Translation: Official Response from the Kingdom of Egypt To the honourable members of the Senate, and the honourable Consuls, We have received your correspondence with a sense of bewilderment. While we appreciate your purported respect for sovereignty, we find ourselves struggling to reconcile your concern with the reality of the world map. You have characterised us as power-hungry for our growth into unowned territory. This is a puzzling – almost fascinating – critique, especially considering the multitude of other nations that are also expanding, among them your own state, which has recently annexed lands to our west. We do not begrudge your growth; why do you begrudge ours? You mention that your people cannot “rest easy.” This is truly the most confusing portion of your letter. Rome maintains a standing force of 400,000 men, 3,000 tanks, and a massive fleet of 300 or so ships, which completely dwarfs even our increasing army numbers. The Kingdom of Egypt is a neutral power with only a fraction of such military might. Why should you tremble because a smaller neighbor is building irrigation canals in the desert? If your citizenry is truly terrified of us, that is their issue. We are not physicians, that we should prescribe remedies for the terror of your people. You suggest a demilitarised border, yet we recollect that it was you who fortified the borders first. You built the walls and armed them, yet request that we disarm? To ask us to disarm after your actions feels less like a gesture of peace and more like a request for a monopoly on security. It seems there has been a misunderstanding within your council, so let us clarify the matter in the hope that you understand: The Kingdom of Egypt has no ambitions in the existing lands of other nations. We do not covet your cities, we do not desire your mountains, and we do not seek to harm your subjects. We will continue our expansion at the pace that suits the Coptic people, and this matter will be of no concern to you. Nevertheless, we agree to sign a non-aggression pact and to demilitarise the border regions.
Official Response to the RCR
