On January 5, 1905, while the Belgians were singing and dancing in a dream of peace, a thunderbolt suddenly exploded above their heads. The German army stationed in Aachen claimed that a German soldier of Lorraine nationality had fled into Belgium and asked for
The Belgian government must hand over the soldier within 24 hours, otherwise the German government will regard the Belgian government as harboring a German deserter and will take drastic measures, not excluding the use of force to punish him.
At the same time, the German side also announced the deserter's name and even photos, as well as witnesses who witnessed his escape into Belgium. In short, they gave full play to their rigorous nature, and even if they were framed, they would be framed perfectly.
The Belgians were so angry at this ultimatum that they almost vomited blood. Damn, if you don’t do this, you will disappear when you say you are missing? You will come to us when you say you come to us? Where is the witness, that thing?
It's useless. It's just that you find a few people to put on a show. Besides, even if there are German deserters who come to Belgium, they can't be found within 24 hours. It's not easy to distinguish between two ethnic groups with very different appearances.
, everyone is of the same race. Especially the people of Lorraine are of mixed German and French descent. French and German are common in Liege near Aachen. You ask us to fish them out for you from hundreds of thousands of people around the clock.
If you come alone, it's obvious that you are bullying others!
The Belgian government naturally understood at this time that the Germans were preparing to take action against themselves. Although they were full of grief and indignation, they had to give in and negotiate with Germany through diplomatic means to see if there was any room for redemption. Even if there was not, they could
It would be good to delay for a day or two. They would start an emergency recruitment and at the same time order the Liège Fortress to prepare for battle. Fortunately, they still had full confidence in this fortress.
The Liege Fortress, built fifteen years ago, is the country's guarantee of confidence in the face of Germany. Twelve turrets built to the standards of maritime battleship turrets surround Liege in a ring within a radius of six to ten kilometers.
This is the gate into Belgium. These forts are equipped with hundreds of artillery pieces of various calibers, including the largest 210 mm, and all the artillery have ammunition feeding devices hidden underground. As for the exposed parts of the ground, they are all covered with thick
The design standard of reinforced concrete is that it can withstand the blow of 210mm siege gun.
There are a total of 6,000 fort garrison soldiers in these twelve forts, as well as the Third Division of the Belgian Army and part of the National Guard. Thirty thousand garrison troops, including militiamen, are responsible for filling the gaps between these forts.
, to prevent German infantry from intersecting. However, due to the previous illusion of peace, this unit was not well prepared for war. Many officers and soldiers were even on vacation, and no trenches were dug and barbed wire fences were erected in the gaps between the forts.
Fortunately, these are not important. As long as the fort cannot be opened, everything else does not matter. Moreover, the terrain of Liege is also the most important support for the Belgians. There is a natural barrier of the Maas River across the front. If the German army wants to attack, it must first cross the river.
That would work. The German soldiers crowded on the bridge would become the target of the fortress artillery. If those bridges were blown up in advance, the Germans would have to build pontoon bridges. At that time, it would be easier to attack.
And they can't get around this place no matter what. The direct railway from Germany to France passes through Liege, with the Ardennes Forest on one side and the neutral Netherlands on the other. Unless William wants to start another war with the Netherlands, he must let his
The army braved intensive artillery fire and forced its way into the Liege Fortress.
When the German army suffered a bloody defeat under the city of Liège, French reinforcements would arrive in a steady stream, and the battlefield would be limited to the Belgian border. As for the rest, it was none of the Belgians' business. They only needed to protect themselves.
Home is fine.
Unfortunately, the Belgians did not expect that four unprecedented war beasts would open their bloody mouths towards them.
Peaceful efforts had no effect at all. The short twenty-four hours passed quickly. The German Empire formally declared war on the Kingdom of Belgium because it failed to hand over German deserters within the time limit. The Maas River Army Group led by Lieutenant General Moltke crossed the border.
After crossing the Derby border, we headed towards the Liege Fortress, which can be said to be just around the corner.
Germany's invasion of Belgium finally gave British Prime Minister Balfour the best excuse for war. When Moltke's army arrived on the east bank of the Meuse River, amidst the huge explosions of the Belgians demolishing the bridges on the river, they began to assemble and erect his four-door
During the siege, the British Parliament narrowly passed a resolution declaring war on Germany. Then the British Minister to Germany submitted a declaration of war to German Prime Minister Bulow, and the British Empire was finally involved in the war.
"Both I and the Chinese government and people express deep regret for the situation in Europe. At the same time, we hope that all countries can resolve their differences rationally, and reiterate that China will strictly abide by the principle of neutrality and will not sell any weapons to any belligerent country.
