On the evening of August 1, St. Petersburg, Russia.

The official mobilization order signed by the Tsar was issued two days ago. Soldiers gathered in line everywhere in the streets and alleys, ports and wharfs, and occasionally cavalry with their swords passed by with their heads raised their chests. At this time, Russia had not declared war on any country, nor had any country declared war on Russia, but Germany's ultimatum already meant that the war was approaching. The Prussians were born soldiers, and the Russians were also famous for their toughness. Before Prussia rose, Germany was close to Eastern Europe.

All countries were plagued by Slavs. During the reign of Frederick the Great, the Prussian Kingdom almost destroyed the country under the joint attack of Austria, France and Russia. Therefore, the Germans still had psychological fear of the locust-like Russian team. Although the Russians defeated the arrogant Napoleon, in the past hundred years, the Russian team defeated more than a hundred years of foreign conquests and suffered a humiliating defeat in the Russo-Japanese War. They had no advantage against the German team with advanced military technology and excellent equipment.

Although the Germans were not so easy to deal with, the primary target of this mobilization, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, in the eyes of the Russians, was just a sick tiger with strong external strength and in the middle. In the Bosnian crisis four years ago, the Austro-Hungarian Empire relied on the support of German allies to assemble troops on the border and toughly annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina. At that time, the Russian team had not yet fully recovered from the devastating defeat of the Russo-Japanese War and was unable to compete with Germany and Austria, so it was forced to make concessions with Serbia, which further deteriorated the already turbulent situation in the country. The Russian ruling class and military generals were always worried about this. However, after the mobilization order was issued, most Russians were

The reactions between the common soldiers were cold and contradictory, and few showed joy and optimism.*, poverty, disasters and undercurrent revolutionary forces caused panic and chaotic situations. Ordinary people did not care how much high expectations the French, both cold and hot, placed on their Russian allies. The so-called glorious justice is nothing more than the illusion of the rulers' self-intoxication. Even if the Russian team defeated Germany and Austria and occupied a large swathe of land in the Balkans and even Central and Eastern Europe, even if they obtained large sums of war reparations, it was difficult to change the existing problems of Russia and let the dark clouds that had been shrouded in people's hearts for many years dissipate...

The orange-red sunset burned quietly in the horizon, and the windows to the west were dyed with a hazy and blurred tone. In this indescribable environment, the white-bearded German ambassador Putales submitted a German declaration of war to the Russian Foreign Minister Sazonov.

"The whole world will curse you!" Sazonov shouted.

"We are trying to safeguard our honor." When the German ambassador spoke, his eyes turned red and his beard trembled slightly, but this was by no means a fear of the Russian team, but a deep fear of the war itself.

Russia mobilized the Austro-Hungarian Empire's war against Serbia, but Germany's declaration of war was directly targeted at Russia. No matter what reason was there to defend this behavior, it should be that Germany undermined the peace between Germany and Russia in ordinary people's understanding. However, Sazonov's anger can only be attributed to the ruthless war Russia cannot sit idly by and watch Serbia annexed by the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and Germany cannot accept the defeat or even collapse of allies.

"This has nothing to do with your honor, God has justice."

"Yes!" Putales murmured to himself: "God has his own justice, and God has his own justice."

He staggered towards the window, leaning against the window, and couldn't help but burst into tears.

Sazonov walked towards Putales silently, the anger on his face had turned into sadness.

"Okay, my mission is over here." At this point, Putales could no longer say anything, and Sazonov patted his shoulders and the two hugged each other. Putales staggered towards the door, and his shaking hands finally opened the door. When he went out, he whispered: "Goodbye, goodbye."

No matter how many people were as reluctant as Putales, the war had come unstoppable.

When Germany declared war on Russia, the German military operations on the Western Front had already begun. Without declaring war, the advance troops of the 69th Infantry Regiment of the 16th Infantry Division of the German Army crossed the border into Luxembourg. In Schlieffen's plan, the German army would attack France through Belgium. Whether the attack could be carried out smoothly is important. This small Central European country with a land area of ​​only more than 2,000 square kilometers has abundant iron ore resources. It has gradually developed and formed a prosperous steel industry system since the 16th century. Its railways are crisscross and transportation are convenient, and the country's neutrality is guaranteed by the five major powers, including Germany.

