Multiple Chinese dynasties settled soldiers on the frontier to serve as a kind of combo "defence/farming" force. I'm having trouble finding exact examples of dynasties outside of the Ming, but if you look here on pg 267, you'll see that the Ming settled a quarter of a million soldiers in areas with potential unrest, a pattern that they continued to pursue as they conquered new land. I'm not sure if this as meant entirely as compensation. I remember having read that the Qing and Yuan dynasties also settled soldiers on the frontier, but I'm having trouble finding a source at the moment.

Medieval English Kings definitely rewarded some soldiers with land.

I've told the story before, but Thomas de Rokeby was awarded land worth £100 (plus a knighthood) for leading Edward III to the Scottish army. There are treasury documents that also show that he was awarded other land for further service throughout his life (most of which he took as a cash payment instead, IIRC).

Also, William the Conqueror famously parceled out land he took from Anglo-Saxon nobles to his followers and William Rufus and Henry I both had large amounts of land in the north of England that they were able to reward to their followers.

Of course the ability to reward people with land is predicated on the land being available.