134: Chapter 134 First Clues

Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan spoke bluntly, without a shred of courtesy, and immediately shifted his gaze away from Zhu Wenhao.

He turned to look at Secretary Lu Guoliang, "Secretary Lu, the Municipal Public Security Bureau just sent an official letter."

"It's a case transferred from the Petitions Office, stating that several truck drivers have jointly filed complaints against Qingjiang County recently, alleging that road administration and traffic police are issuing arbitrary fines on the national highway. The Municipal Public Security Bureau wants our county to be mindful of the impact."

On the surface, these words were a routine notification, but underneath, they revealed the local government's accustomed way of dealing with supervision from superiors.

Arbitrary fining was, after all, an old, unresolved mess.

Secretary Lu Guoliang offered no comment; he turned his head, his gaze passing over Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan and landing on County Mayor Gu Mingchuan, who was sitting on the sofa nearby.

"Comrade County Mayor Gu Mingchuan, what is your take on this?"

Zhu Wenhao sat upright in the guest seat, eyes focused on his nose, nose focused on his heart.

This seemingly ordinary question had a completely different underlying meaning.

According to the rules, seating arrangements and degrees of closeness were hidden within the forms of address.

In an occasion like the County Party Committee's No. 1 Office, in the presence of the Deputy County Party Secretary and him, an official personally appointed by the Provincial Organization Department.

Secretary Lu Guoliang did not address him as "County Mayor Gu" or "County Mayor Mingchuan," but directly called him "Comrade County Mayor Gu Mingchuan."

Removing his title and adding "Comrade" was a form of contempt for County Mayor Gu Mingchuan.

Zhu Wenhao composed himself, and the organizational chart of Qingjiang County slowly unfolded in his mind.

The way of governance lies first in knowing people.

Secretary Lu Guoliang, fifty-two years old, had been rooted in Qingjiang County for a full eight years, rising from Executive Deputy County Mayor to County Party Secretary.

His resume was impressive, and he had been promoted step by step, yet Qingjiang County's economy ranked at the bottom year after year.

What he held in his hands must be resources capable of satisfying the interest exchanges of various powerful figures.

Just as Zhu Wenhao was peeling back the layers, County Mayor Gu Mingchuan spoke up.

"Secretary, you are also aware of our county's financial situation."

"The county treasury has always been an empty shell; let alone undertaking any major infrastructure projects, even the salaries of teachers in the lower-level schools have been in arrears for a full six months and cannot be paid."

County Mayor Gu Mingchuan complained, his tone revealing deep exhaustion.

"Our county's economic structure has always been relatively singular, relying entirely on resource extraction. In the early years, when market conditions were good, it could still prop up the treasury's facade, and we could get by."

"Now the situation has changed; environmental protection inspections are strict, and resource prices fluctuate greatly. Relying solely on the old, extensive model of digging mountains and selling stones simply doesn't bring in much money."

"When enterprises from outside hear it's Qingjiang County, they don't even have the willingness to conduct inspections; who would be willing to invest real money here?"

County Mayor Gu Mingchuan spoke with increasing resentment.

"Every time I go to the city for economic scheduling meetings, I can't hold my head up. We rank last in total economic output every year; city leaders criticize us by name on stage, and colleagues below watch as a joke. It's hard for even a clever housewife to cook without rice."

At this point, County Mayor Gu Mingchuan paused for half a breath, his gaze glancing intentionally or unintentionally in the direction of Secretary Lu Guoliang.

"Furthermore, the overly high targets set by the county in earlier years left behind too many unresolved messes."

"The data from the 'former government' was inaccurate and heavily inflated; by the time it reached me, I had to bite the bullet and squeeze out the water. How could the economic data possibly look good?"

The three words "former government" were like a soft knife, stabbing straight at Secretary Lu Guoliang's Achilles' heel.

County Mayor Gu Mingchuan had only been County Mayor of Qingjiang County for two years, and the "former government" he spoke of, which had heavily inflated figures, was headed by the previous County Mayor, who was now none other than County Party Secretary Lu Guoliang sitting in the main seat.

Directly linking the financial predicament to historical legacy issues was a blatant act of passing the buck.

The smile on Secretary Lu Guoliang's face vanished completely.

"Comrade County Mayor Gu Mingchuan, what about the subjective initiative of your county government?"

Secretary Lu Guoliang raised his voice, the pressure of a superior pouring out.

"You've been in our Qingjiang County for two years, haven't you? Every meeting you talk about difficulties, and when you encounter issues, you talk about objective reasons. If everything were easy to handle, why would the organization send you here to be County Mayor?"

Secretary Lu Guoliang's finger poked heavily at the document on the table.

"We are now in the last quarter of the year. Our Qingjiang County's economic targets for this year are less than fifty percent complete compared to the initial plan set at the beginning of the year!"

