it always is.

several times, I sent my prince off with a giant viking army and had him blaze a path of destruction through the HRE to take Venice.

I managed to raze 2 keeps and a lot of other buildings.

soon, HRE was in full blown civil war and rapidly autoceasefired with me.

I grabbed Saxony and kept it.

also, I held on in Venice despite Italian counter attacks and managed to become the premier naval power in the med due to the captured shipyard.