As for me, I rushed through the golden path. My main offensive force consisted of three groups of Crusaders (two near the fortress and one near the castle, using Rylander to annex).
The final battle and helmet capture were carried out by Crag with troops from both strongholds. I think it's possible to do it in 8 days, but I didn't check.
I'm only uploading the final save because I'm playing in other tournaments, and I accidentally deleted the daily saves without saving them.
Once again, congratulations on your victory, well done! Believe me, I'm as happy as you are about the excellent game you both played!