?

They acted in the interests of their new overlord, from whom they expected the fulfillment of their modest dream – freedom and a simple life, and that is all.

They expected him to grant them a position of power, not a "simple life." They could easily have found a simple life on other islands if they had flown away. After all, Lu Bu had a simple life before the war, when he lived with his father, who signed a peace agreement. But no, a position of power built on the blood of others is preferable.