Fang Yun nodded lightly and said, "I understand what you mean. Catching Spirit Beast traffickers involves a question of cost. The governments of the various kingdoms have already assigned considerable manpower and funding to this, but the traffickers are experienced and extremely cunning. There is only so much the governments can do. After all, too many other areas require manpower and money; we cannot neglect them for the sake of catching Spirit Beast traffickers. If we devoted more resources to it, people would inevitably ask why we weren't spending that money on examination candidates or on the poor. Investment in manpower and resources follows a general rule: invest too much, and the gains diminish sharply, but invest nothing, and remedying the situation later will waste even more manpower and resources."
No government could attend to everything and remain flawless.
Dong Wencong nodded repeatedly and said with deep respect, "Your explanation is far more penetrating than my own thoughts. I understand the principle, but I lack your commanding perspective. It seems your opinion agrees with mine. You needn't devote your energy to this matter; leave it to people like us. Besides, you've read the official report. We can hardly seek out a Great Scholar of the Legalist School for this case."
Fang Yun pondered for a moment, then slowly began to speak.
"Considering the costs and returns, the various parts of Xiang Prefecture indeed should not devote excessive manpower and resources to catching Spirit Beast traffickers at present. But sometimes we must consider more than those costs and returns; we must also consider the repercussions in other areas. As governor-general of two prefectures, I must draw a line on behalf of the state. When that line is crossed, it means immense losses will follow, losses that manpower and material resources alone