140: Chapter 140 Mass Incident

Early morning in Heishi Town.

Zhu Wenhao pushed open the wooden door of the Deputy Party Secretary's office on time.

He walked to the desk and organized the documents on the tabletop into their respective categories.

The sound of high heels echoed from outside the door, getting closer.

Director Zhou Mei pushed the door open, holding several daily reports in her hands.

"Secretary Zhu, Secretary Qiu called this morning. He had an urgent matter with Secretary Lu of the County Party Committee, so he left by car for the County Party Committee compound early this morning."

"Secretary Qiu instructed that he will not be returning to the town today. He asked you to take over the coordination of the daily operations of the Town Party Committee today."

The hand holding the water cup did not pause.

"Secretary Qiu is working hard. Leaving for the county seat early in the morning and running back and forth is all for the big picture of our Heishi Town."

"Director Zhou, are there any urgent matters in the town today that require my direct handling?"

Because he was a newcomer, Zhu Wenhao had not been assigned a full-time liaison officer, so Director Zhou Mei, the Director of the Party and Government Office, naturally took on the responsibility.

Director Zhou Mei opened the memo in her hand and read out the schedule.

"Around nine o'clock, Town Mayor Luo will come over to discuss some specific town affairs with you. This was also something Secretary Qiu specifically instructed over the phone this morning."

She closed the memo and added a supplementary report.

"At three o'clock in the afternoon, there is a town-wide integrity education meeting for party members and cadres. This meeting was originally scheduled to be hosted by Secretary Qiu himself. He instructed this morning that you should preside over it on his behalf."

Zhu Wenhao nodded.

"I understand."

He put down the water cup.

After finishing these superficial handovers, Zhu Wenhao went straight to the core issue.

"Director Zhou, how is the matter of completing the attachments for the meeting minutes I approved a couple of days ago coming along? Has the follow-up on the details of the fund allocation been implemented?"

Director Zhou Mei reached out to smooth the stray hair by her ear and found an impeccable excuse.

"Secretary Zhu, I have already arranged the matter. However, everyone has heavy workloads to deal with, and the officers in the relevant departments are working overtime every day. I will go back and urge them again for the progress, and as soon as I have a clear picture, I will report it to you immediately."

A soft refusal.

Zhu Wenhao looked at Director Zhou Mei without rebuking her.

"There are priorities in handling affairs; urge them to hurry up. You may go now."

Seeing that he did not pursue the matter further, Director Zhou Mei secretly breathed a sigh of relief and turned to walk out of the office.

The wooden door closed.

Zhu Wenhao leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the edge of the mahogany desk.

This arrangement by Secretary Qiu Dehai was quite interesting.

As the Town Party Secretary, leaving the town temporarily for work, he didn't call the Deputy Secretary directly to hand over the work but instead conveyed the instructions through the mouth of the Director of the Party and Government Office.

Secretary Qiu Dehai played this move of "hitting the mountain to shake the tiger" quite skillfully.

He was using this method to declare a fact: Director Zhou Mei, the Director of the Party and Government Office, was his person. The eyes, ears, and mouthpiece of the Town Government were entirely in the hands of the top leader.

You, this paratrooper, stop playing tricks in private; all movements are within his line of sight.

And Director Zhou Mei, at this moment, also made the choice that best fit the logic of her interests.

Two days ago, when Zhu Wenhao gave her some hints about her husband's past, trying to win her over with empathy and mutual interests, today's evasion proved that those little schemes were completely ineffective.

Seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages is human nature.

In the eyes of outsiders, this twenty-four-year-old young man was just a passerby, here to get some gilding, and would pat his butt and leave for a promotion once his term was up.

Secretary Qiu Dehai and these local snakes, who had been struggling here for more than a decade with deep roots, were the ones who could truly decide the livelihood and future of ordinary officers.

In the 276 years of the Great Ming Dynasty's mandate, officials sent by the central government to various localities all faced the dilemma of being hollowed out by local clerks.

The magistrate changed every three years, while the clerks and yamen runners in the county government were passed down through generations.

Political decrees did not leave the yamen, all because of this solid interest community.

There is a long way to go.

Zhu Wenhao was as clear as a mirror in his heart. The solid ice could not be melted by a few big truths.

