According to the war plan drawn up by the German General Staff, the German army would spread along the German-Biby border with a force of 800,000 troops from three army groups as the key right flank of Schlieffen's plan through the Belgian region. The commanders of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd armies were Crook, Bülow and Hausen, respectively. In addition, the Germans also deployed independent corps consisting of three cavalry divisions in this area as a mobile force interspersed with outflanking. Because Moltke modified Schlieffen's original work and limited the scope of the route to Belgium, the entire main force of the German right flank had to crowd through Liège on the Maas River before continuing the march. Therefore, the Liege fortress group built by the Belgians in this area became the first obstacle to the implementation of the "Schlieffen plan" by the German army.

In order to open the way through Liege, the German General Staff specially transferred six brigades from the Second Army to form a "Maas River Army" under the command of General Emmisi. Moltke's calculation was clear: if the Belgians did not resist, then this force would occupy Liège before the main army could be assembled, and open the way for the main army to follow. And if Belgium decided to fight to the death, this force could also be used as the spearhead of the offensive to quickly capture Liège, so as to ensure that the main German force would not be burdened by the attack on the fortress of Liège, and that the Schlieffen plan could be successfully carried out according to the previously predetermined schedule. At the rapid pace of progress on the Derby border is an advance force of 60,000 under the command of Emmisi.

Walking neatly, crossing the stream village, the horse's hooves are crisp, sweeping through the forest crops. Amid the high-pitched chorus of male voices "Germany above All", "The Guard of the Rhine" and "Long Live the King's Victory", the 65-pound German infantry easily crossed the Derby border on wooden stakes and began to occupy all the villages and towns on the eastern border of Belgium. The strenuous German black vulture replaced the feeble Belgian black, yellow and red. The formidable line-up of the invaders, armed to the teeth, shook every Belgian populace who witnessed them rumbling through the streets. And the attacking army that rushed like a tide. also went their separate ways after entering the territory of Belgium; They will surround Liège from the southeast, north, south, and south. and began to clear the cluster of Belgian fortresses that stood on the east bank of the Maas River.

What the vast majority of ordinary German officers and soldiers did not expect was that the Belgians really dared to resist; When they tried to build a pontoon bridge over the Maas River, where the bridge had been blown up, they were met by Belgian infantry fire. The brutal side of the war began to be re-manifested in this European war, when the German officers and soldiers who jumped into the river to build a pontoon bridge were like rabbits and were overturned by the fire of the rivals on the opposite bank; The corpse was swept away by the rushing Maas River with red blood, and was never seen again. By the evening of the same day, the Germans had succeeded in crossing the river from Vesse on the northern flank, suppressed by absolute superiority in firepower, and by nightfall had all the attacking forces in front of the most prominent fortress on the front of the fortress of Liège.

The stars are dotted and the moon rises tomorrow. The evening breeze in late spring is gentle. With the fragrant smell of grass and earth, people can't help but be intoxicated by it, and want to stroll through it in this clear night. However, the artillery fire of the war ruthlessly destroyed this tranquil tranquility, and the soldiers of the two countries who fought for their respective missions could no longer enjoy the scenery. On the positions a few kilometers away from the fortress, most of the German infantry who had fought for a day with live ammunition fell asleep, and the white smoke rising from the cauldron of the cooking cart was a meal prepared for the officers and soldiers who were still fighting all night such as the night patrol troops. In the makeshift tent command post, several staff officers were nervously gathering information; With the sound of insects chirping in the grass, the positions of the assault corps' brigades were clearly marked on the battle map. Thinking that tomorrow would launch a formal attack on the fortress of Liège in front of him, a trace of melancholy crept up the cheeks of the commander of the assault force, General Emmisi.

Since the 80s of the 19th century, the Belgians have been building fortress complexes in this area. It has long since become a well-known and impregnable fortress in all of Europe. Around the main city of Liège, which is surrounded by the river, there are 12 fortified fortresses: the main buildings of these forts, which are armed with more than 400 guns, including 210 mm guns, are buried deep underground. Leaving only a triangular top and curved canopy conceals a group of turrets that can be raised and lowered on their own, with near-perfect defensive and counter-attacking capabilities. In the original design, these fortresses were able to withstand direct bombardment from 280-mm heavy train guns.

