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

Upon picking up the document, Chen Luo narrowed his eyes.

"It's only been less than two days, and already there's this: in Mashan County, an elderly man's trees, planted for forty years, were forcibly cut down without a permit by local bullies. These bastards are not only not proactive in solving the problem, but they're also incredibly fast at suppressing trending topics."

Taking a deep breath, Chen Luo picked up the red phone on the table.

"Hello, this is Chen Luo. Connect me to the Guangxi Provincial Propaganda Department and have Comrade Lin Zhi answer the phone!"

Two minutes later, the phone was called back.

Chen Luo sat upright with a calm expression. As soon as he picked up the phone, a rapid breathing sound came from the other end. "Hello, Minister Chen, I heard from the operator that you wanted to speak to me?"

"Comrade Linzhi, your Comrade Ran Ying from Guangxi Province is quite something! I just had a meeting with the heads of eight platforms two days ago, and now, less than two days later, this Ran Ying from Guangxi Province has managed to get the phone into the hands of the higher-ups at Yin Fu, demanding that they limit traffic and remove works from the platform."

Comrade Linzhi, tell me, is your Guangxi province so shameful? So afraid of the people's supervision?

"You think you can just wrap fire in paper like that?"

Chen Luo's words struck like a heavy hammer, leaving Lin Zhi, the propaganda minister of Guangxi Province, with a buzzing in his head.

"Minister Chen, I...I didn't know anything about it!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Luo sighed.

"Comrade Linzhi, I'm not calling you to hold you accountable, but this kind of behavior is intolerable. When faced with public opinion, instead of thinking about how to resolve the issue, you try to cover it up immediately. In my opinion, Comrade Ran Ying is not suitable to remain in a leadership position!"

"Yes, yes, Minister Chen, you're right. Please rest assured, I will find out what happened right now and give you and the people an explanation!"

"Alright, Comrade Linzhi, this time I choose to trust you and believe you will handle this matter well. At the same time, I hope you will learn from this lesson and not let it happen again!"

"Understood! Minister Chen, please wait for my news!"

Lin Zhi finally breathed a long sigh of relief after hanging up the phone. The fact that the second-in-command of the Central Propaganda Department personally called her was enough to show how important this matter was.

She was just nice; otherwise, if I really wanted to reprimand her, even though she's a deputy provincial-level official, I definitely wouldn't get the better of her.

"Ran Ying, you crazy woman!"

Lin Zhi, gritting her teeth, quickly learned the details of the incident through her secretary, which only fueled her resentment towards Ran Ying.

This kind of thing is usually very simple to handle; the Nanning Municipal Public Security Bureau could just open a case, investigate, and then release the truth.

Unfortunately, these people are used to covering things up, and when something happens, their first instinct is to silence the people, just like always.

Shaking her head, Lin Zhi knew very well that now was not the time to scold Ran Ying; she needed to solve the problem first.

Linzhi made a call to the director of the Nanning City Public Security Bureau. Faced with a call from a high-ranking member of the Standing Committee, the Nanning City Public Security Bureau did not dare to be negligent. Only a dozen minutes after receiving the call, several police cars rushed to Mashan County.

The investigation and evidence collection were also exceptionally swift, and the truth was uncovered that very evening.

The trees planted by the old man were indeed forcibly cut down by local bullies. As for why they dared to do this, it's because the deputy director of the Mashan County Public Security Bureau was their protector.

That evening, the findings of the investigation into Mashan County were released by the Nanning Municipal Bureau of Public Security and the provincial publicity department.

Despite some setbacks in dealing with public opinion, the public was ultimately given a fair and just outcome. Netizens didn't dwell on it and even praised the Nanning Municipal Public Security Bureau.

People are just that lovable, it's just that some guys don't understand this and think that because they hold power, they're the boss.

Late at night, Linzhi finally finished dealing with the work in Mashan and then had time to settle accounts with Ran Ying and those people in Mashan County.

Linzhi called Ran Ying directly.

"Hello, Minister Lin!"

At Ran Ying's home, her tone was clearly full of flattery when she received a call from Minister Lin.

"Comrade Ran Ying, I know about what happened during the day."

"Huh? What is it, Minister Lin?"

“You don’t need to play dumb with me. Minister Chen from the Central Propaganda Department called me personally to ask if Guangxi Province was unwilling to accept supervision from the people.”

I can't utter a single word!

Sigh! I'm too lazy to say anything more. Just resign from your post yourself, at least do it with some dignity. Otherwise, I'll have to ask Secretary Pang of the Discipline Inspection Commission to give you that respect!

Chapter 457 Provincial Propaganda Ministers' Symposium

Ong!

Ran Ying's mind went blank.

She knew she had a dirty past, but she was unwilling to resign!

"Minister Lin, can't you give me another chance? I promise you, I will never do it again!"

"Heh, I don't want to repeat myself a second time. If you don't go down, I have to. Why would I give you a chance? If you don't want to be dignified, just say so. I'll call Secretary Pang right now!"

"No, no, no, Minister Lin, I was wrong, I resign!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhi immediately hung up the phone. The path of publicity was already extremely narrow, and Lin Zhi already knew about Chen Luo, who had become the top official in Guangzhou at the age of forty-four!

If I really wanted to get her, it couldn't be easier...

Three days after the matter in Guangxi Province was resolved, Minister He informed Chen Luo of the results of the proposal made by the higher authorities.

The higher-ups have agreed, but it's only a trial run. If problems arise along the way, it could still be stopped midway.

Chen Luo was already very satisfied with the result.

On the same day, the Central Propaganda Department issued a document to the propaganda departments of all provinces, requiring the propaganda ministers of each province to attend a meeting of the Central Propaganda Department.

