On the evening of August 1, St. Petersburg, Russia. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info

The official mobilization order signed by the Tsar had been issued two days earlier, and the streets and alleys, ports and wharves were littered with marching soldiers, and cavalrymen with swords on their waists could occasionally be seen passing by with their heads held high. Russia had not yet declared war on any country, nor had any country declared war on Russia, but the German ultimatum already meant that war was imminent. The Prussians were born soldiers, and the Russians were known for their toughness. Before the rise of Prussia, the German countries close to Eastern Europe were harassed by the Slavs, and during the time of Frederick the Great, the Kingdom of Prussia was almost wiped out under the joint attack of Austria, France and Russia, so the Germans were still psychologically afraid of the locust-like Russian army. The German army, which was well equipped, had no advantage.

Although the Germans were not so easy to deal with, the primary target of this mobilization, Austria-Hungary, was seen by the Russians as a sick tiger with a strong foreign power and a dry middle. Four years ago, during the Bosnian crisis, Austria-Hungary had stubbornly annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina by massing troops on the border with the support of its German allies, and the Russian army had not yet fully recovered from the crushing defeat in the Russo-Japanese War and was unable to resist Germany and Austria, so it was forced to make concessions to Serbia, which further exacerbated the already volatile situation at home, which the Russian ruling class and army generals were always concerned about. However, after the mobilization order was issued, the reaction of the majority of the Russian population and ordinary soldiers was cold and ambivalent, and very few showed signs of euphoria and optimism. Corruption, poverty, calamity, and the surging revolutionary forces have created a chaotic situation in the hearts of the people, and the common people do not care at all how much hope the cold and hot French place in their Russian allies, and the so-called glorious justice is only an illusion of self-absorption of the rulers, even if the Russian army defeated Germany and Austria and occupied large areas of the Balkans and even Central and Eastern Europe, and even if they received large war reparations through it, it was difficult to change the existing ills of Russia, and the dark clouds that had hung over the hearts of the people for many years were dissipated......

The orange-red sunset burned silently in the sky, and the west windows were tinted with a hazy and misty hue. In this indescribable environment, the white-bearded German ambassador Putales handed over a German declaration of war to Russian Foreign Minister Sazonov.

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

"We're here to preserve our honor." The German ambassador's eyes were red and his beard trembled slightly when he spoke, but this was by no means a fear of the Russian army, but a deep fear of the war itself.

Russia mobilized in response to Austria-Hungary's war against Serbia, but Germany's declaration of war was directed against Russia. Whatever justification may be given to such an act, it should be understood by ordinary people that Germany had undermined the peace between Germany and Russia. However, Sazonov's anger could only be attributed to the ruthlessness of the war - Russia could not sit idly by and watch Serbia be annexed by Austria-Hungary, and Germany could not accept the defeat or even collapse of its allies.

"It's not about your honor, Heaven has its own justice."

"Yes!" Putares muttered to himself, "Heaven has justice, Heaven has justice." ”

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

Sazonov silently walked towards Putales, the anger on his face turning to sadness.

"Alright, that's the end of my mission." At this point, Putales could not say any more, and Sazonov patted him on the shoulder, and the two hugged each other. Putares staggered to the door, his shaking hands easily pulling it open, and as he went out, he whispered, "Goodbye, goodbye." ”

No matter how many people are as desperate as Putares, war has come inexorably.

At the time of Germany's declaration of war on Russia, German military operations on the Western Front had already begun. Without declaring war, the advance force of the 69th Infantry Regiment of the German 16th Infantry Division crossed the border into Luxembourg, in which the Germans would attack France through Belgium in the Schlieffen Plan, and whether the attack could be carried out smoothly was at stake for the Luxembourg railway. This small country in Central Europe, with a land area of just over 2,000 square kilometers, is rich in iron ore resources, and has gradually developed into a prosperous iron and steel industry system since the 16th century.

In the face of the strong, this assurance is always a fragile piece of paper.

