There were still many matters to deal with at Red Tree Slope.
In the open space below the sand embankment, several tables, long benches, and a few chairs with backs were set up.
Bai Sheng, Lu Ye, Ji Chenghe, and others sat there, with the bandits, their women, and children, tied up in various bizarre ways, in front of them.
Since some of the more spirited bandits refused to yield and continued to curse, their mouths were stuffed with stinky socks by the people of Red Tree Slope. The smell of the socks immediately made the other bandits seal their mouths even tighter.
Wasn't this person foolish? Already a prisoner, and still shouting wildly. If his throat was hoarse, it wouldn't prove he was a good person.
The people of Red Tree Slope, standing or sitting all around, surrounded the bandits.
The first thing to be handled was all the money and supplies seized from the bandits. Bai Sheng had all the women of Red Tree Slope sort and organize these financial assets and materials.
Du Min recorded them: a total of ten dou of grain, two hundred and ten taels of silver, five cleavers, two iron pots, four large vats, fifty weapons, one cart, seventeen horses, and eighty sets of clothes.
After the statistics were completed, Du Min asked Bai Sheng how these items should be disposed of.
Bai Sheng faced the people of Red Tree Slope and said loudly with a smile, "The timely discovery of suspicious individuals by the guard team was crucial to defeating the bandits this time. This shows how important our guard team is, bearing the heavy responsibility of protecting the safety of Red Tree Slope. We will continue to expand the guard team in the future, so each member of the guard team will be rewarded with a horse! In addition, Wang Xiaoma, Lu Yun, and Gui'er will each be rewarded with five taels of silver!"
"Oh yeah!" More than a dozen youths cheered and went forward to collect their horses.
Bai Sheng continued, "The guard team is the shield and armor of Red Tree Slope. I hope all members of the guard team will diligently train under Chief Instructor Lu Ye, do their best to improve their skills, protect our home, be loyal to Red Tree Slope, and never betray it!"
Captain Ma San said in a loud voice, "I'm a rough fellow and not good with words, but I have to say this today! Master taught us martial arts and tactics, like a revered teacher; Madam gave us a way to live, letting us have houses to live in, food to eat, and clothes to wear, like a reborn mother!
Today, everything that Red Tree Slope has is thanks to Master and Madam. The guard team was also established by Master and Madam.
The guard team must not only be loyal to Red Tree Slope but also to Master and Madam! If anyone betrays them in the future, I, Ma San, will be the first to not let them get away with it!"
All members of the guard team shouted in unison, "We will be absolutely loyal to Master and Madam, protect Red Tree Slope, and never betray them!"
"Thank you, Brother Ma San and all the members of the guard team, for your trust," Bai Sheng nodded at Ma San with clear eyes and continued, "Your Master and I have no lofty ambitions. We only hope that all the people of Red Tree Slope have houses to live in, food to eat, and clothes to wear. Not only must we survive, but we must also live better lives!
Although we are in the desert and suffering from drought and natural disasters, we must believe that man can conquer nature, and that there is always a way out. I hope every resident of Red Tree Slope holds this common belief and works together to build a better life."
The people of Red Tree Slope were very moved by Madam's words. They were fortunate to have moved their homes here.
Lu Xing and Lu Yang exchanged a look and silently decided to ask their cousin-in-law later if they could move their homes here as well.
After the horses were distributed, Bai Sheng again asked Du Min to divide all the money and supplies equally among all the residents of Red Tree Slope, including all the family servants and the Lu Dahai father and son.
When the residents of Red Tree Slope heard this, they immediately became excited. Putting aside other supplies, the Madam was not keeping any of that more than two hundred taels of silver, and was giving it all to them?
When calculated, each family could receive over ten taels! Oh my heavens, they had suddenly become rich! Most of them had never even touched a whole tael of silver in their lives.
Besides the silver, there was also the grain, the household items...
Madam was too generous! She sincerely wanted them to live good lives!
Lu Yang and Lu Dahai were even more excited. In their family, Lu Xing received a horse and five taels of silver. Later, they would also receive over ten taels of silver. This feeling of sudden wealth made them feel as if they were dreaming. They pinched each other to confirm that this was reality, that it was true.
However, the father and son discussed privately that this money must not fall into their grandmother's hands. Otherwise, their grandmother would not give them a single cent, but would even add some to their uncle's family.
This time, their uncle and aunt refused to come to help, so they naturally couldn't get any benefits. Lu Yang now realized that the truly selfish ones were his uncle's family, not Lu Ye and the others.
The five taels rewarded by Chen Xing belonged to him. The remaining over ten taels were given to Lu Yang as five taels, and Lu Yang's married sister, Lu Youdi, received two taels. Lu Dahai had checked; Lu Youdi was living a very difficult life.
The rest was all handed over by Lu Dahai to their mother, Xu shi.
As for the handling of the bandits, it was a troublesome issue, but as long as the authorities did not interfere, Bai Sheng had many ways.
She looked at Ji Chenghe and asked, "Brother Ji, should these people be handed over to the authorities for unified handling, or should we deal with them ourselves?"
Ji Chenghe glanced at the bandits, over a hundred of them, all capable of eating well, and sighed, "The government prisons currently do not have enough food to feed prisoners. Those guilty of serious crimes are usually executed, and those guilty of minor crimes are mostly subjected to heavy corvée labor and high-intensity work, which will wear them out to death in no time. It is difficult for the government to accept so many people at once."
The government was already struggling to look after itself, so how would it care about these bandits? It would most likely secretly kill them, or forcibly send the men to black kilns at a high price, and sell the women to brothels. However, Ji Chenghe could not say too much.
One of the bandits, pale with fright, asked, "What counts as a serious... serious crime?"
"Having killed someone," Ji Chenghe said with a straight face.
The bandit was so scared that he rolled his eyes and fainted. They were robbers, and every one of them had killed people, and many at that. If they went to the authorities, wouldn't they be directly beheaded?
The other bandits were also terrified and silently planned how they could survive.
Bai Sheng smiled, "Since that is the case, then we, the victims, will handle them ourselves, alright?"
"Naturally, no problem," Ji Chenghe smiled and nodded.
The bandit women suddenly started crying. A few bold ones directly knelt before Bai Sheng, begging her to spare them. Then, the women behind them all knelt down, including the mother and daughter Pang.
Bai Sheng saw the two of them at a glance and turned to Yang Ming and Wang Xiaoma, saying, "Xiaoming, Xiaoma, go bring that mother and daughter over."
Yang Ming and Wang Xiaoma naturally knew who "that mother and daughter" referred to. The two of them walked straight to the Pang mother and daughter, each picked one up, and threw them before Madam.
The people of Red Tree Slope all looked at the mother and daughter with hatred, wishing they could tear them to pieces.
Fortunately, their master was formidable, and this time the bandits were too weak, otherwise all their lives would have been lost today.