Wow, I was attempting to make a joke and I guess I got taken seriously.
The thing Shinuyama should ask themselves is, do they just want to stop Pythium from winning, or do they want to actually win themselves? Because there is no way to prevail over Pythium without incurring terrible losses -- and then some other nation will go on to win (probably Caelum). On the other hand, attacking some smaller nation to gain territory and build up strength puts Shinuyama in a much better position to actually win the game. Sure, Pythium might grow stronger in the meantime but that's only a risk, not a guaranteed loss.
Not that I expect this advice to be heeded. But win or lose, it looks like I'm likely to have some interesting action this game, so I'm pretty happy about it.