Rudorff
Excellent replies - all of which I have come to agree with after some contemplation and reflexion
. I shall have to start letting O win a few arguements if you are going to agree with him ALL of the time 
The nice thing about the current rules I think is that these ambiguities are more easily resolved than previously.
As for the Saxon strength.... I was very lucky to get away with defending in this scenario. To be honest I think that if O had pushed on a little more he would still have overwhelmed me. The Saxons are the lynchpin of the battle and if you make them too weak I am sure the French player will not see them as an obstacle, reducing the flexibility of the scenario and possibly making it less challenging.
Cheers
M