War and Peace

Chapter 39

"To cover it up," Sorin said cheerfully, and in order not to allow explanations, she then brought the subject to Princess Molyye Bolkonskaya, who described the rescue of Maral Rostav with admiration. Regarding the matter of the princess, the young militia officer on the side even said jokingly: "It's another love affair. It can almost be said that everyone's escape this time is to make all the old maids marry."

[eighteen]
When Bin-Air came home, the servants brought with him several leaflets from Rushdoppch that had been received that day.

These leaflets promised noblewomen and merchants' families to leave Moscow, and also told people that ready weapons could be bought cheaply in armories.The tone of the flyer is no longer as ridiculous as Qi Jilin's speech before.Bin-Air was thinking about these leaflets. Although he had been looking forward to the approaching storm, he still couldn't help feeling a kind of fear about it.

"Join the army or wait?" He kept asking himself.Just then, the Grand Duchess came.The princess begged Bin-Air to send her to Petersburg, and Bin-Air agreed.Bin-Air did not go to the army, he stayed in the empty city of Moscow, looking forward to the terrible thing in panic, fear and joy.The next night the princess went away.His steward reported to him that he needed to sell a manor to form a regiment, and selling the manor would make him bankrupt. Bin-air listened to the chief steward and tried his best to hide his smile.The worse the situation, the smaller the family fortune, the happier Bin-Air was, and he seemed to be looking forward to this.Everyone I knew was gone except the Lowstaffs, but Bin-Air didn't go to the Lowstaffs very often now.

One day, Bin-Air went out for a walk.On the way home from the village of Vorozovo, he saw a crowd of people before the execution stand in a swampy square he passed.Two Frenchmen were being whipped, their faces terrified and aching, and one of them, who had just finished his sentence, suddenly wept, like a grown man, and at the same time was angry with himself for crying.People were talking loudly, Bin-Air thought, to suppress their feelings of pity.

Bin Air's nose was sour, he frowned, turned quickly and went back to the car.He kept whispering as he walked and got into the car.On the way, he trembled several times and shouted loudly, reprimanding the coachman uncharacteristically.

Seeing the beaten Frenchmen and the spectators, Bin-Air decided decisively that he could no longer stay in Moscow, and that he was going to join the army today.At home, Binair asked his coachman Yevstafievich, who was famous all over Moscow for his knowledge and ability, to send him to the troops in Mozhaisk that night.Since he could not make preparations on the same day, Bin Ayr had to postpone the trip until the next day according to Yevstafievich's wishes.

On the 24th, after heavy rain, the sky cleared, and Bin-Air left Moscow after lunch that day.The next morning he arrived in Mozhaisk.All the houses in Mozhaisk were occupied by soldiers, and the inns were filled with officers.Inside and outside the city, Cossacks, infantry, cavalry, carts, shell boxes and cannons can be seen everywhere.Bin-Air hurried forward.Here, far from Moscow, among this company of soldiers, he experienced a new kind of joy.This feeling urged him to make sacrifices, to give up everything that constitutes human happiness: comfort, wealth, even life itself.He didn't know what he was sacrificing for, but the sacrifice itself made him very happy.

[nineteen]
On August 24, a battle was fought at the Svorjerodo Fortress, on the 25th, neither side fired, and on the 26th, the battle of Polagero began.

Why did the two battles of Svorjero and Polagello start?The Battle of Polagello was meaningless and unfavorable for both the French and the Russians, hastening the fall of Moscow (which we were terribly afraid of) and the death of the French army (which they terribly frightened).

The war at Polagello broke out, quite by accident.Both Kotusov and Napoleon acted involuntarily.Some historians attribute this war to the genius of two generals, who were in fact no more than the instruments of history, even the most unfree and restrained of all the instruments of history.

Regarding another question: there is also a very obvious, well-known, and completely wrong point of view about the cause of the Svorjero War before the Polajero War.

According to history books, when the Russian army withdrew from Smolensk, it found a favorable camp for the Great War and built fortifications.And after the fact, they let go of many better positions than Polagello in the retreat.Not only were the Russians not on the lookout for the positions of the Polagello field, but it never occurred to them before August 25 that a major battle would be fought at this point.

On the 24th Napoleon moved his troops across the Kolocha, so that the Russians had no time to fight, and had to withdraw the left flank position they were supposed to occupy, and occupy a new, unexpected and unfortified position. After the loss of the Svorjero fortress on the 24th, we had no left wing position, so we had to withdraw the left wing and pick a place at random to build fortifications hastily.What is even more unfavorable is that the Russian generals did not recognize the obvious facts (the left wing was lost, and the current battlefield has shifted from right to left), and they still stayed on the elongated position of the right wing. Right to left.In this way, during the entire battle period, Russia only had half of the opponent's forces to counter the British attack on our left wing.

