Handong: Sha Li wants political achievements? I'll shut down the entire province.

Late at night, on the outskirts of Jingzhou, at Lingxiao Manor.

Yan Qingfeng sat with his eyes closed on the pure black leather sofa.

The air was filled with the cool, ethereal scent of sandalwood.

The encrypted phone on the coffee table suddenly vibrated with a "buzz".

The screen glowed softly, cutting a glaring, cold light into the darkness.

Yan Qingfeng slowly opened his eyes and glanced at his phone.

It was a text message from Zhou Yuan.

"Master Yan, we've finally driven this crucial nail into Sha Ruijin's head."

A mocking smile curled at the corner of his lips as he casually tossed his phone back onto the table.

The top leader of the provincial party committee?

In the face of absolute capital, it's not even a shell to shelter you from the wind and rain.

The next morning.

Sunlight streamed through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating the manor's indoor heated swimming pool.

The water rippled, shimmering with tiny golden light.

Yan Qingfeng was wearing a white bathrobe and holding a cup of black coffee.

He leaned back in the wicker chair, watching Zhou Yuan, who had just returned not far away.

Zhou Yuan had dark circles under his eyes, but his eyes shone with excitement.

He respectfully placed the silver USB drive containing top-secret information from the provincial party committee on the glass table.

"Master Yan, the confession that Secretary Bai wrote overnight is probably already on the desk of the bigwig in Beijing."

Yan Qingfeng glanced at the USB drive but made no attempt to pick it up and look at it.

He gently stirred the spoon in the coffee cup, making a crisp clinking sound.

"Well done."

Yan Qingfeng picked up his cup and took a sip. "Did he take that card?"

"Take it! He picked it up kneeling in the mud, as easily as a dog gnawing on a bone."

Zhou Yuan grinned, but then his brows furrowed slightly.

"However, Master Yan, there's something I'm not sure if I should say."

"explain."

"If this guy surnamed Bai could sell out Sha Ruijin for five million, who knows if he won't sell out us next?"

Zhou Yuan lowered his voice, his tone carrying a genuine sense of worry.

"This two-faced, spineless coward has no bottom line. What if they offer an even higher price in the capital someday..."

"higher?"

Yan Qingfeng suddenly chuckled, interrupting Zhou Yuan.

"What do those bureaucrats in Beijing, who only get a fixed salary, have to offer me to negotiate a higher price? Their official documents, with their own seals of office?"

He put down his coffee cup and leaned forward slightly.

Those deep eyes exuded a chilling coldness that sent shivers down one's spine.

"Old Zhou, you've been with me for so long, why are you still trying to use those old-fashioned, bureaucratic platitudes to talk me out of it?"

Zhou Yuan was stunned, a chill running down his spine.

"Master Yan, you mean...?"

"I have never needed any moral loyalty."

Yan Qingfeng tugged at his collar, his tone dismissive.

"Loyalty is a trick played by the weak. It's a fig leaf that poor bosses use to fool their employees."

He pointed to the USB drive on the table, as if he were pointing to a pile of trash.

"Sha Ruijin talked to him about Party spirit, dedication, and the big picture every day."

"And the result? I can't pay my wife and kids' mortgage, and I can't afford the imported medicine for my elderly mother's medical treatment."

"Can you feed yourself with grand promises, no matter how big they are?"

Zhou Yuan swallowed hard, not daring to utter a sound.

"I don't just make empty promises to them; I give them real money."

Yan Qingfeng stood up, walked to the edge of the pool, and looked down at the clear water.

"I transferred the money that an ordinary civil servant couldn't earn in two lifetimes into his account in one go."

"He wants luxury cars, villas, and overseas assets; I can give him anything."

Yan Qingfeng turned his head, looked at Zhou Yuan, and a devilish smile appeared on his lips.

"As long as Lingxiao remains the biggest money-printing machine in Handong."

"As long as I have more money than anyone else."

"He would bite my trouser leg with unwavering devotion, more protective of his master than the most loyal police dog."

This is the devastating effect of capital.

Let's not talk about feelings or beliefs.

I'll use the simplest and most direct benefits to tie you to my chariot.

Once you're tied up, you can never get down.

Zhou Yuan felt a chill run down his spine, and any doubts he had in his heart vanished instantly.

He slapped his thigh sharply.

"Master Yan's insight is brilliant! These people are used to hardship; once they've tasted meat, they'd rather die than go back to eating coarse grains and wild vegetables!"

"Now that you understand, don't just sit around doing nothing."

Yan Qingfeng tore off his bathrobe and casually tossed it onto the recliner.

