I said I would try the aggressive strategy twice, so here is report 2.

Original Redux Expert Spanish: goal –eliminate Moors asap-

-- result: Moors eliminated by 721. Spain has 19000 florins and a significant army in Egypt (5 units of feudal cavalry plus original army of regular foot (and mercs) that have swept through North Africa with little resistance.

-- achieved by same tactics as in my last report; (forget to mention - build inns and when possible buy mercs, to frighten the AI even more I guess). Also early on after taking Cordoba, stay in Cordoba for about 3 years before moving on. This reduces Cordoba's rebellion chance and allows time to build up peasant stacks. This wait in Cordoba doesn't cause any problems.

-- this time, I fought NO battles with the Moorish faction proper; they retreated when attacked. Most castles could only resist for 1 year. A lot of factions have allied with me. Many factions broke of their alliances with the Moors as I attacked the Moors.

-- Only difference this time was the Moors had some rebellions, so I had to fight 2 battles with rebel Moorish armies in Tunisia and Sahara; but it was no big deal to defeat them.

-- cash supply is not a problem (I build farm upgrades and the expanding desert empire plus ransom money (and 2 gifts from the Pope!!) means I can afford to buy some decent troops and mercs.

-- overall situation year 721:
Egypt is a nice place to take without a fight – many troop type are recruitable there.
Castille is well garrisoned with regulars.
To the North, Navarre stayed uncontrolled for a long time, now it has a raider army.
East and west, Portugal and Aragon have good armies but are still my best buddies.
Loyalty means I can raise taxes now for more cash.
Granada was invaded by rebels but they're not a significant force. The Saracen army I’m facing in Sinai is looking dangerous; perhaps I could ally with them.

The moors definitely need some sort of fix early on