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

"Leader," Zhou Chuyi thought for a moment and looked at Governor Liu, "It is precisely because I know what kind of person Sha Ruijin is that I said those words to you before the Standing Committee meeting."

"He came down with a mission, that's for sure."

"But he may not have fully understood what was meant above."

Old Liu sighed, "You're right."

"The first Standing Committee meeting proved your words true."

"His performance at the meeting today proves that his heart is not in the economic and social development of Handong."

"What he was thinking about was how to establish his authority, how to control the situation, and how to fight."

"If a provincial party secretary is preoccupied with internal power struggles, it's not a good thing for the entire Handong region."

"I also inquired with the higher-ups later. They sent Sha Ruijin to Handong ostensibly to fight corruption, but in reality, they wanted to prevent Handong from overturning."

"During Zhao Lichun's years, the GDP looked good, but the foundation was loose. That's a fact. If we don't fix it, something big is going to happen in Handong."

"But after this meeting today..."

He paused, his tone turning serious: "Comrade Chu Yi, Zhenhui, with a provincial party secretary like this, our provincial government will be under a lot of pressure."

"If Sha Ruijin acts recklessly, the morale of the cadre team will be unstable, and investment promotion, project construction, and people's livelihood will all be affected."

"The economy of Handong must not be disrupted, and the lives of ordinary people must not be disrupted."

"This responsibility must be shouldered by our provincial government."

"Yes." Zhou Chuyi and He Zhenhui solemnly expressed their willingness to shoulder this responsibility together.

Upon seeing the two men's statements, Governor Liu's worry disappeared.

He walked back to the sofa, sat down again, picked up the cup of tea that had cooled down a bit, and slowly took a sip.

Then, he looked up, and a smile appeared on his lips.

The smile was faint, yet it carried the composure and certainty characteristic of an old-school politician.

"Chu Yi, Zhen Hui," he began slowly, "you don't need to be too nervous. I admit, Sha Ruijin's performance today was indeed forceful and domineering, but—"

He paused for a moment, his gaze seemingly piercing through the wall, seeing into the distance.

"When Zhao Lichun was in charge of Handong, I was able to keep the provincial government firmly in my hands."

"After all these years, what kind of storms haven't I weathered?"

"Sha Ruijin may look aggressive today, but when it comes to tactics and shrewdness, he is far inferior to Zhao Lichun."

Zhou Chuyi nodded with a smile, knowing that Governor Liu was telling the truth.

Zhao Lichun had been operating in Handong for many years and wielded immense power.

Governor Liu's ability to stabilize the provincial government and prevent the administrative system from being completely sidelined under such circumstances is no small feat.

Although Sha Ruijin has come with great momentum, he is still a newcomer and his foundation is not yet solid, so the provincial government is not afraid for the time being.

"When Zhao Lichun was in charge of Handong, no matter how you look at it, Handong's economy maintained a high growth rate."

"As long as the economy is stable, his political achievements will be stable. Only when the market is stable will Zhao Lichun take action against those who are disobedient, and only then will he slowly show his teeth."

"Moreover, Comrade Zhao Lichun knows how to fight."

"Today, Sha Ruijin's actions are like taking to the streets with a knife, cutting down anyone he sees. He started by attacking Li Dakang, and then dealt with Gao Yuliang."

"The appointment of 125 bureau-level officials—he doesn't even know who he executed."

He looked up, a half-smile playing on his lips: "But that's fine too. The more anxious he is, the more stable things will be for our government."

"At today's Standing Committee meeting, I tried my hand at it briefly—hahaha..."

At this point, Old Liu laughed.

"Haha, you're amazing, boss!" Zhou Chuyi immediately flattered.

"Is it high?" Old Liu looked at He Zhenhui and Zhou Chuyi.

"High enough." He Zhenhui is quite a character.

"Is it hard?" Old Liu asked the two of them.

"The leader is tall and strong!" Zhou Chuyi and He Zhenhui praised the old man.

"Haha, you guys are just teasing this old man." Old Liu was in a great mood.

"Alright, let's not talk about this for now." Old Liu waved his hand and looked at Zhou Chuyi.

"Chen Hai, Lu Yike, and the others violated regulations and discipline in handling the Ding Yizhen case, failing in both case-handling discipline and professional competence."

"You said that in front of a room full of Standing Committee members."

"Chu Yi, this is what I'm curious about: why did you suppress those people from the Provincial Procuratorate's Anti-Corruption Bureau at this time?"

He leaned forward slightly, his tone becoming more serious: "Are you familiar with the background of these people in the Anti-Corruption Bureau of Handong Province?"

"Chen Hai is Chen Yanshi's son. Although Chen Yanshi has retired, he still had influence in the political and legal system of Handong back then."

"You know better than I do about the current situation between Sha Ruijin and Chen Yanshi."

"Lu Yike's mother, Wu Xinyi, was the former presiding judge of the Second Civil Division of the High Court, and her uncle-in-law—"

"—It's Gao Yuliang," Zhou Chuyi replied, his tone flat.

"Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission; Deputy Secretary in charge of political and legal affairs."

"Lu Yike's father is still in the military region, and Lin Huahua, that section chief, also has family connections in the procuratorial system."

"Governor Liu, these people are not ordinary anti-corruption bureau investigators; they are the younger generation of the 'local faction' in the political and legal system of Handong."

Zhou Chuyi did not avoid the question.

Which of these people isn't deeply entrenched in connections?

But Zhou Chuyi knew in his heart that he did not bring this up on a whim.

"It's good that you know." Governor Liu pondered.

"Now that you brought it up today, Sha Ruijin is going along with it, letting Tian Guofu and Gao Yuliang take the lead."

"Chen Hai won't say anything, but Lu Yike and Lin Huahua will be suspended from their duties pending investigation."

"Will this cause you any difficulties at work in Handong?"

"Leader," Zhou Chuyi shook his head, "it's true that I said they violated regulations and discipline in handling the case, and that their professional competence was poor."

"The specific issues they had were investigated by Tian Guofu, the secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission, and Gao Yuliang, the secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, also participated."

"The decision to conduct the investigation was made by Sha Ruijin—I, Zhou Chuyi, am merely a catalyst."

"Who do you think Sha Ruijin was targeting with his knife when he pushed Hou Liangping today?" Zhou Chuyi asked Governor Liu at this point.

Governor Liu narrowed his eyes: "Gao Yuliang?"

"Half right." Zhou Chuyi shook his head. "Sha Ruijin is after Gao Yuliang, but what he really wants is the person behind Gao Yuliang."

"He sent Hou Liangping into the anti-corruption bureau in an attempt to completely tear down the 'local skin' of the political and legal system in Handong."

"Gao Yuliang is the Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission. The Anti-Corruption Bureau, the court, and the procuratorate are all nominally under his jurisdiction."

"Today I pointed out that these people in the procuratorate handled the case improperly. The Ding Yizhen case had a very bad impact on Handong."

"Ding Yizhen ran away, so the responsibility lies with the investigators and also with Gao Yuliang's 'team management'."

He paused, then continued, "Since Sha Ruijin has targeted Gao Yuliang, let him start with the political and legal system."

"I'd like to see how big this fire can get and what it can produce."

The key issue is that Sha Ruijin still doesn't know the stance of these local figures.