The British Government panicked, and the Japanese Government, as the main player, panicked even more. Unlike before, they had truly reached a moment of life or death.
No one had expected the European powers to be so utterly shameless that their taking sides had escalated to personally entering the fray.
A casually uttered phrase—"economic sanctions"—could cost the Empire of Japan half its life.
If they truly carried out the contents of the diplomatic note, and the spheres of influence of the Continental Alliance's eighteen nations all became forbidden zones to them, then there would be no need for the Japanese Government to develop international trade anymore. They might as well shut the country off from the world.
One only had to look at a world map to know that the Continental Alliance's sphere of influence already covered more than half the globe. Given the domineering conduct of the great powers in this era, cross-border enforcement was hardly uncommon.
Against this backdrop, Japanese merchant ships venturing out onto the high seas would be going forth never to return.
With both international markets and maritime transport lost, Japan would become meat on the chopping block, left to be carved up by others.
That was still the civilized approach. If they went a step further, the Continental Alliance might directly send troops to wipe out the Japanese Navy. Another "Black Ship Incident" was not impossible.
The consequences of refusal were grave, but the consequences of compromise were equally grave. With the war having reached this point, the Japanese Government had already exhausted every effort. To compromise now would render all their previous achievements void.
Whether it was the terrible casualties or the enormous military expenditures, both had forced the Japanese Government into a corner.
Taking a step back would no longer open up