Irrelevant, Gobwin Knob wouldn't have been Stanley's City once he was dead. It would have been neutral, frozen in time, unable to take any action unless attacked and incapable of waging war. Containing hundreds of people who would have been a threat to no one. And Ansom was openly plotting to sack the City under those circumstances. No comparison you can make to waging war on Cities in our World can change that.
One word: Capture. She was trying to take him alive, it would have taken him little effort to do the same. But as always, he takes the path of evil.