Although in order to conquer the fortress of Liège, Krupp successfully developed the earth-shattering 420 mm caliber super siege gun Grandberta in 1909, and the German Army also received several 305 mm self-propelled siege guns with friendly assistance from Austria-Hungary; But these extremely bulky big guys are still on the special train to Aachen, and it will take about a week to reach the front line to play a role. And because the Belgian troops blew up bridges and tunnels on the way back, the German large-caliber train guns could not quickly reach the front line in Liège. At present, the most powerful in Emmisi's hands is the 150mm howitzer, which can barely crack the tortoise shell of Europe's first fortress. You must know that when Japan besieged the Russian Dalini Fortress, it also relied on the last 280 mm heavy artillery as an anvil to win the final victory in the bloody offensive and defensive battle that took nearly a year; And the Liege Fortress in front of him is said to be the strongest defense in Europe on a par with the Dalini Fortress!

Emmisi pondered for a long time, but finally decided to launch a strong attack when the sun rises tomorrow. At present, he has a strong force of 60,000 men, and the Belgian army on the opposite side, together with the fort defenses, is only 25,000 men, and it is completely unjustifiable to stop the advance and wait for the heavy siege artillery to come! In the end, not only was he unable to give an account to the General Staff, the German people, and the world, but his assault force, which bought time for the main army, lost the significance of its formation.

The morning is shining, and the sun is shining.

After a night's rest, the formidable gray army was back in action, making their way through streams and hills to the seemingly harmless fortress batteries in front of them. The German officers and men who had gone through yesterday's battle with loaded guns and live ammunition no longer marched like a military parade when they first entered Belgium, but strictly followed the German Army's field regulations, crawling and hiding, alternately taking cover.

To Emmisi's surprise, the Belgian defenders on the opposite side did not clear the fields of trees and houses that were hindering the artillery fire of the fort; This not only gave the attacking Germans a considerable number of hiding places, but also gave their artillery ample positions to fully deploy their firepower. In addition, the slope in front of the fort was only dug with shallow trenches and only a few sections of barbed wire, which could be wiped out by artillery fire in the preparation of artillery fire. Fearing that Germany would find an excuse for Belgium's violation of neutrality, the Belgian army did not begin preparations for war until 2 May, two days before the German invasion; And when the German vanguard approached the city of Liège, these works had just started a fraction of the time, and the Belgians, who were caught off guard, could only rely on the Liège fortress group to carry the German attack!

Emmisi felt a little guilty in his heart, but he waved his hand and gave the order for an all-out attack.

"Boom!" With the launch of a signal flare, all kinds of artillery in the German artillery positions let out a deafening and earth-shattering roar, and the continuous shelling sound was like a thunderous drum in dense legato, blooming its vigor and strength in front of it. The cannons, with straight ballistics, came first, stirring up waves of fire around the fortresses of the Belgian army in front; The more powerful howitzers spewed out a rain of meteors falling from the sky, and the earth-shattering explosion instantly drowned out the entire defensive position of the Belgian army.

The heavy artillery roared, gushing out a red arc of light, and the fiery red cannonballs crashed into the position where the Belgian fortress was located, and the flames soared into the sky and thundered. 105-mm, 150-mm howitzer cannons, and even the few 120-mm mortars at the brigade level joined the artillery chorus. Two hours after the German artillery was raging like a tsunami storm on the Belgian fortress, the thin layer of barbed wire on the forward position had already been blown to pieces; The hastily excavated trenches had been filled in by the artillery-blown earth, leaving only the massive fortresses, miles apart from each other and as large as castles, remaining on the ground. German infantrymen climbed out of their offensive positions with Mauser 98K rifles in their hands, lined up in the ranks of skirmishers that were repeatedly emphasized in the field regulations, and charged towards the "castle" buried deep in the ground and exposed only at the top.

"Boom!" Not long after the German officers and soldiers began to charge, the Belgian fortress, which had been suppressed under German artillery fire for a long time, burst out with its first roar to defend itself against foreign invasion since it was built. In an instant, dozens of shells burst out of the Belgian fortress and densely submerged into the advancing German array. The red light exploded in anger, and the waves of air rushed, and dozens of people didn't have time to snort, and in an instant, they instantly disintegrated in the terrifying power of the sudden release of the cannonball's explosion, turning into scattered pieces of flesh and blood. More than a dozen people were either swept up by the agitated air waves, and their bodies were on fire; Or they were pierced through their bodies by the whirling shrapnel, screaming and falling to the ground, blood raging.

Emmisi saw it in his eyes, and his heart couldn't help but tighten suddenly: the Belgian fortress was really as strong as he imagined, and the power of the 150-mm cannon was far from enough. However, at this time, he had no choice but to continue to attack for a while and then see the situation! (To be continued......)