Maybe also a bigger gap between bad, mediocre, good, and elite bodyguard units. Generally, the bodyguard units are all above-average within a reasonable range. So for example I was able to take 3 Yuan Shu scrubs -- I can't even remember which, other than that it didn't even include Ji Ling -- and beat Lu Bu to death with them simply by surrounding him and going (charge from three sides) ---> (withdraw) ---> (charge again) ---> etc.

Every General's Bodyguard unit in the field really adds to an army's strength in MTW2. But there's no reason that 5 mediocre "named characters" would be any more of a threat to an army led by, for example, Xiahou Yuan and Xiahou Dun, than 2 of them. For advisers and garbage commanders (I'm looking at you, Chunyu Qiong), there's really no reason the bodyguard unit should be substantially better than a regular 2nd-level (non-levy) unit of the same type.