315: Chapter 315 A Show of Force

Linjiang Municipal Party Committee office building.

Inside the small meeting room, the aroma of newly replaced Longjing tea curled lingeringly.

At the routine meeting of the Municipal Party Committee Five-Person Group, the atmosphere was not as relaxed as the tea aroma.

Secretary Lin Weimin sat in the main seat, leisurely flipping through the cadre inspection materials in his hands.

Mayor Su Changming sat up straight, pushing a personnel adjustment proposal to the exact center of the table.

"Secretary Lin, the situation in Qingjiang County requires a definitive decision.

Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan under investigation, the cadres below are panicked and lacking a backbone."

Mayor Su Changming's tone was calm, "Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping has been tempered in the Municipal Government Office for many years, understands economics, and also has work experience in Qingjiang County.

Having him take over as the County Party Secretary is best able to stabilize the overall situation."

Secretary Lin Weimin did not take up the conversation; his gaze crossed over the documents and landed on Secretary Zhu Tianhe on the right side.

Everyone knew that Qingjiang County was Secretary Zhu Tianhe's territory, while Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping was the sharpest knife in Mayor Su Changming's hands.

If this nail were driven in, Secretary Zhu Tianhe's backyard would immediately catch fire.

Mayor Su Changming picked up his teacup, the corner of his eye locking onto Secretary Zhu Tianhe, just waiting for him to speak out in rebuttal.

As long as Secretary Zhu Tianhe objected, he could smoothly bargain on other personnel issues; this was an open plot.

Secretary Zhu Tianhe acted as if he didn't see the probing gaze cast by Mayor Su Changming, picked up the fountain pen on the table, hovered the tip over the paper for half a second, and then leisurely signed his name.

He pushed the signed form back to the center of the table, leaned back, and said in a casual tone, "I have no objections.

Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping is a veteran, understands economics, and going to Qingjiang County to clean up Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan's mess is quite good.

I approve."

Mayor Su Changming's hand holding the tea remained suspended in mid-air.

The full stomach of backup plans he had prepared felt like a fist hitting cotton, landing on nothing.

Secretary Zhu Tianhe just agreed like that?

What trick was this old fox pulling?

Secretary Lin Weimin glanced at Secretary Zhu Tianhe, nodded, and gently brushed past the subtle atmosphere, saying, "Since everyone's opinions are unified, we will go through the organizational procedures.

Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping will report to Qingjiang County in a week."

The meeting adjourned, and Mayor Su Changming returned to the mayor's office, where Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping had long been waiting respectfully outside the door.

"Mayor," Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping greeted him forward.

"The Municipal Party Committee has passed it," Mayor Su Changming sat down behind his desk, his brows tightly locked, without a shred of victory's joy.

"Secretary Zhu Tianhe nodded without even stuttering once.

These father and son are too scheming.

When you arrive in Qingjiang County, you must not lower your guard.

Especially in Heishi Town, you must keep a close eye on Zhu Wenhao's mess."

Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping straightened his back, confidence leaking from his voice: "Mayor, rest assured.

When I arrive in Qingjiang County, the first thing I will do is go to Heishi Town!

No matter how bustling Zhu Wenhao makes his investment attraction, he still has to be under the jurisdiction of the County Party Committee.

I don't believe that his iron-bucket-like account book is truly airtight and cannot pick out even half a thorn!"

Half a month later, a cold front passed through.

On the wasteland in the southern suburbs of Heishi Town, bulldozers and excavators lined up in two rows, their brand-new bodies tied with red silk.

In front of the temporarily erected rostrum, colorful flags fluttered wildly.

The groundbreaking ceremony of the cold chain logistics park was scheduled for ten o'clock in the morning.

Zhu Wenhao wore a dark-colored coat, standing as steady as Mount Tai on the freshly turned muddy ground beneath his feet.

Director Xu Jie walked over with a speech, her steps efficient and capable.

"Zhu Wenhao, President Zhou's team has already set out.

Mass representatives from all villages have also arrived," Director Xu Jie stood still half a step away.

"Word came from the County Party Committee side that Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping is officially reporting this morning.

The notice from the County Government Office says he canceled the county-wide cadre meeting."

Zhu Wenhao looked at the heavy machinery leveling the land in the distance, his tone calm and level: "A new official takes three fires upon taking office; he always has to find a place of sufficient weight to light them up.

