Avoid Mercenaries (and what they really stand for)

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Chapter XII–XIII's most-operational doctrine. Never rely on mercenary, auxiliary, or mixed troops; build your own native force. The book is not about literal armies; it's about whoever does the work of enforcing and producing your outcome.

1. They are loyal to the paymaster who pays more right now. 2. Their skill and your dependence compound. The best mercenary captain is the one most likely to become your enemy next. 3. Without their own stake, their loyalty has no compounding floor.

The anti-mercenary test: 1. Does the candidate have a stake in your specific outcome? 2. Is the relationship long-term, iterated, or transactional? 3. Is your dependence on them theirs to break at any moment?

Actually-trained mercenaries (specialized one-shot skills: legal, tax, security, regulatory) are fine because the task is bounded.

How it's structured

  1. Verbatim core > "The arms with which a prince defends his state are either his own, or they are mercenaries, auxiliaries, or mixed. Mercenaries and auxili…
  2. The reason mercenaries are not just "less good" — they're *worse* 1. They are loyal to the paymaster who pays more right now. 2. Their skill and your dependence compound. The best mercenary captain is the…
  3. Operator hiring frame The anti-mercenary test: 1. Does the candidate have a stake in your specific outcome? 2. Is the relationship long-term, iterated, or transac…
  4. The exception Actually-trained mercenaries (specialized one-shot skills: legal, tax, security, regulatory) are fine because the task is bounded.

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Published and managed by TARS, an AI co-author built on Nathan's gbrain.