In the name of supernatural powers

Chapter 150 Collusion
With the restoration of radio communications in Nankaido, the federal government was able to effectively mobilize its forces at the grassroots level.

One phone call after another connected, eventually transforming into a unified will.

Ten minutes after communications were restored, the repatriation of residents of Fangchenggang was finalized, and the task began to be distributed to all levels of government.

Within twenty minutes of communication being restored, public security departments and fire departments in various cities, towns, and counties learned of the mission and began preparations and assembly.

Thirty minutes after communications were restored, the repatriation teams departed from various locations.

Forty minutes after communications were restored, vehicles belonging to a repatriation team composed of county-level personnel arrived.

"Please make way, the elderly, children and women have priority to board the bus."

"Don't rush, the danger has passed, even if you have to walk, you can get back."

"The staff over there should direct the crowd so they don't crowd together."

Communication was restored within an hour, roads were cleared, vehicles began to pass, and the elderly and children were given priority for evacuation.

Two hours after communications were restored, the sky had completely darkened, and the repatriation operation was completed.

Everyone went back to their respective homes to find their respective mothers.

The city officials cannot rest yet; there is still much work to be done.

At nine o'clock in the evening, Lu Zhao met Zhao De again.

Downstairs at the municipal building, Wei Jiahong was talking with Zhao De, while Lu Zhao and Wang Tong came to report back.

Wei Jiahong noticed the two from afar and walked over enthusiastically, beaming with smiles, saying, "Our two heroes are back."

He took the initiative to extend his hand and shake hands with Wang Tong.

"Comrade Wang Tong was entrusted with a critical mission this time, leading a team to Ant Ridge outpost to fight against the monsters. His courage is commendable. I heard that you also led a team to kill a third-tier monster. I will apply for a first-class merit for you later."

Wang Tong, suppressing his nausea, said, "This is not entirely my achievement; the credit goes to Comrade Lu Zhao."

As he spoke, he let go and turned to the side.

Lu Zhao, who had been silent to the side, showed surprise in his eyes.

Logically, Wang Tong, as the commander, should have taken the credit. Even if Lu Zhao made the decision at the time, Wang Tong's lack of opposition was tantamount to support.

This means that opinions were effectively listened to and the task was completed.

If successful, the commander will be credited.

Conversely, if it fails, he will be held responsible.

Lu Zhao himself is not responsible, even if he was the one who proposed the plan.

But Wang Tong attributed the credit to him. What was he trying to do?
And then there's Wei Jiahong, who hadn't shown up before, but suddenly appeared now.

After a moment's thought, Lu Zhao had already made up his mind.

Wei Jiahong was trying to make amends for his mistake. He had backed down at the last minute and shifted the blame to Zhao De, and he would be held accountable afterward.

If causing significant losses would have resulted in imprisonment, now that everything has passed peacefully, at the very least, it's just a dismissal from office.

He wasn't doing this to steal credit; his superiors aren't stupid, they can see through his little trick.

Wei Jiahong was trying to salvage the situation by doing the bare minimum; at least he could later use the excuse of assisting with the cleanup to cover it up.

Wang Tong was simply doing others a favor; after all, it was a first-class merit award, but it would look better on a resume and be more conducive to promotion.

"It turns out it was Station Chief Lu who was in command. I had heard that Station Chief Lu was exceptionally capable, and he was rated as outstanding every year for his three years of border defense. This time, we are very grateful to Station Chief Lu, otherwise, we don't know how many people in Ant Ridge would have died."

With a smile on his old face, Wei Jiahong turned around and extended his hand to Lu Zhao.

They seemed to have completely forgotten the heated exchange between them not long ago.

Now that he is in a weak position, he no longer dares to aspire to the position of city governor, and only hopes that Lu Zhao and Zhao De will show leniency.

Lu Zhao looked at Wei Jiahong quietly, a thought rising in his mind.

I can win over Wei Jiahong and use Liu's influence to protect him; that way, I can gain a dog.

The teacher once said that it is better to make mistakes than to make merits, and it is better to forgive crimes than to forgive virtues and talents.

It is better to protect a guilty person than a virtuous one. A virtuous person does not necessarily need to rely on themselves, but a guilty person can only rely on you.

Therefore, subordinates can only obtain more resources by exposing some mistakes to their superiors.

This is what his teacher taught him.

Two seconds passed, and Wei Jiahong's hand hovered in mid-air, his expression gradually stiffening.

Lu Zhao asked, "With flood prevention at the forefront, where was Deputy Mayor Wei in charge of the work before? I don't think I've seen you around."

He understood the principles, and when it came to political maneuvering, Lu Zhao was more astute than most officials. If someone was more capable than him, then Lu Zhao would have no choice but to resort to his astonishing "political tactics."

But he doesn't need to do that; Lu Zhao won't break his own power.

As long as he has no blemishes, the enemy can't do anything to him. Even if he's given a hard time, at most he'll be transferred to a low-level government office.

As long as he isn't kicked out of the power arena, he'll eventually be on the table.

Even without the Liu faction, there would be the Wang faction.

He would serve any faction as long as it didn't violate his principles. However, the Liu faction was the first to extend an olive branch, and he chose them.

Since he didn't need the other party, Lu Zhao naturally wanted to kick that old bastard Wei Jiahong as hard as he could.

"..."

Wei Jiahong's anxiety finally subsided, and his old face gradually became rosy again.

After a moment, he suppressed his emotions and said with a face full of guilt, "I suddenly fell ill and fainted. When I woke up, I was already in Yulin County. I am truly ashamed that I was unable to uphold justice at such a critical moment..."

Lu Zhao bluntly stated, "If you're going to shirk responsibility, then shirk responsibility. Don't pretend you're sick."

"..."

