On January 2, Lancang Country announced its entry into the fray. Prime Minister Hong Maki condemned the Jieke Group: "The geopolitical security of Southeast Asia is closely related to our country's interests. The escalation of tensions is not in Lancang's interest, nor is it in the interest of the region or the world.
The Jieke Group's crimes in Siam will not cease, and they are unwilling to reach a truly substantive peace agreement. After several unsuccessful negotiations, we in Lancang officially announce today that we are sending troops to help Siam resist the Jieke Group's barbaric military invasion. As long as the Jieke Group does not stop its military actions in Siam, we will not withdraw our forces."
On January 3, the Prime Minister of An Nan Country, Du Zhongchun, issued a tough statement: "Recently, we have heard threats from the Jieke Group... We tell them, we will not ignore any threats. The Jieke Group's attempt to use 'espionage and terrorist actions' to force us to back down has underestimated our resolve.
In the recent war conflicts, we in An Nan respect the territorial integrity of Siam. Any strike by the Jieke Group against Siam will receive a severe response from An Nan Country. It's not enough to just protect Siam; that would not be victory, for victory means defeating the adversary.
What we need to do is to advance into Chan Country territory and completely destroy the Jieke Group, this cancer plaguing Southeast Asia, to liquidate the high-ranking members of the Jieke Group, and to restore true peace and freedom to the Southeast Asian region.
I also call again, at this critical juncture, to prevent the spread of the Jieke Group's neo-Nazi ideology, all Southeast Asian countries should stand together with the people of Siam. Victory will surely be ours."
Amidst the stern declarations from these three countries, a total of 450,000 troops from the trio entered within Siam.
Among these three countries, Zhenla Country sent 20,000 troops, and Lancang Country sent 30,000.
As neither of these two countries has a strong population or military might—the former being the poorest in Southeast Asia and the only landlocked country, with a population of over seven million and less than a hundred thousand troops, even poorer than Chan Country which has seen frequent internal conflicts.
The latter isn't much better off, with a population of seventeen million and a combined army, navy, and air force of just over a hundred thousand, of which the air force and navy amount to a mere ten thousand.
That these two countries could send so many troops was already quite a gesture. If it were not for the threat posed by the Jieke Group and Siam's willingness to foot the bill for military expenses and other benefits, they would have been reluctant to come.
However, to counter the threat of the Jieke Group, they still further mobilized their militias, opened up more recruitment for soldiers, and eked out more war potential.
Mainly because Siam, the wealthy big brother, was willing to spend liberally, they were content to follow behind and cheer, swelling the ranks and giving face to their generous brother.
So, Zhenla and Lancang mainly boosted the numbers, but it was An Nan Country that was the main force in sending troops.
An Nan Country had a population of one hundred million, a domestic GDP of over three hundred billion US dollars, and past military success striking down the Blue Star Dominator, the Beautiful Country. Its military ethic was considered the strongest among Southeast Asian countries, with regular forces, provincial armies, and Self-defense Teams adding up to over two million, plus another four million in reserves—a total mobilization nation.
Because of this, An Nan Country mobilized 400,000 troops this time, with the vast amounts of funding provided by Siam and certain concessions of interests promised by Siam, they had no reservations. They also wanted to prove who was the real leader in Southeast Asia.
Faced with the entry of An Nan, Lancang, and Zhenla into the war, with a stance firmly supporting Siam, the Jieke Group only gave a bland response. Liu Yingying casually mentioned in a televised speech: "Any participating country that opposes the Jieke Group is on the Jieke Group's list for a counterstrike, and they will bear the consequences."
The meaning of those words was simple: If you dare send troops to join the war, wait and see if we don't take you down.
For those countries that haven't experienced the iron fist of the Jieke Group, a lesson was in order, not to mention it was a good opportunity to show them who was the real big brother in Southeast Asia.