Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors
Chapter 34 - 30 Refutation

Chapter 34: Chapter 30 Refutation

The silver-haired Wang Chong spoke these words with earnest emotion, as if each word and phrase came straight from the heart.

When Chu Ge first pushed the instance to the second stage, he indeed was confounded by Wang Chong’s words, incapable of thinking of a rebuttal, leading to the instance’s failure.

But this time, the situation was obviously different.

Chu Ge couldn’t help but sneer, "Mr. Wang speaks as if he truly is a loyal and devoted official who has the nation’s and the people’s best interests at heart?

"Could it be that I, Yang Yan, have misunderstood Mr. Wang?

"Although my own official rank may be humble, I have witnessed the hardships of the common folks, and am not so easily deceived. Mr. Wang, you need not bother trying to fool me with the same old tricks you use on naive scholars—it would only add to the ridicule.

"Do you mean to say, Mr. Wang, that for every hundred catties of grain issued by the court, you have converted it into three hundred catties of bran, thus saving three times as many famine victims? Not only increasing the quantity but also reducing the layers of corruption and exploitation, killing two birds with one stone?

"But is that really the case?

"I’m afraid that for every hundred catties of grain the court issues, seventy catties are embezzled by your followers, leaving only thirty catties to be exchanged for a hundred catties of bran!

"Mr. Wang, you cannot possibly be so naive as to believe that by swapping for bran and fodder, there would be no underhanded deals, no layers of corruption?

"Mr. Wang, however did your enormous wealth come to be? It certainly didn’t fall from the sky, did it? You lead by example in embezzling grain. Others in the large Wang Faction regard you as their backbone. To get these people to willingly work for you, inevitably there will be bribes given and interests shared among them—I suspect this is the real reason why the grain for relief is never enough.

"Mr. Wang presents himself as clean as a whistle in his speech, as if corruption were solely the fault of those hopeless local officials and as if sharing profits was a last resort. Mr. Wang, as the Great Wei’s top minister, to be so powerless is indeed very surprising to me!"

Wang Chong fell silent for a moment.

The light was very dim, but Chu Ge could still sense that Wang Chong’s originally confident aura had been greatly suppressed.

This meant Chu Ge’s words had taken effect!

Wang Chong’s argument, at first listen, was indeed very seductive, especially to those scholars without grassroots experience, and potentially devastating.

If it were an average scholar, Wang Chong’s sophistry might even shatter his entire belief system.

And that was exactly Wang Chong’s purpose: to defeat Yang Yan, painting him as a naive idealist achieving nothing, and then everything would naturally progress in the direction Wang Chong intended.

Whether Yang Yan bowed to reality, admitted his fault to the emperor, or became disillusioned, Wang Chong’s goal would be achieved.

However, contrary to expectations, Yang Yan didn’t hesitate at all but instead seized the holes in his argument and counterattacked vehemently!

But Wang Chong was Wang Chong after all; if he could be so easily defeated, he would not have held sway over court politics for decades, standing unflappable through various political storms.

Wang Chong sighed softly, "Do you know how much money and grain is left in the national treasury? You say I have enormous wealth, but compared to the annual deficit of the treasury, my fortune is insignificant!

"Throughout history, how many corrupt officials have there been, how many honest ones? Honest officials are as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns, whereas corrupt ones are as common as sand in a river. If I were to rely on honest officials like you, I would probably have been imprisoned before you. What other choice do I have than to make use of these corrupt officials?

"With the treasury empty, I can only do my best as a paperhanger, using what little funds we have to save as many people as possible.

"Bran, fodder, after all, the famine victims aren’t even seen as people; it’s just about saving as many as you can, right?"

Chu Ge lowered his head and chuckled darkly.

"Mr. Wang, I can hear your deep concern and know that your position, second only to one yet above tens of thousands, is indeed arduous.

"Mr. Wang, you devise strategies behind the scenes with the best of intentions, casting yourself and those in the Wang Faction as good officials serving country and people. But I have just one question for you: What if this incites a popular uprising?

"How will Mr. Wang deal with it?