In front of the strong, this guarantee is always a fragile piece of paper.

The geographical environment surrounded by the powerful made Luxembourg, which had a population of only 250,000, choose an unarmed and neutral national policy. In addition, the country was ruled by the Weilburg family in Nassau. The German army's march in Luxembourg was like a pleasant trip, but before the German army crossed the border, a dramatic scene appeared in Berlin, the German capital. The worried Prime Minister Bateman insisted that while waiting for a clear reply from the UK, the German team was not allowed to enter Luxembourg no matter what. This time, the German Emperor did not seek Moltke's opinion. He directly ordered the adjutant to notify the German 16th Infantry Division command in Trier to temporarily cancel the operation.

Upon learning of the news, Moltke immediately rushed to the palace and had a fierce debate with the German Emperor. William II was unwilling to make concessions again, but when his order arrived at the 16th Infantry Division, the advance troops had already crossed the border, and the command had to send an emergency communication officer to inform the troops to withdraw.

As the farce was in progress, the initiator of the incident, Lishinovsky, the German Ambassador to the United Kingdom, visited the British Foreign Secretary Grey overnight, and the two communicated further. Lishinovsky was extremely sad to realize his mistake in his understanding, and he quickly sent a second telegram to Berlin: "The positive suggestions of Britain are basically hopeless."

William II was disappointed. At 11 o'clock in the evening, he summoned Moltke in the bedroom and said hatefully: "Now you can do whatever you want!"

The little Moltke, who was depressed and lacked confidence, suddenly realized that the important task of deciding Germany's fate fell on his shoulders. A series of events had made him feel upset, and now he was even more restless.

No matter what, the correction order was sent to the 16th German Infantry Division as quickly as possible.

Not far from Luxembourg, only about 12 miles from the Arden Mountains in Belgium, there is a small town called Ulflingen by the Germans. The hillside grasses around it are dairy cattle pastures; the pebbled streets on the slopes are not allowed to fall to the ground even in the harvest season in August, otherwise it would violate the strict municipal cleaning regulations of the Grand Duchy. Below the town is a station and a telegraph office connected to Germany and Belgian telegraph lines. This is the first goal of the German team. On the night of August 1, the German advance troops occupied the place on motorcycles, and then, two groups of communication soldiers sent completely opposite orders. As midnight approached, they finally figured out the final decision of their superiors: continue to occupy the occupation!

Just when the German army entered Luxembourg, the French team had retreated 10 kilometers from the German-French border. Because the French were unwilling to bear the reputation of provoking war, they were worried about the encounter of a cluster of trees and the two patrol soldiers, one threatening posture, a vicious glare, a slander, and a gunshot, which could all be an unexpected event that triggered the war.

It is also a military adventure, and the sharp contrast between advances and retreats shows the political ideas of different styles of the two countries.

Because of the initiative, Germany is already at a moral disadvantage.

The day after Germany declared war on Russia and sent troops into Luxembourg, France began formal mobilization on Sunday, August 2.

On this day, all churches and monasteries in France rang out big bells, and the moving scenes of parting could be seen everywhere. Reservists lined up at the assembly point with their luggage and bouquets. In response to the recruitment announcement of the Army Department, a large number of taxis and private vehicles joined the ranks of transporting soldiers to the barracks. In the Plaza de Concorde in Paris, the black veil that had been covered in the statue of Strasbourg since 1870 was removed, and the crowd was sobbing, and there were shouting "Long live Alsace" everywhere. In all hotels, the band played the national anthems of France, Russia and Britain.

On the same day, German Minister in Brussels von Bello Zalesk submitted a note to the Belgian government in accordance with Berlin's order. The note stated that Germany received reliable information that the French army wanted to invade Germany through Belgium's borders. Since it could not be expected that the Belgian army could prevent the French army from advancing, Germany would take the initiative to prevent this hostile attack according to the needs of self-defense. If the Belgians regard Germany's entry into Belgian territory as a hostile action against itself, Germany would deeply regret it; if Belgium could maintain good faith neutrality, Germany would guarantee to withdraw from Belgian territory as soon as the peace treaty was concluded, to ensure compensation for all losses caused by the German army, and to ensure the sovereignty and independence of the Kingdom of Belgium when the peace treaty was concluded.

