Speed is a mix of the rate that units can cause damage and how fast they can move. I can allow units to cause more damage, if they can move faster.
I do want to increase the speed of the game slightly, but it has to be balanced, otherwise certain units become worthless.
The games it is based on generally have this kind of glacial progress, where you set up an attack and watch it go in. There are several elements you can micromanage as it goes on, in this case setting the stance of the units will take up a lot of the player’s attention so you wont ever be sitting around just watching. There’s also artillery and air cover to deal with later.
If you want to react quickly you need aggressive or even a flanking stance, which allows for rapid movement, but sacrifices firepower.
Some units will want to be in sentry mode as it allows a further viewing range, while defending units can concentrate more on firepower.
I think that the game will be more appealing to those who play it, as it is much more fun to play than to watch. 
That’s why I want to get a working demo out as fast as I can. But I only have a small amount of time I can spend on the game, so it’s going as fast as it’s going. Trees and rivers are going to be soon on the agenda because they have an effect on gameplay and level design. effects such as particles and so on will be a bit later since their impact is only visual.