I confirm. In both scenarios, things were too depressing. In the first one, my archers were reduced by half in the first week, and then their diamond golems finished them off, so I had to surrender. And there was practically no wood, which is critical for a Castle. In the second scenario, things were a bit better, but the passage to the second week is guarded by a horde of manticores, which I obviously couldn't kill with my army from weeks 1 and 2. As a result, I cleared out my entire territory and then realized that there was no way forward; everywhere there were guards who would simply kill me, and I didn't have enough money to buy out the entire army from the city. In the end, I attacked the Medusa lair and quietly settled there. 50 Medusas are no joke!
Thank you for the game, Dima.