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Originally Posted by SuperMatt18
So this is the thing to me.
How much of her freeing slaves, dothraki, unsullied etc was about her actually caring about people, and how much was also about needing followers and an Army to be able to get and hold the Iron Throne?
IMO she only did that at the time because those actions still supported her overall goal of taking the Iron Throne.
At this point though letting Cersei and rest of Kings Landing stand just meant that there were people left that didn't like her and were a threat to the throne.
In the end Dany's sole motivation since season one was taking her rightful place on the throne by any means necessary - and IMO this was just what she thought needed to be done to achieve that and send a message at that point in time.
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to me this is the thing.
Lets say that she showed mercy and left Kings Landing standing. The other Kingdoms would look at that as a weakness and resist her. She'd also leave a potential rebellion and a potential enemy in her rear.
Instead she shows no mercy and kills everything and leaves the capital a smoldering dead ruin.
She shows her resolve to either have it all or destroy it all with no middle ground.
Remember again when she was told, she's not a queen she's a conqueror.
She just destroyed the undestroyable. She laid waste to the Iron fleet, she destroyed one of the most well defended cities in the realm. Her Dothraki and the rest of her army showed no mercy and butchered what her dragon didn't incinerate.
None of the other Kingdoms are nearly as strong as Kings Landing.
She also leaves no enemy behind as she marches on to consolidate her conquest this time, unlike the last time when she faced constant rebellion by the masters.
Tactically its a ruthless but brilliant move, it ensures that her rear flank is un threatened as are any supply lines as she marches on. All the other Kingdoms are going to concentrate on their realms and not unite under one banner and leave their homes undefended.