I learned my lesson about the value of high-valor troops the hard way. I was in a defensive battle against the Castille-Leonese (XL version of the Spanish) in Navarre or some such place with high hills. The Castillians left a unit of Jinettes exposed near my left flank. I didn't have many arrrows left, so I sent a full unit of mounted seargeants charging straight down the steep mountain into the Jinettes. I checked my right flank for just a second, and then I came back to find that my Mounted Sergeants were reduced to less than 10 men and routing. I grumbled a bit about the fact that Jinettes were never that effective when I played the Spanish, and then I sent a full unit of Chivilric Knights straight down the mountain in a perfect charge guaranteed to send those uppity Jinettes packing. This time I stuck around to watch the action, and found that I didn't even have a chance of disengaging my Knights before they too were reduced to the level of combat ineffectiveness. About then I finally noticed that all that yellow laundry flying around in the air above the Jinettes was valor flags. I didn't get a good count, but it looked like about ten of them. I don't think the Jinettes lost more than five units in those two charges combined. A fresh unit of Italian Infantry finally got ahold of those Jinettes on a hill to the side of the main battle and fought them until my Italians were nearly exhausted. I think I had about 40 - 50 Italian Infantry left when the last Jinette finally died fighting.

Now I always scan the valor of enemy units in the pre-battle screen just to avoid nasty surprises. I also have my own little core of Hobilars and Mounted Sergeants who sport 5 or 6 valor without a general's bonus.