"Since even Mr. Wang acknowledges that the Great Wei’s treasury is depleted, with luxury above and greed below, and the people left homeless and dire, why do you still turn a blind eye, unmoved?

"Mr. Wang said one thing correctly, the famine victims are not people; they are animals, but desperate animals can bite. How can you be sure that the famine victims will understand the dire situation of a richly clothed and Jade-feeding Mr. Wang and quietly eat bran?"

"How do you know that if the good grain turned into bran and fodder, the disaster victims wouldn’t become resentful?"

"Mr. Wang, how do you know that when the uprising occurs, those angry disaster victims won’t flay and eviscerate your officials from the Wang Faction and hang you from the trees?"

"Mr. Wang, your theory might make sense on a small scale, especially among your own followers, who would probably treat it as the ultimate principle; but once you take into account the whole world, don’t you find it laughable?"

"Throughout history, there have been both honest and corrupt officials, but some dynasties have been glorious and prosperous with their people safe and wealthy, while others have been weak with their people impoverished and plagued by bandits. What makes the difference between these dynasties?"

"In my view, the difference probably lies in the number of people like Mr. Wang and myself, Yang Yan!"

"Mr. Wang, you can continue to bask in your fanciful dream without awakening, but when those angry disaster victims rush into your residence and hang you, don’t forget the words I’ve said to you today!"

Wang Chong wanted to say something, but Chu Ge continued, cutting him off.

"Mr. Wang, you claim that aside from using these corrupt officials, you have no other choice, and that surprises me."

"I recall my time as a County Magistrate in Li’an County when the surrounding counties also suffered droughts similar to Li’an, and those Magistrates, I presume, had the same compelling circumstances as you, Mr. Wang, and had no choice but to feed those officials with the relief grain."

"Later on, only Li’an County remained unscathed under my governance, while the other counties all experienced uprisings. Those Magistrates were either dismissed or executed."

"Back then, I was just a humble Magistrate who still knew how to manage my subordinates. Mr. Wang, you have ascended to such heights, yet you do not know this? Or is it that without those corrupt officials, you can’t get things done?"

"If Mr. Wang feels inadequate, why not retire early and return to your hometown, and let me take over your position? What do you think?"

After finishing, Chu Ge proudly looked directly into Wang Chong’s eyes.

You say you have so many difficulties, dare you let me try?

I get on, I’ll really do a good job!

With these words, Wang Chong was completely at a loss for words.

Because there was simply no way to refute!

Wang Chong had been emphasizing one thing over and over—the multitude of corrupt officials and the scarcity of honest ones, and that he had to rely on these corrupt officials to get work done, so sharing so many benefits with them was an act of desperation.

If a scholar with no practical abilities heard this, they might not be able to object because they have no means of bypassing these corrupt officials to provide disaster relief.

But Yang Yan was different!

Yang Yan had been the County Magistrate of Li’an County. Among his subordinates were many greedy and cunning officials, yet Yang Yan had them well controlled. While other counties were experiencing uprisings due to insufficient disaster relief grain, only Li’an County remained unscathed.

It was precisely because of his achievements in Li’an County that Yang Yan had the opportunity to become an official at court.

Chu Ge was seizing on this point to forcefully press Wang Chong!

You say you can only use these corrupt officials? Then, if you can’t do it, let me take over! I won’t use these corrupt officials, and I’ll still be able to distribute relief grain to the disaster victims!

Chu Ge could speak so confidently because everyone knew that Yang Yan was not just a pompous scholar with nothing to show for it, but a capable and responsible good official.

The method to refute Wang Chong was actually all there in Yang Yan’s resume—if one just dug deeper, it would come to light.

Wang Chong’s face shifted between shades, and in the end, he could only silently stand up and walk away.

Because his little scheme had been thoroughly exposed!

Indeed, Wang Chong’s argument was very deceptive, and had it been anyone else, they could have easily been persuaded and might even have become one of his followers.

If it were a choice between "a useful corrupt official" and "an incompetent honest official," surely the former would win hands down.

But, unfortunately for him, Yang Yan was not an incompetent honest official; rather, he was a steadfast and even more useful honest official!

These little tricks, like morning dew facing the morning sun, instantly vanished into thin air.