Located in northwestern Europe, Belgium has always been a must-pass place for warriors in history. The two mortal enemies of the Burgundian warrior Charles and Louis XI of France, the two mortal enemies, once fought against the male and female. The Spanish iron hooves once ravaged the three countries of the Lowlands here; the British famous general Marbal Marbal had fought a fierce battle with France here; Napoleon had fought against Wellington in Waterloo here. The people here rose up many times to resist one ruler after another, the Burgundians, the French, the Spanish, the Habsburgs and the Dutch. Until the final overthrow of the Olynch dynasty in 1830, he supported Queen Victoria's uncle, namely Saxophone-Co

Grand Duke Leopold of the Duchy of Fort was king and established his own country. Its independence and gravity status were guaranteed by major powers, and the Belgians also enjoyed the longest peace period in history. They regarded independence and sovereignty as life, regarded neutrality as a belief, and were determined to defend the country's independence and sovereignty at all costs. Therefore, after learning that Germany issued an announcement on the danger of war on July 31, the Belgian government immediately ordered the start of mobilization of the army at midnight. At night and the next day, the police went door to door and rang the doorbell and conveyed orders. The men either got up from bed or left their jobs, put on their backpacks, bid farewell to their relatives, and rushed to the barracks...

The assembly of the army does not mean that the country is ready to deal with the war. Belgium has always adhered to neutrality, and has not yet determined any combat plan until now, so there is no specific enemy country to mobilize. The so-called mobilization is just to recruit reserve troops into the army. For a long time, the Belgians have been addicted to neutrality guaranteed by major powers, the public is indifferent to what happens abroad, the parliament is entangled with economic problems, and the military situation is even more like Turkey.

The person is no different from that the army's discipline is lax, laziness is lazily, unevenly military appearance, low morale, poor military salutes, and inconsistent pace. The situation of the officers' team is not much better. Because the army is redundant in people's thoughts and even a bit ridiculous, it cannot attract talented people, talented and ambitious young people. Those who do take the profession as their profession and are from military schools are deeply infected by the French theory of impulse and desperate attack.

The Belgian army had a total of 6 infantry divisions and 1 cavalry division. Compared with the first-class military powers, these troops were insufficiently equipped, lacked training, had meager military expenditure, and limited ammunition. Each soldier could only perform live ammunition twice a week, and only one bullet each time, resulting in poor shooting skills. Belgium only implemented the compulsory military service system in 1913, but the result was only made the troops more unpopular. When approving the allocation for the modernization of Antwerp fortifications, this expenditure must be raised by shortening the compulsory military service period. Belgium had no general staff before, and it was not established until 1910 due to the insistence of the new king. The general staff was very different from its members and had limited results. One faction advocated

The offensive plan was formulated, and when encountering the threat of war, the troops were gathered at the frontier of the border. Another faction advocated defense and gathered the troops in the depths of the mainland. The third faction led by King Albert advocated defending the enemy to the threatened border as close as possible without endangering the traffic line to the Antwerp base. However, according to the Belgian Constitution, the king could only become the commander-in-chief after the war broke out. Therefore, before the war broke out, he could not impose his worries and strategic propositions on the General Staff, which held the precedent in 1870 tightly, believing that although the French army would have enough room for maneuver if they entered the Bili territory at that time, no soldier or soldier had stepped onto Belgian territory at that time.

At the emergency cabinet meeting held by the Belgian government, the note submitted by the German government was read for the first time, followed by a few minutes of silence. Everyone in the room was thinking about the choices faced by the country. Belgium was narrow and independence was not long. Only in this way, the determination to ensure independence became more and more determined. As for the consequences of the decision to defend independence, everyone present was not clear. Their country would be attacked, their homes would be destroyed, and their people would be 10 times more powerful than their military force.

