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

"If it's about Hou Liangping, don't mention it."

In a word, it is clear and concise, leaving no room for maneuver.

Zhong Xiaoai opened her mouth, but all the words she had rehearsed on the plane, those emotional questions, those pleas that attempted to awaken the father-daughter affection, were all blocked in her throat, and not a single word could come out.

Zhong Zhengguo didn't look at her, turned around and walked towards the study.

"Come in."

That back figure was as stiff as a piece of iron.

Zhong Xiaoai bit her lip, pulled her suitcase, and followed in.

The study was filled with a strong smell of tobacco.

The ashtray on Zhong Zhengguo's large mahogany desk was already filled with cigarette butts.

Instead of sitting down, he walked around the table, picked up three brown paper envelopes, and slammed them on the table.

"Snapped!"

The sound was so crisp that it startled Zhong Xiaoai's heart.

"See for yourself!"

There was no warmth between father and daughter in Zhong Zhengguo's tone, only unquestionable orders.

Zhong Xiaoai put down the suitcase and walked to the desk.

Her eyes fell on the three file envelopes, each of which had two big words printed in eye-catching red Song font: Top Secret.

Her fingertips felt a little cold, and she slowly reached out and opened the first file bag.

There was only a piece of paper with a few lines of words inside, but every word was of great significance.

Preliminary report on the attack on 20th Group Army Commander Zhao Yuanchao in Handong. Investigation revealed that Zhao Yuanchao secretly arrived in Handong yesterday and subsequently lost contact. It has been confirmed that he was attacked by unidentified individuals in Jingzhou City, Handong Province. The Central Military Commission has attached great importance to this matter and has ordered the 20th Group Army to immediately enter a Level combat readiness state. Group Army Chief of Staff Comrade Zhou Shoujing has been ordered to lead the advance command group and depart for Handong immediately.

Zhong Xiaoai's pupils suddenly contracted.

Although she was not in the military system, her basic political knowledge allowed her to immediately understand the weight of these words combined.

What does it mean for a fully-staffed Class A group army to enter level one combat readiness?

Her heart sank, and before she could digest this shocking news, Zhong Zhengguo pointed at the second file bag with his chin.

Zhong Xiaoai opened it with trembling hands.

Urgent report on Comrade Zhao Yuanchao's condition. Comrade Zhao Yuanchao has been secretly transferred to Jingzhou General Hospital for emergency treatment. Preliminary diagnosis indicates a recurrence of an old chest injury, causing acute cardiac tamponade, and his life is in critical condition.

Relapse of old injury?

But then, Zhong Zhengguo's suppressed roar exploded in her ears like a thunderclap.

"How many heads does Hou Liangping have! How much courage does he have!"

Zhong Zhengguo's fingers nearly stabbed Zhong Xiaoai's nose. His eyes were bloodshot, and his facial muscles were twisted with extreme anger. "Zhao Yuanchao! That's Zhao Yuanchao! Back then on the Laoshan front, he was shot in the chest while trying to protect his comrades! The bullet missed his heart by less than two centimeters! Hou Liangping, that idiot, what right did he have! What qualifications does he have to torture him!"

Zhong Xiaoai felt her blood freeze in an instant.

She knew that Hou Liangping had done some things and used some means during the interrogation, but she didn't expect it to be so serious.

She looked at her father in disbelief, her head buzzing.

Hou Liangping...

Torturing a war hero?

A combat hero who could die at any time due to external impact?

This is not dereliction of duty or abuse of power, this is igniting the anger of a military entity in the most stupid way!

Zhong Zhengguo looked at his daughter's pale face without any mercy, but pushed the third document in front of her.

"Look! Keep looking!"

Zhong Xiaoai's gaze mechanically moved to the last document, and she pulled out the document paper almost instinctively.

The paper is very thin and light, but it feels heavy in the hand.

Emergency Order: In view of the serious violence and social unrest currently occurring in Handong Province, the highest level of the Provincial Emergency Plan—the counterinsurgency response mechanism—is hereby immediately activated. The Handong Military Region is authorized to coordinate with the 20th Group Army to immediately enter Handong Province, implement military control in key areas, and restore social order.

Counterinsurgency Mechanism...

The 20th Army entered Handong...

Martial law...

Chapter 70 Handong, facing a formidable enemy!

Every word was like a heavy hammer, hitting Zhong Xiaoai's nerves hard.

She finally understood what her father meant by "breaking the sky" on the phone.

This is not a local bureaucratic struggle, nor is it a factional struggle.

