How does a newbie not die?

[Rathelm]

I tried a game with patch 2.08.
I don't know if it's me making too many moves or the AI that got better, but here are a few war facts:
- Aztec attacked with a good stack
- i killed the mounted units pillaging my cottages with spears (roading still is good, wounded spears could move away ), so the stack was too light to conquer. The woodsman jaguar fortified on the woods next to my capital waiting for more troops
- When I conquered later one city, it counterattacked efficiently, and pillaged me to death. Not being able to take back the city, the AI retreated his wounded units! It still didn't let them heal completely, and they got killed by my mounted units.
...

a few other facts :
- I got outteched by aztecs! On monarch level!
- I lost the music race (I never failed to have this Great Artist when I wanted him before!)
- I lost liberalism race (not sure, I retired when I saw the Aztecs taking back the few cities I captured )
- The AI placed his cities well enough : I could actually keep them.

Either I'm too tired to play right, or the AI got a good deal better...

The AI is better.

 

[Joe Harker]

I just keep an equal amount of defensive and offenise units, to block the attack and then to give them one in the nose, hope that helped