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

"Hua Bo, the waters in Handong run deep. All factions are putting on a show in Handong, one after another."

Take Sha Ruijin, the current secretary of Handong, for example. His father-in-law was once a bureau chief, namely Zhou Jianjun. His father was also a retired vice chairman of the CPPCC. They have deep roots. Have you really investigated this matter thoroughly?

Are you sure it's Handong's responsibility, and not Jianghai's fault?

The anger in Liu Huabo's heart was washed away by cold water. He could understand the unspoken meaning of his old leader, which was that he did not want to provoke Handong. But Liu Huabo just couldn't swallow his anger!

"Old Party Secretary, you still don't believe me?"

"Hua Bo, the problem isn't whether I believe you or not, but that I'm just a deputy to the National People's Congress right now, without any real power. It's difficult for me to even speak up for you. I'm willing but powerless!"

"I understand, old secretary. Sorry to bother you!"

Liu Huabo didn't insist, but hung up the phone. As the night grew deeper, Liu Huabo sat on the sofa in the living room, smoking one cigarette after another until dawn.

"Damn it! We're all fighting for our pride. At worst, we'll report this to Zhongyang. Handong is simply going too far!"

That same day, Liu Huabo and the governor of Jianghai Province jointly reported to Zhongyang, detailing Handong's "tyranny".

A minor local matter was thus brought to the attention of the central government.

At noon, Sha Ruijin was still waiting for Jiang Hai's reply, but instead of receiving a reply, he received a call from his father-in-law.

"Hey, Dad!"

“Ruijin, the conflict between Handong and Jianghai was brought up by Jianghai. Liu Huabo said you are domineering and unreasonable. After I found out, I called you to ask if what Jianghai said was true.”

"Dad, that Liu Huabo is talking nonsense! We in Handong have evidence of who is right and wrong in this matter. Jianghai just wants to protect the secretary of the Lieshan County Party Committee involved. We in Handong didn't want to make a big deal out of it, so we didn't report it to Zhongyang. But Liu Huabo actually dared to accuse us first. He's gone too far!"

"Keep your voice down! I'm your father, not Liu Huabo!"

"Ahem, Dad, I'm sorry, I was a little too angry."

Sha Ruijin felt a little embarrassed, but only he knew whether it was intentional or accidental.

"Yes, the authorities are taking this matter very seriously. Don't you have evidence in Handong? You should prepare the evidence now, write a report and submit it. You're trying to downplay the matter when you're not in the right. Since you're in the right, then fight for it. By the way, it would be best to get Zhou Jianjun involved as well. The Zhou family still has some resources."

"Okay, Dad, I understand. I'll take care of it right away!"

After hanging up the phone, Sha Ruijin asked Secretary Bai to contact Zhou Jianjun. Of course, it wasn't just Zhou Jianjun; it was Friday, and there was no Standing Committee meeting, but Chen Luo was back at the Provincial Party Committee. Many hands make light work, after all.

At 1:40 PM, in the small conference room of the Provincial Party Committee, there weren't many people present, only Sha Ruijin, Zhou Jianjun, and Chen Luo.

There's no point in letting others get involved in this kind of thing.

On the sofa, Sha Ruijin, seeing that Chen Luo and Zhou Jianjun had arrived, decided not to hide anything.

"Governor Jianjun, Comrade Chen Luo, I have just received news that Jianghai is the one who falsely accused us. They have already reported this matter to the higher authorities. Tell me, how should Handong respond next?"

Sha Ruijin didn't offer any suggestions, instead simply passing the problem on to Chen Luo and Zhou Jianjun.

Chen Luo did not speak first, but looked at Zhou Jianjun and said, "Governor Jianjun, please speak first."

Zhou Jianjun did not refuse, but his gaze was fixed on Chen Luo.

"Comrade Chen Luo, what are you hesitating for? Just have Yun Haifeng from the Provincial Department make a copy of the video from the law enforcement recorder, and we in Handong can submit the evidence directly to the higher-ups, right?"

Ultimately, it's Jiang Hai's fault. They couldn't handle it privately, yet they dared to escalate it to higher authorities? They've been spoiling him!"

