It happened that Napoleon's victorious armies were sweeping through Russia, and had reached a remote settlement. On one particular bright morning, a peasant, carrying a pail of water, was startled to see a full company of French soldiers approaching on the road ahead.
Now it is well known in the east that whoever meets a person carrying a pail of water will enjoy good luck. Conversely, should anyone meet a person with an empty pail, this will invariably result in ill fortune.
While the peasants had little reason to love the motherland, nevertheless they maintained a fierce loyalty. So it was natural that the patriotic individual in question should be thrown into a panic at the sight of invading troops.
"Why should I bring good luck to the invaders" he asked himself. "Napoleon's sole purpose is to destroy Mother Russia." Whereupon, he took the pail and emptied its contents, grinning as the French passed.
The moment the peasant set foot inside his house his wife, not nearly as idealistic in her views, exclaimed,
"Fool, why do you bring home an empty pail? What happened to the water?"
"I emptied the pail as a military tactic," explained the peasant, reminding her of the necessity of bringing bad luck on the French.
She listened in stony silence until he finished, and then replied,
"If two great nations are having an argument, why should a fool such as you interfere?"