Rome total war, Julii faction, normal campaign and battle difficulty. My faction heir's mission is to subdue all of Gaul, by himself, with an army of rather equal amounts of hastati and barbarian mercenaries. I've got half a stack ( +1 unit ) of hastati and mercenaries, just took a city. My guy had done a number of battles, did reasonably well, but I usually had the number advantage, so I hardly counted them as victories.
Anyway, I take the city, repair stuff, I just want to add more Hastati to my army ( and disband some mercenaries ) and then get back into the field. Unfortunately, practically a full stack of Gallic warbands and skirmishers siege me. I think, "Oh cruddy cruddy crud". I'm outnumbered quite possibly two to one, worst odds I've been in.
I play the battle, I do the usual "trap the enemy at the gates thing" causes quite a mass rout...but that was only about half their army. The rest of them break a hole on the wall, and I pour my troops into a small corridor, between the stockade wall and a row of buildings. By focusing my troop power on one enemy unit at a time, I got them to systematically rout. Force concentration for the win!
So I chase them out, unfortunately, a few of the enemies' morale returned, so I massed together my men into a blocky blob, and charge them, one by one, they all rout. While this was happening, about two or three units of battered and almost depleted horsemen sneak into the settlement, and reach the circle. The timer starts ticking, I make all my men ( except my faction heir, whose bodyguard is almost depleted ) charge. About 40 seconds left, my men haven't even engaged, when the troop of horsemen holding the square routs. He was so scared he ran without fighting.
Heroic victory ( for me ) indeed.