The news that Germany declared war on France broke the last glimmer of hope for peace for many people. Within a few days, the war spread from the Balkans to Eastern Europe, Central and Western Europe, and more than two-thirds of the land and population on the European continent were inevitably involved in this war. Since 1870, everyone on both sides of the Rhine River was worried in their hearts, and since 1905, what most people expected to see finally happened. A German newspaper readily wrote in a special issue titled "The Welfare of Guns" that day: "The Fun is the Fun." It also said that the Germans were "ecstatic... We have been looking forward to this moment for a long time... The purpose has not been achieved, and the territory has not expanded to the point where it must be expanded. The swords we must pick up will never be sheathed."

After learning about Germany's declaration of war on France, King George V of England signed a general mobilization order without hesitation.

At 7 a.m. that day, at the last moment of the 12-hour period given by Germany, the Belgian Foreign Minister De Geffie, the Secretary of the Government of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, rang the doorbell of the German Embassy and handed the reply from the Belgian government to the German Ambassador Bell. On the way home, the Baron heard the hawking of the newspaper boys, and the Morning Post announced the full text of the ultimatum and the Belgian reply. He heard people reading the news and heard the harsh amazement from the crowds who were gathering together excitedly.

Belgium's fearless "no" was aroused. Many people believe that in this way, Germany would have to bypass their territory and not betray the world.

"The Germans are dangerous, but they are not lunatics," people comforted each other so much.

Even in the Belgian palace and in the cabinet departments, there was still a glimmer of hope. People thought it was hard to imagine that the Germans would have to cut themselves off their own mistakes and deliberately launched a war. But on the evening of August 3, when the German Emperor received a belated reply to King Albert's personal appeal two days ago, the last glimmer of hope disappeared. The German Emperor's re-ticket was just another attempt to persuade Belgium to surrender without fighting. The German Emperor re-ticket mentioned that "it was precisely because of the most friendly wish to Belgium" that he made his serious demands. "As the conditions stated, whether we can maintain our previous and current relationships still depends on Your Majesty."

"What did he treat me as?" King Albert shouted. This was the first time he had lost control since the crisis began, showing his indignation. After taking office as supreme commander of the Belgian army, he immediately ordered the blowout of the bridges on the Maas River near Liege, as well as railway tunnels and bridges at the junction of Luxembourg. He still did not appeal to Britain and France, demanding military assistance and alliances.

King Albert was unwilling to sign a death certificate for Belgium's neutrality, but the neutrality that the Belgians valued particularly was soon shattered by the cruel reality at 8 am the next day. The first grey waves of soil rushed across the Belgian border in Gemmerich, 48 kilometers away from Liege, and the Belgian sentry opened fire from the outpost.

In Brussels, one hour after the German invasion began, King Albert was wearing a military uniform, without any wear, and rode his horse to parliament for a meeting. A convertible carriage sat the queen and her three children, followed by two carriages. The king was alone behind the horse's back, and this small rank trotted along the Royal Avenue. Along the way, every household was hanging national flags and holding flowers; the streets and alleys were filled with excited crowds; people who had never met shook hands with each other, laughing and calling each other, each of them was filled with laughter and crying.

The feelings, as someone later recalled, were "all connected by the bond of common love and common hatred between him and his compatriots." Rounds of cheers came towards the king, as if people were in common feelings, trying to show him that he was a symbol of their country and their will to insist on independence. Somehow, I forgot not to appear, and I also watched the small Austrian ambassador at the parliament window with the diplomats of other countries, as well as the small Austrian ambassadors wiped their tears.

In the hall, after the seats of the MPs, guests, and the queen and courtiers, the king walked in alone, placed his hat and gloves solemnly on the podium, and began to speak, with a trembling voice. He recalled the 1830 Congress meeting in which the independent Belgium was created, and asked, "Gentlemen, are you determined to safeguard this sacred gift left by our ancestors so that it will not be violated?" The MPs could not suppress themselves and stood up and shouted "Yes, yes, yes!"

After the speech, the streets and alleys were full of passion and crazy. The army, which had always been looked down upon, has now become a hero. People shouted: "Down with the Germans! Execute the murderers! Long live Belgium's independence!"

After the king left, the masses cheered to meet with the Minister of the Army. In the government, no matter who the Minister of the Army was, because of his position, he was always the most unpopular person. Although Mr. De Blokeville was a gentle and sophisticated person, when he appeared on the balcony, he was moved by the passion that everyone in Brussels shared the same hatred for the enemy that day, and couldn't help but shed tears.

On this day, in Paris, French soldiers in red pants and dark blue tops with wide hems walked through the streets in neat steps, and they sang loudly:

This is Alsace, this is Lorraine, this is our Alsace, ah, ah, ah, ah!

When I sang the last word "ah", the song turned into a cheer of victory.

On the extinct boulevard, teams of volunteer soldiers walked past, carrying flags and banners, with slogans expressing their determination: "The Luxembourgs will never be Germans! Romania is loyal to their Latin mothers! Italian freedom is exchanged for the blood of the French! Spain and France are as close as sisters! The British are willing to fight for France! The Greeks love France! The Scandinavians in Paris! The Slavic nation and France stand together! The Latin Americans swear to defend the mother of Latin American culture to the death!"

