cugel you make a lot of good point (so i didn't want to take up the whole page quating your post),but
if you look at the preview of RTW, it sound a lot like your post.
Armies will be able to move around and avoid battle, you would chose the path your army takes. armies speed would be determined by it's slowes unit. Sieges will be fought building to building, and many other realistic/historicly correct features.
My point is => to me it looks like the TW series is moving towards a more realistic/historicly correct game. I would like to believe that that was the gual from the begining. that's why many of us find it disterming that VI will move a way from this direction.