The chapter actually felt ABOUT THAT HARD. Maybe a little harder.
There aren't any NPCs to help you. There are only the aforementioned ballistae+magic ballistae and your own units. And it's like 10 turns defense or something.
And the enemies don't screw around. Huge variety. Ninjas that debuff you, Lance users, Axe users, Pegs, Archers, the works. Only lacking in Sword users and magic. So freaking hard to deal with. Getting hit by a ninja will take an otherwise crazy durable unit into dangerously low levels of defense.
Haaaaah. That's probably the most refreshingly difficult Fire Emblem level I've played in a LONG long time. That was practically nirvana. I feel so satisfied. Because it was SO HARD, but not QUITE hard enough that it felt like it was just bull****. It felt like I had all the tools to deal with it, as long as I played it smart.
Guys, this is the game we've been waiting for.