In name only: The land of Handong, I shall rule its fate.

"Comrade Shuangbi, don't be nervous."

Gao Yuliang smiled sincerely and kindly, reassuringly saying, "The organization will make the fairest judgment. It will not wrong a good cadre, nor will it let a corrupt official go unpunished."

Upon hearing these words...

Qin Shuangbi immediately felt reassured, and her heart, which had been pounding in her chest, was finally at ease.

"Other comrades can also rest assured. I came to Jiangdong on behalf of the Provincial Party Committee not to hold anyone accountable. My main task is to set things right and bring Jiangdong, which has gone astray, back on track in time."

"The most urgent task for everyone right now is to cooperate with me in carrying out the relevant work."

Gao Yuliang addressed all the members of the Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee present, and then made a humorous joke, "If any of you comrades with a strong sense of responsibility feel any psychological pressure, you can come to me privately after the meeting to report."

Li Sheng, who was in charge of ideological work, almost lost his composure. How could the words "strong sense of responsibility" and "accountability" be linked together?

A great professor is a great professor; his words are artistic and insightful.

However, after saying that...

The others breathed a sigh of relief, at least they had landed safely. They just didn't know how many of the people in the meeting room would be able to see each other again after they finished confessing.

"Comrade Li Sheng, and you?"

After calming everyone down, Gao Yuliang returned to the main topic and continued his questioning.

"I can testify to what Mayor Qin said."

Li Sheng shook his head. "But my responsibilities don't cover this area, so I'm not aware of it."

"Si Tianyu and the Dark Night Club do have a bad reputation. Therefore, after Mayor Qin talked to me, I rejected all the proposals for cadres who frequently visited the Dark Night Club from the organization department regarding personnel appointments."

Damn it!

The city's organization minister's face turned ashen and then pale. He knew he couldn't escape, but confessing and being exposed were two completely different things.

Mr. Li, can't you show some of the responsibility and accountability of a superior?

Without your and Cao Minde's secret instructions, would the municipal organization department have risked recommending those scoundrels?

So you ended up playing dirty tricks.

You turn around and absolve yourself of all responsibility, so you don't care about other people's lives or deaths, right?

But Gao Yuliang merely glanced at them coldly, abruptly halting the flow of conversation.

"Um!"

Gao Yuliang leaned forward, his silver hair making him look like an awakened old lion king. "I have a basic understanding of the situation in Jiangdong."

"Then we need to correct him now."

"Comrade Qin Zhuofeng from the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection will arrive first thing tomorrow morning. Comrade Li Sheng, please prepare to conduct a self-examination and self-correction campaign internally in conjunction with the comrades from the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection, especially targeting cadres closely related to Cao Minde."

"We must be gentle in our approach, pay close attention to the psychological state of our cadres, and prevent any serious incidents from occurring."

"Comrade Shuangbi, the same goes for the municipal government."

"If any incidents of evading punishment or fleeing occur, I will hold you two in charge accountable."

Gao Yuliang spoke in the gentlest tone, yet revealed the most ruthless murderous intent. He said that turning a big problem into a small one was only for past grievances, but anyone who dared to be dishonest now would be taken down one by one.

"Secretary Gao, don't worry!"

Qin Shuangbi and Li Sheng stood up together and made a pledge.

"good!"

Gao Yuliang nodded. "I'll trouble everyone to work overtime tonight. Also, please ask Comrade Li Sheng to help me prepare an office at the Municipal Party Committee."

After half an hour.

There was a knock on the door of the temporary office. Gao Yuliang said softly, "Come in!"

"Secretary Gao!"

The city's organization minister peered in, his face as pale as paper, his lips trembling.

"Comrade Mingliang, is what Secretary Li mentioned at the meeting true?"

Gao Yuliang got straight to the point.

"yes!"

Wang Mingliang had no way to defend himself. The list of promotions all required a vote by the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee. A check of the meeting minutes would make it clear that he couldn't escape the decision.

"Secretary Gao, I really have no other choice."

Wang Mingliang tearfully recounted, "The organization department immediately reversed the promotion of those cadres, but I couldn't withstand the pressure after Cao Minde repeatedly hinted at it to me."

"Do you know the consequences of this cadre promotion?"

Gao Yuliangdao.

"Know."

Wang Mingliang lowered his head.

"Submit the list of those cadres, including their resumes and genuine internal evaluations within their departments."

"Remember this! The complete list of those promoted in violation of regulations."

Gao Yuliang emphasized, "During this time, focus on your job. Comrade Zhuofeng will speak with you at an appropriate time."

"Thank you, Secretary Gao!"

Wang Mingliang nodded gratefully and quickly got up and left.

The second person to voluntarily surrender was Wei Guomin, the secretary of the municipal discipline inspection commission.

The moment Gao Yuliang saw him, a familiar name came to mind again:

Zhang Shuli, former secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission of Jingzhou.

He is obsequious and sycophantic to his superiors, and outwardly fierce but inwardly weak and cowardly to his subordinates. He is not cut out for discipline inspection work, either superficially or in his heart.

"Secretary Gao, I know I am not capable of fulfilling my current position, but I was promoted by Secretary Cao, and I cannot refuse the requests he made."

Wei Guomin kept his head down, not daring to raise it even slightly.

"Secretary Cao and the person behind Si Tianyu have a long-term cooperative relationship. That person provides Secretary Cao with the necessary project resources to fill the gaps in his political achievements, while Secretary Cao protects some of his cronies, including taking care of Si Tianyu."

"So I can't deal with any of those people."

"Secretary Cao initially rose through the ranks step by step on his own, but then he stopped for many years. After realizing the importance of resources, he went astray."

"I tried to persuade him."

"But it was too late."

"Once you're on the ship, there's no getting off. If Secretary Cao gets into trouble, I'll definitely be there too. So all I can do is help press the button."

Gao Yuliang remained silent.

Who isn't like that? Even someone as capable as Lin Zhiyuan ended up becoming a son-in-law. It all depends on whether he can stay true to himself in the end.

"Who is that person?"

Gao Yuliang asked.

"I have no idea!"

Wei Guomin shook his head, a struggle flashing in his eyes, and gritted his teeth, saying, "I suspect that Secretary Cao also doesn't know the other party's identity."

What?

Gao Yuliang was truly shocked this time.

"I once overheard Secretary Cao talking to the other party on the phone. The other party used a voice changer and a virtual number throughout the conversation. If Secretary Cao had known, there would have been no need for him to do that."

"After all, my presence there that time was completely accidental."

After saying these words, Wei Guomin seemed to relax completely, and a trace of color returned to his pale face, making him look less unwell than before.

"However, one thing is certain: the other party must be incredibly powerful. They can get 60% to 70% of the resources that Secretary Cao needs, if not 100%."

Wei Guomin's gaze drifted out the window. "Many companies in Jiangdong have intricate connections with it."

Gao Yuliang frowned deeply.

"What role did Chan Leichi play in all of this?"