On August 2, German Army's carefully planned plan of Schlieffen Plan had begun to be implemented. The seven armies on the Western Front had already begun to assemble at the predetermined positions.
The core intention of Schlieffen Plan is to launch a Blitzkrieg in order to avoid falling into a long two-front battle. First, mass troops on the Western Front to defeat France. Then use the convenient railway to transport the army to the Eastern Front, defeat Russia, and win the war.
To put it bluntly, it's just a time difference. Use Russia's low mobilization ability as an entry point to defeat France before Russia completes its mobilization and establish victory. If the strategic goal is not achieved, once Germany is caught in a two-front battle, it will be very difficult for Germany to win again!
Among Schlieffen Plan, Belgium is a hurdle that cannot be bypassed. France has always regarded Germany as its old enemy and deployed heavy troops on the French-German border. Germany If you want to bypass the French's solid defense line and the rugged Ardennes region, you must pass through Belgium. At the same time, although the Belgium country is small, it has developed industry and very good transportation facilities such as railways and highways. German military can use these infrastructures to quickly mobilize the army.
Therefore, Germany hopes that Kingdom of Belgium can take the initiative to open up the country, allowing German military to 'borrow' Belgium and launch attacks directly from northern France. Of course, it doesn't matter if Kingdom of Belgium disagrees. The powerful Germany* army will make them 'willingly' agree to use the road.
Even though Kingdom of Belgium is a neutral country recognized by Europe countries. However, in order to win, Germany obviously will not be restrained by this. For Germany people, after preparing a plan for so long, there is absolutely no chance of anything going wrong. Everything must start from winning.
When Imperial Crown Prince Oscar left Berlin, German Emperor Wilhelm II summoned Prime Minister Bernhardt von Bülow and Foreign Minister von Kidron Wachth.
"Prime Minister, Your Excellency Foreign Minister. The army is gathering, and it is expected that within 48 hours, the final assembly will be completed and the attack will be launched. Therefore, we need to let Belgians open the country as soon as possible and let our troops pass!" Wilhelm II said.
"Your Majesty, I will immediately ask the ambassador to Kingdom of Belgium to send Ultimatum to Belgians. However, the possibility of Belgians accepting it is probably slim." Von Kidron Wachth said.
Wilhelm II nodded, knowing that this was almost impossible. Kingdom of Belgium Although it is a small country, it has a lot of backbone. In order to maintain their independence, they spent huge sums of money to build defense lines on the border to guard against any potential enemies. Of course, the defense line is mainly built on the border of Kingdom of Belgium and Germany. As for France, it is obviously not as threatening as Germany. This approach of Kingdom of Belgium also made Germany very dissatisfied. However, Kingdom of Belgium and Britain have a close relationship, and Britain even promised to ensure the safety and independence of Kingdom of Belgium. Therefore, even when facing Germany, Kingdom of Belgium can stand tall.
Of course, Belgians will soon find out. Their backbone and strength are simply not proportional. For a small country with a total population of only more than 7 million, it is really too weak to face Germany, which has the most powerful army in the world.
"No matter what, give Belgians a chance to choose! If they don't want the country to be destroyed, then follow our advice and let our army take advantage of it. Or even join Allied Powers and become an ally of the Empire, with me It's okay for them to share the victory together. But if they insist on expecting Britain people to guarantee their safety, it would be foolish! Empire's powerful army will crush them to pieces!" Prime Minister Bülow said.
"Well, let's do it! The opportunity has been given to Belgians, it depends on how they choose! I hope Belgians can be wiser." Wilhelm II looked compassionate, as if he didn't feel a trace of shame at all because Germany was about to invade Belgium. For heroes like them, winning the final victory is the most important thing.
On the morning of August 2, Belgium König Albert I convened the country's ministers and generals to discuss the current situation. German military is gathering at the border, which undoubtedly poses a huge threat to Kingdom of Belgium.
Albert I was worried, fearing that the Germany people would march westward and launch an attack on them. After all, compared to the powerful German Empire, Kingdom of Belgium is too weak, so weak that they are unable to fight against the German Empire.
"Gentlemen, the Germany people have deployed a large army on the border. But, will they attack us?" Albert I asked.
"Your Majesty, we are a neutral country. The Germany people will not attack us, right? Besides, their enemy is French, not us." Foreign Minister Kohlmann said.
"Hmph! The Germany people don't care whether we are a neutral country or not. All they care about is victory." Prime Minister Brockville snorted coldly. He had always been highly vigilant about Germany's wild ambitions.
"Generals, if the Germany people launch an attack, can our defense line at the border withstand their attack?" Albert I looked at the military generals.
"Your Majesty, Fortress of Liège has been completed. We only need to send an army to Fortress of Liège to ensure our safety. It is impossible for Germany people to break through our heavily defended Fortress of Liège." Minister of War answered confidently.
The Burning Sun Fortress is the only way for German military to attack Belgium, so Belgium decided to build a solid fortress there to guard against a sudden invasion by Germany. Now, this fortress is finally put to use.
But Belgians did not expect that Fortress of Liège has been completed twenty years ago. It was originally designed to withstand the bombardment of 210mm Heavy Gun, so the fort's defenses were permanent reinforced concrete fortifications with a thickness of 2.5 to 3 meters. But now, with the development of science and technology, the largest caliber heavy artillery that can be used on land is no longer 210 mm. This makes Fortress of Liège very flawed.
"Your Majesty, German Ambassador please see me."
"Germany people are here?" Belgium senior officials present at the meeting all exclaimed. Albert I's face is not very natural either. But he still let German Ambassador in.
"Your Majesty. This time I came with the goodwill of the German Empire. Empire hopes that Kingdom of Belgium can withdraw the troops at the border and allow Germany The * army passes Kingdom of Belgium's territory and German Empire guarantees that it will never infringe on Kingdom of Belgium's security and other interests," German Ambassador said with a proud look on his head.