登陆注册
4620000000042

第42章

In this way he not only wins over his soldiers but also bribes the inhabitants, surprises the enemy and contrives matters so that even his opponents acknowledge his strength of character. But all this does not suffice to hold together a free corps whose members either come from the Lumpenproletariat or are soon assimilated into it. What is needed in addition is a higher ideal.

The partisan leader must therefore have a nucleus of idées fixes , he must be a man of principle in permanent pursuit of his mission to redeem the world. By means of sermons at the front and sustained didactic propaganda he must impart a consciousness of this higher ideal to every man individually and in this way he will transform the whole troop into sons within the faith. If this higher ideal is tinged with philosophy or mysticism or anything that surpasses normal understanding, if it is something Hegelian by nature (as was the case with the ideas that General Willisen [62] tried to infuse into the Prussian army), then so much the better. For this ensures that the noble consciousness will enter into each and every partisan and the deeds of the whole corps thereby attain to a speculative consecration which exalts them far above the level of ordinary unreflecting courage and in any case the fame of such an army depends less on its achievements than on its messianic calling. The strength of a corps can only be enhanced if all the warriors are made to swear an oath that they will not survive the destruction of the cause for which they are fighting and would prefer to be massacred to the last man beneath the apple tree on the frontier while singing a hymn. Of course, such a corps and such a leader inevitably feel degraded by contact with ordinary profane soldiers and they will make every effort either to keep at a distance from the army or else to shake off the society of the uncircumcised. They hate nothing more than a large army and a large war where their cunning buttressed by spiritual faith can achieve little if the normal rules of war are disregarded. The partisan leader must then be a crusader in the full sense of the word, he must be Peter the Hermit and Walther von Habenichts [63] rolled into one. Faced with the heterogeneous elements and the informal mode of life of his corps he must always uphold virtue. He must not allow his men to drink him under the table and so he must only drink in solitude, for instance at night in bed. If it should happen to him, as it might to any fallible human being, that he find himself returning to barracks late at night after inordinate indulgence in the pleasures of this life, he will take care not to enter through the main gate, but to go round the side and climb over the wall to avoid giving offence. Feminine charms should leave him cold, but it will make a good impression if he, like Cromwell, takes his NCOs or a tailor's apprentice into his bed from time to time.

In general he cannot lead too strict and ascetic a life. Behind the cavalieri della ventura in his corps stand the cavalieri del dente [64] who live mainly from requisitions and free quarters to all of which Walther von Habenichts has to turn a blind eye so that Peter the Hermit has always to be at hand with the consolation that such unpleasant measures contribute to the salvation of the nation and so are in the interest of the victims themselves.

All the qualities that the partisan leader must possess in wartime reappear in peacetime in a modified form but one that can scarcely be regarded as an improvement. Above all else he must preserve the core of the regiment for later on and hence keep his recruiting officers in a state of constant activity. The core consisting of the remnants of the free corps and the general mob of émigrés is put into barracks either at government expense (as in Besançon) or by some other means. The consecration in the service of an ideal must not be lacking and it is provided by a barracks-communism that ascribes a higher significance to the custom of holding ordinary civic actions in contempt. As this communist barracks is no longer subject to the articles of war, but only to the moral authority and the dictates of self-sacrifice, it is inevitable that quarrels should break out over the communal funds. From these disputes moral authority does not always emerge unscathed. If there is an artisans' club anywhere in the vicinity it can be employed as a recruiting base and the artisans are given the prospect of a jolly life full of adventures in exchange for the oppressive work of the present. By pointing to the higher ethical significance of the barracks for the future of the proletariat, it is even possible to induce the club to make financial contributions. In both the barracks and the dub the sermonising and the patriarchal and gossipy style of personal relations will not fail to impress. Even in peacetime the partisan does not lose his indispensable assurance and just as in wartime every setback spurred him on to proclaim victory on the morrow, so now he is for ever expounding on the moral certainty and the philosophical inevitability with which "it" will start to happen within the next fortnight. As he must needs have an enemy and as the noble man is necessarily opposed by the ignoble ones he discovers in them a raging hostility towards himself, he imagines that they hate him merely because of his well-deserved popularity and would gladly poison him or stab him. With this in mind he resolves always to conceal a long dagger beneath his pillow. Just as the partisan leader in war will never succeed unless he assumes that the population reveres him, likewise in peace he will not indeed manage to form any lasting political groupings but he will constantly suppose them to exist and from this all sorts of strange mystifications can arise. The talent for requisitioning and obtaining free quarters appears again in the form of a cosy parasitism.