A banner read "The Alsaceans go back to their hometown" and was cheered by the crowd.

At the joint meeting of the Senate and House of Representatives, French Prime Minister Viviani looked pale and looked exhausted, but he was still enthusiastic and eloquent when he spoke. This speech was like everyone's actions on this day, and was hailed as the greatest speech in his life. His briefcase contained the text of the French-Russian Treaty, but no one asked for the treaty. When he said that Italy had declared neutrality "with the unique insight of its Latin nation", a crazy cheer sounded. The third member of the Three Kingdoms Alliance, as expected, pulled away. The reason was that Austria's attack on Serbia was an act of aggression, thus lifting its obligations to the treaty.

Italy's neutrality prevented France from deploying defenses on the southern border, which was equivalent to increasing the strength of four divisions, namely 80,000 troops.

President Punegalai failed to visit the parliament in person on duty. After Viviani's speech was finished, people read his speech on his behalf. When reading it, all the listeners left their seats and stood in sternly. He said that France represents freedom, justice and reason in front of all mankind, and that letters expressing sympathy and kindness have come from all corners of the civilized world.

On the same day, it was raining heavily on Berlin. The horses on William Street were clattering and clearly heard, and teams of cavalry were rushing through the shining streets of water.

In the morning, after the cathedral ceremony, the MPs of the Second German Empire of Germany lined up to enter the palace. The entrance was heavily guarded, and the ropes were separated by the railings. After four inspections, everyone finally sat down in the Whitehall. The German Emperor walked in quietly with several generals and climbed onto the imperial throne. The Prime Minister Bateman, wearing a dragoon uniform, took out his speech from his royal briefcase and presented it to the German Emperor. The German Emperor left his seat and stood up and began to read it. He said that the war was made by Serbia.

With the support of Russia, he listed Russia's crimes and aroused a "shameful" booing sound. After the pre-prepared speech, he raised his voice and announced: "From today, I will not recognize the parties, but only the Germans!" Then he asked the leaders of each party to come forward and shake his hand if they agree with him. In the midst of fanatical excitement, all the leaders obeyed their fate, and at the same time, the other people present burst into cheers of joy.

At 3 pm, members of Congress resumed their meeting at the Capitol. They first listened to the Prime Minister's speech and then performed their remaining duties. First, they voted to pass the war appropriation, and a 5 billion mark war appropriation was unanimously passed, and then Congress voted to pass the recession for four months, or, in other words, they remained on the recession during the generally expected time required for war. Prime Minister Bateman said with confidence when announcing the end of the agenda: "No matter what our destiny is, August 4, 1914 will always be one of Germany's greatest days!"

At 7 p.m. on the same day, the UK finally made a clear reply of how many people were anxious and waiting for a long time to submit a note to the German government, declaring that the UK felt obliged to "maintain Belgium's neutrality and insist on complying with the treaty that Germany is also a signatory to us". The note required the German government to make a "satisfactory reply" before midnight.

In Berlin, British Ambassador Sir Edward Goshen submitted a note from the British government to German Prime Minister Bateman.

"It was not the Belgian issue that prompted Britain to participate in the war, but it made a hypocritical erroneous effort on this issue, which really made me extremely indignant!" Bateman was furious and made a big talk. He said that Britain had declared war on a "marriage country". This behavior was simply "incredible", and that "is equivalent to a person fighting two invading people for his own life, and hitting him from behind." He said that Britain was responsible for all the terrible events that could arise from "this fatal serious step", and "all this is just for a word "neutral" and just for a piece of waste paper..."

Shortly after the British ambassador returned to the embassy, ​​the streets outside began to roar. The Berlin Daily announced to the German people that Britain had declared war in the form of an extravagant number, although there were still a few hours before midnight. After Italy's betrayal, this latest "betrayal" act, this latest act of treason, which added a new enemy to Germany, made the Germans furious. Many immediately became a group of roaring thugs, and then threw stones at the windows of the British embassy for an hour.

Overnight, Britain became the most hateful enemy.

The Germans could not understand this treacherous behavior. It was incredible that the women who asked to participate in politics dared to make unreasonable troubles against the prime minister and dared to openly resist the police. The British wanted to fight. Although the British had a wide and powerful force, they were already weak. The Germans treated it just like the Gaussians in the West who were contemptuous of the Romans in the later period, and at the same time they had a sense of inferiority among latecomers.

At 9 o'clock, the British government learned from a coded telegram sent by Berlin that the German government believed that it had been in war with the UK since the time the British ambassador requested his passport. The cabinet members hurried to hold a meeting to discuss whether to count that time as the declaration of war, or whether they waited until the time limit set by the ultimatum they finally decided to wait.

There was no accident, and midnight arrived as scheduled. At 12:20, Britain issued a war call: "War, Germany, action."

The next day, on August 5, as the German army launched an offensive against the Liege Fortress in Belgium, the first battle of the war began. That day, Moltke wrote in a letter to the Chief of Staff of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Conrad von Hetsendorf: Europe has entered "a war that will determine the course of history for hundreds of years in the future."
Chapter completed!