```
Paris, ever since the news of the Japanese Army's sneak attack on the Philippines reached him, Napoleon IV had not slept well for several days.
Regardless, the Japanese Army's move southward was at the invitation of England and France. To get the Spaniards to stand down, both the English and French governments repeatedly assured them. Now that this had happened, they naturally could not shirk their responsibility.
In this age of survival of the fittest, promises are no different from hot air. If it were normal times, Napoleon IV wouldn't mind breaking his promise to Spain, as they wouldn't be able to do much about it anyway.
But now was different. Unlike detached Britannia, France was presently mired in the quagmire of European warfare, struggling to free itself. Even the declining Spain could now pose a fatal threat to them.
How to appease the enraged Spaniards and resolve this diplomatic dispute became the most pressing issue for the French government to face.
