Can Ansom tell the strength of the dragons by attacking them? If not, Parson could've pulled a fast one on him by placing the weak dragons in the "protective ring" and moving the strong dragons into the center. And by providing an obvious weak spot, he can put 3 strong dragons there and ensure Ansom encounters exactly what he expects to encounter...

Until the two dozen+ full-strength dragons in the center hex obliterate his counter-attack. With a warlord to boot for massive XP gain.