Allllllrighty then. Thank you Stormcloud, let's see how this goes.
Wish me luck guys.
EDIT* I'll keep that advice in mind CG.
EDIT AGAIN* Well, this is a bit of a mess. I've decided I hate Egypt. As far as the plan goes, the upkeep for Phalangites is pretty good so I'm thinking perhaps we should standardise the garrisons for the majority of the cities in the Empire. 2 Phalangites and a Light Cav unit perhaps? Cheaper than the weird amalgamation of half-dead merc units we have at the moment.
As to Spartocus or whatever his name is, yes at the moment he's roundly useless but if we send him out to sea with roughly a half stack and get him to raid and plunder Egyptian lands while blockading them with the fleet that transported him, he might improve. And the further he is from home, the further we are from having an adulterous, drunkard fool take destroy the Empire.
Any suggestions?