It's coming it's coming it's coming, so they scramble scramble scramble, until they are so completely exhausted, and frightened, they cannot continue, and begin to beg for it to be over. Handing themselves in willingly for punishment, or taking the easy route; bang.
Ramp it up ramp it up ramp it up until they can take it no more.
Preventing as much civil unrest as possible is part of this long game.