Luxembourg, with a population of only 250,000, chose to maintain unarmed neutrality, and the country was ruled by the Wilburg family of Nassau, so the German march in Luxembourg was a pleasant trip, but before the Germans crossed the border, a dramatic scene occurred in the German capital, Berlin. The worried Chancellor Batemann insisted that German troops should not enter Luxembourg under any circumstances while awaiting a clear answer from the British, and this time, without consulting Moltke, the Kaiser ordered his adjutant to telegraph and telegraph the temporary cancellation of the German 16th Infantry Division headquarters in Trier.

Upon hearing this, Moltke Jr. immediately rushed to the palace and engaged in a heated argument with the Kaiser, Wilhelm II was reluctant to make another concession, but by the time his order reached the 16th Infantry Division, the advance force had already crossed the border, and the command had to urgently send a communications officer to inform the troops of their withdrawal.

While the farce was going on, the initiator of the incident, German Ambassador to Britain Lichnowski, called on British Foreign Secretary Gray overnight, and the two had further communication. Extremely sad to realize the error of his understanding, Lichnowski quickly sent a second telegram to Berlin: "The positive proposals of the British are almost hopeless. ”

William II was so disappointed that at 11 o'clock in the evening he summoned Moltke to the Younger in his bedchamber and said hatefully: "Now you can do whatever you want!" ”

Moltke, who had a melancholy personality and lacked self-confidence, suddenly found that the responsibility of deciding the fate of Germany had fallen on his shoulders, and a series of events had already made him anxious, and he was even more disturbed.

In any case, the order for correction was sent to the German 16th Infantry Division as quickly as possible.

Not far from the territory of Luxembourg, on the slopes of the Ardennes, just about 12 miles from Bastony in Belgium, there is a small town called Ulfringen by the Germans. The hillside meadows surrounding it are dairy pastures; The cobblestone streets on the slopes do not allow a small bundle of hay to fall to the ground, even during the harvest season in August, otherwise it is against the strict municipal cleaning regulations of the Grand Duchy. Below the town was a station and a telegraph office connected to the German and Belgian telegraph lines. This was the first goal of the German army, and on the night of August 1, the German advance troops occupied the place on motorcycles, and then, two successive groups of signal corps, sent diametrically opposed orders, and near midnight, they finally figured out the final decision of their superiors: continue the occupation operation!

By the time the Germans entered Luxembourg, the French had retreated 10 kilometers from the German-French border, because the French did not want to bear the notorious reputation of provoking war, and they feared that a clump of trees, an encounter between two patrolmen, a threatening gesture, a vicious glare, a foul word, and a gunshot could become an accident that triggered the war.

It is also a military adventure, and the stark contrast of one advance and one retreat shows the political ideas of the two countries with very different styles.

Because of the initiative, Germany was already morally inferior.

On Sunday, August 2, the day after Germany declared war on Russia and sent troops into Luxembourg, France began its official mobilization.

On this day, all the churches and monasteries in France rang their bells, and the touching scenes of parting could be seen everywhere, and the reservists lined up at the assembly point with luggage and bouquets of flowers. In response to a recruitment announcement from the War Department, a large number of taxis and private vehicles were added to transport servicemen to the barracks. In Paris's Place de la Concorde, the black veil that had been covering the statue of Strasbourg since 1870 was removed, the crowd sobbed, chanting "Long live Alsace" everywhere, and in all the restaurants, bands played the French, Russian and English national anthems.

On the same day, the German Minister in Brussels, von Belo Zalesque, delivered a note to the Belgian Government on Berlin's instructions. The note stated that Germany had received reliable information that the French army was intending to invade Germany through the Belgian border, and since the Belgian army could not be expected to stop the French advance, Germany would preemptively strike in accordance with the need for self-defense in order to prevent such a hostile attack. Germany would deeply regret if the Belgians regarded German entry into Belgian territory as a hostile act against itself; If Belgium is able to maintain its neutrality in good faith, Germany will guarantee to withdraw from Belgian territory as soon as the peace treaty is concluded, to pay compensation for all losses caused by the German army, and to guarantee the sovereignty and independence of the Kingdom of Belgium at the conclusion of the peace treaty.

