User blog comment:Zippertrain85/"Why the Empire Should Prevail Over the Stormcloaks! Part 3 (Economics)" Refuted/@comment-1822253-20140107032124/@comment-9062114-20140108010957

So they actually kill people just for having a negative opinion on the Emperor? Like a secret police? That's kind of another reason to just oppose the Empire in general. And it still doesn't explain why the Thalmor would allow that, they're just as, if not more, arrogant & insecure than the Empire is.

They would see the army size, and compare it to records from other armies made by the Elves.

Read it again, Draevan. It says how Ulfric forced everyone to fight the Reachmen with him or he would execute them, even elders and children.