NFBE Chapter 77 The Art of Compromise in Officialdom
Chapter 77 The Art of Compromise in Officialdom
Office of Zhao Lichun, Executive Vice Governor of the Provincial Government.
As Zhao Lichun looked at the article in the Handong Daily, he sensed a danger. The article's publication must have been orchestrated by Xu Dingbang behind the scenes. Could it be that he intended to use this as a pretext to target Handong?
At this time, the local gangs in Handong must unite, otherwise they will be easily defeated one by one by Xu Dingbang.
He immediately dialed Liang Qunfeng's number and said in a friendly tone, "Old leader, have you read today's Handong Daily?"
Ever since Liang Qunfeng and Zhao Lichun competed for the position of provincial governor, Zhao Lichun has stopped addressing his former leader as "old leader."
Liang Qunfeng, also holding a newspaper, keenly sensed a hint of danger.
"Governor Zhao, I'm looking at it now, is there a problem?"
"Old leader, the Jingzhou case has indeed had a very bad impact, but the country is now demanding economic development, and our provincial government is under a lot of pressure. My idea is, could we downplay this and just focus on dealing with a few people directly related to the case?"
Zhao Lichun's idea coincided with Liang Qunfeng's; if the police station and the procuratorate continued their investigation, it might implicate even more people.
In this way, Xu Dingbang easily shook the official structure of Handong.
"At the provincial party committee standing committee meeting this afternoon, we'll probably have to see what Secretary Xu decides."
"Old leader, Secretary Xu has just arrived and doesn't yet fully understand the situation in Handong. That's why we need to work together to explain things further."
Liang Qunfeng understood that this was an attempt to establish a defensive alliance between the two sides.
Although he failed to win the bid for provincial governor, at least Zhao Lichun was from the local faction, so he would leave room for maneuver in his actions.
"Okay, let's talk about it together this afternoon."
"Great, old boss, you go ahead with your work."
In the afternoon, Xu Dingbang chaired a meeting of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee, focusing on handling the case in Jingzhou.
Xu Dingbang calmly took a sip of tea. "Comrades, such a big case has happened in Jingzhou. To be honest, it breaks my heart."
"But we can't blame everyone here. The whole country is focused on economic development, which inevitably creates opportunities for some criminals to take advantage of the situation."
"I'll reiterate: we won't escalate the issue; if there are problems, we won't avoid them, we'll just solve them."
Xu Dingbang's words reassured everyone.
The governor was hospitalized, and then Zhao Lichun spoke.
"Secretary Xu, I completely agree with you. Problems should be addressed. We are a people's government and we are not afraid of public oversight."
"The case in Jingzhou has had an extremely negative impact. I suggest that those who protect others behind it be severely punished."
"I've reviewed the report from the Jingzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau. The criminals mentioned two people: Guo Anmin from the court and Zheng Yonghang from the police station. I believe these two have severely lost their party spirit and are enemies of the people; their crimes are unforgivable."
Everyone here understands: we need to identify two typical cases to give the people an explanation.
Xu Dingbang had no foothold in Handong, and he wasn't in a hurry to expand. As he always said, the task assigned by the state was to prioritize the economy.
"Governor Zhao, I've also seen the records of the two people you mentioned. They are truly heartbreaking. They directly face the common people, protecting criminals, which is tantamount to conspiring against them."
With that said, the two top leaders reached a tacit consensus and sentenced Guo Anmin and Zheng Yonghang to death.
Zhao Lichun breathed a sigh of relief; he had been genuinely worried that Xu Dingbang might take the opportunity to cause trouble.
Xu Dingbang picked up the newspaper on the table. "Everyone has read the article published in today's Handong Daily, right? Comrade Qi Tongwei has made great contributions in solving the Jingzhou case. I think it's understandable that he shot and killed the criminal. We can't condemn such a young comrade outright. What do you all think?"
Zhao Lichun immediately chimed in, "Secretary Xu is right. The Public Security Bureau shouldn't nitpick; just release them immediately."
Meng Hongbing glanced at Liang Qunfeng; he was now in a difficult situation.
Liang Qunfeng glanced at Zhao Lichun. "Damn it, what happened to our alliance?"
Of course, Zhao Lichun didn't care about Qi Tongwei. Xu Dingbang had already compromised and wouldn't escalate the situation, so why would he bother with someone else's people?
Zhao Lichun didn't take this nobody seriously at all, since he didn't have a daughter to embarrass him.
Everyone was waiting for Liang Qunfeng to make a statement, because he had a personal grudge against Qi Tongwei.
“Secretary Xu, Governor Zhao is right. We can’t dampen the enthusiasm of our young comrades; we must allow them to make mistakes. Director Meng, if there’s no solid evidence, release them as soon as possible.”
Meng Hongbing was sweating profusely. "Secretary Xu, Governor Zhao, Secretary Liang, I will definitely release them as soon as possible."
Provincial Procurator General Zhuang Guosen breathed a sigh of relief. That kid was quite influential; he even got to be discussed at the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee meeting.
The art of officialdom is compromise.
After the meeting, Feng Yi, the head of the investigation department of the provincial procuratorate, personally went to the provincial department to demand the release of the suspect.
Qi Tongwei walked out of the interrogation room with messy hair and an oily face.
Feng Yi saw that he looked exhausted, clearly having not slept all night.
"Qi Tongwei, are you alright?"
Qi Tongwei pointed directly at Fang Yonghui, "That bastard kept me up like a hawk last night. As soon as I went to sleep, he sent someone to shine a lamp in my eyes."
"Fang Yonghui, you just wait, don't fall into my hands, or I'll make you hand over all the money you hid in your underwear!"
Fang Yonghui smiled. "Director Feng, you can't listen to this kid's nonsense. We strictly adhere to interrogation regulations."
On their turf, Qi Tongwei didn't bother arguing anymore. "Damn it, you're lying through your teeth. Director Feng, let's go."
Feng Yi certainly believed Qi Tongwei's words, but it would be troublesome to investigate this matter thoroughly.
"Captain Fang, we're off then."
"Director Feng, take care."
Qi Tongwei gave Fang Yonghui the middle finger and left with a flourish.
"Captain Fang, I really want to tear that kid's mouth off."
"What's a couple of insults? It doesn't hurt."
Back in the car at the procuratorate, Qi Tongwei quickly grabbed a bottle of water to drink.
"I'm dying of thirst! Those bastards are real scum!"
"Qi Tongwei, we're going to the court to arrest Guo Anmin. Do you want to go home and sleep, or come with us?"
Qi Tongwei immediately perked up. Damn it, this is the perfect opportunity to humiliate someone and vent his anger.
"Director Feng, I'd like to apply to join this mission."
Are you sure you don't need to go home and rest?
"Why sleep so much at such a young age? You can sleep all you want after you die."
Feng Yi was speechless; this kid didn't say a single nice thing.
When the prosecutor's car drove into the courthouse, everyone immediately understood that someone else was about to fall from grace.
Qi Tongwei washed his face with mineral water, slicked back his hair, and looked much more energetic.
Guo Anmin had been restless for the past two days. As soon as the prosecutor's car pulled up, he knew he was finished.
Holding the arrest warrant, Qi Tongwei pushed open the door to Guo Anmin's office.
"Dean Guo, what a coincidence, we meet again."
Qi Tongwei perfectly embodied the smugness of a petty person who has achieved success.
Guo Anmin was furious; he never imagined he would fall into Qi Tongwei's hands.
He threatened his wife, beat his son, and now he's trying to arrest him. My God, what terrible thing did he do in his life to run into Qi Tongwei, this living devil?