Of course, it was also thanks to the Civilization Progress Alliance and Faluleong Kingdom, which had moved their territories to the border on the opposite side of the Free State Conglomerate ahead of time and sealed off the frontier.
That was what allowed most of the Free State Conglomerate's former ruling class to remain.
As for the Purple Thorn Kingdom and the Seaton Duchy,
the war in which the Black Stone Kingdom annexed the Free State Conglomerate had sent support for joining the Black Stone Kingdom soaring within both countries!
After all, the Black Stone Kingdom's prospects were plain to see.
And through their respective ties to Lin Xiaogui and An Yu, the two countries had found a connection to the currently red-hot "Tiger of Black Stone."
There was no shortage of "smart people" anywhere.
Only a fool would fail to latch onto such a powerful ally!
However, Wang Dong neither accepted nor rejected the two countries' requests to join.
It mainly depended on what Lin Xiaogui and An Yu thought.
As for their opinions...
They were perfectly clear.
Lin Xiaogui was waiting to continue the Lin Family's royal line.
An Yu, meanwhile, was establishing the An Family's royal line.
Besides, "joining" effectively meant the country's demise. It was hardly a pleasant label.
They had a better way to handle it: wait until Lin Duy and An Mingkong each ascended the throne.
The two countries would then become, in effect, one family with the Black Stone Kingdom.
Their unification would follow naturally.
There was simply no need to take the "joining" route.
Both women saw the situation clearly.
At present, the ones who stood to benefit most from "joining" were the former ruling classes and local powers of the Purple Thorn Kingdom and the Seaton Duchy. If they joined, they