"Well, Governor Jianjun, that's true, but we still need to make some changes to the report, emphasizing that it's not what Handong wanted to cause this conflict."

"Let the Lincheng City Public Security Bureau compile all the call records from that time, including the call records between Yun Haifeng and the Director of the Jianghai Provincial Public Security Department. The higher-ups don't want to see Handong being too assertive. The reason they're being so relentless is because Jianghai has gone too far, hasn't it?"

Upon hearing this, Sha Ruijin and Zhou Jianjun calmed down a bit. Indeed, they couldn't be too aggressive with their words. It was necessary to play the victim a little. Being too assertive would only get them punished.

"Comrade Chen Luo, shall we join in signing this?"

Sha Ruijin smiled at Chen Luo, and Zhou Jianjun also cast an expectant glance at him. Chen Luo did not refuse. He knew when to hide and when to strike.

"Secretary Sha, Governor Jianjun, I have no objections!"

"Alright. Then have the comrades in the General Office draft it immediately, and I will personally submit it later!"

Handong acted swiftly, submitting the report to Zhongyang around 5 p.m. that same day.

One report came from Jianghai and the other from Handong. When the two reports were compared at the same time, the truth became clear. The body camera footage of the Handong police officer covered the entire process from Handong to Lieshan County, including being surrounded by Lieshan police and the body camera being forcibly taken away. In addition, there was a recording of a phone call with the director of the Lincheng Public Security Bureau. The facts were clear and there was no point of contention.

At 8 p.m., Liu Huabo stood upright in his study in the provincial party committee compound, his angry shouts on the phone growing louder and louder.

"Comrade Hua Bo, Sha Ruijin said you're old and your eyesight is failing, and I think he's absolutely right. Has Jianghai conducted any investigation? Do you even know the facts?"

The Handong side felt wronged, saying that they only wanted Jianghai to cooperate at first, but the Jianghai Provincial Party Secretary not only refused to cooperate but also accused them of being the guilty party.

Without distinguishing right from wrong, Comrade Hua Bo, can you really manage Jianghai well and lead its tens of millions of people to a better life?

"Vice President Hu, I..."

"You don't need to explain. Just now, Secretary Xu from the Political and Legal Affairs Commission called to inquire about this matter, asking if Jianghai is a lawless place and if power is greater than the law. I couldn't answer a single question!"

You should ask Handong for forgiveness yourself. We are very disappointed in both you and Jianghai!

Chapter 311 I'll slap you and then say thank you!

When the call was disconnected, Liu Huabo felt utterly dejected, and was filled with even greater anger.

He actually got fooled by what he saw below!

Liu Huabo took out his phone and dialed the number of Gao Changhe, the secretary of the Mingyang Municipal Party Committee.

Good evening, Secretary Hua Bo!

"Gao Changhe, I'm asking you, how exactly did Mingyang investigate the statement made by Geng Zijing, the secretary of the Lieshan County Party Committee? Do you know that what the secretary of the Lieshan County Party Committee said was all a lie? They forcibly detained the police officers from Handong and forcibly abducted criminals!"

Without any preamble, Liu Huabo disregarded the fact that Gao Changhe was the son-in-law of former Party Secretary Sen and launched into a furious tirade.

Gao Changhe was clearly stunned by the scolding.

However, he soon became somewhat unconvinced.

"Secretary Hua Bo, no matter what the facts are, we in Mingyang didn't necessarily say that Handong was at fault, right? I remember clearly that the investigation report I gave you stated that there were doubts about the fact that the secretary of the Lieshan County Party Committee and its members used their official positions as guarantees!"

"It's because you didn't read it carefully..."

"Gao Changhe! You're reporting things that are uncertain? Isn't this your fault?"

"I...yes, Secretary Hua Bo, I'm sorry, it's my fault. I apologize to you and the Provincial Party Committee!"

Gao Changhe ultimately did not continue to argue.

He acted impulsively because he was too angry, but after calming down, he realized that arguing with a provincial party secretary about right and wrong was tantamount to courting death.

"Gao Changhe, I don't care what you're doing right now, I want you to take control of the entire Lieshan County Party Committee right now, including that county public security bureau!"

