```
April’s splendor in the world below fades...
The flotilla docked at Hangzhou Port in batches, and goods worth tens of millions of silver were unloaded, with eighty percent being offloaded in Hangzhou. They would be cashed out through the disposal channels of the Five Peaks Fleet under the supervision of all families.
The silver obtained would be divided into seven shares, Yang Ge would take one share, the Ming Sect led by Yang Tiansheng would take one share, the Lianhuan Fort followers led by Li Jincheng would take one share, the Xiang Family members led by Xiang Wudi would take one share, the twelve branches of the White Lotus Sect, with the elite defenders led by Zhou Fu and Liu Tang, would take one share, and the elite of the Western Factory led by Nangong Feiying would take one share.
As for how each family would divide the silver upon return, Yang Ge felt it inappropriate to overreach. He made it clear that every brother who had been to Dongying must receive a substantial amount of money. If any family dare withhold their hard-earned rewards, then they should no longer associate with one another in the future.
All families naturally agreed, though what they would do once they turned their backs... Yang Ge also believed they wouldn’t do anything so extreme.
Besides, Yang Ge also allocated twenty percent of his share of the silver to be managed by Li Jincheng in secret; every month, the widows of the warriors who had fallen in the battle at Zhoushan could receive some condolence money from this fund. It wasn’t a lot—each family might only receive a few dozen copper coins a month, just enough to ensure they wouldn’t starve...
Foll𝑜w current novels on fɾēewebnσveℓ.com.
Including coastal residents who had been so ravaged by pirates that they could hardly make ends meet, Yang Ge instructed Li Jincheng to allocate part of this fund for basic relief, such as lending oxen for plowing, providing rice seeds, and distributing porridge, among other support.
Twenty percent might not seem much, but Wang Cheng had already roughly tallied along the way. The total value of the treasures they had plundered was no less than fifty to sixty million silver. Even accounting for depreciation and the costs of liquidation, they would still have a minimum of forty million silver.
That meant Yang Ge’s share alone was nearly six million and five hundred thousand silver, at least.
Two percent of six million five hundred thousand silver is one million three hundred thousand silver.
Such a large amount of money, even if only invested in some simple long-term ventures, would be enough to maintain the cost of relief money!
In short, as long as Yang Ge was around, as long as Lianhuan Fort existed, this undertaking could continue indefinitely.
Li Jincheng, of course, understood the good intentions behind Yang Ge entrusting him with managing this money and swore an oath that Lianhuan Fort would not take a single copper coin from it.
The fact that all the treasures brought back from Dongying were to be handled by Wang Cheng was a decision made by Yang Ge after consulting with Yang Tiansheng and others.
It wasn’t that they couldn’t find more suitable channels to dispose of these treasures. When it came to disposing of plunder, Ming Sect’s centuries-old establishment was streets ahead of the nouveau riche Wang Cheng!
But this old fellow had been running back and forth between Wei and Dongying at their front and back; how could they let him exert himself in vain?
After all, there were still many matters that would require the strength of the Five Peaks Fleet.
Wang Cheng certainly understood the intentions of Yang Ge and the others.
Was he moved?
Of course he was moved!
But alongside that emotion, like the endless waters of the East Sea, a boundless regret tormented him so much that he dreamt of slapping his own face!
He had been a main force in the Battle of Zhoushan, yet due to a moment’s hesitation, the great name of the Zhoushan Five Braves had spread far and wide through Jiangnan and beyond, while he, Old Wang, wasn’t mentioned!
He had been present at the trampling of Dongying, but again due to a moment’s hesitation and not placing a heavy bet, the seventy-two brave men gained both fame and fortune, indulging in meat and drink, raking in wealth, while Old Wang could only feed on leftovers...
Such an opportunity to be remembered in history, if a person encountered it once in their life, it would be as if the heavens had opened their eyes, and their ancestral tomb was smoking with blessings!
And Old Wang had come across it twice, missing both chances!
’Old Wang, Old Wang, you really deserve to die!’
Apart from the eighty percent of the treasures to be processed and liquidated in Hangzhou, the remaining twenty percent would be personally escorted by Yang Ge to the capital using the transportation capabilities of The Canal Transportation, to be handed over to the Wei Imperial Court.
This decision was made by Yang Ge and others while they were still in Dongying, after consulting with Zhou Fu and others.
Logically speaking, this far-reaching expedition across to Dongying was unrelated to the Wei Imperial Court. This included Zhou Fu, Liu Tang, Nangong Feiying, and others, who all participated in this expedition in a personal capacity. The shares that were to be distributed to Zhou Fu and others had all been given to them by Yang Ge and his group, and by all accounts, they shouldn’t need to hand over a portion to the imperial court...
But obviously, not everything in the world is always so reasonable.
The profits from this expedition were too great!
It wasn’t guaranteed that the emperor and the ministers in the court wouldn’t be envious and use dirty tricks against the seventy-two brave men.
Yang Ge might not be afraid, and Yang Tiansheng and the others might not be afraid either... but what about the Xiang Family, Lianhuan Fort, and Zhou Fu, Liu Tang, and Nangong Feiying?
Yang Ge could protect them for a while, but could he protect them their whole lives?
Rather than have everyone live in constant fear and trepidation after getting the money...
It’s better to act with courtesy before force, to first stop the court’s mouth with part of the wealth!
If the court still acts dishonorably after receiving the money...
They can’t be blamed for stealing, deceiving, or launching a surprise attack against a dynasty that is over two hundred years old, can they?
Looking at it from Yang Ge’s own perspective...
He felt that sometimes the emperor was like a child who needed to be cajoled, lest he threw a tantrum.
The matter of his killing the King of Ning was water under the bridge, regardless of who was right or wrong.
Life had to go on, and it’s not helpful to remain rigid, seeing each other as thorns in the eye.
He couldn’t truly stir up the Zhao Family’s realm over such a trivial matter, could he?
Whether rebellion is difficult or tiring, let’s not talk about that for now...
```