175: Chapter 175 Secretary Yang's Second Counterattack

The wooden door closed, and the sound of Xu Jie's footsteps faded away in the hallway.

Zhu Wenhao did not interfere much in the matter of finding "Boss Lei."

For a woman like Xu Jie, who came from The Capital's elite compounds, since she wanted to demonstrate her own value and power, there was no need for him to urge her; she would naturally utilize those secret channels to handle this matter flawlessly.

The art of leadership for those in high positions lies in delegating power.

If you suspect someone, do not use them; if you use them, do not suspect them.

What needed to be carefully weighed right now was the intelligence she had thrown out.

His own uncle was about to be parachuted into Jiangnan Province to seek the high position of Deputy Minister of the Provincial Organization Department.

The distribution of resources has always been cruel.

Old Master Li had been in semi-retirement for many years, and every bit of the power he had left was being depleted as it was used.

Once the legitimate eldest son entered the game in Jiangnan, the Old Master's scales would inevitably tilt absolutely.

The Li Faction's connections and network would, without a doubt, be used to pave the way for this parachuted uncle.

Secretary Zhu Tianhe's position as Deputy Secretary of the Linjiang Municipal Party Committee would become isolated.

Only by preparing for a rainy day could one remain in an invincible position.

He had to make plans early, before his uncle officially took office.

Zhu Wenhao picked up the phone on the desk and dialed his father, Secretary Zhu Tianhe's, private number.

It rang for half a minute without being answered, then automatically disconnected.

Zhu Wenhao glanced at the wall clock.

Four in the afternoon.

As the Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Committee, he would mostly be handling official business at this time.

If there was a meeting or an event where it was inconvenient to answer, his personal mobile phone was always entrusted to his chief secretary, Secretary Gao Ming, for safekeeping.

When Secretary Gao Ming saw his number, there was no reason for him not to answer.

There was only one explanation.

Secretary Gao Ming was either inconvenient to speak or simply not by the phone.

As expected, five minutes later, the phone on the desk vibrated urgently.

The caller ID showed it was indeed Secretary Gao Ming.

He pressed the answer button.

"Brother Ming." Zhu Wenhao said.

"Zhu Wenhao, Secretary Zhu is currently in a meeting," Secretary Gao Ming lowered his voice. "It's an emergency Five-Person Group meeting of the Municipal Committee. They are arguing fiercely inside, and I can't go in to pass on a message."

The Five-Person Group meeting of the Municipal Committee was the absolute core of Linjiang City.

"Are they discussing the successor for the Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission? Preparing to recommend it at the Standing Committee meeting?" Zhu Wenhao deduced, following the current situation.

"It's not a personnel appointment," Secretary Gao Ming's breathing was a bit rapid. "Something happened. Liu Qing is biting people inside."

"The former Executive Deputy Director of the Municipal Public Security Bureau, Liu Qing?"

"Yes, that's him. Deputy Team Leader Liu Hao interrogated him today," Secretary Gao Ming spoke extremely fast. "Liu Qing turned state's evidence and confessed that the current Political Commissar of the Municipal Public Security Bureau, Wang Haitao, is his accomplice!"

Wang Haitao, a partner of Police Chief Li Jianguo, the Political Commissar of the Municipal Public Security Bureau, and furthermore, a key subordinate hand-picked and promoted by Secretary Zhu Tianhe.

"Liu Qing confessed that Wang Haitao had been colluding with him in private," Secretary Gao Ming continued to report. "He said that while he was excluded from the task force, Wang Haitao used his position to provide him with intelligence from the task force. It was precisely because of Wang Haitao's tip-off that the main culprits of the Taiyao Gang, such as Huzi, were able to escape in advance."

"He also confessed to giving Wang Haitao ten gold bars in private, and even the specific time and location of the transaction were confessed clearly."

"How did the people from the Anti-Gang Office respond?" Zhu Wenhao asked.

