　with　being　responsible　for　the　loss　of　Moscow；　and　said：　“Didn’t　you　promise　not　to　abandon　Moscow　without　a　battle？”　Kutuzov　answered：　“And　I　am　not　abandoning　Moscow　without　a　battle；”　although　Moscow　was　in　fact　already　abandoned。　When　Araktcheev　came　to　him　from　the　Tsar　to　say　that　Yermolov　was　to　be　appointed　to　the　command　of　the　artillery；　Kutuzov　said：　“Yes；　I　was　just　saying　so　myself；”　though　he　had　said　just　the　opposite　a　moment　before。　What　had　he；　the　one　man　who　grasped　at　the　time　all　the　vast　issues　of　events；　to　do　in　the　midst　of　that　dull…witted　crowd？　W