About to bump up the difficulty

[rookie7]

I also noticed that you can't withdraw in a battle when playing hard level. So, if you have reinforcements, you can't tell your archers to withdraw from battle so you can have fresh archers from reinforcement. Does this happen to anyone else?

[PutCashIn]

Im a newbie on these forums Rookie, but no retreat sounds alot like the strategic situation where your entire army is given no chance of surrender.
Its denoted by a little white scimitar and skull (I think) icon on the bottom right (I think) of the Generals/Captains picture during the Battle Info screen, the one that pops up in the campaign map mode, befor the game loads the battle mode.

Then, no one can retreat from your army, so getting chaught out with just a stack of 6 family members can be tragic, to say the least.

Examples of when this happens:

Defending in a Siege Assault.....theres no where to run!
Using the retreat option on the campaign map, and the enemy attacks a second time, and you loose, forcibly retreat, then a third attacks you (I think).
Geeting attacked on the end of a peninsular with no ship closeby to retreat inot/onto.
Having your army in the pass between Venice and Vienna, then getting hit from front and back....buy buy 6 ex-crusaders.
Any other situation, where, strategically, your in the poo with no way out.
Glub Glub.