Chapter 9
The Russians are vastly outnumbered by the French army and the civilian population are not greeting them as heroes, as they had expected. This is not going well. They are also out of supplies, and so they are retreating, fighting only enough to protect their equipment. However, even their enemies acknowledge that they fight with courage and endurance - and it's the third-person narration saying this, not darling Bory's mother - which still only serves to make them retreat faster. This is a solid, tactical move, but not the noble war they thought they'd be fighting. Kutuzov was instructed, by Austrians, to mount an offensive at Vienna, but that plan has gone out of the window. His only goal is to join with the advancing Russian forces without losing his entire army "as Mack had done at Ulm". I'm sure the text has referenced Mack before. Yes it has, in book 2, chapter 4 and I talked about it then. Mack is Karl Mack Von Lieberich, who suffered a defeat. This was a big deal, presumably because he lost his entire army.
We zoom back in on the 28th of October. The Russians have actually beaten back a French division and taken banners, cannons, and two generals! They are very pleased about this. Rumours have begun that they have - or will very shortly - beat back Napoleon himself. The Austrian General Prince Andrew was buttling, or whatever the term is, has been killed in action and so Prince Andrew doesn't have a specific job right now, so he gets sent to tell the Austrian court of the Great and Glorious Russian victory. Apparently this is an important step towards a potential promotion. Also, Prince Andrew has a deceptive level of physical endurance, considering his lack of musculature. We're following him, as he rides along in the night, enjoining the calm and the sense of accomplishment and having happy little daydreams about how excited they'll be to see him and how grand his proclamations will be. That begins to fade as he gets closer to delivering his message and he begins to feel disdainful towards those far from the front lines. The minister of war is indifferent, and Prince Andrew is left feeling hollow.
Chapter 10
Prince Andrew is staying at Brunn with Bilibin, a Russian diplomat. Is he not going back to the war zone? He's enjoying all the comfort he's been deprived of anyhow. He's also happy to be speaking to a fellow countryman, even though they're speaking French. Bilibin and Prince Andrew knew each other back in St Petersburg, and both are young men with promising careers. Prince Andrew complains about his reception, and Bilibin points out that it wasn't a very impressive victory. Prince Andrew points out that the Austrians have been losing, so how can they be unimpressed by a Russian victory? Because they're Austrian, is the answer, and also because Viena isn't liberated from the French, Bilibin explains in French. Prince Andrew begins to understand that his news really isn't all that impressive. He is very small and sad. Still, he gets to spend the night in a nice, clean, feather bed with "warmed and fragrant" pillows, so it's not all bad. The battle has now become a happy daydream and a story about his own heroics.
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