Countering Malians as Persians

I am not the greatest player, so please, no harsh comments for this question:

What is the best way to counter Malians as Persians? (mostly my question relates to [Post]Imperial Age). I realize hitting them earlier than they hit me is always an answer, but the most frustrating thing to me (and the reason for my question) is when they push with Elite Gbetos and Heavy Camels I can't seem to stop it. Malian Heavy Camels (with Farimba) plus Elite Gbetos seem to be a good combo vs. Persians. Paladins crush the Gbetos but not with a camel shield out front.

Every time I ask this question, I get told to use Hand Cannoneers against the Gbetos, but they sure don't seem to do too well when I try them. The Gbetos speed, plus MELEE at range, seems to cut through the short-ranged Persian Archers, Siege, and Hand Cannoneers rather quickly. I recently saw the post about the AoE2 Calculator (http://ift.tt/2jZMwrN), and it seems to validate this point a little bit if you compare Malian Elite Gbetos vs. Persian Hand Cannoneers. Both the kills in seconds and trade ratios seem to favor Elite Gbetos.

Anyway, if you think it might just be my tactics with my HC, I'd appreciate a link to a video of someone effectively countering Elite Gbetos with Hand Cannoneers.