In the name of supernatural powers

Chapter 125 Zhao De Makes a Move
July 21st.

Fangshi, Municipal Executive Office.

A call came into Wei Jiahong's personal cell phone, and his daughter's anxious voice came through.

"Dad, something terrible has happened. One of our company's branches has been seized, and the China Banking Regulatory Commission has frozen our bank accounts."

Wei Jiahong frowned slightly and said, "Didn't I tell you to stop buying rice recently?"

As early as when the border station was reorganized into the border garrison corps, he instructed his subordinates to be more restrained, especially those in the Ant Ridge area.

The daughter replied, "I told them, but the people below don't listen at all and are still buying rice. Even if we don't buy it, the local branch managers will buy it, or even bypass us to sell it."

Wei's Grain and Rice started with Wei Jiahong, but it will absolutely not stop because of his words. The entire gray market has countless mouths to feed; they won't give up just because there's risk.

Unless the entire interest group is uprooted, there will still be people who take the risk.

"Dad, are we going to go to jail?"

"I'm still a municipal law enforcement officer; who dares to investigate us?"

Wei Jiahong snorted coldly and said, "Just do what you always do, push a supervisor out to take the blame, and I'll handle it for you. It's just a problem in one branch; there's no need to investigate the entire company."

"Besides, it's one of the top ten outstanding companies, so don't worry too much, I'll handle it."

hang up the phone.

Wei Jiahong then called the Dali Division, the Supervisory Division, the Commercial Supervisory Division, and other departments.

"Hello? Is this Director Zhang? This is Wei Jiahong. You've heard about what happened in the Ant Ridge area today, right? Well then, I won't beat around the bush."

"This matter is egregious, damaging federal interests, disrupting the grain procurement process, and interfering with market dynamics. I believe it should be thoroughly investigated, the culprits brought to justice, and the people given an explanation."

"We must thoroughly investigate the local units that purchase rice, and we will show absolutely no leniency. However, we must also give outstanding enterprises a chance and control the scope of our crackdown to avoid causing trouble."

"Don't hold back, investigate thoroughly."

The two "certainties" demonstrated Mayor Wei's determination and also made his meaning clear to his subordinates.

------------

On the other side, Zhao De had just finished buying his necessities and was carrying large and small bags into the house allocated by the Federation.

The apartment had three bedrooms and one living room, but the wife complained that it was too small and didn't suit her status as a city executive's wife, so she insisted on living in a villa.

Zhao De got fed up with the criticism, so he used insider connections to buy a villa.

He originally preferred this place because it was close to the city administration building, only a ten-minute walk away every day.

Ring ring ring!
The phone suddenly rang; it was Xu Zhenhua calling.

The call connected, and a rather anxious voice came through.

"Boss, something's happened."

"Someone died at Ant Ridge?"

This was the most serious thing Zhao Deneng could think of: Lu Zhao was too reckless and accidentally killed someone in the struggle with Wei Jiahong.

This led to the situation I encountered some time ago. The task force took advantage of the situation and stormed into the state, obtaining a large amount of evidence that was unfavorable to me.

Lu Zhao killed the grain depot officials, and the consequences will be extremely serious. Especially since he is only a first-tier transcendent, and doesn't have the 'get-out-of-jail-free card' of a third-tier transcendent.

If Wei Jiahong seizes the opportunity, he may very well get rid of Lu Zhao.

This is something Zhao De didn't want to see.

On the one hand, if he couldn't protect Lu Zhao, he wouldn't be able to fulfill his promise to Lin Zhiyan. On the other hand, from a federal perspective, society needs people like Lu Zhao.

Xu Zhenhua replied, "No, Lu Zhao sealed off the Wei family's grain branch in Ant Ridge."

"That's good, Lu Zhao has discovered Wei Jiahong's weakness."

Zhao De remained calm.

This was the result of his guidance. As long as Lu Zhao and Wei Jiahong broke off relations, he could also take advantage of Lu Zhao's favor by making a move.

"Get ready, notify some of the officers in charge, and have them arrest Wei Jiahong's daughter..."

Xu Zhenhua interrupted, "But it seems Lu Zhao has solved the grain depot problem. Huang Qifeng said that production activities in Ant Ridge have resumed. Lu Zhao set up some kind of village grain and farmers' association, replacing the grain depot with farmers!"

“Now Lu Zhao doesn’t need our help anymore; he’s solved the problem himself.”

Should farmers replace grain depots?

Zhao De was slightly taken aback, then confirmed, "He bypassed the grain depot and other production management units, and went directly to the farmers?"

“Yes, and it’s about letting the farmers govern themselves,” Xu Zhenhua said. “The head of the village grain and farmers’ association is the director of a grain depot, and the remaining eighty so-called directors are all farmers.”

Did he bypass the system and directly control the peasantry at the bottom?

How is this done?
Zhao De stood there, stunned.

He had considered how Lu Zhao could break the deadlock, but the final conclusion was always that there wasn't enough time. For example, the most effective method was to divide and conquer, and if the local grain depot leaders didn't want to do their jobs, they could replace them with others; no one is irreplaceable.

But the rice harvest is not going to be easy. Lu Zhao will have to figure out the situation slowly. As long as the production task is not completed, he will be punished.

But Zhao De never imagined that Lu Zhao could control the farmers in such a short time.

Mobilizing the masses is far more difficult than winning over officials, especially in this peaceful era.

A federation is a modern nation, and a major marker of the shift from the ancient to the modern is the change in political subjectivity.

The political body of the federation consists of federal citizens, who make up 70% of the population, namely Chinese farmers.

This is a basic consensus.

