138: Chapter 138: The snake emerges from the cave.

The office door was knocked on again.

Director Zhou Mei, the head of the Party and Government Office, walked in holding a stack of newly organized documents.

She walked very lightly and placed the documents flat beside Zhu Wenhao.

"Secretary Zhu, these are the files that were recopied according to your requirements."

"In addition, the ledgers from the Petitions Office for the past two years are here as well."

Director Zhou Mei's gaze was cast downward, avoiding looking at the items on the desk.

Zhu Wenhao took out a fountain pen and uncapped it.

"Director Zhou."

Director Zhou Mei stood still: "You ordered?"

"The meeting minutes are missing key attachments, which is procedurally inappropriate. I reviewed these files today; if they are returned as is, when they are audited from above in the future, the blame for negligence will fall on me."

Zhu Wenhao wrote a note on the first set of minutes regarding the compensation funds for Heishui Village.

"Reviewing this file, the detailed attachment for fund disbursement was not found. The Party and Government Office is directed to follow up and complete it. Zhu Wenhao."

After writing, he signed the date of the day.

Immediately after, he wrote instructions on the two sets of minutes regarding the mining environmental rectification and the cooperative loan, demanding clarification of the responsible parties and the flow of funds, and signed his name on each.

Director Zhou Mei looked at the flowing signature; having worked in grassroots government for five years, she knew too well the power of this move.

This was called responsibility splitting, and more importantly, leaving a paper trail.

With this signature, Zhu Wenhao had effectively issued a task; whoever failed to complete it would be subject to accountability.

"Return these three originals to the archives for filing. For the copies, distribute them according to my instructions, and I require a response within half a month."

Director Zhou Mei took the documents with both hands.

The weight of the paper was as light as a feather, yet she felt as if she were holding a heavy boulder.

This newly arrived Deputy Secretary not only understood the business but also understood the deepest level of self-preservation and counter-measures in officialdom.

"Understood, Secretary Zhu. I will go and handle it now." Director Zhou Mei replied and exited the office.

At the end of the corridor was the office of the Town Party Committee Secretary.

Secretary Qiu Dehai leaned back in his large boss chair, holding a soft Zhonghua cigarette in his hand.

In front of the desk, Director Zhou Mei, who had just been respectful at Zhu Wenhao's desk, was now standing here.

"What actions did Zhu Wenhao take after reading the documents?" Secretary Qiu Dehai flicked the cigarette ash.

"Secretary Qiu, Secretary Zhu left comments on the three copies of the meeting minutes," Director Zhou Mei reported with her head lowered. "They are regarding the Heishui Village compensation funds, the mining environmental rectification, and the cooperative loan. These three documents require the missing attachments to be filled in and the flow of funds to be explained."

Secretary Qiu Dehai thought to himself that this man surnamed Zhu had come prepared. He then instructed: "Go and do as he asks, but the relevant materials must pass through my eyes first, understand?"

Director Zhou Mei responded in a low voice and withdrew.

The door closed tightly.

Secretary Qiu Dehai stubbed out the half-finished cigarette in the ashtray, his face darkening.

This young man did not play by the rules.

He didn't fight for power, didn't try to establish authority, but started by digging up old accounts and finding procedural loopholes.

The landline on the desk rang.

Secretary Qiu Dehai glanced at the caller ID and picked up the phone: "Secretary Qin, what are your instructions?"

"Dehai, that young man sent down by the city has arrived at your town, right?"

Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan did not engage in small talk and went straight to the point.

"He arrived this afternoon. He dove straight into the archives and is currently checking the meeting minutes from the past few years in our town," Secretary Qiu Dehai reported the situation.

"Scholarly airs."

"People coming from the provincial capital to gild their resumes always like to talk about documents. If he wants to check, let him check. What kind of waves can he make with things on paper?"

"The actual operation of the town relies on human relationships and the compromise of various interests. Put him on a high pedestal and let him manage those ethereal theories. If he can't get anything done in practice, he's just a decoration."

Secretary Qiu Dehai agreed repeatedly: "Secretary Qin's guidance is correct. I have already handed over the tough nuts of party building, petitions, and rural revitalization to him. You know best what the situation is with petitions in Heishi Town. Within half a month, those petitioners will have him running around in circles."

"Keep the scale in check. After all, he is registered with the Municipal Organization Department, so he has a big reputation. Give him face on the surface, but don't give up a single bit of actual power."

Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan urged: "Additionally, Heishi Mining is at a critical period for shipping. You know Old Ma's temper; tell his subordinates to restrain themselves. Don't hand the new Deputy Secretary any leverage at this critical juncture."

"Understood, I will give Old Ma a warning later."

The call was disconnected.

Secretary Qiu Dehai leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers on the desktop.

A soft knife kills without drawing blood.

Since you like looking at documents, I'll let you look to your heart's content.

He pressed the internal line: "Have Town Mayor Luo come over."

Before long, Town Mayor Luo Xingbang pushed the door open and sat down on the guest sofa without haste.

"Xingbang," Secretary Qiu Dehai switched to a heart-to-heart tone, "Comrade Zhu Wenhao is new here and doesn't understand our town's financial situation. Since he has taken over rural revitalization, you, as the Town Mayor, need to give him the inside scoop."

Town Mayor Luo Xingbang unscrewed the lid of his thermos: "What does Secretary Qiu mean?"

"How much special poverty alleviation funding is left on the town's books?"

"It's empty," Town Mayor Luo Xingbang replied crisply. "The payments from the first half of the year covered the final infrastructure costs, and even next month's office supply purchases for the Town Government have to be bought on credit. The agricultural demonstration base project in Heishui Village is still missing 300,000 in startup funds, which has been hanging on the books."