Belgium, located in northwestern Europe, has historically been a must-pass for the unscrupulous. Charles, the Burgundian warrior, and Louis XI of France, two rivals, once duel each other here; The Iron Hoof of Spain once ravaged the Three Low Countries here; The famous British Marlborough Marlborough once fought the French Marprakai in a tragic battle here; It was here that Napoleon faced Wellington at Waterloo. The people rose up against one ruler after another—the Burgundians, the French, the Spanish, the Habsburgs, and the Dutch—until 1830, when the Olinch dynasty was overthrown, and Queen Victoria's maternal uncle, Archduke Leopold of Saxo-Coburg, established their own state, and its independence and gravitational status were guaranteed by the major powers, and the Belgians enjoyed the longest period of peace in history. They regard independence and sovereignty as their life, regard the observance of neutrality as a kind of faith, and are determined to defend the country's independence, sovereignty and neutrality at all costs. Therefore, after learning of the German announcement on July 31 that it was in danger of war, the Belgian government immediately ordered the mobilization of troops to begin at midnight. That night and the next day, the police went from house to house ringing the doorbell to deliver orders, and the men either got out of bed or left their posts, packed their backpacks, said goodbye to their loved ones, and rushed to the barracks......

The build-up of troops does not mean that the country is ready for war. Belgium has always adhered to its neutrality, and until this moment has not yet decided on any plan of operation, so that there is no specific enemy country as the target of mobilization. The so-called mobilization is only the conscription of reservists into the army. For a long time, the Belgians indulged in a neutral status guaranteed by the great powers, the public was indifferent to what was happening abroad, and the parliament was entangled in economic problems, and the state of the army was no different from that of the Turks - lax discipline, laziness and procrastination, poor military appearance, low morale, poor salutes, and inconsistent pace. The condition of the officer corps was not much better, because the army was superfluous and even a little ridiculous in the minds of the people, so it could not attract neither the intellectual, nor the talented and ambitious youth, and those who did make a career out of the army and came from military schools were deeply infected by the French doctrine of impulsive and desperate attack.

The Belgian army consisted of 6 infantry divisions and 1 cavalry division, and compared to the first-class military powers, these units were poorly equipped, poorly trained, had meager military spending, and could only provide limited ammunition, and each soldier could only fire live ammunition twice a week, with only one round at a time, resulting in poor shooting skills. Compulsory military service was introduced in Belgium only in 1913, and the result was only to make the troops more unpopular, and the appropriation for the modernization of the fortifications of Antwerp was approved on the condition that the expenditure must be financed by shortening the period of compulsory military service. Belgium did not have a general staff at all before, and it was not until 1910 that it was created at the insistence of the new king. The effectiveness of the General Staff was limited due to the wide divergence of views among its members. One faction advocated an offensive plan and a concentration of troops on the frontier in the event of a threat of war, the other faction advocated defense and a concentration of forces in the depths of the interior, while the third faction, headed by King Albert, advocated keeping the enemy as close as possible to the threatened frontier without jeopardizing the lines of communication leading to the fortified base in Antwerp, but according to the Belgian constitution, the king could only become commander-in-chief after the outbreak of war, so he could not impose his worries and strategic propositions on the General Staff until the outbreak of war, The General Staff, on the other hand, clinged to the precedent of 1870, believing that although the French army would have had plenty of room for manoeuvre if it had entered Belgium, not a single soldier had ever set foot on Belgian soil at that time, neither the Prussian army nor the French army.

At an emergency cabinet meeting of the Belgian government, the note from the German government was read for the first time, followed by a silence that lasted for several minutes. Everyone in the room was thinking about the choice facing the country - Belgium's small territory and its recent independence made the determination to secure independence even stronger. As for the consequences of the decision to defend independence, there is no need for everyone present to say in vain. Their country will be attacked, their homeland will be destroyed, and their people will be retaliated against by an armed force ten times their size, and whatever the outcome of the war, they have no doubt about the consequences of their own consequences, which they are directly on the way to the German army. If, however, they were to give in to German demands on the contrary, it would be tantamount to allowing Germany to occupy Belgium, and a victorious Germany would not be able to take withdrawal to heart. Not only that, but they would also make Belgium an accomplice in the attack on France. Whichever path was chosen, Belgium would be occupied by Germany; But if you give in, you will lose your honor.

