It's not so much a challenge for me as it is

1.) Attack and take the weakest border city, declare war on rebels.
2.) Watch as 5 full stacks invade my two settlements, having two army stacks with only 3-5 units per army.
3.) Lose.

It's either that or suffer -12000 profit per turn while having just enough of an army to stay on the offensive while keeping my cities alive and fed while the five nations attacking me refuse to a ceasefire, sacrificing any notion of a navy(making my three settlements on islands fend for themselves).

Even Medium is kicking the crap out of me