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history of friedrich ii of prussia v 19-第49部分

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 a victorious thing。 But it means a starting of the Campaign by an Austrian invasion of Silesia; long before sieging time; while all these Montalembert…Soltikof pleadings and counter…pleadings hang dubious at Petersburg; and Loudon's 〃Silesian Army〃 is still only in a nascent or theoretic state; and only Loudon himself is in a practical one。

Friedrich has always Fouquet at Landshut; in charge of the Silesian Frontier; whose outposts; under Goltz as head of these; stretch; by Neisse; far eastward; through the Hills to utmost Mahren; Fouquet's own head…quarter being generally Landshut; the main gate of the Country。 Fouquet; long since; rooted himself rather firmly into that important post; has a beautiful ring of fortified Hills around Landshut; battery crossing battery; girdling it with sure destruction; under an expert Fouquet;but would require 30;000 men to keep it; instead of 13;000; which is Fouquet's allotment。 Upon whom Loudon is fully intending a stroke this Year。 Fouquet; as we know; has strenuously managed to keep ward there for a twelvemonth past; in spite; often enough; of new violent invadings and attemptings (violent; miscellaneous; but intermittent) by the Devilles and others;and always under many difficulties of his own; and vicissitudes in his employment: a Fouquet coming and going; waxing and waning; according to the King's necessities; and to the intermittency or constancy of pressures on Landshut。 Under Loudon; this Year; Fouquet will have harder times than ever; in the end; too hard! But will resist; judge how by the following small sample:

〃Besides Fouquet and his 13;000;〃 says my Note; 〃the Silesian Garrisons are all vigilant; are or ought to be; and there are far eastward of him; for guarding of the Jagerndorf…Troppau Border; some 4 or 6;000; scattered about; under Lieutenant…General Goltz; in various Hill Posts;the chief Post of which; Goltz's own; is the little Town of Neustadt; northward of Jagerndorf 'where we have billeted in the old SileSian Wars': Goltz's Neustadt is the chief; and Leobschutz; southwestward of it; under 'General Le Grand' 'once the Major GRANT of Kolin Battle; if readers remember him; 〃Your Majesty and I cannot take the Battery ourselves!〃' is probably the second in importance。 Loudon; cantoned along the Moravian side of the Border; perceives that he can assemble 32;000 foot and horse; that the Prussians are 13;000 PLUS 6;000; that Silesia can be invaded with advantage; were the weather come。 And that; in any kind of weather; Goltz and his straggle of posts might be swept into the interior; perhaps picked up and pocketed altogether; if Loudon were sharp enough。 Swept into the interior Goltz was; by no means pocketed altogether; as he ought to have been!

〃MARCH 13th; 1760; Loudon orders general muster hereabouts for the 15th; everybody to have two days; bread and forage; and warns Goltz; as bound in honor: 'Excellenz; to…morrow is March 14th; to…morrow our pleasant time of Truce is out;the more the pity for both of us!' 'Yea; my esteemed neighbor Excellenz!' answers Goltz; with the proper compliments; but judges that his esteemed neighbor is intending mischief almost immediately。 Goltz instantly sends orders to all his posts: 'You; Herr General Grant; you at Leobschutz; and all the rest of you; make your packages; march without delay; rendezvous at Steinau and Upper Glogau 'far different from GREAT…Glogau'; Neisse…ward; swift!' And would have himself gone on the 14th; but could not;his poor little Bakery not being here; nor wagons for his baggages quite to be collected in a moment;and it was Saturday; 15th; 5 A。M。; that Goltz appointed himself to march。

〃The last time we saw General Goltz was on the Green of Bautzen; above two years ago;when he delivered that hard message to the King's Brother and his party; 'You deserve to be tried by Court… martial; and have your heads cut off!' He was of that sad Zittau business of the late Prince of Prussia's;Goltz; Winterfeld; Ziethen; Schmettau and others? Winterfeld and the Prince are both dead; Schmettau is fallen into disaster; Goltz is still in good esteem with the King。 A stalwart; swift; flinty kind of man; to judge by the Portraits of him; considerable obstinacy; of a tacitly intelligent kind; in that steady eye; in that droop of the eyebrows towards the strong cheek…bones; plenty of sleeping fire in Lieutenant…General Goltz。

〃His principal force; on this occasion; is one Infantry Regiment; REGIMENT MANTEUFFEL:readers perhaps recollect that stout Pommern Regiment; Manteuffel of Foot; and the little Dialogue it had with the King himself; on the eve of Leuthen: 'Good…night; then; Fritz! To…morrow all dead; or else the Enemy beaten。' Their conduct; I have heard; was very shining at Leuthen; where everybody shone; and since then they have been plunging about through the death… element in their old rugged way;and re…emerge here into definite view again; under Lieutenant…General Goltz; issuing from the north end of Neustadt; in the dim dawn of a cold spring morning; March 15th; 5 A。M。; weather latterly very wet; as I learn。 They intend Neisse…way; with their considerable stock of baggage…wagons; a company of Dragoons is to help in escorting: party perhaps about 2;000 in all。 Goltz will have his difficulties this day; and has calculated on them。 And; indeed; at the first issuing; here they already are。

