I'm surprised that Pash didn't beat me by much. I thought I'd be alone at the bottom with that result. :)
I'd like to say something slightly off-topic, but still related.
After reading Fireball's walkthrough, I realized what my main mistake was. I didn't think of the simple trick – dismissing heroes and then buying new ones. And 8 starting heroes weren't enough to implement my Napoleonic plans. Unfortunately, they didn't teach me that in school. Well, never mind, you learn from your mistakes (it's just a shame that you have to learn from your own). I hope to show a much better result next time.