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

"What I mean is that now that the higher-ups have taken the lead and moved the public security system in Handong, it shows that they are determined to go in this direction."

"If we remain inactive, we will be derelict in our duty."

"We've just arrived in Handong and haven't established a firm foothold yet. We need to take a step to demonstrate our attitude and execution capabilities."

Sha Ruijin slowly leaned back on the sofa.

Tian Guofu was right; he had hit the nail on the head. He needed to do something.

As the provincial party secretary and the top official of Handong Province, his arrival in Handong was in accordance with the will of the higher authorities.

Now that the higher-ups have taken action in advance, he is under tremendous pressure.

The freezing of those cadres at the first Standing Committee meeting was an action, but it was more of an administrative and supervisory measure.

Although the impact was significant, no specific individuals were taken down.

What he wanted to do was something more effective—to thoroughly investigate a case and bring down a number of people.

We must truly show those in power our resolve.

"What suggestions do you have?" Sha Ruijin asked.

Tian Guofu thought for a moment: "The anti-corruption bureau at the procuratorate has recently compiled a batch of leads, still following Ding Yizhen's trail."

"I glanced at it a few times, and some of them were quite heavy."

"If you think it's possible, you might as well talk to someone from the procuratorate to find out more about the situation."

"If you, as the provincial party secretary, give them some responsibilities, their subordinates will be motivated."

Seemingly having thought of something, Sha Ruijin nodded: "Okay, let's do it your way."

......

The two chatted for a while in Sha Ruijin's office and reached a consensus.

Tian Guofu stood up to take his leave, but turned back at the door and said, "Secretary Sha, there's something I'm not sure if I should say."

"you say."

"These three personnel arrangements today were nominally handled directly by the Organization Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Ministry of Public Security."

"But in terms of procedures, it follows the provincial government's line."

"Luo Junzhen's promotion was driven by the provincial government, and Qin Jinhui's appointment as vice mayor was at the request of Mayor Wu of Jingzhou."

"So from an outsider's perspective, today's events are related to the provincial government, but have little to do with you."

Seeing that Sha Ruijin was keeping a close eye on Li Dakang and Gao Yuliang, Tian Guofu wanted Sha Ruijin to also pay more attention to the provincial government.

Ideally, Sha Ruijin would be at the forefront, fighting alongside the three parties to the bitter end, which would be in his best interest.

After saying that, Tian Guofu left, leaving Sha Ruijin sitting alone on the sofa.

The sunlight outside the window had dimmed at some point, as clouds obscured the sun, making the room somewhat gloomy.

Sha Ruijin leaned back on the sofa and closed his eyes.

Tian Guofu's last words were like a thorn in his heart—the actions above were following the provincial government's line, which meant that the higher-ups were bypassing him.

Perhaps the higher-ups weren't dissatisfied with him, but simply wanted to do the most effective thing in the shortest amount of time.

Going through the provincial government is the most convenient and safest route, which proves that Governor Liu's actions are recognized.

Regardless of the reason, the result is the same—he, the provincial party secretary, became an audience member at today's Standing Committee meeting.

In Handong, where Sha Ruijin is now the top leader, the fact that such an important matter has bypassed him has given him a sense of urgency.

As the new leader of Handong, I don't want to be controlled by others at the provincial party committee level.

Sha Ruijin opened his eyes, picked up the phone on the table, and dialed an internal line.

At nine o'clock the next morning, Sha Ruijin appeared in the office on time.

Soon, Secretary Xiaobai reported that Ji Changming, the chief prosecutor of the provincial procuratorate, Lin Jianguo, the deputy chief prosecutor, and Hou Liangping, the director of the first investigation division of the anti-corruption bureau, had come to report on their work.

Sha Ruijin asked his secretary to invite the three people in.

Ji Changming, wearing a dark jacket, walked at the front, his face calm, but his eyes held a hint of seriousness.

He's in his early sixties and has worked in the procuratorial system his whole life; he's seen it all.

But when he received a call from the Provincial Party Committee Office yesterday saying that Secretary Sha wanted to hear a report, he still felt a little nervous.

Recently, their procuratorate and anti-corruption bureau have really made a name for themselves.

Today, when he came to report to the provincial party secretary, the provincial party committee office specifically requested that Hou Liangping, who was studying at the time, come along. He knew then that things weren't that simple.

Hou Liangping was dressed in a neat prosecutor's uniform today, with his tie tied properly and his hair combed neatly.

He is just over forty years old this year, in the prime of his life.

Although he is currently being looked down upon and mocked by Lu Yike and others in the study class all day long, he was still pleased to hear Secretary Sha call him over.

He was still very excited, unaware of Ji Changming's somewhat solemn expression.

At this moment, his face carried an irrepressible sharpness, and his eyes shone brightly, like a sword just drawn from its sheath.

"Secretary Sha..."

Sha Ruijin sat in his seat and gestured for the three to sit down after they entered, a gentle but slightly serious smile on his face.

"Comrade Ji Changming, Comrade Lin Jianguo, Comrade Liangping,"

Sha Ruijin waved for them to sit down. "I called you here today for two main reasons."

"First, let's hear from the Provincial Procuratorate about the effectiveness of its special study on the Supreme People's Procuratorate's 'Promoting Reform and Warning Through Cases, and Rectifying Discipline and Work Style'."

"Secondly, we need to understand the recent work of the Anti-Corruption Bureau and make arrangements for the next steps."

Upon hearing about the special study session on rectifying work style, Hou Liangping lowered his head.

Hou Liangping, along with Lu Yike and others who violated regulations and made mistakes in the Ding Yizhen escape case, have been used as negative examples and are being taught lessons every day.

Now that Sha Ruijin has called him over, I wonder if it's because of his rank and the need for accountability.

However, it seems that Sha Ruijin didn't care about this.

"Secretary Sha, then on behalf of the procuratorate, I will give you a brief report." Ji Changming stood up.

He first reported on the achievements of the provincial procuratorate in carrying out the special study on "promoting reform through cases, warning through cases, and rectifying discipline and work style."

His report was very detailed, covering everything from mobilization and deployment to study and discussion to self-examination and self-correction.

Each step was reviewed, and some data and typical examples were attached.

His tone was calm, his wording precise, and his speech impeccable.

Sha Ruijin listened, nodding occasionally, but Ji Changming could sense that Secretary Sha's mind wasn't entirely on this.

"You all know the situation in Handong."

"Corruption is like a malignant tumor, severely polluting the political ecology of Handong."

"One of the important tasks assigned to me by my superiors in sending me to Handong was to clean up this pollution and restore the ecological environment."

"This task is arduous and urgent."

"Your procuratorate and anti-corruption bureau are on the front line of the fight against corruption."

"You must have sharp eyes and a keen eye. No case that needs to be investigated can be overlooked, and no person who needs to be dealt with can be spared."

"I want to make a statement here—there are no forbidden zones or upper limits in the fight against corruption in Handong."

"Investigate whoever is involved, no matter how high their rank."

"No forbidden zones, no upper limits!" These eight words resounded like a great bell in the office.

This made Ji Changming and Lin Jianguo's expressions much more serious.