This is an act of war.

Hou Liangping's behavior was identified as a fuse sufficient to trigger the army to quell the rebellion.

He didn't arrest the wrong person, he detonated an arsenal.

The document in Zhong Xiaoai's hand fell onto the table with a "clatter". She took a step back, her body swaying slightly, her face as pale as paper.

All the confidence, determination, and plans she had built up on the plane were completely crushed and turned into dust in front of these cold documents with red stamps.

She raised her head and met her father's eyes burning with anger and disappointment.

Zhong Zhengguo looked at her distraught appearance, his tone as cold as ice, and asked word by word: "Now, do you still think you can rescue Hou Liangping?"

"say!"

……

When Zhong Zhengguo was training his daughter.

Inside the Handong Provincial Party Committee Building.

Handong Provincial Party Committee Building, top floor conference room.

The cigarette butts piled in the ashtray had long since cooled, but the air was still filled with the lingering smell of burnt tobacco.

Sitting at the huge oval conference table is the pinnacle of power in Handong Province.

Provincial Party Secretary Sha Ruijin sat in the main seat, his face as gloomy as the sky before a storm, so dark that water could be squeezed out of it.

His eyes, which usually held a gentle smile, were now sharp and cold, scanning everyone present like a hawk.

Gao Yuliang, deputy secretary of the provincial party committee and secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, sat upright.

He wore gold-rimmed glasses, and his gaze behind the lenses was deep and unfathomable. He maintained the elegant demeanor of a scholar-official as always, but his overly straight back revealed his inner tension.

Li Dakang, secretary of the Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee, is a completely different picture.

He leaned back in his chair like a volcano ready to erupt, his jawline tense.

Qi Tongwei, Director of the Public Security Department, Governor Liu, Tian Guofu, Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission, He Liming, Deputy Secretary of the Organization Department and the Political and Legal Affairs Commission...

All core members of the Handong Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee are present.

Only one person is missing.

The Prosecutor General of the Provincial People's Procuratorate is Ji Changming.

This vacant seat, like a silent warning, weighs heavily on everyone's heart.

Everyone knew that Ji Changming was probably in a room in the Provincial Public Security Bureau at this moment, sweating profusely as he faced questions from the military.

His two good subordinates, Hou Liangping and Chen Hai, created this huge hole.

As his immediate superior, he cannot escape blame.

It was only natural that he was the first to be pushed out as a sacrifice.

The conference room was eerily quiet.

Sha Ruijin did not pick up the document in front of him, but simply crossed his fingers, placed his hands on the table, and leaned forward slightly.

"I believe everyone here already knows what happened in Handong."

His voice was not loud, but it was extremely clear.

"I won't go into detail about the process. The process is no longer important."

Sha Ruijin's gaze swept across Li Dakang's ashen face, and paused for a second on Gao Yuliang's calm face.

"What's important is the result. The result is that the 20th Group Army has entered Handong, and parts of Jingzhou have been placed under military control. The higher-ups have activated the counterinsurgency emergency response mechanism."

He pronounced the word "suppress the rebellion" with great emphasis, like two heavy hammers, hitting everyone's nerves hard.

Gao Yuliang's eyelids twitched slightly.

Hou Liangping, his self-righteous student, actually got things to this point.

This is not just a simple political struggle, it is shaking the foundation of the country!

Li Dakang's chest heaved violently. He raised his head abruptly, his eyes filled with uncontrollable anger and...

panic.

He wanted to slam the table and ask what was going on, but he couldn't.

"Comrades,"

"Next, Handong will face an unprecedented earthquake. The epicenter of this earthquake is right beneath our feet. How high the magnitude and how much damage it will cause depends on the determination of those above us, as well as our own performance."

He paused and looked around the room again with a sharp gaze.

"The investigation team from above will arrive in Handong soon. The military investigation team has actually already begun its work. What will they investigate? How will they investigate? I think that since everyone here is an experienced comrade, I don't need to explain in detail."

"Now, I have only one request."

"From the moment we leave this conference room, the Handong Provincial Party Committee will have only one voice: the voice from above! Everyone and every department must unconditionally obey the overall situation and cooperate with the investigation."

"If anyone dares to engage in petty maneuvers, spread rumors, leak internal information, or attempt to confuse the public or interfere with the investigation at this time... that is no longer a matter of political discipline."

He didn't say what the consequences would be, but the thunderous power contained in the ellipsis made the temperature in the conference room drop a few degrees.