Back to 1978

Chapter 154: Invite Comrade Xie Hushan
Zhang Cheng sat in the steel plant's conference room, smoking one cigarette after another, his face as dark as the bottom of a pot.

Feng Chunlai, Han Hongbing, and Ge Baosheng, who was later sent by Han Laogou to inquire about the progress, all sat next to him, like wooden carvings or clay sculptures. Apart from smoking and breathing, they did not say a word and just watched the development of the situation quietly.

Opposite Zhang Cheng was Wu Jianzhong, the deputy director of the coking plant who was specially called from the subordinate coking plant of Bingyang Iron and Steel Plant.

He is Zhang Cheng's comrade-in-arms of the same year. The two were selected to join the army in the same year. After demobilization, these local veterans of the same year would get together and have a drink when they had nothing to do. After all, they were either in township communes, government agencies or factories and mines, and they usually had some personal exchanges with each other.

Less than an hour after Zhang Cheng and the Zhongping militia blocked the gate of the steel plant, Wu Jianzhong hurried over and promised to give Zhang Cheng an explanation. For the sake of his old comrade-in-arms, Zhang Cheng then ordered the gate to be opened and the factory resumed normal production.

Wu Jianzhong was indeed capable of doing things. He did not rush into the negotiations. Instead, he arranged for all the more than 100 Zhongping militia comrades who had come to the factory to drink water and eat, and sit down to rest and calm down.

After all this was settled, he finally went to the conference room with Zhang Cheng and others to formally discuss the issue.

Zhang Cheng took out a cigarette, sucked on the unextinguished cigarette butt, then threw the butt into the ashtray and said to Wu Jianzhong with a sad expression:
"Old Wu, you don't understand. I've been sitting here with you for so long because your steel mill is rich. Are the chairs comfortable to sit on? No!"

"Can this matter be resolved by returning the money and compensating Xie Hushan for his medical expenses? No!"

Wu Jianzhong looked at Zhang Cheng's behavior and always felt that he was talking nonsense.

Old Zhang looks old and doesn't talk much.

It was said that Huang Dawei from the security department of their steel plant, along with several workers, beat Xie Hushan, the director of public security of their Zhongping production brigade and director of the steel rolling mill, leaving him covered in bruises.

But until now, he has not seen Xie Hushan.

He did see several people including Huang Dawei from his own steel factory. They all had injuries and bald skin. It was doubtful whether they would be able to have children in the future. Their faces were covered with cigarette burns, which was considered disfigured.

The factory director surnamed Xie brought the militiamen to torture and obtain the confession last night. He said that these bastards blackmailed the out-of-town salesmen. The confession is now in the hands of the special commissioner surnamed Feng next to Zhang Cheng. If they don't give an explanation here, they will take the confession to the county bureau immediately.

Regardless of whether the confession was forced by torture, does the county bureau care? If not, the county bureau is not stupid and will definitely intervene formally.

The steel mill is now afraid of the county bureau's intervention. It's not because these bastards have powerful backgrounds and the steel mill is determined to protect them, but because the factory has its own public security department, which is only in name only under the jurisdiction of the county bureau, and there has never been a chance for the county bureau to intervene.

Once this door is opened, the county bureau will arrange a case-handling team to move in and slowly investigate. If it turns out to be the same thing after ten days or half a month, or even after three or five years, how many waves will that cause?

Want to close the case?
It's not that Wu Jianzhong hasn't dealt with the county bureau before. The county bureau was so poor that the entire public security bureau had only one car and six Changjiang sidecars. Whenever they encountered any major incidents, they had to borrow cars from everywhere.

Their eyes were green with envy. If they didn't seize this opportunity that fell from the sky and pull at least five 212s from the steel plant, would they be worthy of the opportunity provided to them by the people of Zhongping?
The confession admitted that they had committed several extortion cases before, and the amount of money involved was several thousand yuan. If the confession is handed over to the county bureau, the steel plant security department will be fined to death, and the people will have to be replaced!
There is no chance of overturning the verdict even if the lawsuit is taken to a higher level, because no matter which level of leadership intervenes, they just want to make money from the steel plant.

