139: Chapter 139 Take Down a Few

By the time Committee Member Chen Ruo finished organizing the materials, it was already late at night.

He had sat in his office for the entire afternoon, meticulously combing through the issues concerning the individuals from the Water Conservancy Station, Animal Husbandry Station, Culture Station, Family Planning Station, and Statistics Station, one by one.

Some of the information he had grasped over the years while serving as a Party Committee member, some he had learned indirectly from Secretary Zhou Song at the Discipline Inspection Commission, and some he had unearthed from the petition letters submitted by the villagers.

He dared not fabricate or exaggerate anything; he verified every point several times over to ensure it could withstand scrutiny before putting it down in the materials.

Early the next morning, he knocked on the door of Xu Weidong's office.

Xu Weidong was reviewing documents. Seeing him enter, he closed the file, leaned back in his chair, and looked at him with a calm gaze.

Committee Member Chen Ruo placed the thick stack of materials on the desk and handed it over with both hands, his posture as respectful as if he were submitting an exam paper.

"Secretary Xu, the materials that Secretary Hu asked me to compile are ready."

Xu Weidong picked it up, flipped through it, and read it page by page, very carefully.

The office was very quiet, with only the sound of turning pages.

Committee Member Chen Ruo sat opposite him, not daring to breathe loudly, his hands resting on his knees.

He did not know if the materials he had compiled would satisfy Xu Weidong, nor did he know how Xu Weidong would deal with these people.

He only knew that this was the first important task he had received since pledging his allegiance to Xu Weidong; he had to do it well and could not mess it up.

Xu Weidong finished reading the last page, closed the materials, and placed them on the desk.

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, set it down unhurriedly, and let his gaze fall on Committee Member Chen Ruo's face with an expression of regret.

"Comrade Chen Ruo, I have read the materials you compiled. Station Head Zhu Yan from the Water Conservancy Station, Station Head Jin Ming from the Family Planning Station, and Liu Hao from the Statistics Station—these three have relatively serious issues."

"The use of project funds is non-compliant, there are delays in the distribution of family planning reward and assistance funds, and the statistical data has repeatedly contained errors."

"These are not minor issues; they concern the vital interests of the common people and the image of the Party and the government."

Xu Weidong paused, sighed, and said, "I really didn't expect that the comrades who were so righteous and indignant just a few days ago when they came to me to report the issues with Station Chief Sun Changhe would have so many problems themselves."

"It seems that the government side really needs a thorough cleanup."

Committee Member Chen Ruo's heart skipped a beat; he understood the weight of Xu Weidong's words.

"Secretary Xu, I have verified these materials repeatedly, and every point is supported by evidence."

His voice was steady, but his palms were already sweating.

Xu Weidong nodded, picked up the materials, and flipped through a few more pages, his tone unhurried, as if he were assigning a perfectly normal task.

"How about this: organize these materials and send them to Secretary Zhou Song. Tell him it is my intention."

"Those who should be investigated should be investigated; those who should be dealt with should be dealt with; those who should be placed under isolated investigation should be placed under isolated investigation."

"The Discipline Inspection Commission must act in accordance with the law and regulations; they must not wrong a single good person, nor let a single bad person off the hook."

Committee Member Chen Ruo's fingers tightened abruptly. He had thought Xu Weidong would only give these few people a warning at the leadership team meeting or, at most, adjust their job responsibilities. He had not expected Xu Weidong to be so ruthless, handing them directly over to the Discipline Inspection Commission.

Investigation, handling, isolated investigation—these words spoken by Xu Weidong were light and airy, as if he were talking about what was for lunch in the cafeteria.

But to Committee Member Chen Ruo's ears, every word was deafening.

Xu Weidong noticed his nervousness, the corners of his mouth curled slightly, and his tone softened a little.

"Comrade Chen Ruo, don't be nervous. These people I mentioned are not everyone."

"Station Master Liu Ping from the Animal Husbandry Station, Station Master Zhao Sen from the Culture Station, and a few others mentioned in your materials have minor issues, mainly regarding their work style."

