Nominal: The Handong Game, the Energy System's Counterattack

As soon as Lao Liu opened his mouth, the entire venue fell silent, and everyone listened attentively to what he had to say.

Old Liu is not someone to mess with today.

"Comrade Yuliang has taught us all a lesson in ideological depth."

"The two of them, one focused on practical work and the other on ideology, are both outstanding leaders in Handong."

"Today's debate is not a bad thing, it's a good thing."

"How can ideas come out if you don't put them into practice?"

Old Liu's ability to smooth things over impressed the seasoned veterans present, and also earned Zhou Chuyi's deep admiration.

In just a few words, he transformed the criticism he had just given Li Dakang, which had almost escalated into a physical fight, into a "clash of ideas," instantly de-escalating the tension.

Gao Yuliang's lips twitched slightly, almost imperceptibly.

This Governor Liu is indeed no simple character.

However, Gao Yuliang did not want to kill Li Dakang outright.

After all, with Sha Ruijin here and the situation unclear, having a familiar opponent is better than having another person with an unclear stance.

Moreover, both of them were promoted by Zhao Lichun, so if things really got out of hand, the old Party Secretary could mediate.

So when Governor Liu tried to put out the fire, he took a sip of tea and made no comment.

Governor Liu paused, seemingly quite pleased with what he had just said.

He took a sip of water, glanced at Sha Ruijin, who nodded, signaling him to continue.

His gaze swept over all the Standing Committee members before finally settling on Li Dakang's still somewhat dark face.

This time, his eyes were full of "sincere" concern and "profound" understanding.

"Comrades, although I wasn't there on the night of January 16th, I was watching and paying attention to it through phone calls and online videos."

"My feelings are the same as everyone else's—heavy and heartbroken!"

"Our people, our workers, they are injured and bleeding."

"This is because we didn't do our job well; we, the cadres, have let them down!"

He first set the tone on the high ground of "the people," thus occupying the moral high ground.

"But after we're over the heartbreak, we also need to calmly think about why this happened in the first place."

"Where exactly does the root of the problem lie?"

Governor Liu raised his voice considerably, causing everyone in the conference room to hold their breath, waiting for him to continue.

Li Dakang's fist clenched unconsciously under the table.

He knew that Governor Liu's trial against him was about to begin.

"I think the root of the problem lies in the words 'economic development'!"

Governor Liu's voice was not loud, but it was very powerful.

"For the past few decades, economic development has been a heavy burden on us cadres."

"Especially Jingzhou City, which is located in Handong, is the provincial capital."

"As the capital of a province, it should be a leader among other cities in all aspects."

"However, Jingzhou City lags behind Lüzhou in terms of economy."

"As the Party Secretary of Jingzhou City, the pressure on Comrade Dakang can be imagined."

"Comrade Dakang was thinking about the development of Jingzhou, and he wanted to boost the economy so that the city would look different every day."

"Let Jingzhou's GDP once again lead Handong."

"This idea is good and should be affirmed!"

"Comrade Dakang is such a typical example."

To everyone's surprise, Governor Liu changed the subject and directly named Li Dakang.

Li Dakang suddenly raised his head and looked at Governor Liu in astonishment.

He could imagine that Governor Liu would speak up for him, after all, his self-criticism just now was very sincere.

Moreover, he had been beaten too badly by Gao Yuliang, and the old governor was a kind man who would not let it go.

He never expected that Governor Liu would not only smooth things over and calm him down, but also praise him.

Sha Ruijin's serious face relaxed, it seemed that his earlier thinking was correct.

When the situation reversed and became unbalanced, Governor Liu still understood what he meant.

The others were also somewhat surprised by Governor Liu's words, especially Gao Yuliang, who, for some reason, gave Governor Liu a deep look.

He firmly believed that Governor Liu would not be so kind as to speak up for Li Dakang.

But you should know that the person the entire provincial government dislikes the most isn't Gao Yuliang, but rather Li Dakang.

He was well aware of the significant contribution the provincial government had made to the rapid economic growth of Handong over the past few years.

However, the one who is well-known is not Governor Liu of the provincial government or the other vice governors, but Li Dakang, the so-called reform pioneer.

Li Dakang's work in the city's economy is indeed remarkable.

But how much effort did he contribute to the economic development of the entire Handong region?

Back when former Party Secretary Zhao Lichun was in power, he protected Li Dakang and promoted him, all in order to extend his reach to the provincial government.

Unfortunately, Governor Liu was capable enough to withstand the pressure from Secretary Zhao Lichun, not only doing his job well but also resisting the other party's reach towards the provincial government.

Gao Yuliang had always seen clearly that the opponent that Governor Liu had always fought against was Secretary Zhao Lichun, not him and Li Dakang.

Now that former Party Secretary Zhao Lichun has gone to Beijing, Li Dakang, are you still acting so arrogantly now that the new Party Secretary has arrived? You probably don't know how Governor Liu is capable.

However, Gao Yuliang is still unclear about Governor Liu's purpose.

He believes that Li Dakang may be celebrating too soon.

Zhou Chuyi shared the same idea as Gao Yuliang.

Before the Standing Committee meeting began, he expressed his dislike for Li Dakang, and Lao Liu also expressed his disapproval of Li Dakang's style of doing things.

So, Lao Liu, there must be another meaning behind it.

Just wait and see.

"Comrade Dakang is an economic leader and pioneer in our Handong Province."

"We've been working with Comrade Dakang for quite some time now."

"We all know his temperament; he's single-mindedly focused on boosting the economy."

"He's like an ox, a tireless 'old ox' working tirelessly for the economic development of Jingzhou and Handong!"

"Take the Guangming Peak project as an example. This project is a key provincial project that Comrade Dakang strongly promoted and will be the engine of Jingzhou for the next few decades."

"He won't feel at ease until this project is finished."

"I can imagine how many nights he stayed up alone until dawn, staring at the planning map."

"I understand this kind of pressure, and you've probably heard about it too."

"Comrade Dakang, how long has it been since you went home because of the Bright Peak project?"

"I heard that his wife, Ouyang Jing, rarely goes back to their home at the municipal party committee because he rarely spends time with her."

"Some of our colleagues can spend weekends with their families and tend to their plants, but what about him?"

"He's either at a construction site or on his way to one!"

These words were spoken with genuine emotion.

In particular, the phrase "planting flowers and grass" was deliberately said to Gao Yuliang.

Gao Yuliang's expression changed slightly, and he smiled bitterly to himself.

Governor, please be gentle! If you're going to hit Li Dakang, don't drag an innocent me into it!

Seeing that Li Dakang's eyes were actually a little hot, Gao Yuliang picked up his teacup and smiled.