User blog comment:Zippertrain85/Why the Stormcloaks are right./@comment-101.161.47.117-20130515101214/@comment-3217145-20130515163605

I posted this way below, but it's unlikely anyone will notice and it's pertinent.

The Empire may have surrendered, but that seems to be more an issue of cutting losses than anything. They did it after successfully retaking the Imperial City as I understand. There seem to be plenty of legionnaires left in Skyrim. If the Dominion had held the Imperial City and killed Mede, the "Empire" would be gone. The viability of Skyrim or any other province wouldn't matter anymore, so there's no reason to think that the surrender took into great consideration how much strength was left in their lands outside of Cyrodiil or the Imperial City itself. I don't think that the Emperor surrendering says much about what Skyrim, Hammerfell, or an alliance of provinces could do against the Dominion. The Empire is in tatters as it is (half of Skyrim, a disillusioned Morrowind, and a wrecked Cyrodiil), so it's hardly more powerful than a diverse group of countries united by common interest.

Also, Skyrim's population is divided over the question of supporting the Empire or the Stormcloaks. When one side wins, there will be much less division. There is virtually no division about opposing the Dominion. So if it came to survival and defending the country itself from foreign invaders, I doubt they would have much trouble uniting.

But Zipper, I'm not sure I would call the Dominion a "handful" of anything ;P