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Sometimes this is good advice. For some rather vivid counterexamples, read up on Genghis Khan.

Computer security is of course a whole different thing.

The wrath of the Khans was amazing.

Seemed like your odds of dying were pretty high either way. Give him all your stuff and starve. Or say no and get beheaded..

And let's not forget that 1 in 200 people around the world are his direct descendants

nice one!

How do you know that?

Its quoted in Wrath of the Kahns, not sure the original source.

"Give him all your stuff and starve. Or say no and get beheaded.."

I'm not sure about the starving part, would you have any references? If a city surrendered he did not sack it. If it did not - yeah, bad.

Yes, pros and cons, its quite possible that by paying one then has enough breathing space to set up better defences.