〃Loudon; with about 5;000 horse;four Regiments drawn up here; and by and by with a fifth (happily not with the grenadiers; as he had calculated; who are detained by broken bridges; waters all in flood from the rain);is waiting for him; at the very environs of Neustadt。 Loudon; by a trumpet; politely invites him to surrender; being so outnumbered; Goltz; politely thanking; disregards it; and marches on: Loudon escorting; in an ominous way; till; at Buchelsdorf; the fifth Regiment (best in the Austrian service) is seen drawn out across the highway; plainly intimating; No thoroughfare to Goltz and Pommern。 Loudon sends a second trumpet: 'Surrender prisoners; honorablest terms; keep all your baggage: refuse; and you are cut down every man。' 'You shall yourself hear the answer;' said Goltz。 Goltz leads this second trumpet to the front; and; in Pommern dialect; makes known what General Loudon's proposal is。 The Pommerners answer; as one man; a No of such emphasis as I have never heard; in terms which are intensely vernacular; it seems; and which do at this day astonish the foreign mind: 'We will for him something; WIR WOLLEN IHM WAS' But the powers of translation and even of typography fail; and feeble paraphrase must give it: 'We will for him SOMETHING INEFFABLE CONCOCT;' of a surprisingly contrary kind! 'WIR WOLLEN IHM WAS' (with ineffable dissyllabic verb governing it)! growled one indignant Pommerner; 'and it ran like file…fire along the ranks;' says Archenholtz; everybody growling it; and bellowing it; in fierce bass chorus; as the indubitable vote of Pommern in those circumstances。

〃Loudon's trumpet withdrew。 Pommern formed square round its baggage; Loudon's 5;000 came thundering in; fit to break adamant; but met such a storm of bullets from Pommern; they stopped about ten paces short; in considerable amazement; and wheeled back。 Tried it again; still more amazement; the like a third time; every time in vain。 After which; Pommern took the road again; with vanguard; rearguard; and had peace for certain miles;Loudon gloomily following; for a new chance。 How many times Loudon tried again; and ever again; at good places; I forget;say six times in all。 Between Siebenhufen and Steinau; in a dirty defile; the jewel of the road for Loudon; who tried his very best there; one of our wagons broke down; the few to rear of it; eighteen wagons and some country carts; had to be left standing。 Nothing more of Pommern was left there or anywhere。 Near Steinau there; Loudon gave it up as desperate; and went his way。 His loss; they say; was 300 killed; 500 wounded; Pommern's was 35 killed; and above 100 left wounded or prisoners。 One of the stiffest day's works I have known: some twelve miles of march; in every two an attack。 Pommern has really concocted something surprising; and kept its promise to Loudon! 'Thou knowest what the Pommerners can do;' said they once to their own King。 An obstinate; strong…boned; heavy…browed people; not so stupid as you think。 More or less of Jutish or Anglish type; highly deficient in the graces of speech; and; I should judge; with little call to Parliamentary Eloquence。〃 'Preuss; ii。 241 (incorrect in some small points); Archenholtz; ii。 61; Seyfarth; ii。 640; and  Beylagen;  ii。 657…660; Tempelhof; iv。 8…10; in ANONYMOUS OF HAMBURG (iv。 68) the Austrian account。'

Friedrich is; this Year; considered by the generality of mankind; to be ruined: 〃Lost 60;000 men last Campaign; was beaten twice; his luck is done; what is to become of him?〃 say his enemies; and even the impartial Gazetteer; with joy or sorrow。 Among his own people there is gloom or censure; hard commentaries on Maxen: 〃So self… willed; high; and deaf to counsel from Prince Henri!〃 Henri himself; they say; is sullen; threatening; as he often does; to resign 〃for want of health;〃 and as he quite did; for a while; in the end of this Campaign; or interval between this and next。

Friedrich has; with incredible diligence; got together his finance (copper in larger dose than ever; Jew Ephraim presiding as usual); and; as if by art…magic; has on their feet 100;000 men against his enemy's 280;000。 Some higher Officers are secretly in bad spirits; but the men know nothing of discouragement。 Friedrich proclaims to them at marching; 〃For every cannon you capture; 100 ducats; for every flag; 50; for every standard (cavalry flag); 40;〃which sums; as they fell due; were accordingly paid thenceforth。 'Stenzel; v。 236; 237; ib。 243。' But Friedrich; too; is abundantly gloomy; if that could help him; which he knows well it cannot; and strictly hides it from all but a few;or all but D'Argens almost alone; to whom it can do no harm。 Read carefully by the light of contemporary occurrences; not vaguely in the vacant haze; as the Editors give it; his correspondence with D'Argens becomes interesting almost to a painful degree: an unaffected picture of one of the br

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