Canceling the meeting means coming straight for our place; this is wanting to use Heishi Town to establish his prestige."

Director Xu Jie was somewhat worried: "If he uses the hat of the County Party Committee Secretary to forcibly halt the project, our groundbreaking ceremony will become the laughingstock of the entire county."

"The way of governance lies in complying with the hearts of the people," Zhu Wenhao straightened the cuffs of his coat, his eyes without a trace of ripples.

"If he understands the rules, we will be at peace.

If he uses his official hat to suppress people, the cold wind in this wasteland will sober him up."

At nine-forty, several sedans hanging Qingjiang County Party Committee license plates drove over, crushing the puddles on the dirt road, and stopped at the periphery of the construction site.

Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping pushed open the car door, his shiny leather shoes stepping directly into the thick mud.

His brows furrowed.

County Mayor Gu Mingchuan got off behind him, his expression tight.

Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping hadn't notified anyone, forcefully dragging him directly to the countryside, making it clear that he wanted to break Heishi Town's prestige first in front of County Head Gu.

Town Mayor Luo Xingbang led the town cadres trotting all the way to greet them, his waist bent like a bow: "Secretary Fang, why did you come in person!

The groundbreaking ceremony is about to start, please hurry up to the rostrum."

Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping waved his hand, completely ignoring Town Mayor Luo Xingbang, his gaze piercing through the crowd and nailing like a spike onto Zhu Wenhao a few steps away.

He strode over and stopped in front of Zhu Wenhao.

"Comrade Zhu Wenhao, is Heishi Town taking too hasty of a step in doing infrastructure?" Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping spoke in an affected tone.

"Nearly a thousand mu of agricultural land, flattened just like that?

Has the approval for land transfer passed the resolution of the County Party Committee Standing Committee?"

Zhu Wenhao stood in place, without a shred of an accommodating posture, just quietly watching him perform.

"Secretary Fang," Zhu Wenhao looked straight into his eyes.

"These thousand mu of land were categorized into industrial backup land as early as five years ago, and the procedures are on record at the county Land and Resources Bureau.

The transfer compensation for the farming households has already been fully deposited into their personal accounts yesterday."

Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping sneered: "Deposited into the account and it's considered done?

What do ordinary people understand about long-term planning?

Turning fertile fields into factory buildings, how will future livelihoods be resolved?

This involves major people's livelihood issues!

I think this groundbreaking ceremony should be paused for now, and discussed after the County Party Committee sends an investigation team to re-verify!"

With a single sentence, he wanted to crush a project worth hundreds of millions of yuan right at the starting stage!

County Mayor Gu Mingchuan couldn't stand it anymore and stepped forward: "Secretary Fang, this project is an investment attraction project closely monitored by the city, and the Provincial Development and Reform Commission also has official approval.

Stopping work now means the town cannot afford the penalty for breach of contract."

"County Head Gu, economic development cannot sacrifice compliance!" Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping pulled out grand principles, directly pushing County Mayor Gu Mingchuan back: "If a problem arises, both you and I will be held accountable!"

The surrounding excavators, as if agreed upon in advance, all stopped their engines.

On the construction site, only the flapping sound of the cold wind blowing across the colorful silk remained.

The hundreds of farming and business representative onlookers quieted down, staring in unison at this newly arrived County Party Committee Secretary.

Zhu Wenhao turned around and walked toward a temporary desk not far away.

He picked up a thick blue folder and walked back leisurely in front of Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping.

"Since Secretary Fang mentioned the people's livelihood, we might as well listen to public opinion."

Zhu Wenhao handed the folder to Director Xu Jie: "Director Xu, read the details of the compensation agreement to Secretary Fang."

Director Xu Jie opened the folder, her crisp voice spreading across the entire venue: "For this land transfer, the compensation is twenty percent higher than the market price.

Zhou Investment Bank promises that after the logistics park is completed, it will provide five hundred jobs, giving priority to employing farmers who have lost their land.

Moreover, five percent of the park's annual profit will serve as the village collective dividend for Heishui Village.

All farming households have voluntarily signed and pressed their fingerprints."

Zhu Wenhao took over the conversation, staring intently at Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping: "Secretary Fang.

The money is in the account, the positions are in the contract, and the dividends are under the name of the village collective.

