You start half a map away from you capital, the first settlement you can take is 2 turns away (unless you take the extra movement after defeating the first field battle, which you couldn't know), and when you reach there it's a walled yellow climate. Then the remaining province is from a different AI enemy, so you have to either make a pivot and finish your first AI enemy (which is in another walled settlement) or declare war on an extra enemy and even if you do that their settlements are several turns apart.
Then while doing all that your capital, which starts level 1 with no growth, is vulnerable and if anyone declares war on you you have no means to defend it.

Am I missing something here? Is this just a hidden challenge campaign?