Hou Liangping arrested a hawkish general, and his father-in-law panicked

Zhao Donglai felt dizzy.

What minefield, what nuclear bunker...

To him, these words seemed like myths from another distant world.

He is just the director of a city's public security bureau, and what he faces every day are thieves, robbers and financial disputes.

But now, because of the security lapses in his own area, he was implicated in a giant who was considering a nuclear counterattack strategy.

He felt like he was not standing in the provincial party committee meeting room, but in the dock of a military court.

He Liming's hands on the table were shaking.

He looked at the resolute-looking soldier on the screen, and then thought that he might have met with an accident in some dark corner of Jingzhou, and a huge fear gripped him.

What he feared was not just losing his job, but becoming a historical sinner.

Only Ji Changming managed to maintain his composure.

But the knuckles of his hands, crossed on his abdomen, had turned slightly white from excessive exertion.

He knew better than anyone else what Sha Ruijin's intention was in playing this video.

This is not about popularizing military knowledge, it is about "revealing one's identity."

Sha Ruijin was telling all of them in this way: What you have lost is not an ordinary cadre on secondment, not a second-generation military officer who is here to gild his resume, but the country's top strategic think tank and the future pillar of the army!

Zhao Yuanchao's speech continued, and the laser pointer pointed at the beautiful coastline on the southeast coast.

"The southeastern coast is our weak spot and must become our sharp knife to pierce the enemy. I advocate the establishment of at least two fully staffed amphibious combat armies. Our defense cannot begin from the beachhead; that would be too passive."

He waved his hand across the map and drew a striking red line three hundred nautical miles from the coastline.

"This line is our frontier defense line! We must be able to turn any aircraft carrier battle group that dares to approach into a pile of expensive underwater scrap metal. Asymmetric warfare, asymmetric equipment, and developing our own aircraft carrier 'nemesis' are the key!"

In the video, hundreds of senior military officers in the audience stood up and applauded thunderously.

But in this small meeting room in Jingzhou, there was deathly silence.

The video ends and the screen goes dark.

Sha Ruijin turned off the projection, and the glaring light illuminated everyone's face again.

Without exception, those faces looked even more pale than before.

They all understand.

The weight of the name Zhao Yuanchao far exceeded their initial expectations.

The safety of this person is no longer just a political earthquake in Handong Province, it is enough to shake the nerves of the entire country.

Sha Ruijin finally sat down slowly, his fingers tapping lightly on the table, again and again, tapping everyone's heart.

"Do you understand everything?"

He finally spoke again, his voice no longer expressing emotion or joy. "Now, who's going to speak first?"

As Sha Ruijin finished speaking, the air in the conference room froze into ice.

Everyone lowered their heads, their gaze fixed on the table in front of them, wondering what cosmic mysteries lay hidden in the dark wood grain.

The light was pale.

No one dared to respond to this question. Whoever spoke first might be the first to be killed by this black pot that fell from the sky.

Time passed second by second, Sha Ruijin's fingers stopped tapping, and the only sound in the room was the faint hum of the air-conditioning vents.

His gaze swept over everyone's heads, and finally, landed accurately on Gao Yuliang.

"Secretary Gao,"

Sha Ruijin's voice was emotionless, yet it made everyone's heart leap into their throats. "Tell me about it."

Gao Yuliang, whose name was called, slowly raised his head with his signature gentle yet distant scholarly smile on his face.

He adjusted his glasses calmly. The video that was enough to overturn the Handong officialdom was just a teaching video played in his class.

"Secretary Sha,"

He spoke, his voice rich and steady, each word enunciated with perfect precision. "My opinion is simple. Comrade Zhao Yuanchao is a pillar of the country. His safety is the overriding priority for Handong Province right now. We must unconditionally and resolutely carry out all instructions from the Central Committee and Secretary Sha. All actions must be under Secretary Sha's command."

These words were flawless, not only showing the attitude, but also kicking the ball back to Sha Ruijin's feet.

What he was saying was: You are the squad leader, you have the final say on this matter, and we all follow you.

