Try the Saka in H/H without rushing, now that's a challenge! You are poor, and so are your starting regions. The autocalc doesn't make you any favours, because a battle you can win easily playing with horse archers tactics, are calculated more by melee, so those 240 phalangitai are horse-archers slayers. By the time you went south enough to develop an economy it's likely that you are at war with the Arche Seleukia, Baktria, Pahlava and maybe the Sauromatae too.

Also, the goverment system is completely different from the Romans.