第 9 节
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上访不如上网 更新:2021-02-18 21:08 字数:9322
sequently; through such ground at double…quick; had gone too far (had thinned and lengthened itself; as is common; in such scrambling; and double…quick movement; thinks Tempelhof); and left a little gap at elbow; which always rather widened as the stress at Sterbohol went on。 Certain enough; a gap there is; covered only by some half…moon battery in advance: into this; General Mannstein has been looking wistfully a long time: 〃Austrian Line fallen out at elbow yonder; clouted by some battery in advance?〃and at length cannot help dashing loose on it with his Division。 A man liable to be rash; and always too impetuous in battle…time。
He would have fared ill; thinks Friedrich; had not Henri and Ferdinand; in pain for Mannstein (some think; privately in preconcert with him); hastened in to help; and done it altogether in a shining way; surmounting perilous difficulties not a few。 Hard fighting in that corner; partly on the Sterbohol terms; batteries; mud…tanks; chargings; rechargings: 〃Comrades; you have got honor enough; KAMERADEN; IHR HABT EHRE GENUG 'the second man of you lying dead'; let us now try!〃 said a certain Regiment to a certain other; in this business。 'Archenholtz; i。 75; Tempelhof; &c。' Prince Henri shone especially; the gallant little gentleman: coming upon one of those mud…tanks with battery beyond; his men were spreading file…wise; to cross it on the dams; 〃BURSCHE; this way!〃 cried the Prince; and plunged in middle…deep; right upon the battery; and over it; and victoriously took possession of it。 In a word; they all plunge forward; in a shining manner; rush on those half…moon batteries; regardless of results; rush over them; seize and secure them。 Rush; in a word; fairly into that Austrian hole… at…elbow; torrents more following them;and irretrievably ruin both fore…arm and shoulder…arm of the Austrians thereby。
Fore…arm (Austrian right wing; if still struggling and wriggling about Sterbohol) is taken in flank; shoulder…arm; or main line; the like; we have them both in flank; with their own batteries to scour them to destruction here:the Austrian Line; throughout; is become a ruin。 Has to hurl itself rapidly to rightwards; to rearwards; says Tempelhof; behind what redoubts and strong points it may have in those parts; and then; by sure stages (Tempelhof guesses three; or perhaps four); as one redoubt after another is torn from the loose grasp of it; and the stand made becomes ever weaker; and the confusion worse;to roll pell…mell into Prag; and hastily close the door behind it。 The Prussians; Sterbohol people; Mannstein… Henri people; left wing and right; are quite across the Zisca Back; on by Nussel (Prince Earl's head…quarter that was); and at the Moldau Brink again; when the thing ends。 Ziethen's Hussars have been at Nussel; very busy plundering there; ever since that final charge and chase from Sterbohol。 Plundering; and; I am ashamed to say; mostly drunk: 〃Your Majesty; I cannot rank a hundred sober;〃 answered Ziethen (doubtless with a kind of blush); when the King applied for them。 The King himself has got to Branik; farther up stream。 Part of the Austrian foot fled; leftwards; southwards; as their right wing of horse had all done; up the Moldau。 About 16;000 Austrians are distractedly on flight that way。 Towards; the Sazawa Country; to unite with Daun; as the now advisable thing。 Near 40;000 of them are getting crammed into Prag; in spite of Prince Karl; now recovered of his cramp; and risen to the frantic pitch; who vainly struggles at the Gate against such inrush; and had even got through the Gate; conjuring and commauding; but was himself swum in again by those panic torrents of ebb…tide。
Rallying within; he again attempted; twice over; at two different points; to get out; and up the Moldau; with his broken people; but the Prussians; Nussel…Branik way; were awake to him: 〃No retreat up the Moldau for you; Austrian gentlemen!〃 They tried by another Gate; on the other side of the River; but Keith was awake too: 〃In again; ye Austrian gentlemen! Closed gates here too。 What else?〃 Browne; from his bed of pain (death…bed; as it proved); was for a much more determined outrush: 〃In the dead of night; rank; deliberately adjust yourselves; storm out; one and all; and cut your way; night favoring!〃 That was Browne's last counsel; but that also was not taken。 A really noble Browne; say all judges; died here in about six weeks;and got away from Kriegs…Hofraths and Prince Karls; and the stupidity of neighbors; and the other ills that flesh is heir to; altogether。
