A group gathered together, and although they weren't exactly drooling with greed, there was a sense of rubbing their hands together eagerly, much like the feeling of dividing the loot after clearing a dungeon.
Although this battle resulted in a costly victory, setting conscience and emotion aside, and looking purely from a perspective of benefit, there are advantages to such a victory. Most notably, the number of people sharing the fruits of victory would be greatly reduced.
The same victory divided among ten thousand versus one thousand has an almost heaven-and-earth difference. With fewer numbers, the share of experience and loot quality rises significantly. If casualties are so severe that only the Lord remains, you can essentially achieve the effect of a "solo run" against thousands of troops.