The next stage of shrinking involved something more subtle. If narratives could win wars, then controlling narratives became the most valuable political skill.
Interpretation became power. Two people could observe the same event and describe it in completely different ways. A protest could be called a revolution, a revolution could be called a riot and a riot could be called self-defense and whichever description spread fastest would determine how the world reacted.
This discovery changed everything because interpretation was infinitely flexible. While swords are limited by physics., imagination is the only limitation on words. Once political actors realized this, they began investing enormous resources into controlling language. Media networks expanded, public relations industries exploded and political messaging became a science.
The sword was shrinking rapidly now. Every year fewer conflicts required direct violence. More conflicts could and were being resolved through narrative dominance.