You ask how the ordinary people's livelihoods are resolved; this is the answer given by Heishi Town."

The muscles on Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping's face twitched twice.

He had originally wanted to make an issue out of illegal land occupation, but as a result, the other party paved their retreat so tightly and seamlessly that even foreign capital's concessions were tightly grasped.

"Even so!" Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping bit the bullet and found fault: "With such a massive volume of capital coming in and out, the Town Government supervising it alone poses huge integrity risks.

The County Party Committee must intervene in the account audit!"

Zhu Wenhao tapped his knuckles twice on the cover of the folder with a "du-du" sound.

"Did Secretary Fang forget that in Heishi Town's tripartite supervision account, the County Commission for Discipline Inspection and the Audit Bureau are right on the supervision list?

If you want to check the accounts, Secretary Pang Jianguo has a backup at any time."

Zhu Wenhao's gaze was deep, carrying a hint of mockery in his tone: "Or is it that Secretary Fang feels the supervision strength of the County Commission for Discipline Inspection and the Audit Bureau is not enough, and you need to personally step into the arena to count money for the common people?"

These words struck straight to the heart!

For a County Party Committee Secretary to meddle in specific accounts already violated the taboo of overstepping authority, let alone under the gaze of these hundreds of pairs of eyes!

The farming households standing at the back could no longer hold back.

Zhang Yuanhang, wearing an old military cotton coat, squeezed out from the crowd.

"Secretary Fang!" Zhang Yuanhang's voice was as loud and clear as a bell: "We common people of Heishui Village only recognize the accounts on the white board at the town gate!

The money is distributed clearly and transparently, and the land is contracted out explicitly!

When those muddle-headed officials were in power before, fertile fields were left to grow weeds, and we couldn't even get a subsistence allowance!

Now that we have a good life, you want to stop work with a single sentence, and we won't agree!"

Zhang Yuanhang's shout was like igniting a powder keg!

The hundreds of farming households who had just tasted the sweetness of life instantly exploded!

"Right! We won't agree!"

"Whoever smashes our rice bowl, we'll fight to the death with them!"

"No matter what kind of secretary you are, trying to make us go back to those poor days in the past is out of the question!"

Questions and roars blended into one piece, pouring down on Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping head-on like boiling water!

Standing in the center of the crowd, Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping felt as if he wasn't a County Party Committee Secretary coming to inspect, but rather a landlord surrounded and criticized at the village entrance.

The official prestige he brought was not worth a fart in front of these simple rice-bowl issues!

This fire was burning, but what it was burning was himself!

If he forcibly ordered to clear the site at this moment, it would inevitably result in a mass incident, and Mayor Su Changming wouldn't be able to protect him if he caused such trouble on his very first day in office as County Party Committee Secretary.

Zhu Wenhao looked at Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping, whose complexion was ashen, raised his hand, and gently pressed it downward.

The boiling crowd actually slowly quieted down.

This kind of absolute control over public opinion gave Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping a bone-chilling coldness deep in his heart.

"Secretary Fang," Zhu Wenhao's tone remained casual, yet every word was as precise as a knife: " 'The sage has no constant mind, but takes the people's mind as his mind.'

The County Party Committee coordinates the overall situation, and naturally you have your considerations.

However, the time for the groundbreaking has arrived, and President Zhou's motorcade is also almost here.

If you have doubts about the project, we can move to the meeting room to talk slowly.

But the dirt on this construction site must be moved today."

Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping gritted his back teeth.

He knew that today's dismounting blow was completely smashed.

Not only had he failed to suppress Zhu Wenhao, but instead, he was pinned firmly to this muddy ground by the other party using public opinion and legal principles, unable to move.

"Good, very good," Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping squeezed a few words out from between his teeth, every single word carrying ice shards: "Comrade Zhu Wenhao's grassroots work is indeed done 'solidly'!

Since the procedures are complete, I won't meddle further.

County Head Gu, let's return to the County Party Committee!"

Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping turned around and strode toward the black County Party Committee dedicated car, his back view extremely disheveled.

The car door slammed shut with a heavy "bang", and the wheels crushed the muddy water, tailing away from the construction site in disgrace.

The music of the groundbreaking ceremony played on time.

Salute cannons sounded in unison, and the excavator's bucket dug up the first square of soil.