Genghis Khan for NES... well ok probably any KOEI title would fit the bill but Genghis Khan is my favorite. You can buy troops or draft civilians (which lowers your troops skill level drastically). Either way it's kind of rewarding to amass huge armies and grossly outnumber your opponents.

Warsong for genesis gives you generals and you have to purchase troops for them prior to every battle. The game gives you like three choices of the kind of units that general can control.

Or if you're into individual but generic soldiers then any Nippon Ichi game would work. Phantom Brave was my favorite, you buy the kind of soldier you'd like, pick a name, and equip them with anything from normal weapons to pretty much anything you could pick up off the ground. I had a bird warrior wielding a fir tree and a cat slapping his enemies with a fish.