To break through this copper wall and iron bastion of entrenched interests, one must find the weakest breakthrough point, fight a few devastating annihilation battles, and use solid authority to fundamentally turn the situation around.

He let out a low, self-deprecating laugh.

Even when planning strategies, there are times when one is stretched too thin.

A thousand soldiers are easy to find, but a good general is hard to come by.

In this strange land where he was completely in the dark, Zhu Wenhao actually had a moment where he urgently needed someone else's all-out help.

Zhu Wenhao picked up the phone on the table and dialed Su Qinghan's number.

The phone rang twice before being picked up.

"Zhu Wenhao, what happened?" Su Qinghan's voice came through.

"Su Qinghan, are you free this weekend?" Zhu Wenhao's tone was calm. "Come over here. My new place is a mess, and there are many things that need to be tidied up. I can't sort it out by myself."

"Tidying up things" was the pretext on the surface.

He wanted her to come to Heishi Town, not to tidy up household items, but to clean up the unspeakable rotten accounts of Heishi Town.

"Alright." Su Qinghan responded smoothly. "Since Secretary Zhu has already given the instruction, Comrade Su Qinghan will report for duty before the weekend. I will definitely help you clean the 'house' thoroughly."

"I'll send you the location later. Drive slowly on the road."

"Okay."

The call was hung up.

Neither of them said another word. One didn't ask whose accounts were to be checked, and the other didn't say what kind of complex situation he was facing.

Putting down the phone, Zhu Wenhao intended to call Police Chief Zhao Gang to ask about the situation of Deputy Police Chief Li Sanqiang's secret investigation last night.

Footsteps came from outside the door, and Town Mayor Luo Xingbang pushed the door and walked in.

"Secretary Zhu, what are you busy with?" Town Mayor Luo Xingbang stepped inside.

Zhu Wenhao stood up and went to meet him.

"Town Mayor Luo is here. Please sit down, I'll go make you a cup of tea."

As the administrative head of the Town Government, Town Mayor Luo Xingbang ranked before him, the full-time Deputy Secretary.

The rules of receiving guests cannot be discarded, and the proper respect must be given.

Town Mayor Luo Xingbang sat down on the sofa in the reception area and raised his hand to block him.

"Zhu Wenhao, don't go to so much trouble, plain water is fine."

Zhu Wenhao took a clean glass, put in a few green tea leaves, and poured boiling water. He placed the teacup steadily on the coffee table in front of Town Mayor Luo Xingbang.

"Town Mayor Luo, you came personally; is there any important work to entrust to me?"

Town Mayor Luo Xingbang held the teacup with both hands, feeling the warmth passing to his palms.

"Secretary Zhu, it's like this. You are in charge of rural revitalization and agricultural work. Our Town Government has been working overtime these past few days to sort out the accounts, and we have also reported them to Secretary Qiu."

Town Mayor Luo Xingbang leaned forward as he said this.

"Last night, Secretary Qiu specifically communicated with me, asking me to bring these project materials directly to you early this morning."

"Secretary Qiu also specifically emphasized that this is a key work supervised by the city and county this year, and it has not been pushed forward due to various reasons before."

"Now that you are here, Secretary Qiu feels that your theoretical level is high and your ability is relatively strong. So he asked me to quickly hand over this project to you, and let you take on this heavy responsibility."

Praising on the surface while stepping on him in secret.

Wrapping a hot potato in a high hat and forcing it over.

After finishing, Town Mayor Luo Xingbang pulled out a thick document and handed it to Zhu Wenhao.

Zhu Wenhao took it with both hands and opened the first page.

"Explanation of Fund Budget and Allocation for the Heishui Village Modern Agricultural Demonstration Base Construction Project."

Town Mayor Luo Xingbang began to introduce the background of the project on the side.

"This agricultural demonstration base requires a total of 400,000 in project construction funds. According to the preliminary plan, the county finance department allocated 200,000 in special support funds, and the remaining 200,000 needs to be raised by our Heishi Town Government as supporting funds."

Town Mayor Luo Xingbang took a sip of tea and threw the problem out directly.

"However, the current situation is very grim. The 200,000 funds previously allocated by the county have already reached the account of the Town Finance Office. But the town really couldn't turn around, so it misappropriated 100,000 of it to fill other holes. As for the 200,000 supporting funds that the town originally promised to provide, there is currently no source. Calculating this way, the funding gap for this demonstration base is a full 300,000."

