第373章

第373章whilethetsarhadbeenatvilna,thearmyhadbeendividedintothree.thefirstarmywasunderthecommandofbarclaydetolly,thesecondunderthecommandofbagration,andthethirdunderthecommandoftormasov.thetsarwaswiththefirstarmy,butnotinthecapacityofcommander-in-chief.intheproclamations,itwasannouncedthatthetsarwouldbewiththearmy,butitwasnotannouncedthathewouldtakethecommand.moreover,therewasinattendanceonthetsarpersonallynotacommander-in-chief’sstaff,butthestaffoftheimperialheadquarters.thechiefofficeroftheimperialstaffwasgeneral-quartermastervolkonsky,anditcontainedgenerals,aides-de-camp,diplomaticofficials,andanimmensenumberofforeigners,butitwasnotamilitarystaff.thetsarhadalsoinattendanceonhiminnodefinitecapacity,araktcheev,thelateministerofwar;countbennigsen,bysenioritythefirstofthegenerals;thetsarevitch,konstantinpavlovitch;countrumyantsev,thechancellor;stein,theformerprussianminister;armfeldt,theswedishgeneral;pfuhl,thechieforganiseroftheplanofthecampaign;i,asardinianrefugee,whohadbeenmadeageneral-adjutant;woltzogen;andmanyothers.thoughthosepersonageshadnodefinitepostsinthearmy,yet,fromtheirposition,theyhadinfluence,andoftenthecommanderofacorps,orevenoneofthecommanders-in-chief,didnotknowinwhatcapacitybennigsenorthetsarevitchoraraktcheevorprincevolkonskyaddressedsomeadviceorinquirytohim,andcouldnottellwhethersomecommandintheformofadvicecamedirectlyfromthepersonwhogotitorthroughhimfromthetsar,andwhetherheoughtoroughtnottoobeyit.butallthisformedsimplytheexternalaspectofthesituation;theinnerimportofthepresenceofthetsarandallthesegreatpersonageswas,fromacourtier’spointofview（andinthepresenceofamonarchallmenbecomecourtiers）,plaintoall.allgraspedthefactthatthoughthetsarwasnotformallyassumingthepositionofcommander-in-chief,hedid,infact,holdthesupremecontrolofallthearmiesinhishands,andthepersonsabouthimwerehiscouncillors.araktcheevwasatrustyadministrator,asternupholderofdiscipline,andcarefulofthesafetyofthetsar.bennigsenwasaland-holderintheneighbourhood,andseemedtofeelithisfunctiontoentertainthetsarthere;whilehewasinreality,too,agoodgeneral,usefulasanadviser,andusefultohaveinreadinesstoreplacebarclayatanytime.thetsarevitchwastherebecausehethoughtfittobe.theformerprussianminister,stein,wastherebecausehisadvicemightbeuseful,andtheemperoralexanderhadahighopinionofhispersonalqualities.armfeldtwasabitterenemyofnapoleon,andhadself-confidence,whichneverfailedtohaveinfluencewithalexander.iwastherebecausehewasboldanddecidedinhisutterances.thegeneralsonthestaffweretherebecausetheywerealwayswheretheemperorwas;andthelastandprincipalfigure,pfuhl,wastherebecausehehadcreatedaplanofwarfareagainstnapoleon,andhavingmadealexanderbelieveintheconsistencyofthisplan,wasnowconductingtheplanofthewholecampaign.pfuhlwasaccompaniedbywoltzogen,whoputpfuhl’sideasintoamoreeasilycomprehensibleformthancouldbedonebypfuhlhimself,whowasarigidtheorist,withanimplicitfaithinhisownviews,andanabsolutecontemptforeverythingelse.

theabove-mentionedwerethemostprominentpersonagesaboutthetsar,andamongthemtheforeignerswereintheascendant,andwereeverydaymakingnewandstartlingestionswiththeaudacitycharacteristicofmenwhoareactinginaspherenottheirown.but,besidesthose,thereweremanymorepersonsofsecondaryimportance,whowerewiththearmybecausetheirprincipalswerethere.

inthisvast,brilliant,haughty,anduneasyworld,amongalltheseconflictingvoices,princeandreydetectedthefollowingsharplyopposedpartiesanddifferencesofopinion.

thefirstpartyconsistedofpfuhlandhisfollowers;militarytheorists,whobelieveinascienceofwar,havingitsinvariablelaws—lawsofobliquemovements,out-flanking,etc.pfuhlandhisadherentsdemandedthatthearmyshouldretreatintotheheartofthecountryinaccordancewiththeexactprincipleslaiddownbytheirtheoryofwar,andineverydeparturefromthistheorytheysawnothingbutbarbarism,ignorance,orevilintention.tothispartybelongedwoltzogen,wintzengerode,andothers—principallygermans.

thesecondpartywasindirectoppositiontothefirst.asisalwaysthecasewherethereisoneextremeopinion,representativeshadcomeforwardoftheoppositeextreme.thispartyhadurgedanadvancefromvilnaintopolandregardlessofallpreviousplans.thisparty,whileadvocatingboldaction,consistedoftherepresentativesofnationalism,whichmadethemevenmoreone-sidedintheirviews.theywererussians：bagration,yermolov,whowasjustbeginningtomakehismark,andsomeothers.yermolov’swell-knownjokewasmuchquotedatthetime—asupposedpetitiontothetsarforpromotiontobea“german.”themembersofthisparty,recallingsuvorov,maintainedthatwhatwaswantedwasnotreasoningandstickingpinsintomaps,butfighting,beatingtheenemy,preventingtheenemyfromgettingintorussia,andkeepingupthespiritsofthearmy.