NAPOLEON enters Moscow after the brilliant victory de la Moskowa: there can be no doubt of the victory, since the French are left in possession of the field of battle. The Russians retreat and leave Moscow—well stocked with provisions, arms, implements¹, and countless² riches—in the hands of Napoleon. The Russian army, of one-half the strength of the French, during the course of a whole month makes no effort to attack. Napoleon's position is most brilliant. One would have supposed that no great genius was needed with an army of double the strength to fall upon the Russian forces and destroy them, to negotiate an advantageous³ peace; or, in case of negotiations⁴ being refused, to make a menacing march upon Petersburg, or even, in case of failure in this, to return to Smolensk or to Vilna, or to remain in Moscow, to retain, in short, the brilliant position in which the French army now found themselves. To do all this it was only necessary to take the simplest and easiest measures: to keep the soldiers from pillage⁵, to prepare winter clothes (of which there was a supply in Moscow amply sufficient for the whole army), and regularly to collect the provisions, of which the supply in Moscow was, on the showing of the French historians, sufficient to feed the whole army for six months. Napoleon, the greatest of all military geniuses, with absolute power, as historians assert, over the army, did nothing of all this.

Far from doing anything of the sort, he used his power to select out of all the various courses open to him the stupidest and most pernicious of all. Of all the different things Napoleon might have done—spending the winter in Moscow, going to Petersburg, going to Nizhni-Novgorod, going back a little more to the north or to the south, by the road Kutuzov afterwards took—no course one can imagine could have been more ruinous for his army (as the sequel proved) than the one Napoleon actually did adopt; that is, the course of staying in Moscow till October, letting the troops plunder⁶ the town, then in hesitation

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1 implements
n.工具( implement的名词复数 )；家具；手段；[法律]履行（契约等）v.实现( implement的第三人称单数 )；执行；贯彻；使生效
参考例句：
Primitive man hunted wild animals with crude stone implements. 原始社会的人用粗糙的石器猎取野兽。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》 They ordered quantities of farm implements. 他们订购了大量农具。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

2 countless
adj.无数的，多得不计其数的
参考例句：
In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。 I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

3 advantageous
adj.有利的；有帮助的
参考例句：
Injections of vitamin C are obviously advantageous.注射维生素C显然是有利的。 You're in a very advantageous position.你处于非常有利的地位。

4 negotiations
协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过
参考例句：
negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判 Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

5 pillage
v.抢劫；掠夺；n.抢劫，掠夺；掠夺物
参考例句：
The invading troops were guilty of rape and pillage.侵略军犯了抢劫和强奸的罪。 It was almost pillage.这简直是一场洗劫。

6 plunder
vt.劫掠财物，掠夺；n.劫掠物，赃物；劫掠
参考例句：
The thieves hid their plunder in the cave.贼把赃物藏在山洞里。 Trade should not serve as a means of economic plunder.贸易不应当成为经济掠夺的手段。

7 hesitation
n.犹豫，踌躇
参考例句：
After a long hesitation, he told the truth at last.踌躇了半天，他终于直说了。 There was a certain hesitation in her manner.她的态度有些犹豫不决。

8 garrison
n.卫戍部队；驻地，卫戍区；vt.派(兵)驻防
参考例句：
The troops came to the relief of the besieged garrison.军队来援救被围的守备军。 The German was moving to stiffen up the garrison in Sicily.德军正在加强西西里守军之力量。

9 devastated
v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的
参考例句：
The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。 His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

10 skilful
(=skillful)adj.灵巧的，熟练的
参考例句：
The more you practise,the more skilful you'll become.练习的次数越多，熟练的程度越高。 He's not very skilful with his chopsticks.他用筷子不大熟练。

11 determined
adj.坚定的；有决心的
参考例句：
I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。 He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

12 justify
vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护
参考例句：
He tried to justify his absence with lame excuses.他想用站不住脚的借口为自己的缺席辩解。 Can you justify your rude behavior to me?你能向我证明你的粗野行为是有道理的吗？

13 faculties
n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院
参考例句：
Although he's ninety, his mental faculties remain unimpaired. 他虽年届九旬，但头脑仍然清晰。 All your faculties have come into play in your work. 在你的工作中，你的全部才能已起到了作用。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 drawn
v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的
参考例句：
All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。 Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

15 corps
n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组
参考例句：
The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。 When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

16 fortresses
堡垒，要塞( fortress的名词复数 )
参考例句：
They will establish impregnable fortresses. 他们将建造坚不可摧的城堡。 Indra smashed through Vritra ninety-nine fortresses, and then came upon the dragon. 因陀罗摧毁了维他的九十九座城堡，然后与维他交手。 来自神话部分

17 postulate
n.假定，基本条件；vt.要求，假定
参考例句：
Let's postulate that she is a cook.我们假定她是一位厨师。 Freud postulated that we all have a death instinct as well as a life instinct.弗洛伊德曾假定我们所有人都有生存本能和死亡本能。

18 daunt
vt.使胆怯，使气馁
参考例句：
Danger did not daunt the hero.危险并没有吓倒这位英雄。 Even a greater natural calamity cannot daunt us.再大的自然灾害也压不垮我们。