Chapter 486 - The Audit Committee

"Exactly." Wu De nodded. "When interests are at stake, neither conscience nor faith can be relied upon."

From grain collection to land surveying, the Civil Affairs Department's demand for grassroots administrative personnel had exploded. Now, with disaster relief expanding to encompass ever more territory, Wu De and the handful of transmigrators under his command could no longer oversee every detail personally. The loss of direct control gnawed at him.

"But we do political security work, not anti-corruption—" Ran Yao felt that corruption fell outside the purview of the police—it was a matter for a Discipline Inspection Commission. Yet no one in the transmigrator group had experience in such an agency.

"Everything has a beginning," Wu De urged. "Since the agency doesn't exist, why don't you create it?"

"It would be more appropriate for you to submit the proposal." Ran Yao hesitated. Establishing a specialized agency wasn't difficult—anti-corruption could arguably fall under Internal Affairs. But anti-corruption work was far more complex than political security. The director needed an intimate knowledge of the administrative system to spot loopholes and a grasp of finance to penetrate "cooked" books. Moreover, anti-corruption efforts wouldn't stop at natives. History proved the most formidable corrupt elements always had backers at the center, meaning investigations would inevitably touch the transmigrators themselves. The role required someone impartial and iron-willed...

Finding such a person was difficult. And placing this agency under the Interior Department would be unwise—Ran Yao already held too much power. He felt it best to establish it independently.

"I'm not familiar with running secret agencies."

"It's not a secret agency. It has investigative functions, but it's distinct from Political Security," Ran Yao argued. "The Executive Committee should control it directly. Future anti-corruption work will inevitably involve transmigrators."

"You're right." Wu De conceded. Without the backing of the highest authority, such an agency would be toothless.

Wu De drafted the proposal requesting the establishment of an Independent Commission Against Corruption.

The direct result was the Executive Committee's announcement of a "Special Audit Committee." Cheng Dong of the Finance Committee had simultaneously submitted a report requesting an Audit Bureau to supervise the group's material and financial status, citing urgent necessity.

In the spirit of conserving manpower for the revolution and minimizing bureaucracy, the Executive Committee decided to merge the proposals, establishing a single department to manage both integrity and auditing. Thus, the word "Special" was appended to the Audit Committee's title.

Yi Fan was appointed its first director. He was not only an accountant but a professional auditor—a perfect match for the role. His appointment was strongly backed by the Finance Committee, who viewed the transmigrator group's current financial system as a sieve riddled with loopholes—a hotbed for corruption that demanded a professional guardian.

"Is he suitable?" Wu De eyed the fat man sitting solemnly behind the conference table. He looked like a petty clerk. His auditing skills were likely sound, but did he possess the necessary steel?

"Should be no problem," Ran Yao whispered. "Yi Fan is a totalitarian..."

"Understood." Wu De nodded. Totalitarians generally recognized no family ties and would stop at nothing to maintain the system. He was perfect.

True to form, Yi Fan's maiden speech revealed strong authoritarian tendencies. His first request was to rename the Special Audit Committee to the "Special Audit Committee for Eliminating Corruption and Sabotage"—abbreviated as "Cheka."

"Here it comes, see?" Ran Yao chuckled softly. "Just like the Germanophiles who get excited over Iron Crosses and Tiger tanks, these guys get ecstatic at the mention of the KGB or Cheka."

The room exchanged glances. Finally, someone pointed out that even in Russian, the abbreviation for his proposed title wasn't "Cheka." Wasn't this naked cosplay a bit excessive?

"Not at all." Yi Fan beamed. "Anti-corruption is a long-term struggle, a combination of public action and secret investigation." He removed his glasses and began cleaning them with methodical slowness. "Gentlemen, the key to anti-corruption is prevention, not retroactive punishment. Arresting hordes of people, cracking major cases, or even dragging an Executive Committee member out to be shot merely to demonstrate resolve is meaningless—by then, the evil fruit of corruption has already ripened."

"This kid is ruthless. Wants to shoot Executive Committee members right out of the gate," laughed Cheng Dong, the People's Commissar for Finance.

Maybe he really plans to, some thought silently.

