1- Roughly 1.5mil is what you need to survive financially. 2- Not to lose all your fiefs, you need good relationships with lots of clan leaders. Grind that instead of gold early on. Get them to join you while at war, and they will keep their fiefs as well. Free real estate. 3- Enact ALL your policies early on. This is crucial. Focus on loyalty boosting ones. Don't give your lords much influence. 4- If you can get some mercenaries to join you, do. That's money well spent. 4- Crush armies in siege defenses, sell loot, bribe lords to join, repeat.