It is enough to reread the conversation given above between the British Ambassador and the German Secretary of State to come to a clear conclusion in that respect.  If the violation of Belgian territory was to procure so signal an advantage to Germany that she had no fear of bringing on war with England to attain it, then for Belgium to lend herself to the passage of German troops must have meant the certainty of fatal consequences for France.  Thus for Belgium to have yielded to the German ultimatum would ipso facto have conferred a considerable advantage to Germany, to the detriment of the other belligerent, and would have constituted a breach of neutrality.

Germany concludes her note by threats.  She engages, on the condition already defined, to evacuate Belgian territory at the conclusion of peace.  If Belgium behaves in a hostile manner [that is to say, if she does her duty] Germany will be obliged to consider Belgium as an enemy.  She would then leave the ultimate arrangements of the relations of the two States to the decision of arms.  In other words, if Belgium does not agree to violate the treaty, Germany will treat her as an enemy, and she adds a veiled threat of annexing a part or the whole of her territory.

The moral fibre of nations is not always measured by their size or power.  Belgium is small and weak, but her answer bears witness to her love of justice and to her respect of the right.  She would rather die with honor than live dishonored.

That was made clear by the answer of her Government.  The answer was as follows: 

Reply to German Note.

The German note has been a painful surprise to the Belgian Government.  The intentions which the note attributes to France are in contradiction to the formal declarations which were made to us on the 1st of August in the name of the republic.  Besides, if contrary to our expectations, France is about to violate the neutrality of Belgium, Belgium would be prepared to fulfil its neutrality obligations, and her army would offer to the invader the most vigorous resistance.  The treaties of 1839, confirmed by the treaties of 1870, commit to the guarantee of the powers and notably to the Government of his Majesty the King of Prussia the independence and neutrality of the Kingdom of Belgium.

The Chancellor of the German Empire said in a sitting of the Reichstag on the 4th of August: 

We are in a state of legitimate defense Necessity knows no law.  Our troops have occupied Luxemburg and have perhaps already penetrated into Belgium.  This is against the law of nations.  France, it is true, has declared to Brussels that she is determined to respect the neutrality of Belgium as long as her adversary respects it, but we know that France was ready to invade Belgium.  France can afford to wait; we cannot.  A French attack on our flank in the region of the lower Rhine might have been fatal.  It is for that