Henri Arsène's army advanced through Belgium with ease, while the Belgian forces, caught unprepared, suffered heavy losses.
Although Belgium's system of compulsory military service had increased the number of its troops, it still could not compare with powerful France.
The gap was not just in numbers; the difference in quality was even greater. Mass desertions and surrenders among new recruits were commonplace.
Charles Rogier and Leopold I were at a loss, too. It might sound laughable, but after driving the French out of Belgium, they discovered they could no longer borrow money.
The reasons behind this vicious cycle were complicated, so there was no need to elaborate. In short, the penniless Belgian government was in a very awkward position.
As for loans, they had little to do with the entire German Confederation, including the Netherlands.
So even though Luxembourg, an arms dealer, was right next door, they had neither the means nor the money to buy weapons. Luxembourg and the Netherlands didn't have good relations with Belgium. Sending troops to support Belgium was one thing; supplying it with weapons and provisions was another.
Here was a somewhat ironic fact: in the nineteenth century, human lives were cheaper than arms.
Besides, the two came from different sources. The former only required a group of passionate young men, while the latter had to go through merchants and politicians.
Merchants and politicians would weigh the pros and cons of the whole affair. In their eyes, supporting Belgium clearly wasn't a good deal.
Belgium was too close to France, its border was too long, and it lacked any high mountains or natural barriers. Its land consisted almost entirely of hills and flat lowlands.
The French could attack at very little cost, while Belgium would have to pay far too steep a price to defend