In the long and bloody battles of the Napoleonic Wars in Europe, when half the male population o the UK of fighting age stretching over near twenty years, were slaughtered on land and sea all over Europe, the outcome was a final victory over the French and her Allies for the British and her Allies (allies being a movable feast as at Waterloo no one knew until they charged just who the Prussians were going to fight alongside.)
The outcome was the British Empire’s gold age when for the rest of the century she ruled the seas and had the strongest army in the world. In similar fashion the generals of Muhammed used his army to invade the world and over five hundred years created a huge Empire, which was more than doubled when the Mongols converted without a sword being lifted. That Empire today though fragmented into autonomous countries, still exists.
Quin pulled warring states together two thousand years ago and created one of the largest countries in the world, China, and the whole world looks upon her renaissance with both wonder and fear. Feelings than Quin may not have appreciated as much as we may think because like all tyrants he didn’t like the outside world very much.
We may hate the idea but much of the world’s difficulties today, and those that will face our grandchildren, stem from our willingness to war on each other. Every border of every country has been drawn through conflict. When we pronounce upon peace we would do well to remember that and speak humbly and kindly of the mountains of dead we stand upon.