MMH5.5 - Heroes of Might and Magic 5.5

The teleport to the third area was guarded by 100 titans and 400 rakshasas.

As I understand it, this is the guard between players. 100 titans and 400 rakshasas on each side of the teleport, or together in one army?
By the way, I also need to ask about the timing. Maybe you saw this guard too late, when it had already grown over many months of the game?

In any case, this is quite a lot. I don't like such large guards, especially when they stand in the passages, which significantly slows down the game and reduces its strategic value, weakening scouting and other important functions. I prefer the maximum that exists in utopias - 15-20 dragons; you need to gather troops for more than that. But in TE, very strong guards are often broken through; I would like to hear a comment from JonnyP here, what does he think about breaking through such guards in the early stages?