"Deputy Team Leader Liu Hao took this confession and immediately launched an attack," Secretary Gao Ming said. "He directly demanded that Secretary Zhou Zheng of the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection come forward to cooperate with the Supervision Team for a joint investigation."

"They checked Liu Qing's communication records. The results showed that during the half-hour when Police Chief Li Jianguo was arranging the net-closing mission, a virtual network number did indeed make a phone call to the mobile phone."

Secretary Gao Ming swallowed, his voice dropping lower.

"Secretary Zhou sent people to question the police officers who participated in the operation from the Municipal Public Security Bureau. According to reports, during that critical half-hour, Political Commissar Wang Haitao did indeed leave the conference room halfway to go to the restroom. At that time, personal mobile phones had been confiscated, and everyone was busy organizing the team, so no one thought much of it."

A virtual number.

The time difference of leaving.

The confession.

This combination of moves was executed seamlessly, leaving no loopholes.

"What demands did Deputy Team Leader Liu Hao make?" Zhu Wenhao asked clearly.

"Deputy Team Leader Liu Hao took these things and immediately ordered the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection to take detention measures against Wang Haitao. He also demanded an immediate search of Wang Haitao's office and residence."

Secretary Gao Ming recounted the conflict at that time.

"Secretary Zhou Zheng firmly opposed it. He believed there were too many suspicious points in this case, and one could not rashly take coercive measures against an incumbent Municipal Public Security Bureau Political Commissar based solely on Liu Qing's unilateral confession and an untraceable virtual number. This did not comply with case-handling procedures."

"Deputy Team Leader Liu Hao turned hostile on the spot, accusing the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection of intending to shield Wang Haitao, and even insinuating that the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection had ties to organized crime forces."

"How could Deputy Team Leader Liu Hao, a newly transferred chief staff member, act so bossy in the Supervision Team?"

"Because he is now the deputy leader of the Supervision Team," Secretary Gao Ming sighed. "After the Taiyao Gang was destroyed, the Provincial Public Security Department set its sights on the Lei Jun case in Jingjiang City. The case became urgent, and the original deputy leader, Deputy Captain Zhang Lin of the Provincial Public Security Department's Criminal Investigation Division, directly led the Provincial Public Security Department's support forces back to Jingjiang City to search for that key 'Boss Lei.' Captain Xiao Zhan remained at the Jingjiang Municipal Public Security Bureau to oversee the battle."

"The cleanup work here in Linjiang is short-handed. Because Deputy Team Leader Liu Hao 'performed outstandingly' in the interrogation and ferreted out two internal moles, Liu Qing and Director Han, the Provincial Anti-Gang Office issued a document temporarily appointing him as deputy leader, responsible for the Supervision Team's cleanup work in Linjiang."

When there are no tigers in the mountains, the monkeys claim to be kings.

Taking advantage of the personnel vacancy window, Deputy Team Leader Liu Hao held the imperial sword and performed this drama to the extreme.

"Did Secretary Zhou Zheng compromise in the end?" Zhu Wenhao asked.

"He couldn't withstand the pressure," Secretary Gao Ming replied. "Deputy Team Leader Liu Hao used the Supervision Team's brand to pressure people. Secretary Zhou had no choice but to follow the rules and lead a team with Deputy Team Leader Liu Hao to search Wang Haitao's residence."

"Did they find anything?"

"Deep under the bed in the bedroom," Secretary Gao Ming said. "They found a red velvet pouch. Inside were ten gold bars. Now the pouch and the gold bars have been rushed to the Municipal Public Security Bureau's Technical Investigation Division, and they are extracting fingerprints to see if there are any traces of Wang Haitao on them."

Testimonial evidence, physical evidence, and the chain of time were all closed.

What a vicious scheme of framing.

As long as no one else's fingerprints were found on that pouch, or if they did a little manipulation to leave behind some skin cells, Wang Haitao would be completely finished.

