127: Chapter 127 Undercurrents

The room suddenly went quiet.

Executive Vice President Zhou Zhengming's hand, holding the purple clay teapot, hung in mid-air, and Deputy Captain Liang Tao also set aside his thoughts of appreciating the calligraphy and paintings.

When this old friend posed a question, it was by no means idle chatter; he was gauging the true mettle of the young man before them.

General Manager Zhou Shutong stood to the side, watching coldly.

"The governing power of the imperial dynasty stopped at the county magistrate. Below the county level, it relied solely on clans and local gentry."

As soon as Zhu Wenhao spoke, he went straight to the core.

"In ancient times, constrained by means of transportation and communication, the imperial court's reach could not extend to every village. To keep the massive empire functioning, it had to cede part of its governing power to local clans. Using ethical codes and moral principles as a bond, they let the gentry act on their behalf in matters of education, tax collection, and litigation."

Zhu Wenhao picked up the celadon teacup in front of him.

"The 'gain' of this model lay in the imperial court maintaining the stability of an agrarian society with hundreds of millions of people at an extremely low cost."

"It can be said that the peace and prosperity of the early Ming Dynasty owed a great deal to these grassroots clans."

The slightly plump old man nodded slightly: "Then where did the 'loss' lie?"

"The loss lay in the tail becoming too large to wag, hollowing out the foundation of the state."

"Once a clan grew powerful, it would inevitably annex land and conceal its population. The rich would possess vast tracts of land, while the poor would have no place to stand."

"Even more fatal was that the gentry enjoyed tax-exemption privileges; they intercepted the taxes from the lower levels layer by layer, causing the state's tax revenue to plummet."

"By the mid-to-late period of the dynasty, the central government was severely hemorrhaging. With no money or grain to fend off foreign aggression or quell internal rebellions, and with the common people driven to the brink by a lack of livelihood, they were forced to rise up in revolt."

He set down the teacup, the porcelain base clinking softly against the tabletop.

"The scourge of clans was truly the chronic illness that led to the collapse of the imperial dynasty. The loss of governing power and the solidification of interests represent the most painful lesson in ancient grassroots governance."

Upon hearing this, the gaze of the slightly plump old man grew even more appreciative.

Sitting beside him, the other thin old man, who had not yet spoken, leaned forward and took over the conversation.

"Take history as a mirror. Since you see things so clearly, I will ask you a practical question."

The thin old man's voice was resonant: "If you were sent now to govern a township where clan forces ran rampant, deeply entrenched, and government decrees couldn't even leave the township government compound, what method would you use to break the impasse?"

This was taking grand theory and grounding it into specific administrative tactics.

Zhu Wenhao met his gaze.

"To govern a chaotic township, one cannot use benevolence; one must apply thunderous force, supplemented by division."

He held up three fingers, explaining point by point.

"First, strike the snake at its seven inches. When a clan is powerful, there must be black-market or evil forces behind it acting as its wings, using violence to maintain its authority. As a new official, one must never compromise with them. In the first battle, one must use the Public Security Bureau, the Procuratorate, and the courts to conduct a thunderous sweep, rooting out the most arrogant troublemakers to establish official authority. This is called breaking the impasse through the law."

"Second, the Decree of Pushing Favor. The strongest fortress is most easily breached from within. A clan is never an iron slab; the core direct line eats the meat, while the peripheral branches drink the soup, and grievances have long since arisen. By utilizing policy bias and project support, one can precisely tilt resources toward those marginalized peripheral branches. By restructuring interests, one can provoke internal conflict and completely disintegrate the old clan identity."

"Third, introduce external fresh water. A closed agrarian environment is what breeds clans. To break the solidification, one must vigorously develop infrastructure and introduce external capital and modern industries. When young people all enter factories and modern production relations based on distribution according to work are established, the traditional old ethics will naturally collapse. Use grassroots Party organization construction to replace the old rules of the ancestral hall."

Zhu Wenhao withdrew his hand.

