JК
Sharpes Havoc :: Корнуэлл Бернард
Страница: 97 из 242”
„Political enemies, I presume?” Vuillard asked.
„Indeed.”
„The most dangerous enemies of a soldier,” Vuillard said. He was of an age with Christopher, and a favorite of Marshal Soult. „No, Soult’s worried,” he went on, „because we’re frittering troops away to protect our supply lines. You kill two peasants armed with matchlock guns in this damn country and twenty more spring up from the rocks, and the twenty don’t have matchlocks any longer, instead they have good British muskets supplied by your damn country.”
„Take Lisbon,” Christopher said, „and capture every other port, and the supply of arms will dry up.”
„We’ll do it,” Vuillard promised, „in time. But we could do with another fifteen thousand men.”
Christopher stopped at the garden’s edge and stared across the Douro for a few seconds. The city lay beneath him, the smoke from a thousand kitchens smirching the night air. „Is Soult going to declare himself king?”
„You know what his nickname is now?” Vuillard asked, amused. „King Nicolas! No, he won’t make the declaration, not if he’s got any sense and he’s probably got just enough. The local people won’t stand for it, the army won’t support it and the Emperor will poach his balls for it.”
Christopher smiled. „But he’s tempted?”
„Oh, he’s tempted, but Soult usually stops before he goes too far. Usually.” Vuillard sounded cautious for Soult, only the day before, had sent a letter to all the generals in his army, suggesting that they encourage the Portuguese to declare their support for him to become king. It was, Vuillard thought, madness, but Soult was obsessed with the idea of being a royal. „I told him he’ll provoke a mutiny if he does.”
„That he will,” Christopher said, „and you need to know that Argenton was in Coimbra. He met Cradock.”
„Argenton’s a fool,” Vuillard snarled.
„He’s a useful fool,” Christopher observed. „Let him keep talking to the British and they’ll do nothing. Why should they exert themselves if your army is going to destroy itself by mutiny?”
„But will it?” Vuillard asked. „Just how many officers does Argenton speak for?”
„Enough,” Christopher said, „and I have their names.”
Vuillard chuckled. „I could have you arrested, Englishman, and given to a pair of dragoon sergeants who’ll prize those names out of you in two minutes.”
„You’ll get the names,” Christopher said, „in time. But for the moment, Brigadier, I give you this instead.
„Political enemies, I presume?” Vuillard asked.
„Indeed.”
„The most dangerous enemies of a soldier,” Vuillard said. He was of an age with Christopher, and a favorite of Marshal Soult. „No, Soult’s worried,” he went on, „because we’re frittering troops away to protect our supply lines. You kill two peasants armed with matchlock guns in this damn country and twenty more spring up from the rocks, and the twenty don’t have matchlocks any longer, instead they have good British muskets supplied by your damn country.”
„Take Lisbon,” Christopher said, „and capture every other port, and the supply of arms will dry up.”
„We’ll do it,” Vuillard promised, „in time. But we could do with another fifteen thousand men.”
Christopher stopped at the garden’s edge and stared across the Douro for a few seconds. The city lay beneath him, the smoke from a thousand kitchens smirching the night air. „Is Soult going to declare himself king?”
„You know what his nickname is now?” Vuillard asked, amused. „King Nicolas! No, he won’t make the declaration, not if he’s got any sense and he’s probably got just enough. The local people won’t stand for it, the army won’t support it and the Emperor will poach his balls for it.”
Christopher smiled. „But he’s tempted?”
„Oh, he’s tempted, but Soult usually stops before he goes too far. Usually.” Vuillard sounded cautious for Soult, only the day before, had sent a letter to all the generals in his army, suggesting that they encourage the Portuguese to declare their support for him to become king. It was, Vuillard thought, madness, but Soult was obsessed with the idea of being a royal. „I told him he’ll provoke a mutiny if he does.”
„That he will,” Christopher said, „and you need to know that Argenton was in Coimbra. He met Cradock.”
„Argenton’s a fool,” Vuillard snarled.
„He’s a useful fool,” Christopher observed. „Let him keep talking to the British and they’ll do nothing. Why should they exert themselves if your army is going to destroy itself by mutiny?”
„But will it?” Vuillard asked. „Just how many officers does Argenton speak for?”
„Enough,” Christopher said, „and I have their names.”
Vuillard chuckled. „I could have you arrested, Englishman, and given to a pair of dragoon sergeants who’ll prize those names out of you in two minutes.”
„You’ll get the names,” Christopher said, „in time. But for the moment, Brigadier, I give you this instead.