Looking for some advice

I joined this site several days ago and am still learning the ropes. I have had a few wins, although those were the result of luck rather than a superior strategy.
One of the games I've played thoroughly confuses me. http://www.conquerclub.com/game.php?game=7177126 For the first several turns, I struggled to maintain a region down south but never managed it. As I logged off, I was barely in second place based on units, and I had one small bonus. When I came back, I had more units than the two of them combined and only one space on the map had more than 1 guy on it. I don't know if it is possible to go back and see what happened, but any hypotheses as to what happened would be just as good.
In one of my games, I found a friendly opponent who shared some tips about the game with me. I have found these extremely useful and would be interested in hearing any more advice that others might have, no matter how basic.
One of the games I've played thoroughly confuses me. http://www.conquerclub.com/game.php?game=7177126 For the first several turns, I struggled to maintain a region down south but never managed it. As I logged off, I was barely in second place based on units, and I had one small bonus. When I came back, I had more units than the two of them combined and only one space on the map had more than 1 guy on it. I don't know if it is possible to go back and see what happened, but any hypotheses as to what happened would be just as good.
In one of my games, I found a friendly opponent who shared some tips about the game with me. I have found these extremely useful and would be interested in hearing any more advice that others might have, no matter how basic.