Most of what i enumerated i had already seen before at one time or other, it's just that this time around all of the little annoyances seem to be piling up in a highly concentrated manner (never seen three siege towers fail consistently at the same time for instance).
Earlier today i was besieging an AS town that was completely isolated, no hope of reinforcements, and then *poof* a rebel army spawns out of nowhere and attacks my besieging army. Seriously mind-boggling stuff i swear.

@Randal: i know about units sometimes getting stretched out, making your pursuing unit simply run along in the middle, this was never the case in any of the points i mentioned. The buggers simply pulled away effortlessly.

@Titus Marcellus: you'll find that i never pursued anyone with anything BUT cavalry and light troops. Exhausted and routing heavy infantry (still large units, clumped neatly together) still effortlessly pulled away from my fresh light infantry and horses.
Also; i pursue to the last man EVERY time. Too often have i seen units that were reduced to less than half their original numbers simply be replenished after the battle, without ever entering a town and without any reinforcements nearby.

@SD1987: i started over about seven times, each time hoping to keep the SA pacified long enough for me to go east, it never ever worked for me. In my current game i attacked SA immediately, and i seem to have broken their backs, but for the very first time Pahlava and SR seem incapable of getting a large enough army to attack SA in Alexandreia Margiane/Eschate. (You can bet they will after I decide to take these towns however).

Mind you, i'm still having fun, but i guess there just are these "events" that i feel need mention sometimes.