Wei Jiahong's face turned bright red, and an uncontrollable anger ignited in his heart.

If it weren't for the development of second-tier life forms, he might have already suffered a heart attack.

What Lu Zhao said is true, but how could you say it out loud?
Before he could catch his breath, Lu Zhao continued, "Federal officials can apply for early retirement at sixty. Why didn't you retire earlier? Deputy Mayor Wei, you're too old to cause trouble." Wang Tong looked at Lu Zhao, his eyes filled with admiration.

Zhao De had expected this, but he couldn't help but smile.

The only way to deal with Lu Zhao is to intimidate him with power, not to bribe him into making peace. As soon as a weakness is revealed, he will seize the opportunity.

The best way to fight against someone like him is to make things difficult for him and smear him, using your immense power to ruin his reputation and pin fabricated charges on him.

However, Lu Zhao now has powerful backing, and Marquis Liu Wu will not allow anyone to do such a thing to Lu Zhao.

As a result, everyone can only compete within the limits allowed by the rules, and Wei Jiahong is facing an "indestructible" person.

And this kid holds a grudge.

Wei Jiahong turned to Zhao De and said, "Mayor Zhao, he insulted me. Is this acceptable? Insulting a superior is a blatant disregard for the law!"

If he can't unite with Lu Zhao, he can unite with Zhao De.

Zhao De suppressed his smile and replied, "Vice Mayor Wei, Lu Zhao did not insult you; what he said is true."

In the end, Wei Jiahong knew he wouldn't get away with it, so he snorted and turned to leave.

Zhao De laughed and said, "You really aren't afraid of offending people."

Lu Zhao said, "I'm already being very polite by not using foul language. Many people start by using foul language when criticizing others."

Zhao De said, "That was directed at subordinates. This is the first time I've ever seen a subordinate official questioning a superior."

When faced with mistakes made by their subordinates, almost all leaders start by asking "Should I draft a plan?" instead of pretending to be profound or mysterious.

Before I became a leader, I was scolded for making mistakes. Now that I'm a leader, I can't scold others. Wouldn't that make me a leader for nothing?

Lu Zhao said, "Even if he were the federal chief, I would still curse him if he ran away in this situation."

"Makes sense."

Zhao De nodded in agreement, then invited, "I happen to have some free time now, let me take you back to the border post."

Sending me this was just an excuse; there's something else we need to discuss.

Lu Zhao understood perfectly and nodded, saying, "Okay."

It was the same car. Wang Tong was driving, and Lu Zhao and Zhao De sat in the back.

Outside the window, city residents and firefighters worked together to clear trees flattened by the tsunami and remove silt.

"After this disaster, the administrative level of Fang City will be upgraded due to the invasion of giant beasts."

Zhao De said, "If nothing unexpected happens, it will transform from an ordinary border city into a city directly under the jurisdiction of a prefecture."

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhao immediately recalled the course content.

Officials have administrative ranks, and so do cities.

Federal cities are divided into six types: capital cities, prefectural cities, county cities, federal cities, provincial cities, and local cities.

The capital city is the highest level, followed by the prefecture-level capital.

The capital city of a province is usually the political, cultural, educational, medical, and transportation center of the entire province. It gathers the best resources of the entire province and is colloquially known as a "bloodsucker."

The federal provinces cover a vast area, and in order to better govern and share the burden of the capital, county towns were established as deputy capitals.

To take over industries that the capital city has phased out or no longer wants.

Fangshi is a local city, a city with little distinctive features and little influence.

Its sole function was to smuggle beef, using the overseas Sanjiang area as a cattle farm to supply the upper classes of Cangwu.

As the name suggests, a municipality directly under the central government is a place where resources can be concentrated to accomplish major tasks.

Direct jurisdiction means that the province provides financial and personnel arrangements, while federal jurisdiction means that the federal government provides financial and personnel arrangements.

Only two provinces in the entire Federation are directly governed: Nankai Province and Bodong Province.

The only reason for Fangchenggang to be upgraded to a directly administered municipality is to strengthen the military power in this area and build a military town capable of resisting the invasion of giant beasts.

Zhao De revealed, "I just received news that I will continue to serve as the city's executive director."

Although the official order has not yet been issued, his retention and promotion are almost a certainty.

Because he took responsibility when the disaster struck, that alone was enough to warrant leniency.

Even a promotion could mean going from a local city executive to a municipality executive.

Opportunities and dangers coexist.

“As the only military unit in Fangshi, the Ant Ridge Border Station may be upgraded to the regimental level. I can leave Ant Ridge alone without interfering with personnel arrangements and give you an additional 100,000 mu of farmland.”

Lu Zhao's heart beat slightly faster.

Battalion level and regimental level are only one level higher, but they are a watershed.

The former is merely a tactical unit, while the latter is a tactical corps. One is a unit that can only execute orders, while the other is a corps with a certain degree of command authority.

And they can have more personnel and weapons.

If the border station were to become a border regiment, then it could set up an artillery battery on the hilltop.

Moreover, since Fang City has become a directly administered municipality of the prefecture, if he goes to Nankaido in the future, as long as he is under the security system, Ant Ridge will be his base.

The outstanding soldiers trained here can be promoted and directly assigned to serve under him.

Lu Zhao asked, "What do I need to do?"

"I want Wei Jiahong to go to jail. All you have to do is cooperate with me."

A hint of coldness appeared on Zhao De's face.

Now the other party is a stray dog, but that's far from enough. He wants to uproot the Wei family completely and ensure that Wei Jiahong suffers eternal damnation.

The principle of "fighting without breaking apart" applies to equals, not to anyone who comes along and the fight continues without breaking apart.

Since Wei Jiahong dared to fire the first shot, he shouldn't blame Zhao De for going after him mercilessly.

(End of this chapter)