273: Chapter 273 The Visitor is Not Friendly

Zhu Wenhao stood by the window with his hands behind his back, his gaze piercing through the glass and landing on the sparse pedestrians outside the Town Government compound.

There were two light knocks on the door.

Town Mayor Luo Xingbang pushed the door open and walked in, clutching a document issued by the County Party Committee, his lips pressed tight.

"Comrade Wenhao, the official document from the County Organization Department has arrived."

Town Mayor Luo Xingbang handed over the document.

"The Executive Vice Town Mayor, Liu Wenxuan from the County Finance Bureau, will arrive to take office in three days."

"The appointment for Police Chief Zhao Gang as Vice Town Mayor has been issued as well."

Town Mayor Luo Xingbang sat down in the guest chair, rubbing his hands repeatedly on his knees as if trying to dispel the chill.

"With new people entering the leadership team, the future Town Party Committee meetings..."

Town Mayor Luo Xingbang stopped mid-sentence, looked up, and stared at Zhu Wenhao.

He had finally managed to struggle his way to the position of Acting Secretary and had hoped for a few days of peace. Instead, the County Party Committee had directly dropped two powerful figures on him—one was the County Mayor's person, and the other was a confidant of Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan.

As the Acting Secretary, he was caught in the middle; one wrong move, and he would become cannon fodder in the battle between giants.

He wanted to see what Zhu Wenhao's attitude was.

Zhu Wenhao didn't look at the document, simply pushing it aside.

"Town Mayor Luo, do you think that because these people are coming, your position as Acting Secretary is no longer secure?"

Town Mayor Luo Xingbang gave a dry cough. "Comrade Wenhao, you're joking. I'm just worried that the new comrades won't be familiar with the town's situation, leading to a disconnect in our work."

"It's not scary that people are coming; what's scary is that you don't have a ruler in your own heart to measure your own weight."

"You are the top leader of the Town Party Committee; the rules of this town are set by you. No matter who the newcomers have behind them, once they arrive in Heishi Town, they must follow the rules here."

"If you don't establish your authority, others will naturally treat you like a clay idol."

Town Mayor Luo Xingbang had a soft temperament and was accustomed to smoothing things over.

Zhu Wenhao's words were meant to prompt him; without iron-fisted methods, the administrative power of the town would sooner or later be carved up by the newcomers.

"Since they are here to work, give them work to do. If it's done well, it's because you planned it effectively; if it's botched, it's because of their poor execution. The overall situation is in your hands, so why are you panicking?"

Upon hearing this, a layer of cold sweat broke out on Town Mayor Luo Xingbang's back.

He understood now that Zhu Wenhao was forcing him to take responsibility and hold the line; if he didn't dare to do so, his seat as Acting Secretary wouldn't last long.

"I have learned much." Town Mayor Luo Xingbang stood up. "I will go and arrange the preparations to welcome the new members of the leadership team."

No sooner had Town Mayor Luo Xingbang left than Director Xu Jie walked in, carrying a stack of ledgers.

"The accounts for the Heishui Village Red and White Council have been cleared up."

Director Xu Jie spread out the ledgers. She and two officers from the Finance Office had spent two days and two nights digging through them in the dilapidated bungalow of the Heishui Village Committee.

"After reconciling the IOUs and receipts from these past few years, we found that over 400,000 yuan in charitable funds have been embezzled and kickbacks taken from funeral expenses over the years."

The Red and White Council had always been a neglected area in rural villages. When Clan Elder Zhang Laoqi was in Heishui Village, he used these obscure accounts to amass wealth wantonly.

Director Xu Jie opened a few pages and pointed to the signatures on them.

"Tracing the flow of funds, it's not just people from Eldest Branch; it also implicates an elder from a distant branch of Third Branch, who has also taken a share of the profits these past few years."

Zhang Defu, an elder of Third Branch, was usually held in high regard in the village, but behind the scenes, he had been taking cuts along with Clan Elder Zhang Laoqi.

Zhu Wenhao looked at the signatures, feeling no surprise.

"Post all the accounts on the village public bulletin board," Zhu Wenhao instructed. "Hand over the individuals involved, along with the evidence, to the Town Commission for Discipline Inspection."

Director Xu Jie reminded him, "Zhang Defu has some prestige in the village. Zhang Yuanhang has just become the Village Party Secretary, and Third Branch is his power base. If we move against an elder of Third Branch now, I'm afraid Zhang Yuanhang will find it difficult to carry out his work in the village."

