第614章

第614章whenamanfindshimselfinmovement,healwaysinventsagoalofthatmovement.inordertowalkathousandversts,amanmustbelievethatthereissomegoodbeyondthosethousandversts.heneedsavisionofapromisedlandtohavethestrengthtogoonmoving.thepromisedlandforthefrenchontheirmarchintorussiawasmoscow;ontheirretreatitwastheirowncountry.buttheircountrywastoofar;andamanwalkingathousandverstsmustinevitablyputasidehisfinalgoalandsaytohimselfeverydaythatheisgoingtowalkfortyverststoaresting-placewherehecansleep;andbeforethefirsthaltthatresting-placehaseclipsedtheimageofthefinalgoal,andallhishopesanddesiresareconcentratedonit.allimpulsesmanifestintheindividualarealwaysgreatlyeratedinacrowd.

forthefrench,marchingbackalongtheoldsmolenskroad,thefinalgoal,theirowncountry,wastooremote,andthenearergoalonwhichallhopesanddesires,enormouslyintensifiedbytheinfluenceofthecrowd,wereconcentratedwassmolensk.

itwasnotbecausethesoldiersknewthattherewereplentifulsuppliesinsmolenskandreinforcements,norbecausetheyweretoldso（onthecontrary,thegeneralsandnapoleonhimselfknewthatthesuppliestherewerescanty）,butbecausethiswastheonlythingthatcouldgivethemthestrengthtomoveandtobeartheirpresenthardships,thatthey—thosethatknewbetterandthosethatdidnotalike—deceivedthemselves,andrushedtosmolenskastoalandofpromise.

whentheygotoutonthehighroad,thefrenchfledtotheirimaginedgoalwithextraordinaryenergyandunheard-ofrapidity.apartfromthecommonimpulsethatboundthecrowdsoffrenchmentogetherintoonewholeandgavethemacertainmomentum,therewasanothercausethatheldthemtogether,thatcausewastheirimmensenumber.asinthephysicallawofgravitation,theimmensemassofthemdrewtheseparateatomstoitself.theymovedintheirmassofhundredsofthousandslikeawholestate.

everymanamongthemlongedforonethingonly—tosurrenderandbetakenprisoner,toescapefromallthehorrorsandmiseriesofhisactualposition.butononehandthemomentumofthecommonimpulsetowardsmolenskdreweachindividualinthesamedirection.ontheotherhand,itwasoutofthequestionforacorpstosurrendertoasquadron;andalthoughthefrenchtookadvantageofeveryconvenientopportunitytoleawayfromoneanother,andonthesmallestdecentpretexttobetakenprisoners,thoseopportunitiesdidnotalwaysoccur.theirverynumber,andtheirrapidmovementinsuchaclosely-packedmass,deprivedthemofsuchpossibilities,andmadeitnotonlydifficultbutimpossiblefortherussianstostopthatmovementintowhichthewholeenergyofthatgreatmasswasthrown.nomechanicalsplittingupofthebodycouldacceleratebeyondcertainlimitstheprocessofdissolutionthatwasgoingonwithinit.

asnowballcannotbemeltedinstantaneously.thereisacertainlimitoftimewithinwhichnoapplicationofheatcanthawthesnow.onthecontrary,thegreatertheheat,theharderthesnowthatisleft.

oftherussiangeneralsnoonebutkutuzovunderstoodthis.whentheflightofthefrencharmytookitsfinaldirectionalongthesmolenskroad,thenwhatkutuzovhadforeseenonthenightofthe11thofoctoberbegantocometopass.allthegeneralsandofficersoftherussianarmywereeagertodistinguishthemselves,tocutofftheenemy’sretreat,toovertake,tocapture,tofalluponthefrench,andallclamouredforaction.

kutuzovaloneusedallhispowers（andthepowersofanycommander-in-chiefarefarfromgreat）toresistthisclamourforattack.

hecouldnottellthemwhatwecansaynow：hecouldnotaskthemwhatwastheobjectoffightingandobstructingtheroadandlosingourmen,andinhumanlypersecutingthepoorwretches,whenone-thirdofthatarmymeltedawayofitselfwithoutabattlebetweenmoscowandvyazma.butdrawingfromthestoresofhisagedwisdomwhattheycouldunderstand,hetoldthemofthegoldenbridge,andtheylaughedathim,slanderedhim,pushedonanddashedforward,exultingoverthewoundedbeast.

nearvyazma,yermolov,miloradovitch,platov,andothers,findingthemselvesintheneighbourhoodofthefrench,couldnotresistthedesiretocutthemoffandtofallupontwofrenchcorps.insendingtoinformkutuzovoftheirproject,theyslippedablanksheetofpaperintotheenvelopeinsteadofthedespatch.

andinspiteofkutuzov’seffortstorestrainthearmy,oursoldiersattackedthefrenchandtriedtobartheirway.theinfantryregiments,wearetold,marchedtoattackthemwithmusicandbeatingofdrumsandslewandwereslainbythousands.

butasforcuttingofftheirretreat—nonewerecutoffnorturnedaside.andthefrencharmy,broughtintoclosercohesionbydanger,andslowlymeltingasitwent,keptstillonitsfatalwaytosmolensk.