[IndyPendant]

Hmm. No hard numbers on conscription--but MA Tien-Chi is one of my favourite nations, even though it seems to be considered sub-par here on the forums. And I recruit other leaders all the time. Here are some examples as to why you would:

Scout: Never. Ever. Recruit this. Period. Forget they exist. (I have.) If you absolutely have to have scouts, find an indie one or build Spies instead.

General: Limited utility. Good leader, not great. You start with one, and Generals will probably lead most/all of your armies created from non-capital castles. For your capital, the Prince General is almost always better.

Eunuch: Solid niche unit. Great, cheap patroller (+25!!! bonus), and a 40-man leader as well. I often build three of these at game start, set them to Patrol the Capital, and ratchet up the taxes to 200 for massive initial income for, oh, as long as I need it--without having to worry about keeping an army in the home province. Ever. They also make good, cheap ferriers of armies later on--although indie leaders would work just as well for that.

Imperial Consort: Wonderful unit. I use these in groups of 5 to shut down enemy castles (particularly underwater--just give them Rings of Waterbreathing). Or--rarely--use them as spies; you get more information than you do from scouts.

Ceremonial Master: Never, ever build this unit. Minister of Rituals is superior in every way.

Minister of Rituals: Good unit, not great. I sometimes build these in groups of 3-5 to preach if my Dominion is hurting, and I usually have 1-3 running around at any one time building temples and stuff.

Master of the Way: Your default research unit. These units actually have a better ratio of cost/research than Celestial Masters. They also do not suffer from old age. Build these everywhere until you reach the level of research you want.

Celestial Master: Capital-only. I usually build these early game (after getting my Eunuchs patrolling) until I've got a nice mix of paths that don't suffer from old age, and I have enough to join armies later. (Which usually means up through mid-to-late game.) Other than paths and combat, however, the Masters of the Way are better units.

Prince General: Capital-only. My default army-leader, with a 120 unit base. I usually build these whenever I need to lead an army, give them a crafted bow, and send them off. I also often build these instead of Celestial Masters on those turns when I'm hurting for gold.