In Which We Discuss War and Peace, Part 3, Chapter 13

Chapter 13

While Andrew Bolkonski is sitting through a war meeting, Nikolai Rostov is outside, on skirmishing duty, slowly drifting off while daydreaming about the Emperor.  He decides that, tomorrow, he'll ask to be on the front lines, so as to be closer to his hero.  Suddenly, he's woken by shouting, which he assumes is the enemy camp.  The hussar next to him - who is not named - is non-commital.   Prince Bagration and Prince Dolgorukov show up behind them, also trying to find out what the shouting is.  Since it's French cheering for L'Empereur, I suspect it is the enemy camp.  The generals order Rostov to go take a closer look.  Rostov gets shot at and comes back to find Dolgorukov insisting that the French are terrified and retreating and clearly only lit fires as a trick.

Rostov reports that the French haven't moved from where they last saw them, and manages to get in his request to be sent to the front, in the secret hopes that he'll be sent to the Emperor with a message.

Bagration agrees and asks if he's Ilya Rostov's son, which Nikolai ignores.  I am not sure whether he is or not, I can't remember if it's come up.

I googled, it has and he is.

We - the all-seeing audience and the narrative voice - then nip over to the French camp, where it turns out the shouting is because Napoleon is riding around while his proclamation is sent around the camp.  He's telling them that the Russians will attack tomorrow, that they've beaten them before, and how he intends to attack their flank as they march around on the right (I can't recall if that's actually their plan or not - I dozed off with Kutuzov when they were talking about it.  I suppose it's possible that the actual plan could be something so stupid that Napoleon would never foresee it).  He also refers to the Russian army as the 'hireling of England' (which may be accurate, we have had a lot of wars with France), and vows that he'll be out on the front lines if they ever appear to be at risk of losing, which he doubts will happen.  And there we end.  I suspect that the French will win, but we'll find out tomorrow I guess.