- Before Alexander leaves, he asks Andrei to dinner to hear about Turkey.
- When Andrei gets there, he sees a bunch of people. They aren’t a war council, Alexander points out, but just “certain persons whose opinions he wished to know in view of the impending difficulties [...] a council to elucidate certain questions for the Emperor personally” (3.1.10.4).
- One of the people is Pfuel, who is clearly bitter about having to be there to defend his campaign plans. He firmly believes in his theories and the science behind his work and sees every other approach as dumb or barbaric.