"They couldn't protect you" the fallacy of the Aristocracy and War.

"They couldn't protect you" say the Japanese after defeating the British in the Far East.

This is the historical pattern of invasion.

Your elite gets defeated and a new elite turn up to take their place.

They ask for taxes (around 50% historically) and justify it by saying they will fight to protect their enslaved population.

Another elite see this lucrative enslaved population and mount an invasion. If they lose then the existing elite say the protected the slaves. If they win they claim they have liberated the slaves, and take up elite position to simply replace the previous elite and claim the taxes (tributes).

Now the crazy thing here is that the elite somehow manage to persuade the slaves to fight for them. They claim the war is to protect the slaves. But really it is to protect the elite. And in fact the elite are not fighting to protect their slaves, but ti protect and maintain their authority. 

The very worst thing that can ever happen to the ordinary people in a war is that their elite lose and get replaced by another elite. For the ordinary people it makes no difference. They will always pay taxes and tribute to their ruling elites, and all a war does is decide which ruling elite can enjoy that tribute the people pay.

The very most stupid thing the ordinary man can ever do is take up arms for their masters.