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

"Hello, Minister Wang!"

After shaking hands again, Minister Wang looked at the members of the Standing Committee of Handong, bypassing Deputy Secretary Gao Yuliang, and walked straight to Chen Luo.

Gao Yuliang's outstretched hand looked extremely awkward, and Tian Guofu almost burst out laughing when he saw this scene.

"Comrade Chen Luo, Secretary Xu said that I can ask you about the specific situation when I arrive in Handong. Now tell me, how is Comrade Qi Tongwei doing?"

Chen Luo nodded emphatically.

"Minister Wang, hello. The current situation is as follows..."

After Chen Luo finished speaking, Minister Wang frowned deeply.

"These people are incredibly audacious!"

"If it weren't for Comrade Qi Tongwei's excellent marksmanship, who killed ten terrorists beforehand, who knows what the outcome would have been!"

Chapter 135 Opinions on the Handling of Qi Tongwei

Neither Minister Wang nor the provincial party committee of Handong tacitly mentioned why Qi Tongwei was able to carry a sniper rifle with him.

After Minister Wang visited Qi Tongwei, he convened another meeting. The meeting was simple: to ask Handong to cooperate in transferring the specific information about Tazhai Village to the Ministry of Public Security, and to set up a special task force to investigate.

Besides this incident, it's currently unknown when Qi Tongwei will wake up. Even if he does, the hospital estimates that he won't be able to take charge of the provincial department's work.

Minister Wang then asked Handong for his opinion.

"Comrade Ruijin, Comrade Changsheng, are there any outstanding comrades from Handong who can temporarily lead the provincial department and preside over its work?"

Minister Wang gave the recommendation to Sha Ruijin and Governor Liu. Sha Ruijin glanced at Governor Liu and then shook his head.

“Minister Wang, I have only been in Handong for a few months and am not very familiar with the Handong public security system. You can ask Governor Liu or Comrade Chen Luo about the recommendation. He is the Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission and he knows more about it.”

It wasn't that Sha Ruijin didn't want to recommend someone; he simply didn't have a suitable candidate. Rather than recommending someone whose background he didn't know, he figured it was better to give Governor Liu and Chen Luo face. After all, the provincial department was under the leadership of the provincial government and the Ministry of Public Security, and was guided by the secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission. It made sense both morally and logically.

Minister Wang nodded, then looked at Governor Liu.

"Comrade Changsheng, do you have any suitable candidates to recommend?"

Liu Changsheng smiled and shook his head.

“Minister Wang, in the past two years, my work has focused on the economic development of Handong, and I am not very familiar with the provincial department and the public security system.”

Minister Wang rolled his eyes at Governor Liu. He knew some of the things, so he simply looked at Chen Luo.

"Comrade Chen Luo, you are the Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, please recommend someone."

When Chen Luo saw that the topic had turned to him, he thought for a moment and then shook his head.

"Minister Wang, you know that I and Secretary Sha have only been in Handong for a few months, and our understanding of the comrades in the public security system is not yet deep. The work of the provincial department is very crucial."

If I recommend someone I'm not very familiar with to take charge of the work, it could cause big problems if things go wrong. It's more appropriate for you to appoint them yourself.

Chen Luo didn't want to make any recommendations casually; if he made a recommendation without a suitable candidate and something went wrong, he would be held responsible.

Seeing that Chen Luo and the other two had this attitude, Minister Wang had no choice but to come himself.

"Alright, since there are no suitable recommendations from Handong, let the deputy director in charge of daily operations take the lead for now, and we'll choose a suitable candidate when we return to the capital."

With the matter settled, the matter in Dongshan City is temporarily put to rest. Now it's up to the special task force set up by the Ministry of Public Security to investigate. All that's needed is for Handong to cooperate.

On the way back to Jingzhou, Tian Guofu boarded Chen Luo's private car instead of taking the Coaster.

The driver was Liu Mingyu. He arrived in a hurry last night and didn't have time to wait for the driver to arrive.

“Secretary Chen, our Director Qi was shot three times, which is so similar to when he was a narcotics officer at Guying Ridge back then.”

Tian Guofu spoke first, and Chen Luo listened calmly.

"He still has the Party and the people in his heart."

This simple comment alone made Tian Guofu sigh deeply.

"Our disciplinary committee has already launched an investigation into Qi Tongwei's case. Although there is no conclusive evidence yet, Qi Tongwei, Zhao Ruilong of Shanshui Group, and Gao Xiaoqin..."

Chen Luo understood what Tian Guofu meant.

"What did they say?"

Upon hearing this, Tian Guofu shook his head.

“If this hadn’t happened, the higher-ups intended for me to personally question Qi Tongwei and get him to surrender and confess so that he could be treated leniently. But now, I need to ask them for their specific opinions.”

"It's already quite obvious."

"How so?" Tian Guofu asked, quite curious.

"The higher authorities don't lack a public security bureau chief who violates laws and regulations as a warning, but they lack a public security bureau chief who was shot three times and killed ten terrorists as a heroic role model."

After hearing this, Tian Guofu pondered it carefully.

"That makes sense, but we still need to see what the higher-ups mean."

"Well, this is just my guess. Secretary Guofu, just wait for instructions from above and do what needs to be done."

Liu Mingyu, in the driver's seat, just wanted to cover his ears; he really didn't mean to hear...

It was already 8 p.m. when we returned to Jingzhou.

After getting off the bus, everyone went home.

At Gao Yuliang's home.

Exhausted, Gao Yuliang pushed open the door and found the house completely empty and dark. Wu Huifang was not home. As for where she had gone, perhaps she was discussing academic issues with some teacher, Xiao Lin.

He turned on the light, sat down on the sofa, took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag.

