In name only: I will break the chess game in Handong

But aren't these exactly the tasks I came to Luzhou for?

Ji Changming, on the other end of the phone, covered his face, clearly unable to hold back any longer, and simply stated it directly.

Do you think Secretary Chen would go to the trouble of making this call to me?

"And what about the specific targets?"

Hou Liangping still didn't understand.

"Whoever in Lüzhou is worthy of Secretary Chen making this phone call is the one!"

"Huh? Chief Prosecutor Ji, you mean Liang Pengfei, a member of the Standing Committee of the Lüzhou Municipal Party Committee and Secretary of the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection?"

"I thought you were really stupid, that you could understand."

Ji Changming finally calmed down a bit.

"Quarterly inspections, can this really work?"

“Why not? Just investigate. If Secretary Chen is hinting, then there must be something wrong with Liang Pengfei. If you have the answers, then don’t tell me you can’t find the problem.”

"No, it's not that bad. I just feel it's a bit much to decide the life or death of a deputy director-level official with just a few words..."

"You're not just finding out now. Let me tell you, if you do this well, even if Secretary Chen only remembers you a tiny bit, it will be an opportunity for you, do you understand?"

"Guaranteed to complete the mission!"

Hou Liangping replied with a strong voice, saying that cruelty is the norm, and he's not a naive person. He's experienced so much in Handong, and overall, Secretary Chen is quite principled. He even asked Hou Liangping to collect evidence and investigate.

If you encounter someone who doesn't follow principles, you would have taken them away long ago!

Chen Luo didn't put too much effort into this matter. He was just a deputy director-level discipline inspection secretary. If it weren't for the importance of this position in deterring cadres in Luzhou, Chen Luo wouldn't have even used such a tactful approach.

On Thursday, things remained calm in Luzhou. Hou Liangping had only found a direction and begun a detailed investigation, but progress was limited. Meanwhile, in Jingzhou, the work in Guangming District made progress.

When Wang Dalu arrived at the office of the Party Secretary of Guangming District at nine o'clock in the morning, he and Li Shangli looked at each other as they pushed open the office door.

For a moment, Wang Dalu was stunned.

"Who are you? Li Shangli?"

Li Shangli, who was opposite him, was also stunned. He blinked a few times before realizing that he knew the person in front of him.

"Are you Darren Wang?"

"Yes, it's me! Wow, it's been almost thirty years since we graduated, hasn't it? I remember you, Shang Li, were the social butterfly in our class, so smooth-talking. Now you're actually a high-ranking official!"

These words sounded a bit strange, but Li Shangli didn't care at all. Speaking in an official tone, he stretched out his hand and said, "Mainland, they say that a scholar should be looked at with new eyes after three days of separation. We haven't seen each other for thirty years. It's good enough that you can recognize me. How much have I changed over the years?"

"But you're not bad either. Continental Group has tens of billions in capital; you're a big boss!"

Wang Dalu was about to shake Li Shangli's outstretched hand when Li Shangli approached, but instead, Li Shangli patted him on the shoulder.

Wang Dalu was a little annoyed by the way the older brother looked down on the younger brother. "You, Li Shangli, are just a department-level cadre, what are you pretending for? If I, Wang Dalu, hadn't gone into business back then, I wouldn't be any worse off than you, Li Shangli!"

"By the way, sit down first. We haven't seen each other for decades. Now that we've met, we must have a good chat!"

Li Shangli pointed to the chair in front of him, while he sat on a recliner. That superior feeling amplified Wang Dalu's displeasure.

"No need, I have things to do at the company, I have to go back after I finish talking."

Wang Dalu didn't even sit down, standing straight, leaving Li Shangli to look up at him.

Seeing this, Li Shangli also stood up with a smile.

"Let's get down to business. Mainland, the old neighborhood renovation project can now begin. Your company should have the workers on site this afternoon and try to complete the project in two months."

"Two months?"

Wang Dalu shook his head without even thinking.

"It's not impossible to complete the construction in two months, but the district government would have to increase its investment!"

Our Continental Group doesn't handle the entire contract. Frankly, we're paid for what we do, and that's a deal that can't be changed regardless of our relationship!

"Mainland China, you won't even give me this much face?"

The smile on Li Shangli's face gradually disappeared, and he was getting angry. How dare a businessman bargain with him?

Wang Dalu is not made of clay either.

"Face? Li Shangli, although we were college classmates, we didn't really have any interaction. Our relationship was just so-so. You think you can get something out of me with empty words? Let me tell you, it's impossible!"

"Wang Dalu! Are you saying you're not going to cooperate?"

"Isn't it obvious!"

Wang Dalu was not intimidated. He crossed his arms and looked cold, which made Li Shangli feel humiliated.

Li Shangli slammed his hand on the table and pointed at Wang Dalu.

"You'll regret it if you refuse a toast! Wang Dalu, I'm giving you one last chance. Do as I say, or else..."

"What else do you want? Ha, you don't even know your own limitations. Let me tell you, I'm not going to do your Guangming District project anymore. If you want revenge, then come on!"

After saying that, Wang Dalu turned and left, as if he had made up his mind.

Li Shangli was left standing there dumbfounded.

Chapter 292 Wang Dalu is generous, Li Dakang is well-fed

At this moment, the office was so quiet you could hear a pin drop; the only sound in the silent room was Li Shangli's heavy breathing.

After slowly sitting down, Li Shangli finally came to his senses. He had actually been fooled by a businessman.

