Records mode for me.

While I do understand the appeal for Romance, because this was made specifically for this idea, with an epic behind it, Records mode for me. It's probably because we're so accustomed to having Total War battles and as a result we want to experience that, considering this is still the latest historical title as of this year. As for the battle between characters, I do not pay much attention to it, but there is a certain meta behind the units and armies. The Nanman armies are way too powerful, for example, and you need to do a lot of work to make sure they allow you to expand as you see fit on the map.

Plus, something that esentially was introduced with Rome and Attila - the top down overview of the strategic map, both on the campaign map and battle map, is quite useful for planning strategy.