Experience cannot be bought. I will start off by saying that I COMPLETELY DISAGREE that levels or "veterancy" can be paid with pure money. It will take LONGER training AND will take LOTS OF MONEY because you are paying special tutors, instructors, other champions, ect. to visit your troops and give them advice and training WELL INTO OVERTIME. (probably from the aristocracy, which is why you would have to pay the fools anyways)
Training with a Tutor/ extra Training should increase HP (say by 10%) as well as "unlock" skills for the weapon the unit is using.
Normally weapons start with skill 1, at level 4 they unlock skill 2, and at level 10 they unlock skill 3. If you train a unit in this situation however, prior to battle, they will gain unlockable skills before the required skill level. You might also get an extra perk (depending on the instructing Champion) ... like "beer drinker", "gambler", "murderous", "insane", or "feeble". You might also get +1 combat speed or +1 movement speed.
For instance, if your Champion was a diligant long-distance runner and Drill Master, troops trained especially by him would get +1 movement
If your Champion was a Homicidal Samurai then your units trained specifically by him (requires presence of Champion, extra gold, and specifically choosing the Champion) would recieve +1 attack, +1 attack speed, and "Murderous"
If your Champion was a Psychopathic mass-murdering Acrobat, Bard, or Carnie, then your units trained by him would gain +1 to all stats, Murderous, and Insane. (and possibly gambler)
If your Champion was a hearty drunken Axe n Shield wielding lad from the lands of Gilder, then the unit would gain (extra) +1 HP, +1 Defense, and "Beer Drinker"
if however, your units were not trained specifically by a Champion (requires presence in city and extra gildar) ... then they are only trained to Veteran or Elite ... which equates to +1 weapon slot unlocked and +10% HP, or +2 weapon slots unlocked and +20% HP respectively. Also, im thinking of RENAMING veteran and elite to Exemplar and Honor Guard ... because Veteran sounds too much like they have served previously in combat, when they clearly haven't.
(well it could be an abstract, but I'd rather the option to "retrain" my experienced soldiers rather than to "abstract" the unit into a generational entity which switches out Veterans for Green Horns every 10 years of "military service, except for military soldiers. Instead I want all my peasants "military for life" unless I say different. Every unit of soldiers will either be able to bring their wags with them or peruse the "free Government provided mobile cathouse")
Elites sound OK, because it means they are trained among the "best of the best" ... but really keeping your nose in the book, or staying after practice for extra drills, wont make you a veteran. Competing in Life/Death situations sure as hell WILL. I think that all soldiers should gain "some" experience for surviving in a battle even if they didn't directly see any action. They were still sure as hell next door to it. There is no substitute for being next to the action, thats what levels are for.
Speaking of levels, I think that Champions (and units) leveling should be "similar" to how a Sovereign levels.
All you beta-testers have seen the level-up screen, so you know what I am talking about.
Sovereigns get 10 points. I propose that Champions get 7 points, "honor guard" get 5 points, "exemplars" get 4 points, and regular units get 3 points per level. (I also propose that drafts/conscripts get 2 points for level, and slaves get 1 point per level).