In times of chaos and famine, I traded one pound of rice for two royal flushes.

The two came down from the top of the earthen kiln, and the night breeze made them feel somewhat awake.

Chu Wu was still pondering the matter of allicin. The more he thought about it, the more amazing it seemed, and the more unfathomable Qin Shaolang appeared to be.

His knowledge completely exceeded the existing system of the Great Wei, forming its own school of thought, and it sounded logically rigorous, leaving no room for doubt.

Qin Shaolang returned to the largest cave dwelling. Most of the family soldiers had already gone back to rest, leaving only a few on night watch. They were talking quietly around the central campfire. When they saw Qin Shaolang and Chu Wu enter, they immediately stood up.

"Brother Qin, Brother Chu."

Qin Shaolang waved his hand, signaling them to continue, and then walked to the campfire, picked up a stick and poked at the flames to make them burn brighter.

"Chu Wu, you're right about the reward money; I didn't think it through."

Chu Wu was surprised that Qin Shaolang would bring this up, so he moved closer and sat down next to Qin Shaolang. "I'm just glad that Brother Qin listened to me. Actually, I was worried because people's hearts are unpredictable, and I've seen too many cases of kindness being appreciated but excessive kindness being resented."

Qin Shaolang nodded; he certainly understood this principle.

In modern society, company bosses make empty promises, and employees become desensitized to them after hearing them so often. But in this era, a concrete promise carries significant weight. However, promises made too easily or too generously will, as Chu Wu said, breed a group of lazy people unwilling to work hard.

"The money definitely needs to be divided, but not equally." Qin Shaolang's gaze was fixed on the flickering flames, as if he were pondering something. "After we take this 600 taels, we need to set aside a portion as common funds for our small group."

"Public funds?" Chu Wu was unfamiliar with this term.

"Yes, it's everyone's money, but it doesn't belong to any one person," Qin Shaolang explained. "For example, if we need to buy food, weapons, or fortify our dwellings, it will all come from this money. That way, everyone can enjoy the benefits of this money, living more securely and eating better."

Chu Wu's mind worked quickly, and he immediately understood the benefits.

If the money is divided equally, each person will only get a few taels of silver, which might be gone after a few drinks or a few outings in town. But if it's used for public purposes, much greater things can be accomplished, benefiting everyone.

"This is a good idea! This way, everyone will feel at ease."

"Take a portion of the remaining money and distribute it as rewards based on merit," Qin Shaolang continued. "Whoever contributed the most to this hunt will receive the most. For example, Li Hu provided crucial maps and intelligence, so his contribution was significant. Also, the brothers who were responsible for the main containment took the greatest risks and should receive more. Everyone else who participated will also get a share; it's just a matter of how much."

He paused, then looked at Chu Wu. "The most important thing is to make them understand one thing. Getting a bigger share this time doesn't mean they'll get a bigger share next time. Everything depends on merit and contribution. If they want more money, they have to do more work, even dangerous work."

After hearing this, Chu Wu was completely convinced.

He had only thought that Qin Shaolang was too generous and that this might cause problems, but he hadn't thought about how to solve it.

With just a few words, Qin Shaolang has established a simple yet highly effective incentive system.

This approach ensured both group cohesion and individual motivation.

"Brother Qin, what...how is your brain structured?" Chu Wu stammered for a long time before finally managing to utter this sentence. "I feel that your ability to manage people is even more impressive than your mystical medical skills."

Qin Shaolang simply smiled.

These are merely the most basic performance incentive schemes in modern corporate management, nothing special. But in this era, for a group of loyal soldiers who only know how to obey orders, it is undoubtedly a groundbreaking innovation.

"Alright, you should go and get some rest too. The three of us have to go into the mountains again tomorrow." Qin Shaolang patted Chu Wu on the shoulder.

"Okay," Chu Wu replied, but his heart remained unsettled for a long time.

He suddenly felt that following Qin Shaolang might actually lead to great achievements. This feeling was stronger than any other general he had ever known in the army.

……

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Qin Shaolang was awakened by a soft knocking on the door.

He got up and opened the door, only to find Li Hu standing there, looking anxious yet also excited.

"Master Qin, something's happened!"

"Come in and talk." Qin Shaolang ushered him into the house. The Su sisters were still asleep on the kang (a heated brick bed), so he took Li Hu to the outer room.

"What's wrong?"

"Er Mazi... Er Mazi is sick!" Li Hu lowered his voice, but the excitement in his tone was undeniable. "This morning I went to ask the hunters in the village for news. They said that Er Mazi developed a high fever last night and was delirious. This morning his wife went to see a doctor, who shook his head, saying it was a cold and he had drunk strong liquor, causing his internal heat to attack his heart. I'm afraid... I'm afraid he won't survive."

This result was entirely within Qin Shaolang's expectations.

A cold combined with drunkenness, in the absence of effective medication, was a death sentence for Er Mazi, whose body was already weakened.

"What was the reaction of the other hunters in the village?" This was what Qin Shaolang was most concerned about.

"They're all panicked," Li Hu said. "With Er Mazi down, they've lost their leader. Besides, the ones who went with Er Mazi to hunt down the tiger last time and got injured are now having festering wounds and are screaming in pain. The hunters in the village are in a really gloomy mood right now."

After hearing this, Qin Shaolang immediately made up his mind.

This was exactly the opportunity he had been waiting for.

"Chu Wu!" Qin Shaolang shouted to the neighbor next door.

Chu Wu quickly came out, dressed neatly. "Brother Qin, what's the matter?"

"Go, stew a big pot of the meat we bought yesterday, add plenty of salt, and stew it until it's very tender," Qin Shaolang instructed. "Also, boil a big pot of those heat-clearing and detoxifying herbs that I asked you to pick earlier."

Although Chu Wu didn't understand what Qin Shaolang was going to do, he immediately nodded and went to do it.

Qin Shaolang then looked at Li Hu. "Li Hu, once the meat broth and medicine are ready, take a few brothers and go to the village."

"Mr. Qin, what do you mean?"

"Send a bowl of meat soup and a jar of herbs to each of the injured hunters." Qin Shaolang said with a smile. "Tell them we're all from the same village, we see each other all the time. Captain Er Mazi is sick, I, Qin Shaolang, can't just sit idly by. This meat soup will help them recover, and the herbs will relieve some of their pain. Let them rest and recover properly. Leave the matter of the white-browed tiger to me."

Upon hearing this, Li Hu was completely stunned.

He opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word for a long time.