It is obvious that the Polajero battle was not fought on a first defined and fortified position, it actually took place in a situation where the Russian army had forgotten about the Shvorjero fortress and had less than half the strength of the British army.Under such conditions, it is difficult to say goodbye even if you hold on for two hours, and the battle lasted for ten hours, and the result of the final draw is also unimaginable.

[twenty]
Early on the morning of the 25th, Bin Air left Mozhaisk.On the crooked slope of the cliff, Bin-Air dismounted from the carriage and proceeded on foot.Behind him, a cavalry regiment was descending, with singing soldiers in front of it, and in front of him, a convoy of wounded soldiers from yesterday's battle.

The cavalry singers sang the soldier's dance music, as if to take care of them, the bells jingled on the mountain, and the hot sun shone on the top of the opposite hillside, showing another happy atmosphere.But down the hill, where the wagons of the wounded were, and where the horses were panting beside Bin-Air, it was a dank, dark, miserable state.

As Bin-Air walked forward, he saw soldiers of all branches everywhere, and they all looked at his white cap and green coat with equal wonder.

After walking about four kilometers, he met his first acquaintance, a senior military doctor.Bin-Air got out of the car and stopped to speak to the doctor, explaining to him his desire to join the fight.The doctor told him that there would be a battle the next day, and it was estimated that there would be at least 10 casualties out of [-], which shocked Bin-Air.By some mysterious association he vividly recalled the Mozhaisk slopes, the wounded wagons, the bells, the setting sun, and the singing of the cavalry.

Bin-Air's car went up the hill and into a side street in the village.For the first time he saw peasant soldiers in white shirts and hats with crosses, happily working on the great hills.

These bearded peasants, with their grotesque and clumsy boots, their sweaty necks and exposed black collarbones, struck Bin-Air more violently than anything he had ever seen before to the seriousness and importance of the moment. .

[21]

Bin-Air got out of the car and went up the mound past the militia that was fortifying, from where, as the doctor had told him, he could see the battlefield.

Bin-Air looked at the fields that he couldn't see clearly on both sides. He didn't find the battlefield he longed for. There were only fields, meadows, army smoke, hills and rivers. Know where the enemy's army is and where our army's camp is.

While an officer was explaining to Bin-Air the position and the encampments of the two armies, the ecclesiastical procession was coming up the hill from Polagello.On the dusty road, the infantry who took off their hats and carried their guns behind their backs walked in the forefront in a neat formation.Behind the infantrymen there sounded the singing of the church choir.

"Holy day in Smolensk," one shouted.Behind the priests, old men, deacons, and singers, soldiers and officers carried a large black icon with metal trim.This is an icon taken from Smolensk and carried with the army.Around the icon, there are bald-headed militias, they walk, run, and some kneel on the ground.

Arriving on the hill, the icon stopped.The deacon lit the censer, and the prayers began.Under the blazing sun, bald-headed officers, soldiers and militiamen surrounded the icon, singing carols.A gust of wind blew their hair and the ribbons around the icon.Again on all faces came the expression of awareness of the seriousness of the emergency that Bin-Air had seen on the many, many faces he had seen at the foot of the Mozhaisk Mountains.Their heads were bowed, their hair was blown by the wind, and their sighs and the crossing of the chest were clearly heard.

Suddenly, the crowd surrounding the holy image dispersed, and someone walked towards the holy image. Judging from the way others hurriedly gave way, this might be a very important person.

This man was Kotusov who had checked the position.His tall, fat body in a long coat was hunched over, with white hair and an eye blinded by injury in a puffy face.He stopped in front of the priest, drew the word "ten" with his usual movements, bowed deeply, sighed secretly, and lowered his white-haired head.After the prayer was over, Kotusov knelt down in front of the holy image and kowtowed on the ground. Due to his fatness and old age, he was unable to stand up for a long time.Finally, he kissed the icon, bent down again, and put his hand on the ground.Generals, officers, soldiers, and militia all took turns following his example.They crowded and pushed each other, kneeling down with excitement on their faces.

[22]

"Count, Pyotr Kirilech! Why are you here?" Binair, who was being staggered by the crowd, looked back. Very gorgeous.

The crowd followed the icon even further.Kotusov passed the village and sat down on a stool in the shade of the nearest house.Bin-Air stopped, chatting with Blitz, about thirty paces away from Kotusov.

