No one truly liked war.
Except arms dealers.
Perhaps ambitious schemers, grain merchants, extremists, bankers, heavy equipment manufacturers, mercenaries, mine owners, the steel industry, and industrial workers should be added to that list as well. Uh, unpleasant as it was to admit, wars that brought countless misfortunes could indeed bring wages to certain groups, certain individuals, perhaps even people around you.
War was not worth glorifying. If possible, everyone should despise it. But once war became unavoidable, one had to change one's way of thinking, proactively consider the changes and effects it would bring, and ensure everything remained "on track."
"Food prices, represented by pork, have actually dropped by over thirty percent. Is the Eastern Kingdom releasing strategic reserves?"
"Fifty-three common types of steel have seen widespread price increases... Uh, and seventeen types have been directly ordered to cut production?!"
The notion that war was a catalyst for social evolution was not entirely accurate. It was more like an illness, forcing you to adapt and evolve. Those who failed to adapt simply perished. It could never be called a "gift"; it was merely an even harsher forced transformation that eliminated losers incapable of adapting.
The interests of the Steel Industry Association and the Labor Union were not actually the same. Yet, just when most outsiders assumed they would be delightedly welcoming soaring incomes—
"Help us! Raw materials have become far too expensive, and so many production lines have been shut down. A huge number of workers are about to be laid off."
War had brought a flood of orders, directly creating prosperity in the military industry, but it had also forced it to upgrade. Especially after the Mechanical Awakeners of this world had been removed from the list of taboos, vast amounts of stockpiled technology had been unlocked as well.