THE NEXT DAY the commander-in-chief gave a dinner and a ball, which the Tsar honoured with his presence.

Kutuzov had received the Order of St. George of the first rank; the Tsar had shown him the highest marks of respect, but every one was aware that the Tsar was displeased with the commander-in-chief. The proprieties were observed, and the Tsar set the first example in doing so. But every one knew that the old man was in fault, and had shown his incapacity. When, in accordance with the old custom of Catherine's time, Kutuzov gave orders for the captured standards to be lowered at the Tsar's feet on his entering the ball-room, the Tsar frowned with vexation, and muttered words, which some heard as: “The old comedian.”

The Tsar's displeasure was increased at Vilna by Kutuzov's obvious unwillingness or incapacity to see the importance of the approaching campaign.

When next morning the Tsar said to the officers gathered about him: “You have not only saved Russia, you have saved Europe,” every one knew at once that the war was not over.

Kutuzov alone refused to see this, and frankly gave it as his opinion that no fresh war could improve the position of Russia, or add to her glory; that it could but weaken her position, and cast her down from that high pinnacle of glory at which in his view Russia was standing now. He tried to show the Tsar the impossibility of levying fresh troops, and talked of the hardships the people were suffering, the possibility of failure, and so on.

Such being his attitude on the subject, the commander-in-chief could naturally be looked upon only as a hindrance and a drag on the progress of the coming campaign.

To avoid friction with the old man, the obvious resource was—as with him at Austerlitz and with Barclay at the beginning of the war—to withdraw all real power from the commander-in-chief, without disturbing him by any open explanation on the matter, and to transfer it to the Tsar.

With this object, the staff was gradually transformed, and all the real power of Kutuzov's staff was removed and transferred to the Tsar. Toll, Konovnitsyn, and Yermolov received new appointments. Every one talked openly of the commander-in-chief's great weakness and failing health.

He was bound to be in failing health, so as to make way for his successor. And his health was, in fact, failing.

Just as naturally, as simply, and as gradually as Kutuzov had come to the Court of Exchequer at Petersburg out of Turkey to raise the militia, and then to take the command of the army just at the time when he was needed, did a new commander come now to replace him, when his part was played.

The war of 1812, in addition to its national significance, dear to every Russian heart, was to take a new European character.

The movement of men from west to east was to be followed by a movement from east to west, and this new war needed a new representative, with other aims and other qualities, and moved by impulses different from Kutuzov's.

For the movement from east to west, and the establishment of the position of peoples, Alexander was needed just as Kutuzov was needed for the deliverance and the glory of Russia.

Kutuzov did not see what was meant by Europe, the balance of power, and Napoleon. He could not understand all that.

After the enemy had been annihilated, Russia had been delivered and raised to the highest pinnacle of her glory, the representative of the Russian people, a Russian of the Russians, had no more left to do. Nothing was left for the representative of the national war but to die. And he did die.

第二天，在元帅府举行宴会和舞会，皇帝御驾亲临。库图佐夫被授予一级圣乔治十字勋章；皇帝给了他最高荣誉；然而，皇帝对这位元帅的不满意已尽人皆知。礼节是必需遵守的皇帝做出了第一个范例，但是，所有的人都知道，老人犯了错误，什么用处都没有了。库图佐夫遵照叶卡捷琳娜时代的老习惯，吩咐在皇帝经过的舞厅入口处，把缴获的军旗丢掷在皇帝的脚下，皇帝不悦地皱了一下眉头，嘴里咕噜着，有的人听到他说“老滑头”。

皇帝在维尔纳期间对库图佐夫更加不满，这特别因为库图佐夫明显地不愿意或者是不能够理解未来战役的意义。

第二天早晨，皇帝对召集到御前的军官们说，“你们不仅仅拯救了一个俄罗斯，而且还拯救了整个欧洲。”大家在当时已经听懂了，战争还没有结束。

只有库图佐夫一个人不愿意理解这一点，他公开说出了自己的意见，他认为，新的战争不但不能改善俄国的地位和增加俄国的荣誉，而且只能损害她的地位和按照他的见解，降低俄国现在所获得的最高荣誉。他努力向皇帝证明征召新兵是不可能的事情；他讲述了人民的困苦，还谈到有可能遭到失败，等等。

一位元帅怀有这种心情，自然只能是当前战争的一个障碍。

为了避免和老头子发生冲突，办法是有的：就像在奥斯特利茨对付他和在这场战争开始时对付巴克莱那样，不惊动他，也不宣布要把他的军权交给皇帝本人。

为此目的，逐渐改组司令部，库图佐夫的一切实权都没有了，转移到皇帝手中。托尔、科诺夫尼岑、叶尔莫洛夫都被委以他任。大家大谈元帅身体太差，元帅本人也为健康而苦恼。

为了把他的地位交给另外的人，他就得健康不佳。实际上他的健康也确实不佳。

库图佐夫从土耳其到彼得堡财政厅征召自卫队，然后到军队里去，当时需要他，所以他这样做在当时是自然的、简单的、逐步的；可是现在库图佐夫演完了自己的角色，有了新的符合要求的人来取代他的地位，这同样是自然的、逐步的、简单的。

一八一二年战争除了俄国人所珍视的民族意义之外，还有另外的意义，即对欧洲的意义。

因为由西而东的民族大迁移，就应当有由东向西的民族大迁移，对这场新的战争，需要一位新的活动家，他应有与库图佐夫不同的品质、观点，为另外的动机进行活动。

为了由东而西的民族大迁移和为了恢复各国的边界，亚历山大一世是那么需要他，正如为了拯救俄国的光荣而需要库图佐夫一样。

库图佐夫不理解欧洲、均势，以及拿破仑都意味着什么。他不能理解这一点。在敌人已经被消灭，俄罗斯已获得解放，并且达到了光荣的顶峰，一位俄罗斯人民的代表，一位地地道道的俄罗斯人，就再也没有什么可做的了。留给人民战争代表的，除了一死之外，再没有别的了。于是他死了。