In the last game I was playing, I was germany and it was the middle-middle ages. I had just begun crushing america with knights and my damn advisor razed 2 of their cities, and since it was like a rod into the sea(thier terrirory) those cities were the entrance point from my land to theirs. The enitire continent looked like a backwards L. I had "given" a city to russia after it was pilliaged by 12 barbarian horsemen for 50% of my treasury, and suddenly the joint turned into some kind of neutral embassy ground with 4 coutnries with cities on it. jeez. Anyhow, the second city I "razed" gave me 8 slave workers. I thought, great, mabye I'll turn them into citizens later, seeing as how I have 50% of the world culture. Well, I start to send them back, when I notice CHINA TRYING TO SETTLE THE CITIES I HAD RAZED AND CUT ME OFF FROM MY WAR SPOILS!!! So, I effectivly used 8 workers to form a blockade line across the joint in order to block them. This effectivly complicated matters becuase the russians had another city which the chinese protectors/settler kept on walking into. Guess russia was getting pissed. Anyhow, the problem was that if I let them have a city, the city might block off my spoils. Furthermore, Everytime they tried to get around while going into russian terrirtory I could not see them. I effectivly forced them to settle directly inbetween 2 russian cities thereafter. It was touch and go for awhile. So, next war, try to make sure that you have a few fronteir settlers avalible. Oh, china also made a city on the northern tip of my continent. It was assimilated, and the worker made a LONG trek south. hehehe. They never listened. 30 turns later china found 20 calverlry and 10 riflemen on its borders.
Oh, I never grant ROP unless I own my continent. I hate watching workers and armies move around.