"Release all those police officers from Handong from the detention center, understand?"

"Yes, yes, I understand, I'll take care of it right away!"

But Secretary Hua Bo, under what pretext?

"Shuanggui!"

The phone was abruptly disconnected, leaving Gao Changhe with no choice but to organize comrades from the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection to rush to Lieshan overnight. Meanwhile, at the home of Liu Huabo, the Provincial Party Secretary, the matter was far from over.

He still needs to win over Handong's understanding.

Even though he was very reluctant, Liu Huabo still dialed Sha Ruijin's number with a feeling of frustration.

In Building No. 1 of the Provincial Party Committee in Handong, Sha Ruijin didn't answer the first call from Liu Huabo. Soon after, the second call came in, and Sha Ruijin lightly touched the screen to hang up. It wasn't until the third call came in that Sha Ruijin slowly answered the phone.

"Hey, Comrade Huabo, I'm a little sorry, I accidentally clicked the hang-up button. But I hope you're not calling at this hour to interrogate me."

We in Handong are very worried. After all, Jianghai has already submitted a report to Zhongyang, accusing us of being domineering. Comrade Huabo, do you think we in Handong are domineering?

Liu Huabo was furious.

"Comrade Ruijin, we misunderstood the comrades in Handong. I already know the truth about what happened in Lieshan County. On behalf of Jianghai, I apologize to all the comrades in Handong!"

"Comrade Hua Bo, let's forget about the apology. I'm really afraid that the higher-ups will say that I, Sha Ruijin, am being domineering and forcing an old comrade like you. But now that you know the truth, Comrade Hua Bo, I wonder how Jianghai plans to handle this?"

Sha Ruijin finally started to set conditions.

"Comrade Ruijin, the Lieshan County Party Secretary and the entire county party committee involved in the incident have been dismissed from their posts, as has the Lieshan County Public Security Bureau Director. At the same time, we have sent the police officers from Handong back to Handong, as well as those criminals from the pyramid scheme organization who were arrested."

What do you think?

"Comrade Huabo, this is what Jianghai should do. By the way, what about the director of that provincial public security bureau? What's his name again? He's been covering up wrongdoing. Shouldn't he be punished? I suggest he be severely punished and given a major demerit!"

"Comrade Ruijin, your suggestion is excellent, we will proceed according to your suggestion!"

"Hahaha, Secretary Hua Bo, but wouldn't this be putting you in a difficult position?"

"No problem, alright. Since Comrade Huabo thinks it's okay, let's do it this way for now."

However, Handong is not just my (Sha Ruijin's) Handong, and the joint signature is not just my (Sha Ruijin's) name.

I can't guarantee whether our comrades in Handong think this, or whether Comrade Chen Luo, the Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, will accept Jiang Hai's apology.

"Understood. I will continue to contact Comrade Jianjun and Comrade Chen Luo. Comrade Ruijin, that's all for now."

"No problem, Comrade Huabo, don't stay up too long. After all, you're getting older and your energy can't keep up anymore."

Liu Huabo didn't reply. Instead, he hung up the phone and smashed it away.

His eyes were bloodshot, and his chest was heaving.

"This is outrageous! This is outrageous!"

Meanwhile, Sha Ruijin called Chen Luo to share the good news.

"Secretary Sha, do you mean that the higher-ups are putting pressure on Jiang Hai?"

Chen Luo was watching TV with the two little ones when he received a call from Sha Ruijin.

"Comrade Chen Luo, in this battle, our side has won a great victory, a great victory indeed!"

"Ahem, Secretary Ruijin, let's keep a low profile..."

"Oh, right, Comrade Chen Luo, Jiang Hai will probably contact you and Governor Jianjun again. Make your demands as much as you want, and it would be best if Jiang Hai would give you some money."

After chatting casually for a few more minutes, Chen Luo hung up the phone.

If a phone breaks, you just have to get a new one; Liu Huabo has quite a few spare phones...

The phone was quickly dialed back to Zhou Jianjun.

"Comrade Jianjun, I am Liu Huabo from Jianghai!"