"There is no need to wipe them out completely."

Zhu Wenhao tapped his finger on the desk.

"When handing them over to the Discipline Inspection Commission, give Secretary Chen Jianjun a heads-up. Deal with the primary culprits from Eldest Branch strictly according to the law; classify Zhang Defu as an accomplice, focus on the recovery of illicit funds, and deal with him leniently."

Zhang Yuanhang had just taken office and needed to unite forces. By only recovering the funds and not arresting him, Zhang Defu would surely be grateful to the new leadership team in order to save his own skin, and in the future, he would desperately protect Zhang Yuanhang's position.

Leaving a sliver of face for the new leadership team would avoid escalating the conflict.

Director Xu Jie noted the instructions.

Police Chief Zhao Gang strode into the office.

"Secretary Zhu, the case of Zhang Hu and Political Commissar Zhang Qiang committing arson to rig the election has been approved for arrest by the County Procuratorate. They have already been transferred to the detention center."

Police Chief Zhao Gang sat down in the guest chair.

"Those two idiots thought that burning the ballot box would stop the re-election. The arrest warrant from the County Procuratorate came down very quickly, and Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan didn't protect them."

Zhu Wenhao nodded. Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan had already abandoned Eldest Branch, a discarded pawn.

"The remaining few are weak and gasping for breath; they don't even dare to step out of the ancestral hall. Zhang Yuanhang has firmly established himself," Police Chief Zhao Gang added.

The landline on the desk rang.

Zhu Wenhao picked it up; it was Director Li Qiang of the First Office of the County Commission for Discipline Inspection.

"Secretary Zhu, we've run into some trouble." Director Li Qiang's voice was urgent and agitated.

"We went to question Town Peoples Congress Chairman Zhang Jianming, and he just clutched his chest and cried out in pain. He has a history of heart disease and cannot be agitated. I'm thinking of issuing a mandatory summons directly!"

Town Peoples Congress Chairman Zhang Jianming had accepted "dry shares" in the South Street project. Seeing Secretary Qiu Dehai and Executive Vice Mayor Qian Dayong fall one after another, he used illness as an excuse, attempting to avoid this round of investigation.

"Feigning illness is a delaying tactic," Zhu Wenhao said, looking out the window. "The more anxious you are, the more convincing his act will be. If you issue a mandatory summons and something actually happens on the way, the responsibility will fall entirely on you, which would give others the perfect opportunity to bite back."

"Then what should we do? Just wait it out?" Director Li Qiang was unwilling to accept that.

"Leave him to stew."

Zhu Wenhao's voice was steady.

"Withdraw the guards, and leave only two people to keep an eye on the perimeter. Don't question him, and don't urge him."

"He is counting on his protective umbrella outside to rescue him, but if he doesn't show his face for half a month, he won't know what's happening outside. If you ignore him, he will think the Discipline Inspection Commission has already obtained ironclad evidence, or that his backer has already fallen."

Zhu Wenhao tapped his knuckles on the desk.

"Leave him to stew for ten days, and he won't be able to hold out; he'll be begging you to question him."

Director Li Qiang understood instantly. "A psychological war, I get it! I'll withdraw the men right now."

After hanging up the phone, the office returned to silence.

Director Xu Jie packed up the ledgers and was about to leave when the phone in her pocket suddenly rang.

She took it out and glanced at it; it was a number from an unfamiliar area code.

"Hello, this is Director Xu Jie speaking."

A few words were spoken on the other end of the line, and Director Xu Jie's knuckles tightened sharply around the phone.

"Okay, I understand. We will cooperate fully with the investigation."

After hanging up, Director Xu Jie looked at Zhu Wenhao, enunciating every word heavily.

"It was a call from the Petition Office of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection."

"They are requiring the Heishi Town Party Committee to cooperate with an investigation into an anonymous report."

Zhu Wenhao leaned back against his chair, saying nothing, waiting for the rest.

"The content of the anonymous letter involves the mining reorganization in Heishi Town. The whistleblower claims that the town used its authority to endorse specific capital and is suspected of engaging in power-for-money transactions with General Manager Zhou Shutong's team."

Director Xu Jie paused and looked at Zhu Wenhao.

"The person named in the anonymous letter is you."

Zhu Wenhao sat behind the desk, his fingers resting on the armrest.

Someone capable of launching such a precise strike at the level of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection was definitely not one of these minor characters in town.

"They come with ill intent," Zhu Wenhao said, his tone devoid of ripples.