Ammunition and other military supplies." Regarding the news of Britain's participation in the war, Emperor Yang, who was attending a welcoming ceremony for visiting scientists from Europe at the Royal Academy of Sciences in Beijing, made his usual remarks as always.
A group of famous European scientists who were invited to China to participate in the exchange activities of the Royal Academy of Sciences immediately responded to His Majesty the Emperor's speech with sincere and warm applause.
What they didn't know was that just as His Majesty the Emperor was saying this, a 5,000-ton cargo ship loaded with special steel for cannons was leaving the southern Swedish port of Malmo, destined for the northern German port of Rostock. Almost at the same moment,
Another merchant ship specializing in transporting special chemicals also set sail from Guangzhou Port. The destination of this giant ship of more than 10,000 tons was London, England. Of course, the ship was not loaded with arms. Emperor Yang would not do such a violation of the neutrality law.
What happened was that the ship was loaded with acetone.
Of course, with his technical level, he would definitely not use Weizmann's backward carbonization method. This is all produced by the oxidation method of cumene. As for cumene, it is synthesized from propylene and benzene. As for propylene, it is produced from petroleum cracking.
Yes, benzene is contained in coal. With this simple and cheap process, who would bother wasting food and wood on retorting?
At the same time as the merchant ship left, at Baoding Railway Station, thousands of trucks were queuing up to be loaded onto the train. Then they would go north along the railway that runs through the Northeast, enter Russia at God's Blessing, and then along the long Siberia.
Railway, all the way to distant Eastern Europe. This was ordered by a Russian freight company. As for what goods are loaded there, no matter how you say it, it has nothing to do with the Chinese, and this freight company has so far
An order for 50,000 ten-wheel, five-ton off-road trucks was placed with Kirin Automobile Company, requiring delivery within one year. It can be seen that the Russian economy is very prosperous!
Of course, Emperor Yang certainly could not violate the neutrality law and allow Chinese businessmen to export arms to belligerent countries. However, due to customs supervision issues, some small-scale smuggling activities have occurred, which is difficult to avoid, such as those bound for France.
It is not impossible if there are some cannons or machine guns hidden in the cargo hold of the Orient luxury cruise ship. Moreover, China does not export. If other countries buy it and then resell it, it is not the responsibility of the Chinese government. For example,
It is also possible for some unscrupulous merchants in the Ottoman Empire to buy hundreds or thousands of submachine guns, then load them on ships from Albanian ports and transport them directly to Trieste.
As for those 50,000-ton giant oil tankers that set sail from the Confederacy and sailed majestically to Sweden, then turned around from Gothenburg and headed south directly to the Port of Kiel, this is even more legal trade.
Who said that crude oil is a military material? Who said that? Who dares to say that this is also a military material? Then we can only strictly abide by the neutrality law. Britain, France, and Germany cannot sell it there. I guess no one except the Russians can
I don’t have the guts to say this. Emperor Yang directly or indirectly controls three-fifths of the world’s oil production capacity. Anyone who dares to disturb his good mood of making a fortune is asking for trouble.
Just as Emperor Yang's fleet was sailing across the oceans, making war fortunes unscrupulously, under the distant city of Liège, Xiao Maoqi's four war beasts were ready. The erection of such giant cannons
It is very labor-intensive. It is necessary to lay a concrete base in advance and then reassemble the behemoth of more than 100 tons. Although the weight of Big Bertha has been greatly reduced after using special steel produced in China, the total weight is still close to 150 tons.
Ten tons, it must be broken down before transportation.
Fortunately, a large number of large-scale construction machinery imported from Great Wall Heavy Industry came into play at this time, and there was no need to get dozens or even hundreds of horses to drag it.
Now the four completed 420mm giant siege guns are pointing obliquely at the sky. The black holes are big enough for an adult to easily get in. The muzzles are like the gates of hell, exuding a cold air. The crane next to it lifts a
The artillery shell weighing more than one ton was then sent into the barrel with the help of the artillery group, and then the gun gate was closed.
The artillery commander looked at Little Maoqi with a questioning look. The commander nodded lightly, and the artillery commander immediately gave the order: "Fire!"
As the signal soldier's flag fell, the gunner, whose ears had been blocked for a long time, suddenly pulled the rope, and then saw dozens of meters of flames erupting from the muzzle in an instant, followed by a loud noise like the earth was shattering, and the ground beneath his feet was violently violent.
It trembled, and even some nearby soldiers who were caught off guard screamed and fell to the ground. Little Moltke, who was holding a telescope, was still shaken by the shock even though there was something stuffed in his ears.
Four giant artillery shells, like a speeding locomotive, roared across the sky, and then hit a fort twenty kilometers away. (To be continued, please search Piaotian Literature, the novel is better and updated faster!