your questions regarding the game rules (improving the interpretation).

Okay, arrows are one thing, but making Armageddon so imbalanced against creatures like Birds or Sultans seems excessive, especially since they often remain at speed 1 for a long time.

But our game is called Heroes of Might and Magic. We need to use both magic and melee in equal measure.
If you're not sure you can withstand your opponent's magic, don't approach them unprepared. Who even introduced the "hit and run" tactic? Was it someone who frequently suffered from magic attacks?
This immediately brings up an example:
You have a strong stack in your army – for example, 50 Viv monarchs. An opponent arrives, and your unit has the fastest speed... You attack with 49 units, and on the turn of the remaining 1 unit, you pay them off... I think 100,000 is not a problem to accumulate in the game on a high-level template for payoffs, especially if you level up diplomacy and have artifacts that boost diplomacy. You can do this many times.
So, if that's allowed, what's the problem with magic?