Those two are some good tacticts. I do the first only in enemy villages, since I declare it imorral to plunder the poor peasantry for no reason.
For the patrols I say ... They are police, so f@ck da polis ... I mean they have no reason to exist in a FREE game, so you can slay them, no harm to no-one.
Another way to get much money is to trade. Velvet, Butter, Oil ... Those are rather expensive products in some towns...