Verbal attacks and written criticisms

     Verbal attacks and written criticism are the literati's trump card. They may have been unable to reason with ignorant and rude soldiers, they may have been weak and frail from hunger and cold, they may have sung praises amidst moral confusion, and they may have been powerless to even kill a chicken while toiling in the fields. It is this very group that has propelled the progress of social civilization, and it is also this very group that has hindered it. They can be gentlemen throughout history, or they can be villains. The distinction between a gentleman and a villain often lies not in their knowledge, but in their character.

    In my view, a literati is not yet a wise man. Perhaps he is already a learned scholar, a renowned figure of great talent, or a favored minister who rises to high office. Knowledge has made him wise, but it also prevents him from escaping the limitations of "literati mutual contempt," not to mention his inability to remain neutral in "factional strife." Knowledge, at some point, has become a kind of cunning, a cunning strategy for rapid advancement and self-preservation. Perhaps because knowledge has lost its original purity, it has left them with a creative block, and their original strategies for serving the country and governing the nation have become speechless due to a lack of wisdom. This is not to say that their knowledge cannot be elevated to wisdom, but rather that they value cleverness too much and have lost the wisdom inherent

    in the wise. The game begins, either a war of attrition with overwhelming numbers or a war of words between evenly matched opponents. Their proficiency in personal attacks and framing reveals the true face of a cunning schemer. Verbal attacks are a weapon for them, used for both defense and offense. However, many see this tool more as offense than defense. In Sima Qian's "Letter to Ren An" and in Su Shi's Wutai Poetry Case, we can see the misfortune of an isolated and helpless person subjected to a relentless barrage of attacks. Verbal attacks and written criticism are merely tools; they can be lengthy petitions pleading for the people, or sharp arrows distorting right and wrong. The same knowledge, coupled with different character, gives rise to different wisdom, leading to different life circumstances and outcomes.

    Verbal attacks and written criticism are the capital for intellectuals to achieve fame and the foundation for their livelihood. Intellectuals, possessing this ability, are no longer weak; their strength is enough to destabilize a regime and destroy a nation. This is a prime example of infighting, and also an invisible destructive force (like an atomic bomb, like a virus). Alone, they may be outstanding figures; when in groups, they become a clique of followers, like a hedgehog launching a siege.

    Verbal attacks and written criticism are not confined to a single era; when society provides the breeding ground for them, they will appear in societies throughout history, like "wildfire that cannot be extinguished, springing up again with the spring breeze," only wearing different clothes and experiencing different eras. Their verbal attacks, differing only in angle, style, and content, are all orchestrated by a hidden hand and stem from a single purpose. This united front, shrouded in a powerful aura, has historically condemned those they deem dissidents. Few dare to be lone heroes, for the odds are against them. Few can withstand the onslaught, for they are not superhuman. Even if a few manage to withstand this massive attack and prevail, the overwhelming barrage of criticism is enough to cripple them.