Immediately, propaganda ministers from all provinces sprang into action, inquiring about the situation everywhere. Although they vaguely knew some details, they were ultimately unclear about the specific arrangements.

The next day at 3:30 pm, at the Central Propaganda Conference Center.

Thirty-two provincial and municipal propaganda ministers and two ministers of propaganda and cultural affairs departments stationed in Hong Kong and Macao, a total of thirty-four people, were already sitting quietly in the conference hall waiting. Of course, there were also some full-time deputy ministers from the Central Propaganda Department, heads of discipline inspection groups, and heads of important departments and bureaus, totaling more than sixty people.

Five minutes later, the door was pushed open, and Minister He walked in front, followed closely by Chen Luo, and behind them were the vice ministers who held other positions.

After everyone was seated on the stage, Minister He began to chair the meeting, while Chen Luo announced the specific reform measures.

There are three specific changes.

Firstly, starting immediately, all important government departments at the provincial, municipal, and county levels are required to have accounts registered on the platform; this is fundamental.

Secondly, the comment section can no longer be closed arbitrarily. Closing the comment section must be reported to and approved by the provincial propaganda department, and then submitted to the central propaganda department for verification. Repressive public opinion will never be allowed to run rampant again!

We must eliminate the lazy and indolent governance that seeks only to silence public opinion without addressing the root causes of problems!

Thirdly, a new department was established, with personnel jointly drawn from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and the Cyberspace Administration of China. The new department is named the "Hot Search Event Inquiry and Handling Bureau," and its first director is Hou Liangping, the head of the CCDI's disciplinary inspection team stationed at the Publicity Department of the CPC.

The significance of the new department is to pay attention to trending topics. If the local authorities do not respond or give it the cold shoulder, the new department can directly inquire with the provincial and municipal authorities or go to the scene to conduct an investigation.

The meeting lasted for a full two and a half hours, and Chen Luo even directly mentioned the trending topic about Mashan County a few days ago.

"Comrades, you all bear the heavy responsibility of the Party's propaganda and the people's trust on your shoulders."

I hope that everyone here will not forget that the power you hold comes from the Party and the people, and that the purpose of our work is to serve the people.

Accepting supervision from the people is not only an important measure to unite the people, but also an important measure to cultivate national self-confidence!

Enabling the people to have a voice, to dare to speak out, and to ensure that their voices are heard effectively and efficiently—this is a crucial mission of our propaganda work!

After Chen Luo finished speaking, everyone below burst into applause, but Chen Luo remained calm.

They act like this during meetings, putting on a very convincing act, but their true colors only come out when they're on their own turf.

Chen Luoke didn't believe that one meeting would make these guys behave; sometimes it was necessary to make an example of them.

This opportunity came quickly.

In the two weeks following the conference, netizens suddenly noticed that official media outlets were no longer closing their comment sections, especially the comment section at Wuhan University, which was incredibly lively…

Green Vine City!

In an old residential building, a middle-aged woman takes a deep breath and holds up her ID card in front of a mobile phone stand and camera.

She's live streaming!

The number of viewers in the live stream wasn't very large, only a few hundred, mostly just watching for the spectacle.

Taking a deep breath, Xue Mei held her ID card up to the camera, her voice suppressed and choked with emotion, "Dear netizens, esteemed leaders, my name is Xue Mei, ID number... I live in Lvteng City, Zhongjiang Province. Today I want to file a formal complaint!"

Seeing that Xue Mei was serious, the number of viewers in the live stream exploded.

Fourteen years ago, my husband, Mai Zili, received a call from Ma Shuai, the chairman of the Green Vine City New Marshal Group, and went out. Since then, he has been missing for fourteen years.

Over the past fourteen years, I have sent out 126 letters of complaint and repeatedly reported the situation to the public security and petition departments, but the case has made no progress.

I have ample reason to suspect that my husband, Mai Zili, has been murdered, and that there are powerful forces behind Ma Shuai acting as a protective umbrella to cover up the truth of the murder.

I appealed to the internet, earnestly requesting that the supervisory team see this video, thoroughly investigate the case of Mai Zili's disappearance, and uncover the criminal gangs and their protectors behind it.

I retain relevant clues and am willing to cooperate fully with any investigation. Everything I have said is true, and I am willing to bear all legal responsibility. I hope netizens will help share this message and help my husband get justice!

Xue Mei repeated it over and over again...

The number of viewers in the live stream is also increasing.

An hour later, the number of people had soared to 100,000. Just as Xue Mei was about to repeat herself with her lips dry, her door was kicked open with a bang!

Then a dozen or so men in black rushed into the house and started hitting Xue Mei with sticks without saying a word.

The viewers in the live stream were stunned, but soon the phone used for the live stream was smashed to pieces by the men in black, and the live stream was abruptly ended.

After someone called the police and others shared the story, the live-streamed assault incident in Lvteng City, Zhongjiang Province, quickly became a trending topic.

Countless comments bombarded the Green Vine City Public Security Bureau, leading them to choose to remain silent.

However, orders came quickly from above to shut down the comment section, and comments and posts on the internet were being deleted rapidly, leaving netizens stunned.

Didn't CCTV just report a while ago that official websites can't arbitrarily close comment sections or remove videos?

This? It doesn't work!

The entire city of Green Vine remained silent, as if nothing had happened, but on the same day, someone revealed that Xue Mei was dead!

He was involved in a car accident on the way to the hospital and died on the spot!

This is undoubtedly another bombshell!

Hou Liangping, from the Hot Search Incident Inquiry and Handling Bureau, has taken note of the situation and is very angry about the platform deleting posts and removing videos.

The news was reported up the chain of command, eventually reaching Chen Luo's desk.

As Chen Luo watched the replay of Xue Mei's live stream, anger was rapidly burning in his eyes!