190: Chapter 190 Using an opponent's strength against them, driving a tiger to devour a wolf

The atmosphere in the Town Government courtyard had subtly shifted.

In the past few days, department heads who used to dodge Zhu Wenhao were now hovering around his second-floor office.

Village Secretary Zhang Dahai had been caught, Zhang Xing had suffered a crushing defeat, and Director Zhang Qiu had been taken away in public.

Three arrows fired in succession, each hitting a vital spot.

Low-level bureaucrats had the sharpest sense of smell.

Several heads of peripheral stations who had been suppressed by the Qiu faction and sidelined for years began bringing reports, taking the initiative to knock on Zhu Wenhao's door.

Reporting on work was just a pretext; testing the waters and pledging allegiance was the real motive.

Zhu Wenhao's workload increased dramatically.

As Director of the Party and Government Office, Director Xu Jie bore the brunt of it.

Secretary Qiu Dehai had long held a grudge against this uncontrollable female director and was tripping her up both openly and covertly.

Several old hands in the Party and Government Office were taking leave under various pretexts, and the document approval process was being deliberately delayed.

Every day, Director Xu Jie not only had to handle complex government affairs but also navigate the hidden arrows of the Qiu faction, leaving her wound up like a spring.

Pushing open the door to the Deputy Secretary's office, Director Xu Jie placed a stack of neatly sorted files on the large desk, her chest rising and falling slightly.

"Secretary Zhu, you need to appoint a liaison as soon as possible." Director Xu Jie pulled out the chair opposite him and sat down. "Secretary Qiu Dehai is blocking my staff in the Party and Government Office. I have to personally verify every single document submitted from start to finish. If things go on like this, the town's operational efficiency will be dragged down by them."

Zhu Wenhao looked up from the case files and picked up the coarse porcelain teacup beside him.

"It's not urgent to discuss this now." His tone was steady. "A liaison is a crucial position; it's better to have no one than the wrong person."

"The water in this big pot of Heishi Town hasn't boiled yet. Most of those who are rushing forward now are just opportunists reading the wind. Placing someone whose background and heart I don't know, and who hasn't been tempered by fire, beside me is like planting a landmine. I'd rather do everything myself than use such fickle people."

Upon hearing this, Director Xu Jie did not refute him. She had seen this almost harsh standard for personnel selection in the courtyard before.

Zhu Wenhao pulled a photocopy from the drawer and handed it over.

"Let's not talk about this for now." Zhu Wenhao tapped his knuckles on the paper. "On the contrary, Director Li Qiang of the County Commission for Discipline Inspection is probably like an ant on a hot pan, with no way out. I've given him a multiple-choice question to see how he writes his answer."

Director Xu Jie picked up the photocopy and scanned it quickly.

Everyone in the courtyard knew that Director Zhang Qiu was being detained at the Town Guest House.

Under the strict orders of Secretary Pang Jianguo, the head of the County Commission for Discipline Inspection, Director Li Qiang had arrested Director Zhang Qiu in public. But once the person was arrested, there was plenty of room for maneuver regarding how to interrogate and categorize the case.

In fact, Director Zhang Qiu had spent the first three days quite comfortably in the detention room, which had been converted from the guest house.

The air conditioning was blowing warm air in the room, and three meals a day were provided on time. Apart from having his communication tools confiscated and not being able to walk around freely, his life was quite comfortable.

The officers responsible for guarding and questioning were all people Director Li Qiang had brought from the county.

Director Li Qiang was calculating everything in his mind. Arresting Director Zhang Qiu was to give Secretary Pang Jianguo an explanation and deal with the accountability from the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection. But his real backer was Deputy Secretary Tian Wenguang.

Deputy Secretary Tian Wenguang had given him reassurance over the phone: detain the person to put on a show and go through the motions. Avoid the important issues during questioning, treat it coldly, and once the heat died down, give him a minor punishment to finish it off.

Consequently, Director Li Qiang deliberately avoided the details of bribery reported in real-name by Wang Fengjiao, the owner of Zhangs Noodle Shop, as well as the violation tickets photographed by Director Xu Jie, in the interrogation records.

Director Zhang Qiu sat in the detention room with his legs crossed, eating and drinking as he pleased.

He wasn't stupid; the fact that these routine questions didn't touch the core issues was enough to show that Clan Elder Zhang Laoqi had exerted influence outside.

This wind wouldn't blow him down.

However, this comfort was shattered by a kick on the morning of the fourth day.

The door was pushed open.

Entering was not the two amiable investigators, but a middle-aged man with a cold face, carrying a thick stack of case files.

Director Zhao Tiejun of the Second Office of the Qingjiang County Commission for Discipline Inspection.

This man had a nickname in the Qingjiang County discipline inspection system: "Living Yama."

He recognized no one, was impervious to reason, and was the sharpest blade in Secretary Pang Jianguo's hand.

Director Zhao Tiejun pulled out a chair and sat down. His questioning style was incredibly sharp, slamming several photos and a stack of bank transaction details in front of Director Zhang Qiu.

"Director Zhang Qiu. You've had enough rest for the past three days; now let's talk about something real." Director Zhao Tiejun's voice was like iron.

Director Zhang Qiu glanced at the table, and the color drained from his face instantly.

The photos were surveillance screenshots of his wife buying jewelry at a high-end counter; the details showed large sums of money entering his account that were completely inconsistent with his public salary.

