Distribution of Spoils

Looking at the list Edmund handed over, Gilles and Texera carefully checked the numbers, and no matter how they were calculated, they matched Edmund's previous statement.

"500 large golden dragons, divided among three people, is a number I can hardly imagine!"

Gilles said this with a wry smile, and Texera remained silent, which was taken as tacit agreement.

Their combined territory was only a hundred or eighty square kilometers. Due to limited investment, their largest industry was still agriculture. In order to bring in serfs for reclamation and construction, they invested all their income into agriculture. In addition to this, they also had to support their families, so the two of them lived a very tight life.

In order to increase their income, the two tried many methods, the most common of which was to use their fleet to smuggle goods and make a profit. Even so, they could not make much money, since they did not want to be expelled from the Kingdom Navy, so their operation was very small.

The two of them are still a long way from achieving stable profitability in their territory. They will need at least several decades of continuous investment. Even if they can wait until the territory is fully developed and profitable, their annual income will probably reach 30 large golden dragons, which would be enough to satisfy them.

According to Edmund's distribution method, the two of them could receive more than 160 large gold dragons at once. This money would not only make their lives much more comfortable immediately, but also allow the development of their territory to take a leap forward.

This was truly a pleasant surprise for them both.

Gilles and Tesla exchanged a glance, confirming each other's understanding. Gilles then turned to Edmund and said, "Captain Edmund, we have not only gained so much merit and luck by following you this time, but now you are willing to share so many spoils of war with us. It is really hard for us to refuse."

However, compared to what we've done, this money is far too much. We're only willing to each take 150 large gold dragons; the rest is yours. Please don't refuse.

Edmund hadn't expected these two to do this, after all, he knew their situation. As newly nobles, they had no family support and relied entirely on themselves, living a very stressful life.

Edmund thought highly of these two senior officers, believing they were both of good character and ability. As for using warships to smuggle cargo, this was something many naval officers did; it was a kind of unspoken perk of the navy, though it wasn't allowed to be too ostentatious.

Hearing them say that, Edmund thought for a moment and then nodded.

The two were overjoyed to see that Edmund had agreed. This would ease their psychological burden; otherwise, having received so many favors from Edmund, they would feel indebted to him.

However, Edmund continued, "Actually, you two seniors have also seen the list. In addition to these 1,000 large gold dragons, there are some odds and ends in the spoils of war. There are only a dozen or so large gold dragons left."

Gilles and Texera nodded in agreement. The dozen or so golden dragons were not a small number, but compared to the money they had received, they were insignificant. They didn't care what Edmund did with them.

"I have an idea. I'll take 150 large gold dragons, and give the remaining 50 large gold dragons, along with these dozen or so large gold dragons, to our War Department as a benefit. If we divide it up among everyone, it will be at least one large silver dragon per person. That should make everyone happy."

Gilles and Texera were surprised that Edmund would do this, willing to share the money with the soldiers.

Soldiers do have spoils of war, including loot from enemies they kill or capture. The army does not take these spoils, nor does it give them any additional spoils.

"According to convention, the soldiers do not participate in the distribution of this part of the spoils; they also have their own spoils to collect."

But this time we are on an expeditionary operation, and the higher-ups require us to achieve a breakthrough as soon as possible. If we let the soldiers collect the spoils of war themselves in every battle, it will definitely affect the efficiency of the battle.

I want to divide the gold and silver spoils from each battle into 20 parts. Ten parts will be given to headquarters, three parts will be taken by each of us, and the remaining one part can be distributed to the soldiers. This will help maintain discipline among the soldiers and improve combat efficiency.

As for the other spoils of war, we will seal them up and record them in the books, then report them to headquarters after the war for disposal. What do you think of this plan?

After listening, Gilles and Tesla thought about it for a moment and found it made a lot of sense, so they nodded and replied, "Agreed."

After all, they had already received so many benefits, and Edmund's suggestion was made with the public good in mind, so there was really nothing to object to.