So here comes up my idea of trading partners. Lets say you traded a lot with the humans and elves that they are always ecstatic in meeting you (for they leave with a lot of profit).
Here comes your chance to get paid back, a goblin army arrives at your doorstep (but you knew of this in advance as you alerted your allies through the trade screen) and gets promptly crushed by the military. The military in question are small squads of mounted humans with elven archers at their side, following your call for assistance as you have no military / just want them to do the work.
So my suggestion is (since the army arc is soon): Why not add an option in the trade screen/military screen to view potential allies (through trade of course as in the profit from trading since the other civs need to pay for them) and have a "request aid" option in which they send some randomized squads to your fort for maybe a season or two? A few weeks at most. In which they will act as a bodyguard military in those times where the player leans towards economic gain other than military force? There must be a limit which increases everytime your allies are called to aid you, you cannot attack them nor can you loot their gear at all (if they die, then the trade caravan/whatever else they send to you gets it. Permanent forbid?).
Since I guess in the upcoming versions Toady would make the game more realistic in battles. So its like a combined force to match a huge army thereby increasing survival chances.
What are your thoughts on this?