Volume One, Chapter 18: A Resounding Victory and the Division of Spoils

The battle ended swiftly. It was almost a one-sided affair. All one hundred and twenty or so bandits were eliminated. No one had expected such an easy and smooth victory. Some villagers even felt a bit unsatisfied.

“Is that it? They’re all dead already?”

“Hey, I only killed one, and I’m not done yet.”

“Ah, I haven’t even taken a swing, how come they all fell so quickly?”

“Hahaha, these bandits are nothing! I thought they could each take on ten of us. No wonder I used to get weak in the knees just hearing the word ‘bandit.’”

“Heh heh, you guys are just no good. I killed three! I’m sure I’ll get a good share of the spoils this time. This is so thrilling—I want to go again!”

“Get lost! What nonsense are you talking? If it weren’t for Su Yunhai and his daughter’s clever plan to set traps beforehand, do you really think these bandits would be so easy to deal with?”

“Heh, I’m just talking big. I wouldn’t dare to go again for real.”

With all the bandits wiped out, Shen Shuli and Su Yunhai both breathed a sigh of relief. After confirming no enemy had escaped, they returned to the village entrance to organize the villagers.

“Everyone, quiet down!” Su Yunhai shouted loudly.

The village instantly fell silent, all eyes eagerly fixed on Su Yunhai and his daughter. These were the pillars who had led them to victory against over a hundred bandits! They deserved respect.

“Everyone cooperated well this time. We killed all one hundred twenty bandits, and none of us were harmed!” Su Yunhai announced.

“But we still can’t relax.”

“There were bandit informants in our village before, and there might be more in other villages. We have to act quickly to deal with these bandits once and for all.”

“To all the friends who came to help, thank you very much for your assistance. After we finish counting the spoils, take your share and persuade your families to leave this place with us!”

“Otherwise, once the bandit leader realizes his men haven't returned, he’ll definitely send scouts to investigate, and we won’t be able to hide.”

“We must escape as soon as possible.”

“Now, I’m assigning tasks. Let’s count the spoils and finish this quickly!”

Su Yunhai felt the urgency deeply; this was no exaggeration. The villagers now fully realized the danger was not over. The bandits had come to steal their supplies. If they failed and also learned that so many of their men had been killed, the bandit leader would surely retaliate mercilessly.

With this realization, the villagers who had been boasting moments ago all turned pale.

Without needing to be urged, everyone followed orders at full speed, handling bodies, cleaning the battlefield, and counting the spoils. The bandits had brought the most loot in the form of wheelbarrows, carts, and livestock.

Many of the animals were injured in the fighting, and quite a few carts were destroyed. But about half remained intact.

The animals were still nervous and could attack at any moment, so they needed time to calm down.

The bandits carried little silver, but together it totaled more than eight hundred taels.

There were seventeen healthy cattle, eight donkeys, eleven mules, and seven ponies.

More than forty carts and wheelbarrows in all.

One hundred and three villagers had come to help. Their contributions varied, so naturally, their shares of the spoils differed.

Since the number of animals and carts was limited, dividing them by headcount wasn’t even viable.

Moreover, these were strong, young animals. No one wanted to slaughter them just for meat.

Those with the highest battle achievements could each receive one animal or one cart, plus a silver bonus.

Most others with average contributions received plenty of meat and silver.

Everyone was satisfied with this distribution. After all, they hadn’t contributed much; their luck in surviving was more than their own strength.

As for the Su family, Su Yunhai and Shen Shuli took the largest share.

Each received two of the best cattle, two horses, two mules, and one donkey.

Along with five hundred jin of beef, three hundred jin of donkey meat, and a hundred jin of horse meat.

Five carts and five wheelbarrows each, plus four hundred taels of silver.

No villagers objected. Everyone acknowledged their contributions. Without their strategy and heavy fighting, none of them would be alive today.

After sending the helping villagers on their way, the village elder began distributing the first batch of spoils.

“Thanks to Su Yunhai’s early warning, we were able to prepare in time for the bandit attack,” the elder said.

“I don’t have to say much—you all understand the situation.”

“This time we obtained twelve horses, one thousand three hundred and two taels of silver, and about twelve thousand jin of horse meat.”

“Yunhai, I intend to give you and your daughter one horse each, two hundred taels of silver, and two thousand jin of horse meat. What do you think?”

Su Yunhai glanced at Shen Shuli, who nodded, then he agreed, “We’ll follow the village elder’s decision. That’s fine with us.”

The elder nodded in satisfaction and continued addressing the villagers:

“The remaining ten horses will be distributed to the families of those killed by the bandits—one horse, fifty taels of silver, and five hundred jin of horse meat per family. The rest will be allocated according to merit.”

During the first wave of bandit attacks, eight villagers died and five were seriously wounded.

Importantly, they died protecting the village.

The village had to compensate their families.

These people were the pillars of their households; without them, these small families would struggle.

With these supplies, their lives would improve somewhat.

In general, the elder’s distribution was quite reasonable.

Though some villagers were displeased, they only grumbled quietly and dared not openly oppose.

“Wuwu, village elder, what about my family? Four of us died!” one cried.

“Yes, village elder, my husband was also killed by the bandits. Doesn’t our family deserve some share?”

“My grandparents, husband, and children all died. I’m the only one left. How am I supposed to live? Village elder, you can’t be biased! You have to give me more!”

These families had been attacked in their homes at the start of the bandit raid and had lost loved ones. Seeing no share of the spoils, they grew desperate.

The elder looked at them with helpless sorrow. But resources were limited; it was impossible to satisfy everyone.

To put it bluntly, their misfortune was bad luck. They weren’t killed while fighting alongside the village and thus weren’t entitled to share the spoils.

“I know your families suffered losses, but that’s fate.”

“Those who receive shares are those who died protecting the village. Others have no right to claim a share,” the elder said plainly.

Yet these families continued to demand, crying and making a scene, even if they couldn’t get live animals, at least some silver or meat!

Why get nothing at all?

Those who had fought to defend the village could not stand it and immediately spoke up.

“We who fought barely got a share. Why should you, who did nothing, expect benefits? Does your family’s death give you that right?”

“Exactly. We were willing to help with supplies because of your loss, but we didn’t expect such shameful greed!”

“Village elder, we absolutely cannot give in. Otherwise, those who didn’t participate will demand a share too!”

“Yes, we must firmly refuse them!”