How to pronounce “dead loss” in English

empire tends to drive down rates of violence in the subjugated people not because the early kings and emperors had a benevolent interest in the welfare of their citizens but ratherbecause tribal raiding and feuding is a nuisance to imperial overlords since it just settles scores among them or shuffles resources at a dead loss to theking or emperor who just as soon keep the people alive to supply him with taxes and soldiers and slaves. So just as a farmer has incentive to prevent his cattle from killing