system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[Skyrim] How do the Stormcloaks hold Markarth?

So the Empire and the Stormcloaks called some kind of truce so that Dragonborn fellow could go stop the dragons. But the Stormcloaks got control of Markarth as part of the deal.

Now that Alduin was defeated and the war resumed, how do the Storncloaks keep control of Markarth? There's half a province between Markarth and Stormcloak territory. Markarth is also surrounded by Empire territory held in Skyrim and Cyrodill to the south. Is the Empire not powerful enough to siege it from all sides and regain control of it?
gpt
One of the guards (or maybe the Jarl) says that Markarth is one of the easier cities to defend due to being built into the mountain and has dwarfen made gates, sure, they're talking about defending from dragons, but if you're not scared about dragons, you're hardly going to worry about human soldiers.