At Branik the victorious King had one great disappointment: Prince Moritz of Dessau; who should have been here long hours ago; with Keith's right wing; a fresh 15;000; to fall upon the enemy's rear;no Moritz visible; not even now; when the business is to chase! 〃How is this?〃 〃Ill luck; your Majesty!〃 Moritz's Pontoon Bridge would not reach across; when he tried it。 That is certain: 〃just three poor pontoons wanting;〃 Rumor says:three or more; spoiled; I am told; in some narrow road; some short…cut which Moritz had commanded for them: and now they are not; and it is as if three hundred had been spoiled。 Moritz; would he die for it; cannot get his Bridge to reach: his fresh 15;000 stand futile there; not even Seidlitz with his light horse could really swim across; though he tried hard; and is fabled to have done so。 Beware of short…cuts; my Prince: your Father that is gone; what would he say of you here! It was the worst mistake Prince Moritz ever made。 The Austrian Army might have been annihilated; say judges (of a sanguine temper); had Moritz been ready; at his hour; to fall on from rearward;and where had their retreat been? As it is; the Austrian Army is not annihilated; only bottled into Prag; and will need sieging。 The brightest triumph has a bar of black in it; and might always have been brighter。 Here is a flying Note; which I will subjoin:
Friedrich's dispositions for the Battle; this day; are allowed to have been masterly; but there was one signal fault; thinks Retzow: That he did not; as Schwerin counselled; wait till the morrow。 Fault which brought many in the train of it; that of his 〃tired soldiers;〃 says Retzow; being only a first item; and small in comparison。 〃Had he waited till the morrow; those fish…ponds of Sterbohol; examined in the interim; need not have been mistaken for green meadows; Prince Moritz; with his 15;000; would have been a fact; instead of a false hope; the King might have done his marching down upon Sterbohol in the night…time; and been ready for the Austrians; flank; or even rear; at daybreak: the King might〃 In reality; this fault seems to have been considerable; to have made the victory far more costly to him; and far less complete。 No doubt he had his reasons for making haste: Daun; advancing Prag… ward with 30;000; was within three marches of him; General Beck; Daun's vanguard; with a 10;000 of irregulars; did a kind of feat at Brandeis; on the Prussian post there (our Saxons deserting to him; in the heat of action); this very day; May 6th; and might; if lucky; have taken part at Ziscaberg next day。 And besides these solid reasons; there was perhaps another。 Retzow; who is secretly of the Opposition…party; and well worth hearing; knows personally a curious thing。 He says:
〃Being then 'in March or April; weeks before we left Saxony' employed to translate the PLAN OF OPERATIONS into French; for Marshal Keith's use; who did not understand German; I well know that it contained the following three main objects: 1。 'All Regiments cantoning in Silesia as well as Saxony march for Bohemia on one and the same day。 2。 Whole Army arrives at Prag May 4th 'Schwerin was a day later; and got scolded in consequence'; if the Enemy stand; he is attacked May 6th; and beaten。 3。 So soon as Prag is got; Schwerin; with the gross of the Army; pushes into Mahren;' and the heart of Austria itself; 'King hastens with 40;000 to help of the Allied Army;'〃Royal Highness of Cumberland's; who will much need it by that time! 'Retzow; i。 84 n。'
Here is a very curious fact and consideration。 That the King had so prophesied and preordained: 〃May 4th; Four Columns arrive at Prag; May 6th; attack the Austrians; beat them;〃and now wished to keep his word! This is an aerial reason; which I can suspect to have had its weight among others。 There were twirls of that kind in Friedrich; intricate weak places; knots in the sound straight… fibred mind he had (as in whose mind are they not?);which now and then cost him dear! The Anecdote…Books say he was very ill of body; that day; May 6th; and called for something of drug nature; and swallowed it (drug not named); after getting on horseback。 The Evening Anecdote is prettier: How; in the rushing about; Austrians now flying; he got eye on Brother Henri (clayey to a degree); and sat down with him; in the blessed sunset; for a minute or two; and bewailed his sad losses of Schwerin and others。
Certain it is; the victory was bought by hard fighting; and but for the quality of his troops; had not been there。 But the bravery of the Prussians was exemplary; and covered all mistakes that were made。 Nobler fire; when did it burn in any Army? More perfect soldiers I have not read of。 Platt…Teutsch firewhich I like