Zhu Wenhao's hand turning the document stopped.

A 400,000 project, and only a pitiful 100,000 left on the books.

This amount of money is not enough to build a demonstration base, not even enough for the preliminary land leveling and planning drawing fees.

The trouble of the world lies in having laws but not following them.

Special funds should be used for special purposes. The state has repeatedly strictly prohibited any local government from withholding or misappropriating them under any name.

Heishi Town is quite something; the money allocated by the county was eaten up by half as soon as it arrived.

If he doesn't take over the remaining 100,000 today, I'm afraid that in a few days, this money will also be divided and eaten up by the Town Government under various names, leaving not even the dregs.

"Town Mayor Luo." Zhu Wenhao closed the document. "The management regulations for special funds from above have always been a red line. Isn't this fund for special use? How could it be misappropriated at will?"

Town Mayor Luo Xingbang sighed.

"Secretary Zhu, if you don't manage the household, you don't know the cost of fuel and rice. The regulations are dead, but people need to eat. Our town needs money everywhere; it's simply a bottomless pit. Not to mention anything else, even the teachers' salaries in several public primary schools in the town have been in arrears for several months and cannot be paid."

Town Mayor Luo Xingbang complained bitterly.

"Look, two days ago, as soon as the county's money arrived in the town's finance account, I rushed to sign and approve it, and allocated the money to pay salaries and plug holes. If I didn't sign to release the funds, those teachers would go on strike, and the gate of the town middle school could be blocked by creditors."

Town Mayor Luo Xingbang spoke pompously, with a thousand reasons, but inside and out, it all boiled down to one sentence: There is not a penny in the town's finance office, and you can take or leave this mess with a 300,000 gap.

If you don't take it, the project will be completely ruined, and the remaining 100,000 will still be taken by the Town Government to fill holes.

Zhu Wenhao knew deeply that in this complex grassroots level, it was meaningless to delve into the legality of misappropriating funds.

Town Mayor Luo Xingbang dared to send the account book over so blatantly; he must have already leveled the loan procedures and pushed the responsibility away cleanly.

To govern a chaotic situation, a good warrior has no glorious achievements.

He had to stabilize the basic board first, grasp the resources he could get his hands on tightly, and then plan a counterattack.

"I understand." Zhu Wenhao pressed the document under his palm. "Town Mayor Luo, you leave the information with me. I will study it first to see if I can figure out a way to solve the subsequent 300,000 gap by begging for help from relevant bureaus and committees at the county or city level."

Seeing that Zhu Wenhao did not turn hostile on the spot, and did not hold onto the misappropriated 100,000, Town Mayor Luo Xingbang achieved his goal, so he didn't stay long.

"That's fine, Zhu Wenhao. This project will trouble you more. If there is anything that needs the Town Government to issue stamping procedures, you can come to me at any time."

Town Mayor Luo Xingbang stood up and said goodbye.

Zhu Wenhao sent him to the door.

Returning to the desk, he reopened the fund budget explanation.

The town's finances were so exhausted that they couldn't even hold the bottom line of ensuring operations and salaries, yet they had to rely on misappropriating special funds to sustain their lives.

On the other hand, heavy trucks from Heishi Mining drove out in groups every night from the abandoned river embankment, transporting large profits that should have been local tax revenue into the pockets of a few people.

On the surface, they were too poor to open the pot, but secretly, they were rich and oily.

The town dared to misappropriate such special funds that even the provincial and municipal levels pay attention to, so I don't know how many tricks are hidden in the accounts.

Zhu Wenhao put the document into the drawer and locked it.

Just as he was sorting out his thoughts and preparing to start planning the next move.

Outside the office building, a burst of unusual noise suddenly came.

Cursing, pushing, mixed with the dull sound of heavy objects hitting the ground.

The sound of the commotion penetrated the glass window and poured directly into the second-floor office.

Zhu Wenhao got up and walked to the window, pushed open half of the window, and looked downstairs.

Outside the Town Government compound, it was unknown when twenty or thirty people had gathered.

They were all dressed like villagers from nearby villages, with men, women, old and young.

The leading strong men were struggling to rush into the Town Government courtyard.

The two security guards in charge of the gate were pushed around, and they couldn't stop this surging crowd at all.

The piercing shouts resounded through the sky in the courtyard.

Mass incident.