Flip the table and divide the family property! Take his wife and daughter into the mountains and eat

Two hours later.

Chen Jianguo's office in the municipal party committee compound.

With a muffled bang, the heavy soundproof door slammed shut.

Chen Jianguo couldn't wait to walk to the large mahogany desk. Without even taking off his jacket, he grabbed the receiver of the red telephone on the desk and skillfully dialed a number he knew by heart.

The phone rang three times before being answered.

Chen Jianguo took a deep breath, and his originally gloomy face instantly changed to a solemn expression that also revealed a hint of grievance.

"Governor Liu? It's me, Jianguo."

A deep, resonant voice, carrying a hint of authority, came from the other end of the phone: "Jianguo, what's wrong in the city at this hour?"

"Old leader, I really have no choice but to pour out my grievances to you." Chen Jianguo lowered his voice, his tone carrying just the right amount of anger and helplessness. "Comrade Li Yuanchao's recent actions have seriously affected the unity of our municipal party committee."

There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone.

A moment later, a very faint sigh came through the receiver.

"Jianguo," Governor Liu said calmly, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger, "you and Comrade Li Yuanchao are now core members of the municipal party committee. The province's reforms have entered a critical phase, and it's normal for you to have disagreements and frictions in your work within the city. Everyone needs to work together more."

"My former boss, I know the bigger picture is more important right now, and I've always wanted to work things out with him properly."

Chen Jianguo gritted his teeth, putting on a convincing act of someone who had suffered a great injustice but still had to consider the bigger picture. "But Li Yuanchao was utterly shameless in front of Old Song today! Not only did he yell and shout, but he even used my deceased son as a pretext to launch unwarranted personal attacks and political framing against me! To shirk responsibility for his own failure in the restructuring of the Red Star Factory, he even threw this kind of mudslinging at me, where there's no way to prove it. His behavior is simply too disgusting!"

There was another brief silence on the other end of the phone.

This time, the silence lasted a little longer than before.

"Oh? Is that so?"

Governor Liu's voice revealed a subtle, almost imperceptible change, and his tone slowed slightly. "Isn't Comrade Li Yuanchao always known for his composure and consideration for the big picture? Why did he suddenly do this? Did you have some kind of conflict with him again?"

Hearing the seemingly casual question on the phone, Chen Jianguo felt a cold sweat break out on his back.

He gritted his teeth, steeled himself, and resorted to a desperate act of tantrums: "Who knows what he's thinking! Old leader, Li Yuanchao is just desperate because he's been pushed to the limit at the Hongxing Factory. He can't find a scapegoat, so he's starting to bite people randomly. If he continues to act so recklessly, I won't be able to carry out my work at all! If the province lets him cause trouble like this, then I'll have no choice but to submit my resignation to the provincial party committee. Let whoever wants to clean up this mess do it!"

"Alright!"

Before he could finish his act of grievance, Governor Liu interrupted him calmly, his voice carrying a hint of cold authority, "How old are you? Constantly threatening the organization with your resignation, what kind of talk is that?"

Chen Jianguo's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately changed his attitude, quickly admitting his mistake: "The old leader is right to criticize me. I was impulsive and lost my temper. I said the wrong thing."

"Since there's no concrete evidence, you should be even more composed." Governor Liu's tone was firm and authoritative. "A clear conscience fears no accusation. As long as your work is clean and the doors of the Discipline Inspection Commission are wide open, no one can frame you. But if the overall situation in the city is affected by your personal grudges and causes any uncontrollable trouble, the province will take action."

Chen Jianguo's forehead veins throbbed. He gritted his teeth, trying his best to suppress his emotions, and tentatively asked for a clear stance: "Yes, I will definitely stabilize the overall situation. But old leader, you have to give me some background information. If Li Yuanchao acts so recklessly and disregards the rules again, what should I do?"

"I'll give him a call and give him a warning."

Governor Liu paused, his tone carrying an undeniable resolve:

"If it turns out that he was indeed making baseless accusations and undermining the unity of the team, the province will intervene. At that time, I will require him to make a profound self-criticism in public at the municipal party committee standing committee meeting."

Should I make a self-criticism at the Standing Committee meeting?

The vein on Chen Jianguo's forehead throbbed suddenly.

For officials within the system, this was indeed a severe political rebuke, and it could also be seen as Governor Liu giving him considerable face.

But the problem is, what's the point?!

What he wanted wasn't any self-criticism; he wanted them kicked out immediately! He absolutely couldn't let Li Yuanchao and Zhou Changhe sit comfortably on top any longer.

He must seize this excellent opportunity to completely drive away the most troublesome Li Yuanchao.

Even if doing so would completely offend the provincial leaders, he had to do it!

Driven to the brink of despair, a fierce glint flashed in Chen Jianguo's eyes. He gritted his teeth and blurted out, "Old leader, a mere self-criticism won't be enough to subdue him!"

There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone.

Two seconds later, Governor Liu's unreadable voice slowly came through: "Then, Comrade Chen Jianguo, what is your suggestion?"

Chen Jianguo's chest heaved violently. He steeled himself and decided to go all in: "My opinion is that Li Yuanchao must be transferred from his current position immediately! His actions have severely damaged the city's overall economic situation. If the province finds it difficult to deal with this kind of person promptly, then I will have no choice but to bypass the provincial authorities and personally report the issue of unity within the leadership team to the central government. I think..."

"Comrade Chen Jianguo!"

Before he could finish speaking, Governor Liu suddenly raised his voice, those five words like a heavy hammer blow, followed by a chilling rebuke: "Are you threatening the Provincial Party Committee?!"

Even through the telephone line, Chen Jianguo could feel a suffocating, terrifying chill that was tightly coiling around his neck through the receiver.

Normally, upon hearing this accusation, Chen Jianguo would have been terrified and would have quickly tried to save face.

But now he has no way out; taking a step back would mean utter ruin.

"I stand by my opinion!"

Chen Jianguo, panting heavily, his voice hoarse yet carrying an almost manic resolve, said, "Old leader, the reform of state-owned enterprises is of paramount importance to the entire province and even the whole country! At this critical juncture, the absolute unity of the municipal party committee is more crucial than ever. Tens of thousands of eyes at the Hongxing Machinery Factory are watching closely, and the public is indignant. The slightest misstep could lead to a mass incident affecting the entire province! But Li Yuanchao is not only disregarding the overall situation, but he is also creating internal divisions and carrying out unfounded political purges!"

"For the sake of overall stability, and for the fundamental interests and livelihoods of millions of workers, even if it means bearing the infamy of defying the provincial party committee, I must demand his immediate transfer! We absolutely cannot allow him to ruin the overall reform plan for our province!"

On the other end of the phone, the breathing completely stopped.

Four or five seconds passed.

Governor Liu suddenly chuckled. The laughter was extremely soft, revealing no trace of joy or anger, yet it was chilling to the bone.

"Okay, okay, okay."

Governor Liu said "good" three times in a row, "Jianguo, you're right. State-owned enterprise reform, overall stability, the interests of millions of workers... that's quite a heavy burden. If the situation in the city really reaches the point you described, if Comrade Li Yuanchao's existence really becomes a stumbling block to the overall situation, I will seriously consider your suggestion."