SHC do indeed seem to be the key unit. AP missiles and beefy charge with decent melee stats and 5 armour base to resist return fire from other, inferior archery troops.

I think my army is going to be more or less SHC, Bashkorts, Kazanchis and perhaps Chernye Klobuki's or Steppe cavalry as dedicated Archers breakers and pursiung troops.

I've expanded my domain to include Smolensk, and Lithuania is about to fall to my siege troops. I've also got the Russian leader bottled up and cut off the rest of his nation in Livonia and have dropped an army in to his province to smash him. The Russian Grand Prince is only 16 years old and has just been crowned, his father having died of illness last year. He's too young to have an Hier, so I'm hoping that this will end the Russians as a faction.

If so I intend to find and bribe some of the their now rebel 4+ command generals as they are much better than my own ones. These ex Russian generals will form the backbone of my army in the field. I'll just need to title them up to boost their loyalty and get them married off to a princess if I can find one.

It'll be a tough fight in Livonia, but one I intend to win. Just need to make sure I trap and kill the Grand Prince so he can't get away.