同类推荐
  • 西塘集耆旧续闻

    西塘集耆旧续闻

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • On the Frontier

    On the Frontier

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 律相感通传

    律相感通传

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 图民录

    图民录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 铁树记

    铁树记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • The Everafter War (Sisters Grimm #7)

    The Everafter War (Sisters Grimm #7)

    Picking up after the dramatic cliffhanger that ended Book Six, Sabrina and Daphne's prayers are finally answered when their parents awake from their sleeping spell. But their happy reunion is short-lived, as they are caught in the middle of a war between the Scarlet Hand and Prince Charming's Everafter army. As the family works to help the prince's ragtag group of rebels and protect their friends, Sabrina comes face-to-face with the family's deadliest enemy—the mysterious Master—who reveals a secret so shocking it will rock the entire family to its core.
  • 快穿之你的不二臣

    快穿之你的不二臣

    【双撩1v1】【甜宠】莫名其妙进入一款恋爱游戏的苏末,撩着男神!!“女扮男装”的苏末:给你两个选择!一做我女朋友,二我做你男朋友!总之,要不要做我盘里的菜?!但是……男神修长苍白的指划过少女的脸庞,喃喃:苏苏,最喜欢你了,不要离开我哦……要不然,我会忍不住对你做很坏很坏的事情……苏末:……妈妈!!我好像遇到变态了!!萌萌哒系统:撩完就跑,末末是渣女哦~苏末无奈:好吧,自家的,还能咋办?宠宠宠!!!男主自始至终同一个人~这是一个女主强势撩却总是反被撩到双腿颤抖的苦逼故事……
  • 总裁蜜宠契约妻

    总裁蜜宠契约妻

    传闻说华城霸主雷霆喜好男色,公司因此遭遇到了前所未有的危机。但三天后雷霆却在这样重要的时候极尽风光的迎娶了一个名不见经传的女人。雷霆用十里红妆迎娶了这个女人,可是第二天的头版日报的照片竟然是他与其他女人的不雅床照。苑锦在收到了许多莫名其妙的关心之后才知道,原来自己新婚的那天夜里,就被罩上了一片青青草原…--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 四魂志异

    四魂志异

    天的四风,应时而动,吹起这世间多少奇闻异事。
  • 平夷赋

    平夷赋

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 从恋爱到结婚

    从恋爱到结婚

    沈奕可毕业后进入了想要的公司工作,却因为日复一日疲惫的生活让她厌倦,于是辞职了选择去旅行的她却出了车祸,和童思齐进入了同一家医院,俩人昏迷中难舍难分。沈奕可醒后不敢离开童思齐的身边,于是好心留下来,却遇到了前男友吕英臣,误会了他们的关系。金莎语和童思齐是青梅竹马,听说他出了事情立刻赶到,让陪伴的沈奕可觉得不知所措,于是离开了。吕英臣和沈奕可叙旧,童思齐却到处在寻找沈奕可,因为他暂时的失忆了,只记得她。
  • 花季奇妙感情透视

    花季奇妙感情透视

    你也许会说,心理健康与否,只不过是个人的小事,和别人、和社会没有什么牵连,你说错了。比方说,如果一个人手脚不灵便,但心理健康,那么对于他的人格影响不大。因而,不论为了个人、家庭,还是为了民族的命运,我们每个人都应当保持心理健康。
  • 陆九渊集

    陆九渊集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 幽灵旗·把你的命交给我

    幽灵旗·把你的命交给我

    四幢经过日军轰炸而奇迹般保存下来的“三层楼”正面临拆除的窘境,记者那多受命对其进行深度报道。那多试图通过新闻舆论将“三层楼”作为历史见证保存下来。上海图书馆一张当年轰炸后的照片使那多疑窦丛生:“三层楼”究竟为何幸免于炮火而完好保留?是得益于传说中其楼顶飘扬的外国旗的庇护,还是当年“三层楼”的主人孙氏兄弟扛出的大旗震慑了日本鬼子的嚣张,还是……知名历史学家,在人生和事业的巅峰,忽然匪夷所思的自杀了。这一切的原因是什么?《晨星报》记者那多,开始对事件进行秘密调查。经过艰苦的调查探索之后,发现这一切都和十几年前的一所精神病院有关。而那个精神病院的所有患者和医生……
  • 情回北宋

    情回北宋

    呜呜……我的运气还真不是普通的好,不过是旅个游而已,居然给我摊上地震,好吧,震就震吧,这一震居然把我震回古代了,早知道就去买体彩了……咿?我是公主耶,还好还好,总算是生活有保障了……哇!哇!哇!展昭耶,好帅喔,看来呆在这儿也不错嘛!嗯!我决定了,我要嫁展昭!第一次写小说,写得不好,请大家原谅!希望大家关注我的其他作品《穿越之新高阳公主》、《妖莲》,谢谢!