No, it’s unbalanced because it completely removes the need to go hunting for followers. Basically, it makes a huge portion of the content completely irrelevant. You won’t have to go visit the NPC settlements anymore.

I don’t know if you’ve read the developer letter that Dennis wrote about the Age of War changes, but you’re basically proposing the exact opposite of what he’s trying to achieve.

Your proposal is not a good idea even on its own merits, but even if it was, I wouldn’t hold my breath when proposing something that goes against what the lead game designer is trying to accomplish.