Otherwise, the Federation would not have been able to mobilize so many people to the battlefield during the Great Patriotic War.

As a city executive, Zhao De is able to recognize the power of farmers, but to be honest, he can only rally urban residents at most.

And the focus is on appeasement. For example, if a severe flu outbreak occurs in the city, a certain degree of control measures are needed, which disrupts the daily lives of residents.

In this situation, if Zhao De steps in to calm things down, most city residents will be more tolerant. But if he were to shout, "There are bad guys in the city government! Everyone, follow me and charge!"

No one will pay attention to him, for the simple reason that we live in a time of peace.

After a long silence, Zhao De's confusion dissipated into a sigh: "Let's take action and bring down Wei Jiahong."

Xu Zhenhua said, "Sir, this is not good for us. Perhaps we can exchange it with Wei Jiahong."

"Is he worthy?"

Zhao De sneered and warned, "You should remember this: don't get close to people like Wei Jiahong. He might just cause trouble for you at any time."

“If we don’t deal with him today, someone else will take him down tomorrow. It just so happens that we are that person, and as federal officials, we have a duty to do our job.”

Xu Zhenhua said, "But how will you get out of this predicament?"

Zhao De replied, "That's for later. After this matter is over, you can look for another place."

Xu Zhenhua firmly replied: "A loyal minister does not serve two masters. A leader is a leader for a day, and a leader is a leader for life."

"It seems I've gained something unexpected."

Zhao De laughed heartily, showing no sign of frustration. He revealed, "My life development has reached 560 points. Marquis Chen Wu prepared a precious pill for me, and I can reach the fourth level in a year at most."

Congratulations, boss!

Xu Zhenhua's voice was very excited, as if he had won the lottery.

This is why he was so loyal, and also why many of Zhao De's former subordinates were unwilling to leave.

Some mistakes are devastating for a third-tier transcendent, but they are minor for a fourth-tier transcendent, and nothing at all for a fifth-tier transcendent.

Zhao De is not an ordinary third-tier cultivator, but a third-tier cultivator who is about to break through to the fourth tier.

The two are completely different in nature.

It's not just people at Zhao De's level who receive preferential treatment; even first and second-tier extraordinary individuals are given priority. For example, every year, a team from the Dao level comes down to assess and rank local extraordinary individuals.

Once someone reaches the second level, many people will immediately come to visit and offer gifts, and even the once arrogant leaders will become polite.

Then this person will rise like a rocket, until they reach the rank they deserve.

In the Federation, life development is the top priority.
-
Ant Ridge Border Station.

Today is another sunny day, and the flood prevention work has been basically completed.

The only problem is that the logistics department is short of flood control supplies, and the border garrison corps does not have the funds to replenish them.

It's unlikely that we can get an emergency supplement from higher authorities. Getting funding is already difficult enough, so getting additional financial support is practically impossible.

Lu Zhao suddenly found himself with some free time.

He could only meditate and cultivate in his office, constantly taking life-sustaining supplements. He used to drink them sparingly, but now he only regretted that he couldn't drink so many.

As the top local official, his purchase quota for life-saving supplements was unlimited. Furthermore, with the substantial revenue from farmland, the border station's life-saving supplement supply could be reduced to cost price.

The deficit is subsidized by the border station's finances.

A bottle of Langpai Tequ costs 100 yuan. Lu Zhao's current salary is 30,000 yuan, which is enough to buy 300 bottles.

Drinking five bottles a day resulted in an improvement of 0.15-0.18.

The daily increase in vitality will be due to Lu Zhao's improved cultivation and the improvement in the quality of the life supplements he takes, with the latter showing the most significant improvement.

If Lu Zhao takes five bottles of intermediate-level life supplements a day, his cultivation speed can reach 0.2.

However, the garrison at Ant Ridge did not have this level of rations.

[Vitality: 44.4]

"This number is unlucky."

Lu Zhao said this, but he was secretly overjoyed.

Ring ring ring!
The phone rang, and Lu Zhao saw that it was an unfamiliar number with an address in Cangwu.

After the call was connected, an unfamiliar female voice came through.

"Excuse me, are you Comrade Lu Zhao?"

"it's me."

"Hello, this is the South China Sea Extraordinary Assessment Department. As is customary, the annual assessment period is approaching. Do you have time to participate in the assessment?"

"When exactly?"

"The assessment team will arrive in Fang City in one month. If you wish to participate, you will be notified by phone. If it is inconvenient for you to participate at the moment, you can apply to the local municipal government later to undergo assessment and evaluation at the Extraordinary Assessment Department in Cangwu City."

"I attended."

"I have registered you. Please make your own travel arrangements."

The cultivation of extraordinary individuals is the second most important political task besides agricultural production. Every year, the Daoist Administration Bureau issues corresponding targets, requiring relevant units to assess and rate all extraordinary individuals within the Daoist realm.

At the same time, considering that the vast majority of extraordinary individuals hold public office, assessment teams were set up to go down to the local level.

The assessment content is very simple. It mainly involves a detailed calculation of the level of life development, followed by the degree of development of various parts of the body.

Despite having the same vitality, physical abilities can vary drastically. This is especially true for superhumans below the third tier, some of whom are constantly taking medicine.

Having vitality without proper exercise.

Lu Zhao participated every year, but due to the scarcity of resources, he drank low-grade and inferior life supplements, so his assessment results were not ideal.

However, since Lu Zhao is outstanding in all aspects except for vitality, the assessment team usually gives him some life-sustaining supplements as a reward.

As for the rest, that's beyond the control of these working-class people.

(End of this chapter)