Hmm, I sent a general and two units of Teutonic Knights from my capital to a castle and on half the way he got bribed by Sicily or just decided to join them, I don't know. In the following round, my two units of Teutonic Knights, which were apparently loyal and still under my command annihilated him and one of them became man of the hour.

But I pretty often use or have to use armies without general anyway because they either die at the worst moment in a battle(like when I decide to let them kill the last militia unit in a city square, because this seems safe for a mighty general...) or they happen to drink some coffee with an inquisitor who doesn't really enjoy the conversation...