Revenge of power, no matter what the war ends, they are directly on the way to the Germans' march, and they have no doubt about their consequences. However, if they surrender to Germany's demands on the contrary, it will be equivalent to allowing Germany to occupy Belgium, and a defeated Germany is unlikely to take the withdrawal of troops. Not only that, they will also make Belgium an accomplice in the attack on France. No matter which path they choose, Belgium will be occupied by Germany; but if they surrender, they will lose their honor.

After some discussion, the conclusion drawn by the cabinet members was refined in one sentence: "If we must be crushed into dust, let us be gloriously dust!"

At 9 a.m. on August 2, King Albert presided over the State Council at the Palace. In his opening speech, he said: "No, no, our answer must be 'no'. Our responsibility is to defend our territorial integrity. We must be firm in this regard." However, he also firmly demanded that every participant should not have any illusions: the consequences will be serious and terrible; the enemy will be cruel and ruthless. Prime Minister De Blokeville also warned some people who are shaky and unyielding to believe that Germany promises to restore Belgium's integrity after the war. "Once Germany defeats," he said, "Belgium will be incorporated into the German Empire no matter what attitude it is."

An old minister who was old and unfair, had recently regarded the Duke of the German brother-in-law Schleswig-Holstein as a guest of honor. At this time, he was furious at the duke's false intentions. During the whole meeting, he murmured and scolded like a chorus of the conference. When General Serier, the chief of staff, stood up to explain the defensive strategy he adopted, his deputy chief of staff, Colonel Ricker, whispered: "We must beat them hard." In the words of one of their colleagues, his relationship with the chief of staff was "no gentleness, respect and concession." When he spoke, he suggested taking the initiative and attacking the invaders on their own territory before crossing the Belgian border. The listeners were surprised.

After the midnight recess, a committee composed of the Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and Justice returned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to draft a photo. Just as the work was going on, a car drove into the dark courtyard and stopped at the only brightly lit row of windows. I heard that it was a German minister visiting, and several ministers were surprised. It was already 1:30 in the evening. What's the point of doing he has to do?

Bello's nights and nights mean that his government is becoming increasingly uneasy and eager to know how effective their ultimatum was; the ultimatum, black and white, is irreversible, and its impact on the Belgian national self-esteem is irreversible. For several years, the Germans have been comforting each other: Belgium will not resist. But now that things are coming, they are beginning to feel deeply anxious, although it is too late. A word "no" in Belgium must have influenced other neutral countries on Germany. In fact, what Germany is most worried about is not the attitude of neutral countries, but the armed resistance of Belgium will delay its timetable. If the Belgian army is determined to resist, Germany must leave several divisions from the soldiers needed to march into Paris. The Belgian army destroys railways and bridges, which can cut off the German army's march route and supply, causing great trouble.

After repeated thoughts, the German government had to send Bello to visit late at night to further accuse France of crimes, in an attempt to influence Belgium's reply to the ultimatum. Bello contacted him with his Belgian Foreign Minister Elster, who said that French planes dropped bombs and French patrols crossed the border.

"Where did these things happen?" Elster asked.

Bello replied: "In Germany."

"Since that's the case, I can't see how this news has anything to do with us."

The German minister hurriedly explained that France lacked respect for international law, so it could be against the point that it would undermine Belgium's neutrality. This ingenious logical reasoning did not work. Elster went out to see the guests off and asked the guests away.

At 2:30 in the middle of the night, the State Council resumed the meeting at the palace and passed the re-photograph of the morality submitted by the ministers. The re-photographed prophecy that if the Belgian government accepted the German proposal, it would "sacrifice its national dignity and betray its obligations to Europe." The government declared that it "resolutely resisted every invasion of its rights by all means within its sphere of power."

After the re-print was approved without any changes, the meeting debated the king's insistence on the proposal. The king insisted that before the German army actually entered Belgium, a call for rescue should not be issued to the country that guaranteed neutrality. Despite the fierce dispute, his proposal was passed. At 4 a.m., the meeting ended. A minister who left finally turned around and saw that the king held the copy of the re-print, facing the room, staring out the window, the dawn had begun to illuminate the sky.
Chapter completed!