Cai Bin watched as the Chief and the Captains made their positions known. Li Jun started with a resolve that Captain Jiang would have his actions reported to the Grand Administrator. Cai Bin nodded his head in agreement, it was an action he had already taken and though a response was given it was not his place to speak his lord's judgments without express permission. The mention of cure by a miracle drew a sigh from the statesman, he let the Captains speak in turn before he let his opinion known, his tone was grave.
"To let the Captain continue on this course will end in his destruction, and I fear if we are to give him unrestrained control he will not simply do us harm, but doom us all." He shifted his eyes to all those in attendance. "The smallest action can leave a ripple that corresponds to the end of a government. When Western Zhou accepted assistance of the foreign tribes in crowning a new King, they weakened the Imperial Mandate and lost the absolute allegiance of the Lords, leading to the Spring and Autumn Era. A single loose thread will eventually fray and ruin the garment. Captain Li's words are earnest, if there is no assistance for your brother Chief Jiang I fear not just for his future, but for ours as well." He lightly tapped the ground with his ivory staff, his tone becoming deeper. "You may think I exaggerate the situation. In any ordinary case I would agree with all of you, but we are beset by foes from Xiangyang and beyond. We are the final aegis before the gates of the Capital are exposed. We cannot abide this sort of mental weakness in any measure." He shook his head for emphasis.
The situation came to the civil side of things, a place that Cai Bin could elaborate on well, "Thank you Captain Li, I will do my best to summarize the issues." His tone acquired to that of a lecturer, "For the last five years after the last Administrator was recalled to the Capital with his work only started we were lead by a Magistrate. The order came from on high; "Rapid redevelopment is necessary. Extract all that can be extracted from the populace." Thus the government type became that of an Iron Fist. After years of this mismanagement and idle corruption in the higher echelons of our government the people had grown numb to the continual administrative abuses of the government." The elder looked skyward as a sad look showed on his face. "Despite many remonstrations from portions of the High Council to reinstate the Court Systems in order to allow the people feel safe and secure in a land governed by Law and Order these petitions were shelved and never reviewed."
His tone picked up in energy as he continued. "When the Grand Administrator was chosen by all People of the city to lead us forward I put forward the Court suggestion once more. Yet, it was the necessities of the moment required us to build the Civil Office. When records of our gold intake was released there was a massive misunderstanding. Propaganda began to spread against us that we had increased taxes in order to achieve that veritable treasury. In truth the Civil Office and its system allowed us to reduce the Tax Managers by more than half of the previous numbers, assuring that much of the middle-men of the process was removed, the effects of this are two fold. Firstly, we save money on the hiring of further Tax Managers; secondly, we eliminate corruption of the Tax Managers by Overseers who review all of the proper records. Knowing all of this I assented to its building, unaware that the people would be drawn into a frenzy over these false reports." The minister lightly scratched at his temple. "A miscalculation on my part. Perhaps I should have pushed further for the Court Systems, but it is too late for regrets. I know what I will tell the people, should I get the chance to address them once more."
Having finished speaking such he spoke once more with full conviction, "We need a victory and after that victory we must assure the people that we are with them, not against them. If we lose the trust of the people completely, then the war is lost before the Rebel Li reaches our doorstep, that cannot be allowed to happen."