The effects of nicotine allowed Gao Yuliang to temporarily forget his troubles. When he saw his student Qi Tongwei lying in the intensive care unit during the day, he knew that his student had completely changed.

He is no longer the lawless and disorderly Director Qi of the past. But what about him? Is Gao Yuliang still hiding in the shadows, doing things that harm the interests of the Party and the people?

His mind was in turmoil.

After puffing on a whole pack of cigarettes, Gao Yuliang finally leaned back on the sofa and sighed.

"Tongwei, Tongwei, you're lying in the hospital now, your life hanging in the balance, and you have no worries, but I, as your teacher... sigh!"

As dawn breaks, the work must continue.

Chen Luo plans to stay in Jingzhou for a week. He has already decided on the general direction of his work in Lüzhou, and Sun Liancheng is overseeing the specific implementation, so he doesn't need to handle it much.

During the few peaceful days in Handong, there was also a power struggle and discussion at the higher levels, especially after Tian Guofu submitted the preliminary investigation report on Qi Tongwei's illegal and disorderly conduct.

Originally, he was just a department-level cadre, and in principle, the matter should have been discussed and dealt with at the provincial level. However, the situation in Dongshan was so dire that it drew the attention of higher authorities to Qi Tongwei.

Some high-ranking officials felt that if the allegations of illegal and disorderly conduct were true, regardless of whether someone was a hero or not, they should be dealt with seriously. Others felt that Qi Tongwei still had the Party and the people in his heart and was not beyond redemption, so they could give him a chance.

In the end, it was the head of the Discipline Inspection Commission, one of the Seven Saints, who made the final decision: if Qi Tongwei could wake up, then he could choose whether to surrender himself and confess honestly. If he surrendered, he would be treated leniently and his name would be wiped clean. If he resisted stubbornly, then he would be secretly expelled from the Party and dismissed from public office!

Such news was kept secret, and Chen Luo received it three hours after the head of the Discipline Inspection Commission made the final decision.

In the entire Handong region, only a handful of people know this news. Tian Guofu might know, but Sha Ruijin and Governor Liu certainly do.

As for Gao Yuliang... he's like a lost soul in a thick fog; no one knows what choices he will make.

A week has passed in the blink of an eye.

Chapter 136 First Meeting with Gao Xiaoqin

In Dongshan, Qi Tongwei's condition remains not optimistic; he has been resuscitated three times in just two days.

Dongshan is just an ordinary prefecture-level city with limited medical resources, so he was eventually transferred to the First People's Hospital of Handong Province for treatment.

Chen Luo visited Qi Tongwei at the hospital twice this week, and provincial leaders also came to visit him one after another.

Of course, there were other people among them who knew Qi Tongwei.

On Sunday, Chen Luo will be heading to Luzhou to take charge of the work tomorrow morning. After all, a municipal party secretary cannot be away from home for an extended period, especially given the current booming development in Luzhou, which necessitates Chen Luo's grasp of the overall situation.

While there was still time, Chen Luo decided to visit Qi Tongwei, the police chief who had been shot three times.

Upon arriving at the hospital, Chen Luo was accompanied by his secretary, Liu Mingyu.

As soon as he got out of the car, Chen Luo saw a familiar figure walking towards the hospital. It was Gao Xiaoqin.

Chen Luo had looked at her information after coming to Handong, but this was the first time he had run into her in person.

"Secretary Chen, this is Ms. Gao Xiaoqin, the general manager of Shanshui Group. She is probably here to visit Director Qi."

Liu Mingyu explained, and Chen Luo nodded without saying anything before walking towards the hospital.

Gao Xiaoqin was in front, while Chen Luo and Liu Mingyu were a little behind. By the time they arrived at the elevator, the distance between Chen Luo and Gao Xiaoqin had decreased to about one meter.

The elevator doors opened, and the three people stepped inside.

Chen Luo and Liu Mingyu remained silent, while Gao Xiaoqin recognized Chen Luo the moment she saw him. After all, who in Handong wouldn't pay attention to the political bigwigs of Handong?

The elevator felt somewhat oppressive. Although Chen Luo didn't say a word, Gao Xiaoqin could feel the suffocating pressure and regretted choosing this time to visit Qi Tongwei.

The elevator went up to the twelfth floor.

As soon as the door opened, Chen Luo and Liu Mingyu stepped out of the elevator. Seeing that Gao Xiaoqin had not come out of the elevator, Chen Luo paused.

Turning to Gao Xiaoqin, he said, "Since you're here to visit Qi Tongwei, let's go together. You didn't avoid suspicion when you should have, but now that we don't need to, you, a woman, are suddenly being cautious."

These words struck Gao Xiaoqin like a hammer blow to her heart, leaving her completely stunned.

Even after stepping out of the elevator, Gao Xiaoqin was still unable to calm her tense and even panicked state of mind.

"Hello, Secretary Chen!"

After taking a deep breath and preparing herself mentally, Gao Xiaoqin took the initiative to greet him. Chen Luo nodded and said, "Let's go, let's visit Director Qi together first."

I followed Chen Luo cautiously to the entrance of the intensive care unit. As soon as I arrived, Dean Xun of the Provincial Hospital was already waiting for me.

"Secretary Chen, you've arrived!"

After shaking hands with Dean Xun, Chen Luo asked with a smile, "Dean Xun, how has Director Qi been these past two days?"

Dean Xun's expression turned serious upon hearing this.

"Secretary Chen, Director Qi's condition has stabilized for the time being, but he still needs to stay in the intensive care unit for observation and recuperation for at least a month. The most serious injury on Director Qi's body is not actually the three gunshot wounds, but the internal organ damage and concussion caused by the explosion. At present, it is still unknown when he will wake up."

"Dean Xun, you must save Director Qi!"