You may therefore see a troop of nine very well trained and well led soldiers defeat an army five or six times its size. As in the real world, a skilled commander will exercise great influence over the conduct of his forces in battle. Poorly trained troops led by an unskilled commander will be unlikely to last for very long. The more people you have in the armed forces, the fewer you will have to grow food and to run the economy. If you plan to draft a multitude of young soldiers you must also find good Generals to train and lead them.
Generals have to be paid and rewarded.
If they are not they may take their services elsewhere. Instead of concentrating solely on military matters you may wish to spend time creating a trading empire of mines, factories, markets, caravans, harbors and ships that span the known world. This will bring you far more income than the feudal method of simply taxing your peasants, although this is also an option. Here, in villages, factories, towers of science, mines and forts they can sleep as moles until the time is right to complete their missions. They may sow discord, sabotage production or research, steal information, or rise in the ranks of an enemy army even to the level of General.