The Assyrians would do this kind of thing–the effect is 1:1 even coming from within domestically.
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The Assyrians would use a variety of tactics to convince the city to betray their king.
>Assyrian envoys would stand directly outside the city walls and deliver their speeches. When the local ruling officials begged them to speak in Aramaic (the diplomatic language of the elites) so the common people wouldn't understand, the Assyrian envoys aggressively refused. They deliberately shouted in the local native language (e.g., Judean Hebrew) so that the soldiers on the wall and the citizens inside could hear every word, driving an immediate wedge between the rulers and the public.So Assyrian envoys would do this to coax the people inside to betray.
Spiritual Gaslighting ("God is on our side")>To break the religious resolve of the citizens, the Assyrians used theological subversion. They argued that the local king had actually offended the gods by changing religious practices or failing to keep peace. The envoy would boldly claim that the local deity had personally commanded Assyria to destroy the city, telling the people that their king was leading them into a hopeless fight against the divine will.So Assyrians would twist the religious resolve to favor the enemy:
Now religion and virtue are twisted against them and makes them capable of betraying each other. In an instance like this, religion and pretense become a severe enemy.
Assyrians would appeal to fear like the Mongols:>The Assyrians relied heavily on their broad reputation for absolute brutality. The envoys would list all the neighboring nations and kings they had already crushed, pointing out that no god or ruler had ever successfully stopped them. They made it clear that if the people stayed loyal to their king and resisted, they would face systematic torture—including flaying, impalement, and disembowelment.Post too long. Click here to view the full text.