"These people just need to be warned at the leadership team meeting; let them blush and sweat a little, and they will pay attention to correcting themselves in the future."

"But Station Head Zhu Yan, Station Head Jin Ming, and Liu Hao—these three have relatively serious problems, and it would be hard to convince the public if they aren't dealt with."

"The eyes of the common people are sharp; if we turn a blind eye to these issues, how can we carry out our work in the future?"

Committee Member Chen Ruo nodded quickly, a weight lifted from his heart.

He had originally worried that Xu Weidong would hand everyone over to the Discipline Inspection Commission, which would cause too much of a stir and involve too many people, making him, the compiler of the materials, the target of public criticism.

Now that Xu Weidong was only acting against three, and the others' issues would only be addressed with a warning at the leadership team meeting, it served as a deterrent without escalating the conflict to an unmanageable point.

This sense of proportion was handled perfectly.

"Secretary Xu, I understand. I will go find Secretary Zhou Song now, hand the materials to him, and convey your intentions."

Xu Weidong nodded and took another sip of his tea.

Committee Member Chen Ruo stood up, picked up the materials, and turned to walk out.

When he reached the door, Xu Weidong suddenly called out to him.

"Comrade Chen Ruo."

Committee Member Chen Ruo turned around and looked at Xu Weidong.

Xu Weidong put down his teacup and looked at him with a calm gaze.

"You handled this matter very well. The position of Organization Committee Member is precisely about grasping the situation and reflecting the situation."

"You have done it; continue to carry this forward in the future."

Committee Member Chen Ruo felt a warmth in his heart, nodded quickly, opened the door, and walked out.

The sunlight in the corridor shone on his face, feeling warm.

He clutched the stack of materials, his steps steady, but his heart was in turmoil.

He knew he had made an important decision today, a decision with no turning back.

From the moment he handed these materials to Secretary Zhou Song, he had completely broken ties with Township Head Jiang Tiansheng.

Station Head Zhu Yan, Station Head Jin Ming, and Liu Hao—these three were Township Head Jiang Tiansheng's die-hard confidants, and their positions all had some level of interest dealings with Township Head Jiang Tiansheng...

To move against them was equivalent to moving against Township Head Jiang Tiansheng's foundation.

He took a deep breath and pushed open the door to the Discipline Inspection Commission.

Secretary Zhou Song was sitting behind his desk reading documents. Seeing him enter, he raised his head with an expressionless face.

"Secretary Zhou, Secretary Xu asked me to deliver some materials."

Committee Member Chen Ruo placed the materials on Secretary Zhou Song's desk and relayed Xu Weidong's intentions exactly as they were.

Secretary Zhou Song listened in silence for a few seconds, then picked up the materials and flipped through them, his face showing no change in expression.

He had worked in the Discipline Inspection Commission in Hukuang Township for so long; what kind of materials hadn't he seen?

The ones Committee Member Chen Ruo brought were not the most serious, but they weren't the lightest either.

The key was not the materials themselves, but Xu Weidong's attitude. If Xu Weidong wanted to move against these people, he really intended to do it, and no one could stop him.

"I understand."

Secretary Zhou Song closed the materials and said to Committee Member Chen Ruo, "I will handle this according to Secretary Xu's instructions."

Committee Member Chen Ruo nodded and turned to walk out.

Three days later, the Party Committee meeting was held as scheduled.

The atmosphere in the conference room was a bit different from usual; before everyone had even arrived, smoke had already filled the entire room.

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng had arrived earlier than usual and was sitting in his seat, with several cigarette butts already in the ashtray in front of him.

His complexion was not very good, and his eye bags were drooping, as if he hadn't slept well for several days.

When Committee Member Chen Ruo entered, Township Head Jiang Tiansheng glanced at him.

Committee Member Chen Ruo did not meet his gaze; he lowered his head, sat down in his seat, opened his notebook, placed his pen beside it, and sat with a posture as upright as a new comrade who had just started working.