Chapter 10 contains a lesson for the conqueror. Again, we find no Italian examples in the chapter, which may indicate that it bears upon Italy most of all.
Machiavelli discusses how it is that one who invades a country with fortresses will act: he will burn and ruin the countryside upon arrival, which will only bind the people to the prince that much more – they’ll have nothing left to lose. The defender would seem to have nothing to worry about.
But if you are the conqueror, what is the takeaway? Burn everything slowly. Burn the houses and farms one at a time at random. Make the people watch as the property of their neighbors is destroyed while they worry that theirs will be next. Those with stuff to lose will pressure the prince to do something about the threat, after all he is supposed to keep their persons and property safe from threats foreign and domestic.
Notice every lesson in political life cuts both ways. When you tell someone what to do, you are also implicitly telling the others what they can do to counter it.
Machiavelli also makes explicit that men are obligated more by the benefits they give than they are by those they receive – which is something all women are aware of. Think of how women get men to be more committed to them, they have them give them things and do things for them. Part of this is the understanding of quid pro quo. But another part is that we are influenced by the hopes for the future, as we invest ourselves into it, we spend more time trying to make the hopes reality. The lesson is to let people do things for you as they become invested in you and thus more attached to you. They are literally invested in your success.