User blog comment:ShawnCognitionCP/The Empire vs Stormcloaks, the most likely answer/@comment-9062114-20140611211441/@comment-27007772-20140611212729

Torygg would have if Ulfric would have asked, instead, Ulfric killed Troygg and took the throne. Though Torygg looked up to the Empire a lot, he was very good friends with Ulfric, and would have easily listened.

The Thalmor army is easily at least one hundred times the Empire's. The fact that the biggest group was taken out means nothing. Every character that knows of the subject says it was essential. The Empire had no choice.

He is setting an image, like a good leader does. It is a recruiting tool, hence why he presses it so much.

Ulfric, at many times, did things out of greed. He is interested in the throne of the high king, more so than anything else. With the murder of his father being the fuel,  he wants to rule. Hence the murder of Torygg. Tullius is correct, by the way. The was is strictly benifiting the Thalmor.

The Thalmor army, in the time of Skyrim's story, is enough that both the Empire and Stormcloask are too afraid to attack. Both Tullius and Ulfric say they are too large. You underestimate their size. The Stormcloaks are not fit to rule, and even with those allies (and I did say in the prediction they would get allies), they would fall. The Stormcloaks are most likely 1/1000 the size of the Thalmor military. And Morrowind is currently in the Empire, made obvious by a map. OnlyHammerfell and Summerset isles are not members of the Empire.