Heroes 5.5 WarGame Edition - Tactical Edition.

He's actually been there for a long time. And instead of overfed peasants, there's a normal militia (in the old published version with the old balance, the peasants are still chubby). See the ratio of creature strength:

1 = goblin (+basic militia)
1.25 = gremlin, fairy
1.5 = militia (upgrades), imp
1.75 = skeleton
2 = guard, pikeman, zombie
2.25 = demon, gargoyle
2.5 = assassin, archer
3 = dancer, berserker, ghost
3.5 = succubus, shaman
4 = beast, brute, swordsman
4.5 = cerberus
5 = hunter, golem, centaur
6 = monk, druid
7 = minotaur, mage
8 = bear, predator, priest
9 = nightmare, unicorn
10 = vampire, knight, leader, witch, griffin
15 = lich, djinn, wyvern
20 = balor, reaper, rakshasa
30 = hydra, ent, than, angel, devil, necrodragon
60 = light/dark/dwarven dragon, titan, cyclops

I highlighted humans in red. The basic militia is weaker than the upgraded versions because it was considered after reproduction (the Reserve ability), not at the beginning of the battle. The true "masters of the sword" here are the dancers and beasts; for their weight class (elves are lighter and weaker than humans), they perform miracles, fighting almost on equal terms with armored knights in elite armor and huge orcs, who are three times their weight and strength!