Gradually, Li Shangli's anger grew stronger and stronger. He was eager for revenge against Wang Dalu. Back in college, the two were rivals in class. Whether it was being a class leader or chasing girls, Wang Dalu always came out on top. Li Shangli wanted to win, even if it was just this once!

After a long silence, he decided to put pressure on the Continental Group. He picked up his phone on the table and made a series of calls, mainly to the audit, tax, fire, market supervision, and industry and commerce departments. The purpose was self-evident.

“Wang Dalu, I, Li Shangli, may not be able to build a multi-billion dollar conglomerate, but to bring down a multi-billion dollar conglomerate is just a matter of making a phone call!”

"You want to mess with me? Hmph! Don't you even know who you are!"

It must be said that Li Shangli's instructions as the district party secretary were effective. Although the cadres of various departments in Guangming District were unhappy about his parachuting in, they would not give Li Shangli a chance to be held accountable in their work.

That afternoon, the district tax bureau and fire department first conducted a surprise inspection of Continental Group, followed by inspections of some of Continental Group's subsidiaries by the market supervision and industry and commerce departments. To be honest, which company doesn't have some problems?

Normally, a small bribe might suffice, but this time they came on strong, leaving the mainland group no room to maneuver. They severely punished any problems they discovered, with various maximum fines and business suspensions coming one after another.

This organization is clever; since it was Secretary Li Shangli's instruction anyway, and if something goes wrong, it won't have much to do with them, so naturally they'll squeeze a hefty sum out of them.

That evening, Wang Dalu sat in the chairman's office of the group building, looking somewhat exhausted and hesitant.

In just one afternoon, the Continental Group received fines of over eight million and various suspension penalties. This might not be too painful for the Continental Group, but this was only the first day!

If these departments continue to visit every few days, the only outcome for Continental Group will be bankruptcy.

As I was thinking, the call was answered.

"Hey, Secretary Dakang, did I disturb you?"

The call was to Li Dakang. Wang Dalu was confident enough to stand up to Li Shangli because he believed Li Dakang would be on his side.

"Oh, it's the mainland. Why are you calling me at this time? Is there something you need?"

In the provincial party committee compound, Li Dakang stood in his study, looking at his daughter and ex-wife Ouyang Qing who were calling him to dinner, and all he wanted to do was end the call as soon as possible.

"Ahem, Secretary Li, this afternoon our Continental Group was suddenly subjected to a surprise inspection by various government departments in Guangming District. They magnified minor issues, which has had a significant impact on our group!"

Secretary Li, could you please speak to Li Shangli of Guangming District and ask him to stop targeting my company?

After all, Continental Group has created tens of thousands of jobs!

If we continue to be targeted like this, I fear our group will only face bankruptcy.

This statement contained both a plea and a subtle form of coercion.

Li Dakang frowned upon hearing this.

"Mainland China, please explain the situation clearly!"

Wang Dalu quickly recounted the whole story, which made Li Dakang laugh non-stop.

"Well, in principle, conducting surprise inspections of enterprises is the prerogative of Guangming District, and I, as the Party Secretary of the Municipal Committee, cannot arbitrarily interfere with the work of my subordinates."

Upon hearing this, Wang Dalu's heart sank.

"Secretary Li, is it about employment..."

"Hey, don't rush me. Here's the thing: Comrade Li Shangli was personally appointed by the governor of our Handong Province. If you ask me to call Li Shangli, he might not listen to me."

You know what's going on with Ouyang. I have absolutely no say in the provincial party committee now... Sigh, it's tough for me too!

Li Dakang's sigh caused beads of sweat to continuously appear on Wang Dalu's forehead. If even Li Dakang couldn't help him, then...

"Secretary Dakang, can you think of a way for me?"

"In that case, as long as this matter can be resolved, I will donate 50 million yuan to the city to support its medical and educational development."

When the topic of donations came up, Li Dakang's eyes lit up!

"Which continent? It's not that I don't want to help you, it's just... sigh. But let's forget about the donation. The city needs to spend at least 100 million to improve education. If we throw in 50 million, we probably won't even see a ripple."

Nima!

Wang Dalu understood the meaning of those words perfectly.

He took a deep breath and continued, "Secretary Dakang, you're right. In that case, I'm willing to donate one hundred million to support education in Jingzhou!"

Finally satisfied, Li Dakang quietly revealed the secret.

“Mainland, let me point you in the right direction. Recently, there has been a lack of consensus in our Handong Provincial Government. Governor Jianjun, Executive Vice Governor Zhao Dagong, and Standing Committee Vice Governor Qi Quansheng often disagree, which has caused a lot of unpleasantness.”

Even Governor Dagong publicly criticized Governor Jianjun on several occasions at meetings. If Comrade Zhao Dagong of the provincial government knew about your problem, I think he would not sit idly by!

Oh, right, I forgot you don't know Governor Tagong. Here's what I'll do: I'll call Governor Tagong and explain your situation. Whether I can help depends on what he says!

Li Dakang didn't want to get involved in Li Shangli's affairs, but Jingzhou didn't want to miss out on a donation of 100 million yuan, so he simply brought the matter up to Zhao Dagong. Coincidentally, Zhao Dagong also needed to use Li Shangli's issue to attack Zhou Jianjun.

Li Dakang was very happy to have succeeded in making money from both ends.

After ending the call, Li Jiajia, who was standing at the door of the study, called out, "Dad, dinner's ready! Auntie has prepared several impressive dishes!"

Li Dakang smiled and nodded.

"Jiajia, wait five minutes, I'm going to make another call. One call is worth a hundred million!"