Chapter 176: The Backbone of a Small Country (500 votes plus updates)
King Albert I looked at the German ambassador with anger in his eyes. What the German ambassador said just now is a threat to the Kingdom of Belgium and a trample on their dignity.
King Albert I wanted to order immediately to pull the ambassador out and shoot him to vent his hatred. But, he knew, he couldn't do that. If you do that, everything will be irreparable.
The other ministers of the Kingdom of Belgium also didn't look very good. In their view, the Germans did not take them seriously.
"His Excellency, the Kingdom of Belgium is a neutral country. We will strictly maintain neutrality in this war. We only hope that we will not be affected by the war, that's all!" Prime Minister Brockville said.
King Albert I also nodded quickly. For a small country like the Kingdom of Belgium, it is naturally best not to be involved in a tragic war. They are simply not qualified to participate in this kind of war. Once involved, they are likely to be crushed to pieces.
The corners of the German ambassador's mouth raised slightly, with a sneering smile on his face. In his opinion, these Belgians are too whimsical. Now, their fate is no longer in their hands.
"Your Majesty the King, Your Excellency the Prime Minister. The German Empire hopes that the Kingdom of Belgium can join the Allied Powers and fight together with us. The German Empire guarantees that after victory in future wars, the fruits of victory belonging to the Kingdom of Belgium will definitely not be missing." Germany the ambassador continued.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs gave him two orders. One is to try to persuade the Kingdom of Belgium to agree to the German army. If the Kingdom of Belgium disagrees, then invite the Kingdom of Belgium to join the Allies. If the Kingdom of Belgium disagrees with these two proposals, there is no other choice. The German Empire can only get what it wants through force.
"Join the Allies?" Albert I was taken aback, this proposal was beyond his expectations. However, can the Allies defeat the Allies and win the final victory? On this point, King Albert I did not quite believe it.
Most of the military and political ministers of the Kingdom of Belgium are pro-British. Wanting them to join the Allied Powers and fight against the British-led Allied Powers made it impossible for them to do so.
However, if they do not join the Allied Powers, they may become the first target to be attacked by Germany. And the Kingdom of Belgium couldn't resist the German attack at all.
King Albert I was so distraught that he didn't know how to choose.
"Your Excellency, Ambassador, let us think about it!" King Albert I said.
"Of course, there is no problem at all. Your Majesty, you have 24 hours to consider. If the Kingdom of Belgium still does not give us a satisfactory answer by then, then the German Empire will regard the Kingdom of Belgium as having rejected the goodwill of the Empire. When the time comes, His Majesty the King should be very clear about the consequences." The threat in the German ambassador's mouth was not concealed at all.
"His Excellency, do you mean that Germany wants to invade Belgium? We are a neutral country. If Germany does this, it will be condemned by the international community." Prime Minister Brockwell said angrily.
The German ambassador smiled, did not answer, then bowed to King Albert I, and then left the palace.
But the military and political ministers of the Belgian Royal Palace have fallen to the bottom of their mood. They never thought that Germany would blatantly threaten them.
"Gentlemen, the Germans only gave us 24 hours to consider, what should we do?" King Albert I asked.
"Your Majesty, we must not compromise in the face of the threat from the Germans. They keep saying that they will not endanger our safety and interests, but their behavior is already a threat to the Kingdom of Belgium!" Brockville The Prime Minister was very angry.
"Your Excellency Prime Minister, do you mean to reject the Germans? But in that case, the Germans will attack us." Albert I was a little worried. The gap in military strength between the two countries is too great.
"Even if it's a war, what does it matter? Although the Kingdom of Belgium is a small country, we don't lack courage. In order to defend the country's independence and interests, we would rather die in battle than compromise with the Germans." !” Prime Minister Brockville said in a deep voice.
"That's right, the dignity of the Kingdom of Belgium cannot be trampled on. If the Germans want to pass the Kingdom of Belgium, they should step on our corpses and pass! Otherwise, they will never want to pass the Kingdom of Belgium!" The Minister of War also expressed his attitude.
Subsequently, a group of generals expressed their willingness to fight to the end for the dignity of the Kingdom of Belgium. This moved King Albert I very much. At the same time, endless arrogance arose in his heart.
"Very well, since everyone agrees, then tomorrow we can officially reject the unreasonable demands of the Germans. Even if the Kingdom of Belgium will face war because of this, we will not hesitate!" King Albert I said.
"Long live Belgium!" The military and political ministers of the Kingdom of Belgium shouted one after another.
"His Excellency, Minister of War, send more troops to the Liege Fortress. Once the Germans launch an attack, the Liege Fortress will be the first target of their attack." King Albert I said.
"Yes, Your Majesty. Our army will be mobilized immediately. The first batch of 30,000 troops will go to the fortress of Liege. With the strong fortifications and the 6,000 defenders stationed there, it is enough to resist the Germans for a while However, because our strength gap is too great, it is almost impossible to completely resist the German attack." The Minister of War said with some embarrassment.
Albert I nodded. He also knew that this was reality and there was no way to change it.
"Your Excellency, Foreign Minister, immediately ask for help from the British side. Once the Germans attack the Kingdom of Belgium, and we cannot resist it, it will be a disaster for Britain, France and the entire Entente. I believe that Britain and France, We will not stand by and watch us being defeated and occupied by the Germans. They will definitely send reinforcements to save us. As long as we persist for a while, the final victory must be ours!" King Albert I will hope, all Pinned on Britain and France.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Foreign Minister Coleman nodded.