Even more lethal was the detailed confession with Wang Fengjiao's red fingerprint.

"Wang Fengjiao confessed that you used your position as the director of the health center to accept bribes from Zhangs Noodle Shop and many other merchants for a long time. And this..." Director Zhao Tiejun pointed to the ledger, "The issue of indiscriminate charging at the health center that the public has reflected in recent years, provided by Secretary Chen Jianjun."

"Let's verify them one by one. Added together, these funds are enough to keep you in prison for the rest of your life."

Director Zhao Tiejun leaned forward. "Who instructed you? Besides your wife buying jewelry, who else was given the money you collected?"

A series of heavy blows caused Director Zhang Qiu's defenses to collapse completely.

He had thought he was safe under Director Li Qiang's protective umbrella, but who would have thought that the real Yama had already bypassed Deputy Secretary Tian Wenguang and come straight for him.

He was exhausted from dealing with it, and his position was in total disarray.

On the seventh day, in another temporary office on the second floor of the guest house, smoke was swirling.

Director Li Qiang gripped the paper cup in his hand, his knuckles bulging with the force.

Opposite him, Director Zhao Tiejun was drinking tea calmly.

This fire burned too fast and too fiercely.

Director Li Qiang had no idea that just a few days ago, Zhu Wenhao had made a phone call to Deputy Secretary Zhu Tianhe of the Linjiang Municipal Party Committee.

Half an hour later, a dedicated line from Secretary Zhou Zheng of the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection was dialed directly to the office of the Qingjiang County Commission for Discipline Inspection.

Secretary Zhou Zheng was direct, demanding that Secretary Pang Jianguo of the County Commission for Discipline Inspection call back within half an hour.

After returning the call in his office, Secretary Pang Jianguo sent out this sharp knife in his hand.

Director Zhao Tiejun handed a confession document, identical to the one in Zhu Wenhao's hand, directly to Director Li Qiang.

"Director Li Qiang, Director Zhang Qiu has confessed." Director Zhao Tiejun's gaze was fixed on Director Li Qiang's face.

Looking at the confession, cold sweat slid down Director Li Qiang's temples.

Once this was handed in, Clan Elder Zhang Laoqi and his group wouldn't be able to escape.

If he signed it, Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan and Deputy Secretary Tian Wenguang would eat him alive.

"Director Zhao Tiejun, regarding this case, Deputy Secretary Tian Wenguang gave instructions that it was..." Director Li Qiang still wanted to make a final struggle.

"Put that away." Director Zhao Tiejun interrupted him unequivocally. "I'm not here to discuss this with you today. Secretary Zhou Zheng gave a strict order that there must be a result within seven days. Secretary Pang Jianguo only gave me four days."

Director Zhao Tiejun stood up and looked down at Director Li Qiang.

"You have two choices now."

"Either sign this document and report it to Deputy Secretary Tian Wenguang. Your First Office will formally submit this confession."

"Or, don't sign it. This document will appear directly on Secretary Pang Jianguo's desk."

Director Zhao Tiejun glanced at his watch, his voice cold.

"I'll only give you five minutes to think."

"Are you going to sign it, or not?"

"If you don't sign it, Secretary Pang Jianguo will immediately convene a meeting of the Discipline Inspection Commission Standing Committee and kick you out. This material will be submitted directly by our Second Office."

The air was stagnant.

Director Li Qiang slumped on the sofa, gasping for air.

On one side was the anger of his backer, and on the other was the butcher knife of his direct superior.

Deputy Secretary Tian Wenguang couldn't protect him.

Under the heavy pressure of the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection, Secretary Pang Jianguo wanted to use someone as a sacrifice; who dared to stop him?

The five-minute countdown was cutting into his nerves every second.

In the Deputy Secretary's office.

The heat from the tea had dissipated. The phone on Zhu Wenhao's desk made a short, sharp vibration.

He answered.

From the other end of the line came Director Zhao Tiejun's steady voice: "Zhu Wenhao, Director Li Qiang signed the document. He signed his name on the case file himself."

"We will quickly process the case regarding Director Zhang Qiu."

"Good." Zhu Wenhao's tone was calm. "Solidify the procedures; don't leave any openings for a retrial."

He hung up the phone.

Zhu Wenhao placed the phone on the desk and looked up at Director Xu Jie, who was sitting opposite him.

"For this multiple-choice question, Director Li Qiang made his own choice." Zhu Wenhao pulled the photocopy back into the drawer. "He chose to survive and signed it."

Director Xu Jie listened, a deep meaning appearing in her eyes.

This move of forcing the palace had cut off Director Li Qiang's retreat.

"As long as Director Li Qiang signs the confession, he must bear this responsibility." Zhu Wenhao stood up, smoothed his jacket cuffs, and cast his gaze toward the lead-grey sky outside the window.

"He has now completely offended Deputy Secretary Tian Wenguang and Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan. He has become a traitor in the camp of the local faction in Qingjiang County."

"To protect himself and to prove his value to Secretary Pang Jianguo, his only way out now is to go all the way down this path."

"In the next step, this blade of the County Commission for Discipline Inspection's First Office will not only dare not protect Heishui Village anymore, but will bite harder than anyone else. They will fight the Zhang Clan Ancestral Hall to the bitter end."

Using force to strike, driving tigers to devour wolves.