Q1.
Warfare apart, what other methods do you think the rulers might have used to expand their empires? Pen your ideas and share them with your class.
Answer
War was the loudest method, but rarely the cheapest. Rulers had at least seven quieter ones:
| Method | How it worked | An example from the chapter |
|---|---|---|
| Diplomacy and alliances | Make a neighbour a friend (mitra) instead of a target; Kauṭilya counts allies as one of the seven limbs of a kingdom | Chandragupta kept a diplomatic relationship with the Greeks and hosted Megasthenes |
| Accepting submission without battle | A smaller king agrees to pay tribute and keeps his throne; no siege, no losses | “In return for tribute and loyalty, emperors generally allowed regional kings to continue to govern” |
| Marriage alliances | Family ties bind two royal houses together far more cheaply than an army | A standard tool of ancient statecraft, implied in the alliances of the saptānga |
| Economic pull | Control the trade route and the market, and smaller states join to share the prosperity | Fig. 5.4.4 — control of rivers and trade networks |
| Show of strength | Fortified settlements at strategic points and a visible trained army persuade neighbours to submit without fighting | Figs. 5.4.1 and 5.4.2 |
| Good governance as advertising | If the emperor's subjects are safe and prosperous, a neighbouring people may prefer his rule | Kauṭilya: “In the happiness of his subjects lies the king's happiness” |
| Religious and cultural influence | Sending teachers and emissaries wins goodwill far beyond the borders | Aśhoka's emissaries to Sri Lanka, Thailand and Central Asia |
Why it happens: The chapter is blunt about the cost of war — soldiers must be “fed, clothed, equipped with weapons, and paid”, elephants and horses cared for, roads and ships built. Every rupee spent fighting is a rupee not spent on the empire. So a shrewd ruler used war last, not first.