Napoleon and his Marshals. By Andrew Roberts(英国著名历史学家、上议院议员). Avid Reader Press; 704 pages; $45. Allen Lane; £40
《拿破仑与他的元帅们》，安德鲁·罗伯茨著。Avid Reader出版社；704页；45美元。Allen Lane出版社；40英镑。
What management tips can you learn from conquerors? Put aside oppression, and there are lessons about delegation(授权；委派), motivation, recruitment and team building. Alexander the Great refused to drink water before battle to stand in solidarity with(与……站在一起，声援) his men. Caesar marched on foot alongside his men, even swimming across rivers, to demonstrate his derring-do(大胆无畏的行为). When his army wobble(动摇；摇晃)d, he would fling himself in the way of his fleeing men, “even catching them by the throat and forcing them to face the enemy”, according to Suetonius(罗马历史学家苏埃托尼乌斯), a Roman historian. Diocletian(罗马皇帝戴克里先，创立四帝共治) divided the Roman Empire into four, and shared power while keeping a firm central grip.
从征服者身上能学到哪些管理技巧？暂且不论压迫的一面，他们在授权、激励、招募和团队建设方面确有可借鉴之处。亚历山大大帝在战前拒绝饮水，以此与士兵同甘共苦。凯撒与士兵一同步行，甚至游泳渡河，以展示自己的胆识。据罗马历史学家苏埃托尼乌斯记载，当军队动摇时，他会冲到溃逃的士兵面前，“甚至抓住他们的喉咙，逼他们直面敌人”。戴克里先把罗马帝国一分为四，在分享权力的同时牢牢掌控中央。
In 2014 Andrew Roberts, a prolific(多产的；作品丰富的) British historian and member of the House of Lords(英国上议院), published an excellent biography of Napoleon and his boldness on the battlefield. In a new book he examines Napoleon’s marshal system. The day after he proclaimed himself emperor of France in 1804, Napoleon appointed 18 “marshals of the empire”, later increasing the tally(计数；总数) to 26. They were to be “the swords around Napoleon’s throne(拿破仑王座周围的利剑)”, the army’s most venerated(受尊崇的；备受敬仰的) figures and the pinnacle(顶峰；巅峰) of French society.
2014年，多产的英国历史学家、上议院议员安德鲁·罗伯茨出版了一部关于拿破仑及其战场胆略的出色传记。在新书中，他考察了拿破仑的元帅制度。1804年，拿破仑称帝的第二天便任命了18位“帝国元帅”，后来增至26位。他们本应成为“拿破仑王座周围的利剑”，是军队中最受尊崇的人物，也是法国社会的顶峰。