"One secretary is not enough; what I need is the lifeblood of the entire Handong region."

He walked up to Zhou Yuan, lowered his voice, and gave him a death order.

"Go and notify the finance department to allocate a special fund."

"Following Secretary Bai's model, indiscriminately infiltrate the middle-level backbone of all functional departments across the province."

Zhou Yuan's eyes widened in surprise.

"The entire province? That would require hundreds or even thousands of people!"

"Don't miss any of the division chiefs, section chiefs, or those under them who hold approval and enforcement powers."

Yan Qingfeng's tone was icy, like that of a commander arranging troops.

"Find out their weaknesses. If they can't pay their mortgages, go directly to the bank to settle the accounts."

"For children studying abroad who are short of money, funds can be transferred directly through shell companies overseas."

"No need to leave your name, no need to meet in person."

Yan Qingfeng gave a cold laugh.

"Once the money is in their pockets, they can only turn a blind eye for the rest of their lives."

"Understood, Master Yan! I'll take care of it right away!"

Zhou Yuan was so excited that his face turned red, and he turned around and ran outside.

The torrent of money quietly burst its banks at this moment.

The officialdom in Handong Province is undergoing a silent but dramatic upheaval.

At 3 PM, the Jingzhou Municipal Bureau of Land and Resources.

Old Zhao, the head of the planning department, was staring at the computer screen with a worried expression.

Holding a mortgage payment reminder in his hand, he let out a long sigh.

"I'll be eating instant noodles again this month."

The phone on the table suddenly vibrated.

Old Zhao casually picked it up and took a look.

His eyes widened instantly, almost jumping off the chair.

A text message from the bank suddenly appeared on the screen.

"Two million dollars have been deposited into your mortgage account ending in 9527 today, and the remaining loan has been fully paid off."

Old Zhao was shivering all over and rubbed his eyes vigorously with both hands.

Really!

Two million in mortgage payments vanished into thin air!

Immediately afterwards, a text message came from an unfamiliar number.

"Section Chief Zhao, the Lingxiao Consortium thanks you for your hard work all this time. This is just a small token of our appreciation."

Old Zhao slumped into a chair, his back soaked with cold sweat.

But he neither called the police nor reported it to his superiors.

With trembling hands, he pressed the delete key.

At that moment, he knew that he had sold his soul.

At the same time, a section chief from the Industry and Commerce Bureau, a captain from the traffic police brigade, an approver from the Environmental Protection Bureau...

Hundreds and thousands of such mid-level managers are experiencing the same shock.

They are like steel bars, supporting the edifice of power in Handong Province.

And now.

The interior of this building has been thoroughly corroded and riddled with holes by the concentrated acid of capital.

At dusk, on the top floor of the Lingxiao Building.

The afterglow of the setting sun bathed the entire office in a blood-red hue.

Zhou Yuan strode open the door, holding a thick stack of reports in his hand.

"Master Yan, all the money has been scattered!"

He couldn't hide his excitement; he was even panting as he spoke.

"Not a single one of those people dared to ask for a refund! They all silently accepted it!"

Yan Qingfeng stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the bustling street below.

This is the true meaning of winning without bloodshed.

"He who takes a bribe is bound to be obligated to serve it."

Yan Qingfeng didn't even turn his head, casually uttering a sentence.

"Right now, the official seal of the Handong Provincial Government is not as useful as a pass for our building."

Zhou Yuan walked to the table and poured two glasses of red wine.

"Master Yan, you're absolutely right."

"I just received word that a major developer from another province is currently at the Land and Resources Bureau with his documents, looking for the top official to approve the land."

Yan Qingfeng turned around, took the wine glass, and a smile of interest curved his lips.

"From another province? Doesn't he know that the dynasty in Handong has changed?"

Zhou Yuan chuckled, a sinister glint in his eyes.

"He seems like a hothead, still hoping to get things done using the old rules of the provincial party committee."

"Guess how Old Zhao, the guy whose mortgage we just paid off, will teach this country bumpkin a lesson?"

Yan Qingfeng gently touched Zhou Yuan's cup, making a crisp clinking sound.

"Then let him run into a wall."

"By the way, let everyone in the province see clearly which threshold Handong should be burning incense at now."

Yan Qingfeng finished the remaining wine in his cup, his eyes as cold as knives.

"We'll be here tomorrow morning, waiting to see the show."

Zhou Yuan put down his wine glass, his smile growing even wider.

"Don't worry, Mr. Yan. Tomorrow's Land Bureau lobby will definitely be even more bustling than during the New Year!"

"But what if that out-of-town boss gets so scared he wets his pants? Should we get him a new pair of underwear?"