"One hand holds the blade, the other distributes the meat. Using new rules to crush old ethics—this is the fundamental strategy for governance."

The thin old man slapped his thigh.

"What a 'one hand holds the blade, the other distributes the meat'!"

The slightly plump man turned his head to look at Executive Vice President Zhou Zhengming: "Old Zhou, your Party School is truly hiding dragons and crouching tigers. This logic of breaking the old and establishing the new is clearer and more insightful than that of the county Party committee secretaries under us who have been working for half a lifetime."

"I heard from Principal Zhou that you serve as the Party branch secretary in the Spark Class, managing a group of students with complex backgrounds in an orderly manner. Presumably, when facing complex situations, you have your own operational logic."

The slightly plump old man changed the subject.

"Young man, you have the vision, and you have the methods. What are your plans for your own future?"

"Prime ministers must rise from the local government, and fierce generals must emerge from the ranks."

Zhu Wenhao did not hesitate for a moment.

"I hope to go to the grassroots level for more training. Our Party's consistent program is to come from the masses and go to the masses. Viewing the world through official documents in government offices is, after all, separated by a layer of paper. True, real-world tempering is all at the grassroots level."

The two old men exchanged a glance.

Not coveting the leisure of government offices, daring to sink to the grassroots level—this kind of character is rare and commendable.

The slightly plump old man stood up and smoothed his lapels.

"Old Zhou, the tea today was enjoyable, the paintings were appreciated, and we've met the person. We've bothered you for half a day; it's time for us to return."

Executive Vice President Zhou Zhengming and Deputy Captain Liang Tao stood up as well: "It's rare that we get together; are you leaving already?"

"There's a meeting to attend this afternoon, and I can't get away." The slightly plump old man waved his hand.

Executive Vice President Zhou Zhengming did not insist further and personally saw the three old men out the door.

Zhu Wenhao stood by the tea table, looking calm and composed.

General Manager Zhou Shutong stood not far away, her gaze falling on Zhu Wenhao's profile. She had originally thought this person was just a slick sycophant, but the discourse on statecraft he had just delivered gave her the illusion that she was facing a superior.

Calculations in the business world seemed too narrow in the face of such a grand landscape of state and nation.

Before long, Executive Vice President Zhou Zhengming pushed the door open and returned.

"Zhu Wenhao, sit," Executive Vice President Zhou Zhengming said, pointing to a chair. "Do you know who those two people were just now?"

Zhu Wenhao shook his head: "This junior does not know."

"The few of us were educated youth at the same rural posting back in the day. We have the friendship of having eaten from the same pot," Executive Vice President Zhou Zhengming said, pouring a cup of hot tea. "Later, we all went our separate ways. Deputy Captain Liang Tao and I went into universities to teach. The thin one went to The Capital and is currently serving in the Central Discipline Inspection Commission. The plump one works in the Provincial Party Committee of a neighboring province."

One was a high-level official in the Central Discipline Inspection Commission holding the power of life and death, and the other was a powerful provincial official.

"They were very satisfied with your answers," Executive Vice President Zhou Zhengming said, stopping there without elaborating.

"You haven't eaten lunch yet, have you? Stay behind, and we'll have a simple meal together."

Zhu Wenhao agreed.

Meanwhile, in Linjiang City.

Secretary Lei Zhen, Secretary of the Provincial Political and Legal Affairs Commission, had been parachuted in to take command, and the level of cooperation from the Linjiang Municipal Public Security Bureau had reached an unprecedented height.

Police Chief Li Jianguo knew well that this was a critical battle to secure his footing, so he threw all the elite police force of the Municipal Public Security Bureau onto the front lines.

Deputy Captain Zhang Lin of the Criminal Investigation Corps of the Provincial Public Security Department led a team to form a joint action group with the Linjiang Municipal Public Security Bureau.

The dragnet operation targeting the Taiyao Gang officially began as night fell.

