I disagree. Imperial Knights should have very strong training.
Of course, you can explain anything, but it's easier to rearrange the tiers so that it makes the most sense – a knight is clearly not on par with an Ent, a Balrog, or a Hydra.
Especially the mass-produced knight, who undergoes mass training.
Oh... I'm a little sad... will there be heroes in the world who will defeat a dragon in an unequal battle!
Heroes are separate, units are separate 
Specifically regarding the price and strength of human units:
150 Militia (or rather, a pair – thanks to the Reserve ability = duplication)
250 Archer
400 Swordsman
600 Monk
1000 Knight
1500 Griffin
3000 Angel
For comparison:
250 Assassin
400 Fury
600 Minotaur
750 Predator
1000 Witch
3000 Hydra
6000 Dragon
Moving the knights to tier-5 (and the monks to tier-4) is not only a matter of taste, but also of balance. It allows for a much better balance of retraining, as the difference between a monk and a knight, as well as a swordsman and a monk, is significantly reduced.