Even that hypothetical is a very weak argument for punishment. There's a huge difference between making a decision to move the capital while you still control the city, and choosing the best of two options when you're forced to after the capital leaves in a hostile manner. Shouldn't be penalized when making a smart decision out of a bad situation.
I think the fact that you view it as necessarily the "smart" decision shows just how deep the misunderstanding goes about the reasoning for this rule in the first place.
Why, in real-world terms, would it be "smart" to put your
capital city—the seat of your entire realm's government—on the front line of a war? Remember, the fact that it is also your sole recruitment base is an
OOC restriction intended to maintain gameplay balance.
Frankly, it's comments like these that make me want to implement stiff penalties for having your capital sacked, or even just losing a battle there to any significant number of enemy troops. Maybe if, say, tax collection was suspended for two full weeks after such an event due to the civil turmoil, people might think twice about the front line being a
strategically "smart" place for their capital....