Who made them rich? These bastards have solid evidence!
"Yes, we can't keep dragging it out. You, Zhang, have to draw some lines too." Wu Jianzhong said to Zhang Cheng:
"Comrade Xie Hushan was injured. We can arrange for the factory leaders to express their condolences and apologize, but you are now one or two hundred people in the steel plant cafeteria, making the steel plant workers panic. To be honest, what if they make unreasonable troubles and block the gate as soon as you open your mouth?" "In the final analysis, we still have to make this misunderstanding caused by hooliganism..."

When Zhang Cheng heard Wu Jianzhong say that Xie Hushan was a hooligan, he slammed the table:
"Old Wu! Speak more politely. Who is being rude?"

"I have raised Hu San'er since he was a child. There is nothing wrong with him. He has a good family background, a firm stance, is kind and honest, and is down-to-earth and hardworking!"

"So many people have read the manuscript, but I have only seen true disdain on this child's face! His righteousness and humanity are impeccable!"

"As for honors, I became a militia platoon leader at the age of 16, and a brigade security director at the age of 19. Whether it's collective honors or personal honors, they are too numerous to count."

"Not to mention the commune, the winter before last, the county organized a county-wide militia competition, and he won first place in bayonet combat, and the county armed forces minister personally presented the award. Last winter, the county held a battle for the Douzhuang Reservoir project, and he led the Zhongping militia battalion to win two red flags, and Secretary Chen of the county party committee personally met with him."

"Tell me now, how could such an outstanding rural youth, who has been received by county leaders, come and behave like a hooligan with the family members of your factory workers?"

"He is nineteen years old, and your relative must be thirty years old. To put it bluntly, even if it is true, it is that woman who took advantage of my apprentice!"

"When I rushed over and saw him, my legs were weak and my whole body was covered with wounds. Both of my knees were twisted backwards from being hit."

"The people of Zhongping are making trouble unreasonably? If the Zhongping Production Brigade really made trouble unreasonably, it would not be me who came, but Secretary Han who brought the entire brigade to block the county compound and ask whether the county will control the capitalists who are waving the flag of the country! Come and rob the Zhongping farmers! Beat up the Zhongping cadres!"

"He might be dying right now, and you are still slandering him like this! Is this how you show your sincerity?!!!"

Zhang Cheng became angrier and angrier as he spoke, so angry that the ash from the cigarette in his mouth fell onto his pants, and he was snoring in panic.

A steel plant cadre came in from outside, smiled at Zhang Cheng, then spoke in a low voice to Wu Jianzhong, the deputy director of the coking plant who was mediating the negotiations, put a stack of reports in front of him, and then walked out quickly.

After Wu Jianzhong heard the whispers from the visitor, a smile appeared on his face. He flipped through the report in front of him and pointed at the angry Zhang Cheng and scolded him with a smile:
"Lao Zhang, we were both selected as soldiers of the same year. I knew you were a worthless person back then. How old are you now? Why are you still playing tricks on me? Are you still kidding me with your comrades of the same year?"

"He's covered in blood, and he's almost dead. His knees were turned backwards from being hit. What's going on? Is your disciple a dog? Why is his knees turned backwards?"

"Old Wu, how can you talk like that? Don't bring up our friendship as comrades. Now..." Zhang Cheng was immediately dissatisfied and was about to start a fight with a frown. Wu Jianzhong laughed, pushed the report in front of Zhang Cheng, and said:
"Don't be impatient, let me finish. If you didn't say he had comminuted fractures all over his body, does that mean he's dead?"

"Someone, please invite Comrade Xie Hushan in, so that Minister Zhang can have a look and put his mind at ease."

(End of this chapter)