There is very little time given!!! I almost didn't do anything too complicated, but I was constantly under pressure. Or at least, the timer should stop during battles.
Usually, skirmishes are played with a limit of 3000+400, without stopping during battles; it's almost always enough.
Stopping the timer is not good because it makes battles like "ballista + a couple of flies vs. a horde of zombies" justifiable. You have to pay for such an easy win.