277: Chapter 277 The Big Fish Has Emerged

The copper lock snapped and fell onto the muddy ground with a dull thud.

Police Chief Zhao Gang lifted the lid of the box.

Inside was a stack of documents wrapped tightly in oil paper.

The outer layer of oil paper had become brittle and was stained with black mud. Police Chief Zhao Gang carefully peeled it back, revealing yellowed pages inside, their edges marked by water stains.

Zhu Wenhao stepped forward, his gaze falling on the header of the first page.

"Final Settlement Statement for the Completion and Acceptance of the Old River Levee Repair Project in Heishi Town, Qingjiang County."

The date at the bottom was ten years ago.

In the signatory column, three words were written in black and white: Secretary Qiu Dehai.

Town Mayor Luo Xingbang stood half a step away, silent.

Zhu Wenhao flipped through the pages.

The details of construction materials, steel reinforcement standards, and cement grades were all clearly listed.

Experts from the Provincial Department of Water Resources had conducted surveys, and the actual materials they described didn't even amount to half of what was on this list.

Flipping to the last page, a letter with scribbled handwriting was tucked inside.

"Construction materials were halved, and the whereabouts of the remaining funds are unknown. Town Mayor Qiu forced me to sign; he wouldn't release the supervision fees if I didn't. My family needed to eat, so I had no choice but to comply. I am keeping this copy for future investigation."

Signed: Construction Supervisor, Sun Chengbao.

Zhu Wenhao finished reading the letter and tucked it back into its place.

"Wrap it up," Zhu Wenhao said to Police Chief Zhao Gang.

"Send two police officers to take it directly to the Town Guest House and hand it to Director Li Qiang personally."

Police Chief Zhao Gang nodded, re-wrapped the oil paper tightly, put it back into the iron box, and strode away holding the box.

Watching Police Chief Zhao Gang's retreating figure, Town Mayor Luo Xingbang spoke up: "Zhu Wenhao, once this is handed over, Secretary Qiu Dehai will never be able to recover."

"Save it for the New Year?" Zhu Wenhao replied in a flat tone, turning to walk back to the shore.

Town Guest House, outside the temporary detention room.

Director Li Qiang received the iron box, took out the yellowed documents, and read them from beginning to end.

He closed the file and took out his phone to call a field officer.

"Go investigate a person named Sun Chengbao who worked as a construction supervisor in Heishi Town ten years ago. Find him and take a statement immediately."

In the afternoon.

The field officer returned with the statement.

Sun Chengbao had retired and was living in an old residential complex in the county seat. When he saw the personnel from the Discipline Inspection Commission, he didn't resist. He confessed everything about how Secretary Qiu Dehai had forced him to sign and withheld his supervision fees, then pressed his fingerprint on the statement.

Director Li Qiang took the copy and pushed open the door to the detention room.

Secretary Qiu Dehai sat in a chair, his eye sockets sunken and his chin covered in stubble. During this time, he had stubbornly insisted that he was only guilty of negligence regarding the South Street project, pushing all the blame for the embezzlement onto Executive Vice Mayor Qian Dayong.

Director Li Qiang pulled out a chair, sat down, and pushed the papers across the table.

"Take a look."

Secretary Qiu Dehai lowered his head.

The moment his eyes touched the pages, his back stiffened.

The acceptance form for the Old River Levee from ten years ago.

Sun Chengbao's handwritten letter.

The words on the paper cut off his last glimmer of hope.

"How do you explain the accounts for the Old River Levee?" Director Li Qiang looked at him. "Sun Chengbao's statement has already been taken. Between the construction corruption from ten years ago and the current South Street project, you can't hold out anymore."

Secretary Qiu Dehai looked at the yellowed letter, his breathing becoming heavy.

He understood that struggling was meaningless.

"I'll confess," Secretary Qiu Dehai said in a hoarse voice. "I took 800,000 from the Old River Levee project."

Once the dam broke, all the filth inside came pouring out.

The names of the bribes received, the process of selling off village-run enterprises to line his own pockets, and the kickbacks given to county officials—everything was laid out clearly.

Director Li Qiang filled three pages in his notebook.

In the Deputy Secretary's office.

Zhu Wenhao finished the call with Director Li Qiang.

"The confession is solid," Zhu Wenhao said to Director Xu Jie. "Secretary Qiu Dehai has confessed to all his past misdeeds. This case is closed."

Director Xu Jie stopped typing.

