Well yes, it kind of is the idea to eliminate all the stockpiling hassles.
I agree that the up-front vs. upkeep cost thing was/is a really nice touch and I added it intentionally, so I bleed a little to give it up. However, there is no way to maintain it entirely without it being very gameable - i.e. recruit tiny unit, by all the paraphernalia you want, recruit all the other men.
