I'm not arguing with those things as issues, thou i don't agree for example with this:
Problem: Bannerlord is very slow, repetitive and grindy. Unlocking all smithing parts takes 12 hours of clicking. Reaching Clan Rank 4 takes a long time. Companions and heirs take a huge amount of grinding to level up.
Solution: Reduce the renown needed to go up a clan rank, and the weapons you need to smith to unlock a part. Make companions and heirs have better starting stats, so they don't have to grind for so long.
Your solution would just dump down the game, I started playing realistic difficulty after my first few hours from my first campaign, just to feel it harder.
I'd suggest adding another difficulty after realism (Survival) or something where you would really need to mind a lot of stuff, where decisions and stuff will be meaningful. Where you need time to sleep to be battle capable and such.
Regarding the smithing yes its a lot of clicking. but reducing the requirements is just another handy-cap. Wouldn't a better solution be to have the option of mass destruction so you don't have to click 14 000 000 times