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

Old Chai was old, with almost no teeth left and his cheeks slightly sunken, but his expression was kind and gentle, and his seemingly cloudy eyes looked at Gao Yuliang with clear eyes.

Gao Yuliang felt a tremendous tremor in his heart.

Under the old man's gaze, one's deeply hidden thoughts seemed to have nowhere to hide.

"Chai Lao, Yuliang understands."

Gao Yuliang nodded emphatically.

The ideological lesson lasted for about an hour, but when Lin Zhiyuan saw that Old Chai looked tired, he immediately interrupted the rest of the speech.

Old Chai, like a child, pursed his lips, saying that when he went home, there wouldn't be so many people to listen to his rambling, boasting, and reminiscing about the glorious past.

The kids in my family are all very impatient.

Lin Zhiyuan personally escorted Elder Chai and Elder Li back. Shen Shanhe, the commander of the provincial military region, also wanted to come along, but the car couldn't fit so many people, so he had to give up.

"Kobayashi, do your job well."

After getting off the bus.

Li Weiguo held Lin Zhiyuan's hand and earnestly instructed him, "As long as you can lead the people of Handong to a better life and protect Handong as an important economic town for the country, you can come to me for any other troubles. I still have some face to save."

On the contrary, Old Chai, who had been talking eloquently before, remained silent. Despite his fondness for chatting, the old man was very clear-headed and did not utter a single word about topics that should not be discussed.

"I understand, Mr. Li."

Lin Zhiyuan escorted the two elderly people to the provincial retired cadres' compound. Hmm... Old Chai and Old Li hit it off immediately and chatted happily. Old Chai will stay here for a few days.

"Alright, alright!"

Li Weiguo waved him away impatiently, "I have a healthcare doctor and a nanny here, I don't need a young man like you standing around, go back to your work."

When Lin Zhiyuan returned to the provincial government, Qi Tongwei had been waiting for him for a long time.

"Secretary Ruijin is coming soon, have you finished cleaning?"

Lin Zhiyuan asked.

"Everything's been cleaned up."

Qi Tongwei quickly replied, "The accountant of Shanshui Group, along with his wife and mistress, have been sent to Africa. They won't be coming back."

"The involvement of other high-level officials is not complete; even with a full investigation, the key points will be uncovered."

The Shanshui Group may appear to have many shells, but the actual business is all in the hands of Gao Xiaoqin, with Liu Qingzhu assisting her. The others are all ordinary job seekers recruited by the company.

"In addition, Chengdu replied that Chang Chenghu has already been in contact with those people. After they learned that Chang Chenghu has a cousin who is the head of the Guangming branch, they are all happy to let Chang Chenghu hang out with them."

Qi Tongwei reported to the leadership.

"We need to have people protect our informants 24/7, in three shifts. This is for safety and to ensure a swift and decisive strike."

After a moment's thought, Lin Zhiyuan added.

Boom boom boom!

There was a knock on the office door, and someone poked half their body in and asked loudly, "Boss, Secretary Gao is here."

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhiyuan glanced across at the other side.

Qi Tongwei shook his head; Gao Yuliang hadn't informed him about this.

"Governor Lin, I'll head back now."

After obtaining consent, Qi Tongwei quickly got up and walked outside.

The once inseparable teacher and student met briefly at the door, exchanged simple greetings, and then Gao Yuliang quickly walked in.

"Governor Zhiyuan!"

Gao Yuliang seemed a bit strange, as if he was lost in thought. He picked up his teacup and drank a large bowl of tea before slowly speaking, "I've come to ask a question."

"Secretary Yuliang, please speak."

Lin Zhiyuan was also holding a teacup.

"You entered politics at the age of twenty, and this year marks your twenty-first year. How have you managed to maintain your original aspirations?"

Gao Yuliang looked up, but his expression behind his glasses was not visible.

"Um?"

Lin Zhiyuan was puzzled.

When it comes to grand principles, Professor Gao Zi should know more than anyone else.

"Hehe, doesn't it feel strange?"

Gao Yuliang lit a cigarette and laughed, "Seeing Elder Chai and Elder Li today made me realize that my supposedly unwavering beliefs have actually wavered."

"Perhaps many cadres are like this; some have exiled themselves, while others have corrected their course."

"So, which category does Secretary Gao fall into?"

Lin Zhiyuan asked, he hadn't expected that Elder Chai's conversation would have such a big impact on Gao Yuliang.

"What does Governor Lin think?"

Gao Yuliang didn't answer but asked a question in return.

"have no idea."

Lin Zhiyuan frankly stated, "Everyone's life and choices are different, and I cannot judge them. But for us, it's simply a matter of the winner taking all."

Lin Zhiyuan shouldn't have said those words, but he said them anyway.

Is it a case of the victor being king and the loser being villain?

Gao Yuliang wanted to laugh, but couldn't manage it.

Years age us all, but the heart ages before the body. Spring breezes once again sweep across the Great Victory Pass; may I be young again?

"Governor Zhiyuan, is this ideological lesson for me?"

Gao Yuliang spoke with a bitter expression.

What Old Chai said face-to-face seemed ordinary, but it was actually a guarantee and a warning.

Old Chai was willing to use his reputation to protect Gao Yuliang, but only on the condition that Gao obediently listen to him and be warned not to go astray.

But is he still on the right track?

Even Gao Yuliang himself couldn't be sure.

Most importantly, he really couldn't figure out what Lin Zhiyuan was up to. First, he suppressed the Zhao family and Chen Yanshi, and divided Qi Tongwei, which greatly damaged the Provincial Procuratorate. Just when he thought the other party was going to clean up the Zhao faction, he took the initiative to exchange information with him about the anti-gang operation, including new energy projects, and to cultivate Li Daxun.

They both hit and pulled.

This attitude is far more difficult to fathom than the malicious Tian Guofu.

Moreover, Zhao Lichun called him some time ago, asking him to fully cooperate with Lin Zhiyuan's actions.

He was not afraid of Sha Ruijin.

Adding Lin Zhiyuan would truly be the only option; it seems he can only go this far.

"Governor Zhiyuan, which category do you think I would fall into?"

Gao Yuliang asked.

"Loser!"

Lin Zhiyuan took a sip of tea and spoke bluntly and bloodily.

We won't give this provincial third-rate guy any face.

Gao Yuliang, a scholar and professor for decades, almost lost his composure. Is this the kind of thing someone in a political career would say?

"Eloquence is not sophistry, selecting the virtuous and capable is not nepotism, the integrity of a scholar is not arrogance, and taking steady steps is not scheming."

Lin Zhiyuan spoke coldly, "Secretary Gao, what do you say?"

Gao Yuliang's face turned pale and then even paler. The four sets of words had almost covered his entire life; the other party had thoroughly investigated him.

But it recovered quickly.

The fact that Lin Zhiyuan was willing to say this actually shows that he did not have the intention of killing everyone.

Or rather, he was worried he was wrong from the start.

Lin Zhiyuan's goal was never to eliminate anyone, but simply to remove obstacles in his path.

"Yes, Governor Zhiyuan."

Gao Yuliang took a deep breath. "I did make these mistakes, but I'm also trying to correct them."

"Secretary Yuliang, can you really change?"

Lin Zhiyuan leaned back in his chair and suddenly pressed down, like a fierce tiger. "Just like Emperor Chongzhen, did he not want to save the Ming Dynasty? He simply couldn't. The timing, the location, and the people were all against him."

"Many people say that the Ming Dynasty was destroyed by the Donglin Party."

"It seems the Donglin Party's stronghold is in Handong. Secretary Yuliang, don't you think this world is a cycle?"