After some deliberation, the members of the cabinet came to a conclusion distilled in one sentence: "If we are bound to be crushed into dust, let us be gloriously dusty!" ”

At 9 a.m. on 2 August, King Albert presided over a Council of State at the Royal Palace, where he said in his opening remarks: "Whatever the consequences, our answer must be 'no'. It is our duty to defend our territorial integrity. We must be steadfast in this regard. However, he also insisted that every participant should have no illusions: the consequences would be serious and terrible; The enemy will be ruthless and merciless. Prime Minister De Brockieville also warned some wavering people not to believe Germany's promise to restore Belgium's integrity after the war. "In the event of a German victory," he said, "Belgium will be annexed to the German Reich whatever its attitude." ”

An old and unjust minister, who had recently entertained the Kaiser's brother-in-law, the Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, was so enraged by the duke's hypocrisy that he grunted and cursed as if it were a chorus of the meeting. As the Chief of the General Staff, General Celier, stood up to explain the defensive strategy to be employed, his deputy chief of staff, Colonel Ricker, whispered: "We must beat them to the point." In the words of one of their colleagues, his relationship with the Chief of the General Staff was "by no means gentle and courteous." When he spoke, he suggested a preemptive strike at the invaders on their own territory before they crossed the Belgian border. The listeners were amazed and stunned.

After the midnight recess, a committee of the Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary and the Minister of Justice returned to the Foreign Office to draft a replica. As the work was underway, a car drove into the dark courtyard and stopped under the only brightly lit row of windows. When they heard that it was the German minister who had visited, several ministers were amazed. It was 1:30 p.m., so why did he come?

Bello's night-to-night travels suggest that his government is increasingly uneasy and anxious to know how effective their ultimatum will be; That ultimatum, written in black and white, is irreparable, and its impact on Belgian national pride is irreparable. For several years, the Germans have been comforting each other: Belgium will not resist. But now that the time came, they began to feel deeply anxious, even if it was too late. Belgium's "no" will certainly have an unfavorable effect on the other neutral countries. In fact, Germany's greatest concern was not so much the attitude of the neutral countries, but the fact that Belgian armed resistance would delay its timetable. If the Belgian army was determined to resist, the Germans had to leave a number of divisions from the men needed to march into Paris. By destroying railways and bridges, the Belgian army could cut off the German army's advance routes and supplies, thus causing great trouble.

After much deliberation, the German government had to send Bello a late-night visit to further accuse France of crimes in an attempt to influence Belgium's reply to the ultimatum. Bello told Elst, the Belgian under-foreign ministry who met him, that French planes had dropped bombs and that French patrols had crossed the border.

"Where are these things happening?" Elster asked.

Bello replied: "In Germany." ”

"In that case, I don't see how this news has anything to do with us."

The German minister hastened to explain that France lacked respect for international law and could therefore be counter-expected to undermine Belgian neutrality. This ingenious logical reasoning did not work. Elster went out to see off the guests and invited the guests away.

At 2:30 p.m., the Council of State resumed at the palace to approve the replies to Germany submitted by the ministers. In reply, if the Belgian Government accepted Germany's proposal, it "would be sacrificing its national dignity and betraying its obligations to Europe". The Government declared that it was "resolute in resisting every intrusion on its rights by all means within its power".

After the reproduction was adopted without any changes, the assertion of the king was debated. The king insisted that no appeal for relief should be sent to the countries that guaranteed its neutrality until the German troops actually entered Belgium. Despite the heated arguments, his claim passed. The meeting ended at 4 a.m. One of the last ministers to leave turned around and saw the king holding a copy of the photo, his back to the room, staring out the window, the dawn beginning to illuminate the sky.

(End of chapter)