Board Thread:Lore Discussion/@comment-26213507-20150715194939/@comment-26896471-20150827193029

Legate Rikke herself states that many of the Stormcloaks are ex-legionaires dissatisfied by the WGC. Even if it were the case that most Stormcloaks were farmers, this would not matter. It would not only be Stormcloaks who would fight the Thalmor should Skyrim be attacked. In the event of Imperial defeat in the Civil War, those who backed the Empire in Skyrim would still, I believe, take to fighting the Thalmor in defence of their own homes. Should the Empire win, those who backed the Stormcloaks would not go out to Cyrodil and fight for the Imperial armies.

On the other hand, they might possibly (I'd need to consider this) fight alongside the Empire as allies in Cyrodil. I've never really seen an independent Skyrim's policy being hostility to the Empire.

If this would negate the manpower advantage of an independent Skyrim, it would not negate the economic benefits. Economically, Cyrodil has been ravaged by the Great War, while Skyrim was left untouched by it. Skyrim's resources would go primarily to rebuilding Imperial infrastructure should Skyrim remain part of the Empire. With such an imbalance, Skyrim is worse off within the Empire. For Cyrodil, they would no longer have to worry about garrisoning a land which, even victory in the Civil War, would unlikely ever be pacified fully.