"Not to mention you can't hold your head up in the city; every time I go to the Municipal Party Committee for meetings, don't I get scolded until I'm covered in dog's blood?"

Mentioning the Municipal Party Committee, Secretary Lu Guoliang's tone became more anxious.

"Two days ago, when I went to the Municipal Party Committee to report on work, I was even specifically called into the office by the new Secretary Lin for an in-depth exchange."

"Secretary Lin demanded that our Qingjiang County must complete this year's economic targets. I don't care what methods your county government uses, whether it's running to the Provincial Public Security Department for projects or pulling in investments. This last quarter of the year, we must complete the target tasks set at the beginning of the year with quality and quantity!"

"If we can't complete it, both you and I will have to submit a self-criticism to the Municipal Party Committee!"

By bringing out the name of the Municipal Party Committee Secretary, even if County Mayor Gu Mingchuan had a thousand reasons, he could only swallow the rest of his words.

After reprimanding the County Mayor, Secretary Lu Guoliang turned his gaze back to Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan.

"Yuanshan, the Municipal Public Security Bureau has issued a letter, so we must show an attitude."

"Go back and have a word with the leading officials of the county traffic detachment and the road administration department. It's fine to generate revenue through fines, but don't make it look too ugly; don't set up checkpoints on the national highway every day, it has a terrible impact."

Not taking strong measures to rectify, but only seeking to cover up. This was the usual logic of Qingjiang County's top leadership in dealing with crises.

"Tell your subordinates to keep their eyes sharp when enforcing the law. Catch those individual operators without backgrounds, and avoid provoking those organized transport fleets."

"Absolutely do not let things blow up. If it gets exposed by the media and triggers public opinion, no one will be able to protect them, you understand?"

"Understood, Secretary." Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan leaned forward slightly and agreed very quickly. "I will convene a meeting of the leaders of the political and legal departments, and have them pay attention to the scale and methods of their work, so as not to cause trouble for the County Party Committee."

This brief discussion laid bare the riddled-with-holes nature of Qingjiang County's highest decision-making level before Zhu Wenhao.

If the ruler and his subjects distrust each other, the world will be in chaos.

This county town was already rotten to the core.

Secretary Lu Guoliang picked up his teacup and blew away the steam on the water's surface.

"Alright, let's discuss it up to here for now; everyone, you can disperse. Keep a tight grip on your respective work."

County Mayor Gu Mingchuan and Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan stood up to take their leave.

Secretary Lu Guoliang put on a gentle face and said to Zhu Wenhao, who was sitting in the guest seat: "Zhu Wenhao, you are new here, so have lunch at the County Party Committee first. In the afternoon, I will have Deputy Minister Li Ming of the Organization Department arrange a car to personally send you to Heishi Town to take office."

"Thank you for the arrangement, Secretary Lu." Zhu Wenhao stood up straight, nodded slightly, and exited the No. 1 Office.

In the corridor, a cold wind blew through.

Zhu Wenhao took out his mobile phone from his coat pocket. An unread message lit up on the screen; the sender was Deputy Police Chief Li Sanqiang.

"Brother Hao, Director Zhao and I have already finished the reporting procedures at the County Public Security Bureau. The bureau didn't ask much and directly gave us the transfer order to Heishi Town. What are our next steps?"

Zhu Wenhao pressed the dial button and called Police Chief Zhao Gang.

Police Chief Zhao Gang's steady voice came through the receiver: "Zhu Wenhao, the County Public Security Bureau is a bit wary of our sudden arrival, but they haven't obstructed us on the surface. Should we go to Heishi Town now?"

"You go take office first, don't worry about me."

Zhu Wenhao instructed while walking.

"I will take the County Organization Department's car in the afternoon. One in the open, one in the dark; we will enter the town separately."

He walked steadily, heading down the stairs.

"Heishi Town is a disaster area in Qingjiang County; the Police Station there must be riddled with holes from infiltration by local forces."

"When you and San Qiang arrive, don't be in a rush to handle cases or establish authority."

"Observe the people first."

"Distinguish which ones in the team are eyes and ears of the local snakes, and which ones are police officers who can still be saved."

"The gun barrels must be held in our own hands. Take control of the Police Station as soon as possible."

"Understood. We'll wait for you in town." Police Chief Zhao Gang responded crisply, without a word of nonsense.

The call was cut off, and Zhu Wenhao slid his phone into his coat pocket.

The midday sun was somewhat pale, and he couldn't feel much warmth when it shone on him.

He walked to the bottom of the Organization Department office building and looked up at the gray sky.

The cold wind brushed against the collar of his coat, and he reached out to pull it together.

Heishi Town, this game of chess, it's time to make a move.