The game of power begins with the police officers at the local police station.

Zhang Gao glanced at Chen Ai and said, "He's your own brother, so why don't you say so?"

Chen Ai continued, "As long as the certificate is issued, we can use the coal mine as collateral for a loan. Getting three or four million yuan shouldn't be a problem. Once the loan is approved, we can pay off the current loan. With the coal market doing well this year, we can earn back the principal in at most one year."

We didn't buy a house in the city before, and our old house isn't worth much. We can only get a mortgage of 200,000 yuan, and even with our two large trucks, we can't get a loan of 300,000 yuan.

Chen Shi took out cigarettes, handed one to Zhang Gao, lit one for himself, and took a puff.

He knew his sister and brother-in-law well; they wouldn't come to him for help unless they were desperate.

"Sister, how much loan do you want?"

Chen Ai said, "For one million, the credit union has a rule that a guarantor is required. I mentioned you to them, and they said that as long as you are willing to act as a guarantor, borrowing two million is not a problem."

Xiao Shi, you're a leader now, your words carry weight. We really had no other choice but to help you this time. If we had any other options, we wouldn't have come to you.

"Don't worry, our assets far exceed one million. As long as we get the permits, we can use the coal mine as collateral and get a loan of three or four million. We can pay off this one million first, and it won't affect you in any way."

Chen Shi recalled how his older sister often took care of him when he was a child, and sometimes she would even take his books to school.

My eldest sister was also the class monitor. If she had continued her studies, she would definitely have been able to get into university. Without her sacrifice, given the family's circumstances at the time, my second brother and I would never have been able to finish our studies.

Since the eldest brother had made many sacrifices, Chen Shi could not refuse Chen Ai's request.

"Sister, no problem, I'll guarantee it for you. Now call the credit union staff over here to arrange the paperwork."

Chen Ai said gratefully, "Xiao Shi, I don't know how to thank you. Please don't hesitate to ask if there's anything we can do to help you."

Zhang Gao's heart, which had been pounding, finally settled down. He had taken a huge gamble this time, betting everything on Shuncai Coal Mine. Over the years, they had worked day and night, saving up six or seven hundred thousand yuan. They had borrowed from everyone they could, and now they were heavily in debt. If they couldn't get the permits sorted out quickly, all their previous investments might go down the drain, leaving them not only back to square one but also with a mountain of debt.

Chen Shi said softly, "You are doing serious business, so please support us as much as you can. Don't put too much pressure on yourselves; I believe in you and I will run the coal mine well."

Zhang Gao said sincerely, "Actually, we bought the coal mine because you gave us the courage. Now, there is no government support behind that coal mine."

Xiao Shi, thank you for helping us through this difficult time. We'll see how your brother-in-law behaves in the future.

Coal mines, especially large ones, have intricate connections with the local government. Without such connections, one is bound to lose everything.

Chen Shi turned on his computer, found his contacts, picked up the phone, and called the manager of the Chunyang County branch of the credit union.

"Hello, Director Xie, I am Chen Shi, the director of the Education Bureau. My sister, Chen Ai, needs to take out a loan, and I will act as their guarantor. Could you please send a staff member to the Education Bureau to complete the procedures?"

Bank Manager Xie asked with a broad smile, "Director Chen, how much loan does your sister want?"

One million

"No problem, we'll send staff over to handle the formalities now."

After hanging up the phone, Yang Xiaobo, accompanied by credit union staff, went to Chen Shi's office more than ten minutes later to process the loan application.

After completing the formalities, Chen Ai asked, "How long will it take for the loan to be approved?"

The staff member carefully collected the paperwork, put it in his briefcase, and said with a smile, "President Xie instructed that the funds should be approved within two business days at most."

Chen Ai thanked him repeatedly.

After seeing the staff off, Zhang Gao wanted to treat Chen Shi to a meal; they felt they couldn't leave without it.

Chen Shi checked the time and realized it was lunchtime, so he didn't refuse and went to eat with them.

A week later, Huang Ming delivered the completed report to Chen Shi's office.

Chen Shi looked at it carefully and found no problems.

"Director Huang, thank you for your hard work. The report is very well done. Send it to the County Party Committee Office and the County Government Office, and also send a copy to Deputy County Head Gao Rong. We'll discuss it at the Standing Committee meeting. There shouldn't be any problems."

The report has been approved. We will now begin preparations to build three key high schools, starting with selecting the locations for the schools.

This afternoon I'll go with you to the Zhongshan Subdistrict Office to find Secretary Li and Director Wang and finalize the school's location.

At 3 p.m., Chen Shi and Huang Ming arrived at the Zhongshan Subdistrict Office, where Li Hong and Wang Jianming greeted them at the entrance.

Chen Shi got out of the car, quickly stepped forward, and shook hands with Li Hong and Wang Jianming: "Secretary Li, Director Wang, please come to the door to greet us."

Li Hong smiled and said, "Director Chen and Director Huang, your presence is an honor. Director Wang and I dare not neglect you. Please come in."

Huang Ming stepped forward and shook hands with the two men, though he wasn't familiar with them.

The group arrived at a small conference room.

Chen Shi got straight to the point: "The plan to abolish three township high schools and rebuild three key high schools in the county seat has been reported to Secretary Liu and has been basically approved. Now, a report has been prepared and submitted to the county party committee and county government for review. If it is approved, we will start selecting sites and building the three key high schools."

The three key high schools will all be the same size, expected to occupy 300 acres. Secretary Li, Director Wang, the land acquisition for these three key high schools, all located in Zhongshan Subdistrict, will require your strong support.

Li Hong continued, "Director Chen, which piece of land in Zhongshan Subdistrict Office do you fancy? Just tell me, and Director Wang and I will fully support you."

Wang Jianming said, "There is a lot of undeveloped land in Zhongshan Subdistrict, so land acquisition is not a big problem. The key issue is that the subdistrict office doesn't have the money. As long as the Education Bureau's special funds for land acquisition are in place, it can be implemented quickly."

"Thank you for your support, Secretary Li and Director Wang. The requisition of land for three key high schools has reached 900 mu, which is no small amount. We will have to trouble you to do a good job of mobilizing the villagers in advance."

Li Hong said, "Director Chen, once you've selected the land, I'll arrange for mobilization immediately. The success of the land acquisition depends mainly on the availability of the dedicated funds for land acquisition. Once the villagers receive the money, they certainly won't have any other thoughts."

Ultimately, it all comes down to money. Li Hong and Wang Jianming are both very supportive of the work, and they both emphasize that if the money for land expropriation is not in place, there is nothing they can do.

Chen Shi came from a rural background. He couldn't owe money to the villagers, as the land was their livelihood. Once he received the funding, he immediately paid the villagers the money for the expropriated land.

He said with a relaxed expression, "Education reform is the main focus of Secretary Liu, and the funds from land expropriation are prioritized for allocation to the subdistrict office."

Wang Jianming said, half-jokingly and half-seriously, "With Director Chen's words, we can go all out to acquire land and won't hold you back."

Chen Shi looked at Huang Ming: "Director Huang, could you tell the two leaders where the school should be located?"

Huang Ming continued, "Secretary Li, Director Wang, I have looked at the map of the whole county before, and we want to choose Dawandi as the new school site."

The terrain of Tai Wan is flat, with mostly forests and mountains, and little farmland, so there will be much less resistance to land acquisition.

Li Hong and Wang Jianming exchanged a glance. Li Hong smiled and said, "We are of one mind and think alike."

Li Hong asked someone to bring a map of Zhongshan Subdistrict Office.