Your people aren't that loyal xd
Dude, my people would commit suicide before being ruled by someone else.
From that logic, during World War II, all of the Germans at their max territory only had 20 million people, and there would be no French or Polish/ other countries today.
Yeah that's not how that works
That isn't how annexation works.
You'll have to execute my entire population to annex any of my territory, idiot.
Annex occupied territory. Send troops on different pathways to prevent clustering. Land naval troops at random ports.
I've had greater disadvantages. And won. I've even had technological disadvantages and won.
Well, lets count your disadvantages, your people are under control of foreign powers, you have no production, what remains of your industry is a rubble pile, your capital is under siege, your ships are unsupplied and damaged (most), quite disadvantaged indeed.
I have a large amount of tactical cunning. I can win with a major disadvantage.