I think sheister makes some good points about the purposes of punishment. The law often does more than merely put a person back to the way they were before they were harmed. If you get punched in the face, you can receive damages for battery but the offender will probably suffer some criminal sanction as well, because the government wants to deter from doing it again and send a message to society that it's the wrong thing to do. It's not just about the tangibles.
I think it's also valuable to consider something that prot said back in the original thread flog started:
I agree. It seems fairly nonsensical that razing into EOWCF to force a CF is acceptable as long as you offer 1.5x land and gold as restitution afterwards. The victims are entitled to make a statement that this kind of play is not going to be tolerated, by punishing the people who are just as morally responsible as Bour...