Dragon Kingdom's forty-eight-hour ultimatum had been issued, and the entire surrounding region changed completely.
The Sakura Kingdom's upper echelon scurried about like ants on a hot pan. Within just a few hours, they sent Dragon Kingdom over a hundred exceedingly humble diplomatic letters of "goodwill" and "loyalty" through every possible public, private, and even third-party channel.
Not only did they promise to export every resource Dragon Kingdom needed at extremely low prices, they even vaguely indicated that they could cooperate with Dragon Kingdom in pressuring the Eagle Kingdom.
Yet the Dragon Kingdom Ministry of Foreign Affairs had only four words in response—read, no reply.
"This time, we have every right to say: the Celestial Empire lacks nothing!"
"When the gap becomes great enough, history will never repeat itself."
After receiving the news, the official in charge of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs merely cast a cold glance at the groveling diplomatic language and could not even be bothered to look twice.
Such an arrogant cold shoulder left the Sakura Kingdom's prime minister so frantic in his office that he nearly committed seppuku.
But across the ocean in the Eagle Kingdom, President Donnie and the hawkish generals still clung to one last unwilling fantasy.
"Withdraw? Absolutely impossible! This is the island chain we've cultivated for nearly a century!"
An Eagle Kingdom four-star general slammed his palm onto the table. "Dragon Kingdom is merely bluffing! I don't believe they truly dare launch an open strike against military bases within the territory of a sovereign allied nation! That would trigger World War Three!"
"Pressure the Sakura Kingdom. We must hold our ground!"
Not only did the Eagle Kingdom's upper echelon fail to issue a withdrawal order, they instead sent their major military bases stationed in the Sakura Kingdom the "highest-level hold-at-all-costs order"!
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