Knowing that Bin-Air wanted to participate in the battle and inspect the positions, Britz warmly invited him to go with Earl Bennigsen, because he was already the earl's servant.

Although Kotusov had cut all the redundant staff at General Headquarters, Blitz was able to remain at headquarters.Like everyone Blitz has ever followed, Bennigsen considered the young Drubetskoy a priceless asset.

On the part of the High Command, there were two distinct factions: the rest was that of Kotusov, and one was that of Chief of Staff Bennigsen.Blitz belonged to the latter group.In any case, for tomorrow's battle, there must be a lot of important rewards, and someone will be promoted, so Blitz feels extremely excited all day long.

Kotusov saw Bin-Air's body and the crowd gathered around him.

Just as Kotusov was about to summon Bin Air, an ordinary militiaman rushed to Kotusov ahead of him. He was Rukot.

"The vigilante, in clean white shirts, ready to die for their country. How heroic, count!"

At the same time, with the deft manner of a court figure, Britz stepped into the Commander-in-Chief alongside Bin-Air, and said so.He obviously said this to the Commander-in-Chief.

When Bin-air left Kotusov, Rukot met Bin-air and shook his hand.Regardless of the presence of other people, he said loudly, with a particularly firm and solemn tone: "I am glad to have this opportunity to say to you, I am sorry for the misunderstanding that happened between the two of us, and I hope you will not have any grudges. Please forgive me."

Bin Air looked at him, not knowing what to say to him, just smirked.After listening to what Blitz said to his general, Count Bennigsen came to Bin Ayr and invited him to inspect the position together.Half an hour passed, and Kotusov set off for Tatarinovo, while Bennigsen, his entourage, and Binair went to the front.

[23]

Bennigsen left Gorky and followed the hillside road to the bridge.They crossed the bridge to the village of Polajero, where there was a fortified point later called Raevsky.Bin-Air paid no particular attention to it, not knowing that it was of more importance to this man than any other part of the Polagello field.

Bennigsen stopped in front of the fortress and looked ahead at the Svorjero fortress, which was ours yesterday, and saw a few people on horseback there.Bin-Air, like everyone else, was trying to guess who Napoleon was among the few shadowy figures.

Bennigsen began to describe the general situation of our army to the officers who came up to him.Bin-Air listened hard, but still worried that his brain was too difficult to use, and he couldn't understand anything.

On the far left where Tuchkov's corps was stationed, Bennigsen spoke enthusiastically for a long time, and at the same time issued orders that Binair considered important.There was a high ground in front of Tuchkov's army, but there was no defending army on this high ground.Bennigsen loudly criticized this view, and finally took it upon himself to order the troops to move over to the high ground.

After listening to the criticisms of Bennigsen and the generals, Binair felt as if he agreed with them, but what puzzled him was that it was so obvious. How could the man who deployed the army here make a mistake in his judgment? ?

Bin Air did not expect that the purpose of this arrangement was not to defend the position, but to lay an ambush.Bennigsen didn't understand this either, so he withdrew the troops without reporting.

[24]

Prince Andrey arrived on the fine evening of August 25, lying with his head on his hands in a dilapidated hut in the village of Knyazkovo, although he felt that his life was difficult and useless , but he seemed to be very excited and uneasy as he was on the eve of the Battle of Austerlitz seven years ago.

He has already got the combat order for tomorrow, and after the order is announced to the public, he will be free.He felt that tomorrow's battle might be the scariest battle he had ever encountered in his life. For the first time in his life, he realized death, and all those things that had caused him pain before had lost their outlines and become blurred. , With the cold white light of death, the past life becomes some illusory image.Honor, love, and the motherland, these beautiful pictures appear so pale and rough under the illumination of this white light.He thought of the three great misfortunes of his life: the misfortune of love, the loss of his father, and the invasion of the French.How innocent, he felt, in his love for Natess!
The birch trees with white bark do not move in the sun. "Everything exists, but I will disappear tomorrow." Duke Andrele imagined his life without him, and everything around him became a terrible shape.He felt a chill down his back, so he got up quickly and headed outside the house.

After he came back, the red-nosed captain Timoxin informed him about something, and he issued several orders.At the same time, a familiar voice came from behind the barn. "My God!" said the man, who seemed to trip over something.Duke Undry went round the barn and found Bin-Air approaching him.He didn't want to meet him, he reminded him of his last unpleasant moment in Moscow.

The hostility of Duke Andrele was immediately noticed by Bin-Air, and he was embarrassed.He couldn't avoid answering Duke Andrele's concern about the recent situation of his family.

(End of this chapter)