That's very disappointing, one of my favorite things to do is starting a new character as a common soldier and "rise through the ranks" once I hit the top of the freelancer's troop tree I'll then ask the king to become a Vassal.
This usually gives me some relations with different lords, helps with starting cash, added protection from early game bandits, if new to the faction it helps you learn their strengths and weaknesses, you make "friends" with a lord/lords without having to complete repetitive and sometimes annoying tasks for them, and overall helps your character gain much needed skills.
Freelancer might be a small addition that can be overlooked by most players, but there are quite a few of us that live by that system as a starter or sometimes going as far to to making a character who has sworn his loyalty to a lord and has never left his service. (have a character on Gekokujo that's on day 800-ish in his service to Great Lord Ryuzoji)
I Personaly I've sunk hundreds of hours into the system, it's just another way to breath life into your world.