1978: A Literary Giant Who Began His Military Service

Chapter 148 Get this sorted out for me!

Director Ding practically rushed into the Army Academy's office.

Clutching a newspaper tightly in his hand, he shouted loudly towards the political commissar behind his desk who was reviewing documents, "Old political commissar! Something terrible has happened!"

The political commissar looked up at him, put down his pen, and asked with a hint of surprise, "What's got you so flustered?"

Director Ding strode forward, slammed the newspaper on the table, and pointed to the front-page article, saying urgently, "Look at this!"

The political commissar leaned over and glanced at the contents of the newspaper. His previously calm expression instantly turned serious, and his brows furrowed tightly.

He tapped his fingertips lightly on the table twice, the force light but conveying a sense of seriousness: "This is really a troublesome matter."

"That's right!" Director Ding said anxiously. "A group of people demanded an explanation, and they caused quite a stir!"

The political commissar withdrew his gaze, his expression still serious. He paused, then tapped his fingertips heavily on the table. "This is a hot potato; we won't take it, nor can we afford to. But we have to manage... supervise..."

"Besides, such a big matter, and Xiao Zhou didn't even discuss it with us. Go and call Zhou Xu over here!" Political Commissar Ding coughed.

Upon hearing this, Director Ding nodded silently.

Soon, Zhou Xu was summoned by Director Ding with a phone call.

However, Zhou Xu has never been a composed middle-aged or elderly person. He is also a young man, and when anger gets to him, he is capable of anything. So he wrote these things into a newspaper and published them.

Of course, since he dared to send it out, he was prepared to be criticized. He thought that at most he would be criticized, and after all, he had three first-class merits, which was equivalent to a life-saving charm.

Political Commissar Ding looked up at Zhou Xu, his tone calm but with a hint of inquiry: "Do you know why I called you over?"

Zhou Xu straightened his back and immediately replied loudly, "Reporting to the political commissar! I know! It's about what was reported in the newspaper!"

Political Commissar Ding looked at his tense expression and slowly nodded: "You are quite clever."

Zhou Xu's heart tightened, and he quickly took a deep breath, his tone sincere: "Reporting to the Political Commissar! I know I was wrong!"

"Hehe." Political Commissar Ding chuckled softly, stood up, walked to his side, raised his hand and patted his shoulder with a steady force, "Wrong? You didn't do anything wrong."

These words startled Zhou Xu, his eyes filled with surprise—he had expected to receive a severe scolding.

Political Commissar Ding withdrew his hand, his gaze darkening, and his tone becoming more serious: "To be honest, you did a good job with this matter. But I came to you to remind you not to be too reckless in the future if you encounter something like this again."

Zhou Xu immediately nodded. He was still wearing a layer of armor, namely his identity as a military writer, so even if there were opinions, they wouldn't attack him.

“Go and handle the other matters yourself! Consider it a good training opportunity!” Political Commissar Ding said. “You must handle this matter well and not have a negative impact on the military! After you’re done, publish an article to respond to the public!”

Zhou Xu immediately nodded in agreement.

Zhou Xu left with the letter of introduction given to him by Political Commissar Ding.

……

At this time, Mayor Li, the same Mayor Li who had previously planned to build a memorial hall, also received countless reports and complaints in the municipal government.

Mayor Li looked at the scene and sighed helplessly: "Really? Comrade Zhou Xu was far too impulsive this time. He didn't even consult with the government about such a big matter!"

The secretary could only nod in agreement.

Mayor Li said, "Let's connect the phone to the military first!"

At this moment, Political Commissar Ding answered the phone again: "Hello! Old Li!?"

"Old Political Commissar, you should know about this, right?" Mayor Li asked with a hint of helplessness, "We're both old comrades. I want to ask you what kind of outcome you want?"

Political Commissar Ding bluntly asked, "Could it be that you...?" "Ahem, Old Ding, don't talk nonsense, don't talk nonsense!" Mayor Li immediately changed his attitude: "After all, the person involved is a family member of a military member; we can't make decisions on our own. Let me ask you if you're mentally prepared."

"What else can we do! I've already arranged for Zhou Xu to cooperate with you, so get this sorted out! And some people have already called the military to report this, even ordering the newspaper to shut down!? This is outrageous! You guys are something else!"

After saying this in a sarcastic tone, the old political commissar abruptly hung up the phone.

beep...

After hanging up the phone, the good-natured Old Li instantly understood what was going on. He immediately called the newspaper: "The newspaper can't stop! If it stops, there will be problems! Print it as long as you can!"

Then, he made one last phone call.

……

At this moment, the air was already so heavy that it was hard to breathe.

The secretary suddenly rushed in, her face pale, her voice cracking: "Mr. Zhang! Something terrible has happened! It's the mayor on the phone!"

"Mayor?" Mr. Zhang's heart skipped a beat, and his hand holding the pen suddenly stopped.

The anger on his face vanished instantly, replaced by panic—

He hurriedly wiped his face, forcing himself to remain calm as he picked up the phone: "Old Li, what's the matter that's so urgent that you're calling so late?"

"Important matter?!" Mayor Li on the other end of the phone cursed, his anger practically radiating through the receiver. "Old Zhang! I was blind! I never expected you to be so audacious!"

"Old Li, you can't just say things like that!" Boss Zhang's heart tightened, and he quickly raised his voice, adopting a righteous and indignant posture, "We've known each other for so many years, don't you know what kind of person I am? I'm absolutely innocent, and I haven't done anything wrong in the slightest!"

"How come you guys are the ones with the biggest problem?! Let me tell you?!"

Mayor Li's voice suddenly rose, filled with thunderous rage, "An old lady was injured with a shovel, such a serious matter, how dare you do nothing?!"

A barrage of questions struck General Manager Zhang like a hammer blow.

He opened his mouth, wanting to explain, but found that his throat was blocked and he couldn't say a word.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, but his voice trembled uncontrollably: "Old Li, there's... there's a misunderstanding here, let me explain..."

"A misunderstanding?" Mayor Li interrupted him, his tone icy and sharp, like a knife chilled to the bone. "Then tell me! Was it you who called the Xinhua Daily and threatened them to stop publishing the report?!"

"This..." General Manager Zhang's face instantly turned purplish-red, his lips trembled, and his already trembling voice became even more hesitant, "I... I just wanted them to verify the facts clearly, so as not to mislead the public..."

"Verification?" Mayor Li laughed angrily, his laughter full of sarcasm. "Is that what you call verification?"

This question was like a thunderclap, making General Manager Zhang's mind buzz.

He instinctively wanted to deny it, but the words caught in his throat by the mayor's all-knowing tone. He could only plead, his voice trembling with tears:
"Old Li, I... I had no choice! It's such a mess here, I just wanted to calm things down as quickly as possible, but I didn't expect..."

"I didn't expect that?" Mayor Li's anger finally erupted. "All you think about is your own money! Zhou Xu's report is true. The family members have been wronged, and the public is resentful. Instead of thinking about how to solve the problem, you're thinking about silencing them and suppressing them! You're just escalating the conflict!"

"Now it's all right!" Mayor Li's voice was weary yet resolute. "We've received the report and will send people down to investigate immediately! You know perfectly well what you've done! Get ready!"

"No, no, Lao Li!" Boss Zhang jumped up from his chair and roared into the phone, "You have to help me! We've known each other for so many years, you can't just stand by and watch me die!"

"The whole city is watching your district now, and even the provincial leaders have intervened! Let me tell you, Lao Zhang, if you can't give a reasonable explanation and cover up this mess, not only you, but no one can protect you!"

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a cold "humph," and then a rapid busy tone.

(End of this chapter)