Fourth attempt at the campaign, about to commence. "Easy" faction my butt... Who decides on the difficulty of those starting locations?
Furthermore there are mechanics in the game that you are not aware of and you have to learn the tricks of. This happens in all games, with S2TW being the worst offender with the "and suddenly the entire world declares war on you for the lulz" and R2TW being the most benign. But this game is harder.

At the time, it seems better game overall, with more things to do. But perhaps this is because it is a new game for me, with enough new things to keep me interested. It is quite early for me to tell.


Anywaaaay, hints for the uninitiated:
Armies: Sure, soldiers are useful. But generals are FREE UPKEEP. 2 weak heroes in your army, pushovers, will kill as many people as a unit. So, whenever you can, hire a general and do not give him more soldiers! What I mean is that sure an army with 3 heroes and 18 units is better than an army with 3 heroes and 6 units. But it is also 3 times more expensive. And an army with 3 heroes and 6 units is significantly better than an army with 1 hero and 6 units. And if the hero is not a pushover but someone that can really fight? Lu Bu for example? Lol.
Result: Have your "main" army and have a small army of 3 heroes and 6 units trailing it.

PS. The AI knows this. When it cannot afford large armies, it keeps heroes. Also if you try to make a custom battle with like 7000 coins, the AI will put in 6 veterans in the army and 3-4 units.