"Is this the topic of today's Five-Person Group meeting?" Zhu Wenhao pointed directly to the core.

"Yes. Mayor Su Changming launched an attack at the meeting," Secretary Gao Ming stood outside the venue. "Mayor Su held onto this point tightly. He said that the Political Commissar, whom Secretary Zhu had strongly recommended, had only been in office for a few months before such a serious scandal of organized crime involvement and bribery exploded. This is a serious failure in personnel selection and is making a joke of Linjiang City's political and legal team."

"Mayor Su proposed to seriously investigate Secretary Zhu's leadership responsibility and demanded a retrospective investigation into the personnel mechanism of the political and legal system."

Xiang Zhuang dances with his sword, but his target is Liu Bang.

Mayor Su Changming's real target was never Wang Haitao.

Getting rid of Wang Haitao was just to clip the wings of Police Chief Li Jianguo at the Municipal Public Security Bureau, causing the Zhu Faction's layout in the political and legal front to collapse.

At the same time, it brought the fire to Secretary Zhu Tianhe, damaging his prestige in the Linjiang Municipal Party Committee.

"What about the attitudes of Secretary Lin and Secretary Li?"

"Fortunately," Secretary Gao Ming's tone revealed a hint of relief. "Secretary Lin Weimin and Secretary Li Li of the Discipline Inspection Commission were both speaking up for Secretary Zhu. Secretary Lin emphasized that the current evidence is still in the verification stage and one cannot engage in guilt by association; Secretary Li also raised objections to Deputy Team Leader Liu Hao's rough handling of the case. With these two top leaders holding the fort, Mayor Su Changming cannot stir up big waves. The responsibility on Secretary Zhu's side shouldn't be a big problem."

Not a big problem?

A government functionary like Secretary Gao Ming only sees the surface of problems.

How could Mayor Su Changming not know that with Secretary Lin Weimin holding the fort, he couldn't directly topple a Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Committee?

What he wanted was to make Secretary Zhu Tianhe lose face at the Five-Person Group meeting, and to let the city's cadres see that following the Zhu family meant that at critical moments, they couldn't even protect their own people.

Prestige is something that takes years of effort to build, but only one defeat to collapse.

"I know," Zhu Wenhao did not go to correct Secretary Gao Ming's shortsightedness. "Brother Ming, you keep watching. If there are any new developments, contact me at any time."

"Okay, Zhu Wenhao."

The call was cut off.

The office was silent.

Zhu Wenhao stood up and walked to the window.

The counterattack from Secretary Yang Jianhua of the Provincial Party Committee came so fiercely.

First, Governor Zhou united with the Yang Faction to forcibly promote Liu Qiang to the position of Director of the Provincial Development and Reform Commission, giving Old Master Li a loud slap in the face.

Then there was Mayor Su Changming uniting with the parachuted Deputy Team Leader Liu Hao to set a trap for Wang Haitao in Linjiang City, pointing directly at his father, Secretary Zhu Tianhe, with the intention of dismantling Secretary Zhu Tianhe's foundation in Linjiang.

Provincial and municipal levels, north and south linkage, attacking from both left and right.

This was to exterminate the Li Faction, leaving no room for them to breathe.

The methods were undeniably vicious, and the timing was undeniably precise.

"You fight with your atomic bombs, and I will fight with my hand grenades."

This quote from the great man flashed through Zhu Wenhao's mind.

Since they were going to fight with real swords and guns on the table, there was no reason to sit and wait for death.

To kill a snake, strike its seven-inch mark.

As long as he held that trump card, all the framing and encirclement would become a joke.

Zhu Wenhao turned back, picked up the phone on the table, and pulled out Xu Jie's number.

He pressed the dial button.

The dial tone rang only once, and the call was connected.

"Secretary Zhu," Xu Jie's voice was cold.

A strangulation spanning the provincial, municipal, and county levels officially began.