"Heishi Town can be considered cleaned up."

Zhu Wenhao picked up the water cup on the table.

"Heishi Town is cleaned up, but what about Qingjiang County?"

Director Xu Jie looked puzzled.

"Secretary Qiu Dehai was Town Mayor and Party Secretary for ten years. If he dared to cut corners on the Old River Levee so blatantly, don't the regulatory departments in the county bear some responsibility?"

Zhu Wenhao stood up.

"The acceptance from the Audit Bureau and the funding from the Finance Bureau—he couldn't have bribed his way through all that alone. This chain of interests is very long."

Zhu Wenhao picked up his coat and put it on.

"Get the car ready. We're going to the County Party Committee compound."

County Party Committee building, in the Secretary's office.

Secretary Lu Guoliang looked at the preliminary investigation report submitted by Zhu Wenhao.

The original documents for the Old River Levee and Secretary Qiu Dehai's confession were all there in black and white.

"Secretary Qiu Dehai's issues are shocking." Secretary Lu Guoliang placed the report on the table. "Zhu Wenhao, you've done a great service with this cleanup in Heishi Town."

"Secretary Lu, an iron box was dug up from the Old River Levee in Heishi Town, uncovering bad debts from ten years ago. Qingjiang County has twelve subordinate towns. Over the past dozen years, countless river embankments, reservoirs, and town roads have been built. Is it possible that only Heishi Town has iron boxes buried in them?"

Secretary Lu Guoliang looked at him.

"I suggest," Zhu Wenhao began, "that the County Party Committee lead a special campaign to 'look back' at historical project archives throughout the county. The County Commission for Discipline Inspection and the Audit Bureau should work together to pull out all acceptance reports for major projects from the last fifteen years and re-examine and cross-reference them."

Secretary Lu Guoliang calculated quickly in his mind.

A comprehensive investigation into historical accounts was both a risk and an opportunity.

He was at a critical period in seeking a promotion and needed a strong political achievement to demonstrate his administrative resolve.

Launching a county-wide project review would not only win over the public but also provide an opportunity to reshuffle the power structures in the various towns.

"Cure the sickness to save the patient; scrape the poison from the bone," Secretary Lu Guoliang decided. "This is a very good suggestion. Only by shedding historical baggage can Qingjiang County move forward with a light load."

He picked up the phone on the table and dialed the number of Secretary Pang Jianguo, the Secretary of the County Commission for Discipline Inspection.

"Secretary Pang Jianguo, come to my office for a moment."

The documents for the special campaign were issued to the entire county the next day.

The special campaign, named "Qingjiang County Historical Project Archive Review," was officially launched.

The County Commission for Discipline Inspection and the Audit Bureau selected over forty key personnel, divided them into six groups, and deployed them to the various towns.

When the news spread, the entire county's officialdom was shaken.

Those town officials who had dipped their hands into projects in earlier years were all in a state of panic.

The investigation work proceeded in an orderly manner.

On the afternoon of the third day.

At the archives room of the County Commission for Discipline Inspection.

Several officers wearing masks were searching through dusty filing cabinets.

The table was piled high with files on early reservoir construction projects transferred from Liuhe Town.

An officer opened a final settlement list from fifteen years ago, compared it with the original funding records, and discovered a huge funding gap.

The project nominally used top-tier anti-seepage materials, but the procurement invoices attached to the original documents were issued by a small local brick kiln.

The officer picked up the file and walked to Secretary Pang Jianguo's office.

"Secretary Pang, there's something fishy about the Yuejin Reservoir project in Liuhe Town from fifteen years ago." The officer handed over the file. "There are clear signs of material fraud and misappropriation of funds."

Secretary Pang Jianguo put on his reading glasses and opened the file.

He flipped directly to the joint acceptance and signature column on the last page.

His gaze fell on a name there.

Signatory: Liuhe Town Party Secretary, Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan.

Secretary Pang Jianguo stared at those three words for a long time.

Fifteen years ago, Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan was still the top leader in Liuhe Town, and the Yuejin Reservoir was a political achievement project he had personally spearheaded.

He closed the file.

Secretary Pang Jianguo took off his glasses.

The Old River Levee in Heishi Town had implicated Secretary Qiu Dehai.

The reservoir in Liuhe Town had brought out Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan.

Secretary Pang Jianguo picked up his phone and dialed County Mayor Gu Mingchuan.

"Old Gu, the big fish has surfaced," Secretary Pang Jianguo said in a calm tone.