But he didn't mention a word about how to calculate it specifically.

Zhao Donglai and He Liming were almost in awe of Gao Yuliang's Tai Chi skills.

Just as this delicate balance was about to be formed again, a shrill cell phone ring suddenly broke the silence in the conference room.

hum - hum - hum -

The sound was not loud, but it went straight into everyone's mind.

Everyone's eyes suddenly focused on the source of the sound - the Chief Prosecutor of the Provincial Procuratorate, Ji Changming.

Ji Changming was hit by the electric current and trembled violently.

The hand on his abdomen subconsciously pressed into his pocket, trying to cover up the vibration that was like a death warrant.

But it's too late.

Sha Ruijin's gaze, Gao Yuliang's gaze, and the frightened gazes of He Liming and Zhao Donglai pinned him to the spot.

It is him again!

It’s Hou Liangping again, that ignorant little monkey!

Ji Changming felt his blood run cold in an instant.

How many times has this happened today?

The third or fourth time?

He couldn't remember clearly, but he knew that every time the bell rang, his political life was shortened.

Sha Ruijin's brows were twisted into a knot, and the displeasure on his face was clearly visible.

He doesn't like surprises, and he especially dislikes surprises that interrupt his agenda again and again.

"Ji Changming,"

His voice turned cold. "Who's calling? Answer it."

"I……"

Ji Changming opened his mouth, but his throat felt like a ball of cotton, making it very dry.

He forced a smile that was uglier than crying, and frantically took out his cell phone from his pocket. Cold sweat had soaked his back.

"It's...it's Hou Liangping from the Anti-Corruption Bureau, Zhong Xiaoai's husband."

He stammered as he explained, specifically mentioning Zhong Xiaoai's name, grasping at a life-saving straw.

"I'll turn off my phone right now! I won't affect the meeting!"

As he spoke, his fingers trembled as he was about to press the red hang-up button.

"Don't close it."

Sha Ruijin's voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable command.

Ji Changming's fingers froze in mid-air.

Sha Ruijin stared at him.

"catch."

He said only one word.

After a pause, he added, "If they keep calling me, there must be something serious going on. I want to hear what it is. It's more important than Comrade Zhao Yuanchao's safety."

To Ji Changming, these words were like the final judgment.

He felt a burning pain on his cheeks, and his face turned from pale to ashen.

He knew that he had no way out.

Under the gaze of the provincial party secretary, he could only bite the bullet, swipe the answer button with trembling fingers, and subconsciously click on the hands-free mode.

Perhaps he was too nervous, or perhaps he subconsciously wanted to let all the leaders present hear how serious this trouble was.

As soon as the call was connected, Hou Liangping's loud voice, full of energy and even with a hint of taking credit, burst out from the receiver and echoed throughout the conference room.

"Hey! Old Ji! What's wrong with you? You haven't answered the phone for a long time! Can't you hear me or what?"

Ji Changming wanted to die.

However, this is just the beginning.

Hou Liangping didn't even give him a chance to answer, and continued to speak to himself, "Hurry up and contact Sha Ruijin for me! Tell him that I, Hou Liangping, have something important to ask him to do!"

"Tell... him to do it?"

silence.

Dead silence.

Every word in Hou Liangping's voice hit the floor of the conference room and hit everyone's heart.

Explain?

A director of the investigation department of the Anti-Corruption Bureau is going to "assign" a provincial party secretary to do something?

Zhao Donglai widened his eyes and opened his mouth slightly. He wondered if he was hallucinating because of too much pressure.

He Liming's hand on the table shook violently, knocking over the teacup in front of him. With a "clang", the scalding hot tea spilled all over the table, but he was completely unaware and just stared at Ji Changming's mobile phone.

The smile on Gao Yuliang's face completely froze, and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.

For the first time, an expression of disbelief and astonishment flashed across his deep eyes, and then was replaced by a complex and incomprehensible light.

As for Sha Ruijin, he sat there motionless, his face as gloomy as water.

No one could see his expression at the moment, they only felt that the air pressure around him suddenly dropped.