"That's perfect," Secretary Qiu Dehai patted the table. "You go and coordinate with Comrade Zhu Wenhao. Since this demonstration base is a key project for rural revitalization, entrust him with full responsibility for raising the funds. This is called putting pressure on the young man to cultivate his ability to solve practical difficulties."

The hand of Town Mayor Luo Xingbang holding the cup paused for a split second.

Throwing an empty project with no money to the new Deputy Secretary was clearly setting him up to make a fool of himself.

If he can't raise the money and the project fails, his annual evaluation will be zero.

"Fine. I'll go organize the accounts and send them to Comrade Zhu Wenhao this afternoon." Town Mayor Luo Xingbang said no more and stood up to leave.

Walking out of the Secretary's office, Town Mayor Luo Xingbang looked back at the closed door.

When gods fight, mortals suffer.

He was in charge of the town's purse strings and knew exactly how rotten that account book was.

Secretary Qiu Dehai wanted to use him as a gun to test the depth of Zhu Wenhao.

He had no intention of being the sacrificial pawn.

Delivering the accounts was fine, but he would absolutely not take the fall for Secretary Qiu Dehai.

At the west end of Heishi Town, in the Town Police Station, inside the station chief's office.

Police Chief Zhao Gang sat behind the desk, a corner of which was missing and haphazardly wrapped with transparent tape.

The room smelled moldy.

Deputy Chief Deputy Police Chief Li Sanqiang pushed the door open, carrying two bowls of instant noodles.

"Director Zhao, make do with this." San Qiang placed the noodles on the table and pulled up a chair to sit down.

Police Chief Zhao Gang unwrapped the disposable chopsticks.

"How is the situation in the station?"

"It's rotten to the core."

San Qiang picked up a mouthful of noodles and lowered his voice.

"There are five regular police officers and ten auxiliary police. I just took a stroll through the duty room. More than half of them are smoking expensive cigarettes and wearing gold watches on their wrists. With a fixed salary of two or three thousand a month, where does this extravagance come from?"

Police Chief Zhao Gang didn't stop eating his noodles.

"As expected. Water that is too clear has no fish, but if the water is too muddy, you have to sprinkle some quicklime."

"Are those two elderly people who blocked the road settled?"

"They are settled in that vacant confinement room in the backyard. They are being well taken care of. Just now, the auxiliary police officer on duty, Political Commissar Zhang Qiang, was poking around, trying to find out where those two old people came from, but I shut him down with a few words."

San Qiang drank the noodle soup dry. "These people have very sharp noses. I reckon someone has already tipped off the outside."

"Let them report."

Police Chief Zhao Gang put down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth with a tissue.

"Zhu Wenhao instructed that upon arriving in Heishi Town, we shouldn't seize power first, but rather divide it. For the next few days, we won't take any action; we'll just drink tea and read materials in the station."

Police Chief Zhao Gang stood up, walked to the window, and watched the auxiliary police officers smoking and chatting in the courtyard.

"San Qiang, change your police uniform. Wear some inconspicuous clothes and go around the teahouses, repair shops, and mahjong parlors in town."

"Find out what time the mine vehicles set out and where the clans in Heishui Village usually hold their discussions. You need to map out these grassroots connections for me."

San Qiang nodded: "Understood. I'm good at this."

Night fell, and a few dim streetlights lit up on the main street of Heishi Town.

Zhu Wenhao stood in front of the office window, overlooking the street.

On the desk, the three re-filed meeting minutes nailed the land of Heishui Village, the extraction of Heishi Mining, and the emptiness of the town's finances tightly together.

Clans, mine tyrants, bureaucrats.

This was a solid iron triangle.

The three parties exchanged benefits and covered for each other.

To tear a gap in such an impregnable formation and fight on three fronts simultaneously would be the recklessness of a fool.

To govern a chaotic situation, one must find the eye of the formation.

Wooing Town Mayor Luo Xingbang? This man was an old bureaucrat who wouldn't release the hawk without seeing the rabbit; without absolute certainty of victory, he would never easily switch sides.

Utilizing Director Zhou Mei? It was unclear whether the head of the Party and Government Office was a friend or a foe.

The real breaking point was not here.

Zhu Wenhao's gaze turned toward the direction of the Police Station.

Those two old people who blocked cars on the provincial road to cry out for justice were the weapons to tear open this curtain.

"Countless events of rise and fall throughout history are all contained in these few sheets of paper," Zhu Wenhao whispered to himself.

He walked back to the desk, picked up the landline, and dialed the number for the Police Station chief's office.

The phone rang twice before being answered.

"Zhao Gang."

"Zhu Wenhao, it's me."

"Those two old people, tomorrow morning, you personally take them back to Heishui Village in a police car."

Zhu Wenhao issued the order.

"Remember, send them off with great fanfare. Let everyone in the village see clearly that it is the Police Station chief personally escorting the petitioners back to the village."

"Understood. Send them back in a grand manner. This is called luring the snake out of the hole."

Since the clan forces in Heishui Village had occupied the old people's land, once they saw the old people safe and sound, and even escorted back to the village by the police, those local bullies would surely be unable to restrain themselves and would make a move to test the waters.

As long as they dared to make a move, even if it was just a verbal threat, the opening for a public security case would be torn wide open.

Hanging up the phone, Zhu Wenhao turned off the office's overhead light.

Outside the window, another convoy of ore trucks roared past, carrying the resources from beneath Heishi Town into the endless night.

This game of chess had begun.

Just waiting for the first reckless pawn to crash into it.