"...Therefore, the committee must possess a powerful deterrent capability. To deter crime, we need a name that resonates—a word that makes corrupt elements tremble."

"The name is irrelevant," Wen Desi said slowly. "Call it Cheka or Gestapo if you like. What do you plan to do?"

Yi Fan smiled cunningly. "That depends on how much power the Executive Committee grants me."

In the end, he received the mandate he sought. This freshly baked 17th-century Cheka, in addition to controlling financial and material auditing, was authorized to enter any department under the Executive Committee at any time to inspect and seize account books, records, and material vouchers. It could suspend any department's material requisitions, freeze departmental and personal accounts, and summon individuals for questioning—for up to 72 hours. This summoning power was limited to native personnel; questioning transmigrators required Executive Committee approval.

To ensure strong executive power, the Special Audit Committee was professionally guided by the Finance Committee but reported directly to the Executive Committee.

Yi Fan's department threw itself into work immediately. In a surprise inspection of the refugee camp, he audited the daily rice consumption and found a discrepancy. He had calculated precisely how much brown rice was required to feed the refugee population, yet the current daily consumption was 7.4% higher than his figure.

Consequently, the staff responsible for cooking and distribution were summoned for questioning. Within 24 hours, a small ring embezzling porridge rice was exposed, involving four people. The theft amounted to three shi of rice.

Wu De immediately convened a public trial at the refugee camp, attended by refugees and Civil Affairs staff. The four unfortunates were sentenced to six months of labor reform—"to warn the others."

The effect was immediate and powerful. Subsequent surprise inspections discovered various instances of waste due to negligence, but no further embezzlement. For most students assigned to the welfare department, the "gold content" of the job was high—compared to ordinary laborers toiling at construction sites or docks, they enjoyed "cadre" status with respectable income. Everyone agreed that ruining one's future for a few shi of rice was a fool's bargain.

This case established the reputation of the newly minted "Cheka." Yi Fan was immensely proud. Every day he wore a dark trench coat—leather ones being unavailable in Lingao—assumed a grave expression, and addressed everyone as "Comrade," using full names like "Comrade Wu De."

However, most of his time was consumed by dry, tedious financial auditing. As per the Finance Committee's plan, the "Cheka" was to conduct a comprehensive audit of all institutions.

"This work is heavy burden," Cheng Dong said to Yi Fan in the Finance Committee office. "Drink some kombucha?"

"Just tea for me."

"Actually, kombucha isn't bad. I quite like it." Cheng Dong brewed him a cup of tea.

" The ICAC invites people for coffee; here we have tea," he joked. "I'm afraid you'll be inviting people for tea often in the future."

"I hope not," Yi Fan answered carefully. He realized this conversation was crucial; he needed to grasp the leader's intent.

"This audit is tricky. It likely won't be smooth." Cheng Dong finally reached the main topic.

Yi Fan nodded. The formal financial system had only been gradually implemented since the start of the year. Legacy problems in the accounts would be abundant.

"The most annoying thing is that many ministry heads are either ignorant of the financial system or simply don't care. Some resist, feeling that strict systems and audits imply distrust." Cheng Dong smiled wryly. "Finance personnel are unpopular everywhere."

"They don't understand the importance of the system yet..."

"Yes. Everyone speaks logically about systemic problems—that self-discipline is unreliable and strong systems are necessary. But in reality?" Cheng Dong snorted. "Everyone wants to be the exception."

"That is indeed the case." Yi Fan didn't know exactly what the leader was alluding to, so he simply agreed.

"Which department do you plan to start with?"

"Guangzhou Station, of course. It was established early, handles massive flows of money and materials, and incurs large expenses, including bribery funds," Yi Fan stated. "I imagine the internal accounts are a mess. It should be the hardest nut to crack. If we break it, the rest will follow easily."

"Not necessarily." Cheng Dong shook his head. "Guo Yi stands particularly firm. He has a family background issue and takes extreme care never to offer leverage to anyone. Moreover, since we opened the Delong branch in Guangzhou earlier this year, the Station's financial system has been completely formalized. Though the accounts are voluminous, they likely won't be difficult to organize."

(End of Chapter)