गुरुव्यसनं न्यायवृत्तिमभियुक्तं प्रकृतयोऽनुगृह्णन्ति लघुव्यसनमन्यायवृत्तिमुपेक्षन्ते विरक्ता बलवन्तमप्युच्छिन्दन्ति ॥ कZ_०७.५.१० ॥
guruvyasanaṃ nyāyavṛttim abhiyuktaṃ prakṛtayo'nugṛhṇanti laghuvyasanam anyāyavṛttim upekṣante viraktā balavantam apy ucchindanti
Apabila diserang, unsur-unsur negara (prakṛti) menyokong pemerintah yang berkelakuan adil walaupun dia berada dalam kesusahan besar; mereka mengabaikan pemerintah yang berkelakuan tidak adil walaupun kesusahannya kecil; dan apabila mereka telah berpaling hati, mereka boleh menjatuhkan bahkan pemerintah yang kuat.
Legitimacy and internal cohesion determine wartime resilience more than raw power alone.
Prefer targets with disaffected populations/elite networks; they are more likely to defect or refuse mobilization.