Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-24402683-20131012015855/@comment-4971713-20140203000137

There's another good reason the AD wouldn't be able to take Black Marsh. I'd assume we'd all agree that the Redguards and loyal people of Hammerfell would certainly love to hamstring the AD as soon as their focus is shifted on someplace like Black Marsh, considering they fought AD forces to a standstill before the events of Skyrim. So, even if the AD brought their full might against BM, whats left of the Empire, Hammerfell (despite hating the Empire for abandoning them, I'm sure their hatred for the AD outweighs this) and (depending on how the canon lore for Skyrim would be) the Nords of Skyrim would certainly be able to screw their plans over multiple times. Most people already established that BM is pretty much unliveable to anyone but Argonians, and after brutally defeating Daedra in their own gates and realm (with the aid of the Hist Sap) would convey the feeling that 1 Argonian footsoldier doped up could take out...I'll be generous and say 5 Aldmeri footsoldiers. The only REAL difference would be the amount of magic the AD has compared to the population of BM.

Also, to those suggesting the only way to beat BM being an economic defeat, I like to refer to The Argonian Account books ingame, though I know they may not be 100% canon, that BM can and has provided its own food for its province quite easily. If anything, the An-Xileel could literally just tighten up farms and populations to focus on survival for their own people.