How to make your town a hard target (defending for beginners)

Now that fighting is in the game, a lot of beginners are scared that somebody will come and take their town. I was too. But after reading how it works, I calmed down, because defending is actually the easy side, and you do not need to attack anybody to be safe. Here is what a beginner can do to become a hard target that attackers skip. First, understand what an attacker sees. When somebody looks for a town to attack, the game shows them your defense points, and there is even a list called weakest garrisons that points them straight at the softest towns. So attackers are lazy in a good way, they go for the weak ones. If your defense is decent, they will just pick somebody easier. You do not need to be the strongest, only stronger than the easy targets around you. So how do you get defense points? Soldiers. Every soldier standing in your town adds its defense value to your total. The best ones for this are the defense troops, because they have very high defense for a low cost, they are basically a cheap wall. You train them at the Military Academy, the second level unlocks them. Even a small group of defense troops raises your number a lot and makes you look like too much trouble. Remember that soldiers need houses, like your workers, so keep a couple of rooms for your defenders. A few defense troops in a couple of rooms is a very good investment now that war exists. Second thing, you can only be attacked by players from OTHER countries, never your own countrymen. So joining an active, friendly country is a kind of protection by itself, and it is worth talking to your countrymen since you are all on the same side. Third, do not panic even if the worst happens. If somebody does occupy your town, it is not permanent. Their soldiers die on their own after some days, and then your town frees itself automatically. And you can fight back for free on your own ground whenever your army is ready, there is a liberate button. So even a lost fight is recoverable. But it is much nicer to never get taken, and a solid garrison usually means you never do. My simple beginner plan for defense is this. Build the academy, upgrade it once to unlock defense troops, build one extra house for them, and train a small wall of defenders. Keep an eye on your defense number and add a few more when you can. That is honestly enough to drop off the easy target lists. The mistake I see other beginners make is putting zero soldiers because they only care about economy. In the old days that was fine, but war is new now and an undefended rich town is a magnet. You worked hard on your economy, do not leave the door open. A little defense protects all of it. You do not have to become a warlord. You can play peacefully and still be safe, you just need a wall. Train some defense troops, house them, and most attackers will look for somebody easier. That is the whole secret.