Police lights flashed, and dozens of police cars tore through the night in Linjiang City, heading straight for the several bath centers, commercial clubs, bars, underground casinos, and abandoned logistics parks under the name of the Taiyao Gang.

The door-breaching tools emitted a dull, loud thud.

"Police! Hands on your heads, squat down!"

Armed police with live ammunition poured in like a tide.

An extremely well-prepared anti-gang operation proceeded exceptionally smoothly.

Unexpectedly, this black-market force that had once run rampant in Linjiang City failed to organize any decent resistance in the face of the police's thunderous sweep.

Large numbers of the Taiyao Gang's bottom-level thugs and some mid-level leaders were pinned to the ground, handcuffed, and escorted onto police cars.

The operation lasted all night, taking down over a dozen dens, capturing over a hundred gang-related personnel, and seizing a large amount of cash, controlled knives, and account books.

Inside the interrogation room of the Municipal Public Security Bureau.

The glaring incandescent light shone on the suspects' faces.

After several rounds of high-pressure interrogation, the outline of the case gradually became clear.

Captain Chen Gang, who was in charge of the main interrogation, took a stack of confessions and walked quickly into the command center to report to Police Chief Li Jianguo and Deputy Captain Zhang Lin.

"Bureau Chief, Deputy Captain Zhang Lin, it's been cleared up."

Captain Chen Gang spread the confessions on the table.

"The reason this group resisted so weakly is that they are a dragon without a head. The gang has actually already become a scattered mess."

Police Chief Li Jianguo flipped through the transcripts: "What about the main leaders?"

"According to the confessions of several managing leaders below, the person in charge of the Taiyao Gang, Wang Lili, as well as her trusted confidant 'Huzi,' had already completely lost contact a few days ago."

Captain Chen Gang pointed to the records in the confession: "These two took away some of the cash on the gang's books and cut off all external contact methods. The underlings below had no idea where the bosses had gone, and when they received the news of the investigation, there wasn't even anyone to make a decision, so they just collapsed."

Deputy Captain Zhang Lin leaned back in his swivel chair and sneered.

"They got the news fast enough. Running away with the money in advance—this is leaving a bunch of small fry for us to settle the score."

"The monk can run, but the temple can't. Issue a wanted notice and put them on the nationwide online wanted list."

Police Chief Li Jianguo issued the order.

"Solidify the chain of evidence for this batch of people who have been caught. Hand them over to the Procuratorate."

This was not only an explanation to the Provincial Public Security Department but also a powerful first shot fired by the Anti-Gang Office.

At 9:00 AM, in the conference room of the Linjiang Municipal Party Committee.

Secretary Lei Zhen sat at the head of the table, reading through the "Special Case Report on the Destruction of the Taiyao Gang Black-Market Group" submitted by the Municipal Public Security Bureau overnight.

The thick file, the confessions of over a hundred involved personnel, and the list of seized illicit money and goods adorned this battle result quite fully.

Secretary Lei Zhen closed the document with satisfaction.

He had taken personal command, and in less than a few days, the largest black-market force in Linjiang City had collapsed.

This political achievement was enough to shut the mouths of those critics in the Provincial Party Committee Compound, and it could also prove to Secretary Lao Liguo his determination to crack down on black-market forces.

As for the few leaders who had escaped, in the face of such massive battle results, the flaws did not obscure the virtues.

"Comrade Police Chief Li Jianguo, this operation by the Municipal Public Security Bureau was swift and decisive, showing the might of the public security force." Secretary Lei Zhen gave a rare verbal commendation.

Mayor Su Changming sat on the side, picked up his teacup, and blew away the steam on the surface of the water.

A political show where everyone got what they needed had come to a perfect close.

Secretary Lei Zhen had obtained the political achievement to cleanse his reputation, the Anti-Gang Office had a perfect start, Mayor Su Changming had successfully cut the fuse that implicated himself, and Police Chief Li Jianguo had used this to consolidate his position as the head of the Municipal Public Security Bureau.

The undercurrents were, at this moment, forcibly suppressed beneath the ice.