One point that seems significant to me here. Cities are very important to Lunars, and especially Dara Happans. Cities are almost irrelevant to Orlanthi.
Perhaps the defenders of Whitewall originally decide to hold out in Whitewall as typical Heortling defiance. As time goes on, they realize that the empire attaches huge significance to the conquest of Whitewall as a city. Their response is to refuse to fall into the trap of defending it as a city -- they evacuate the population and defenders, leaving the empire an empty victory. They recognize that the Orlanthi way is not attached to a mere place. Like the wind, they escape the empire's grasp.
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