Back in the medieval times, when you didn’t have enough gold or silver, you couldn’t pay your armies and they would eventually simply stop fighting for you.

The incentives for your kingdom to be well off aligned with your ability as a ruler to acquire more wealth for your nation. More gold > bigger armies > more land > less tax on commoners > happier people.

Now we just print money out of thin air, dilute everyone’s savings and purchasing power and make everyone unhappy. No additional wealth going to war, just more debt. The few at the top benefit and so do the contractors but everyone else is screwed, either physically or financially.