Nominal: Intercepting Zhong Xiaoai, Dominating Handong

On October 26, the day after the enlarged meeting of the Standing Committee, the atmosphere in the Liping County Party Committee compound was noticeably different.

Gu Mingyuan arrived at his office early in the morning and found several letters of complaint already placed on his door—not delivered through normal channels, but slipped under the door overnight.

He opened the package and was shocked by what he found: the county education bureau had falsely reported the area of ​​dilapidated buildings to embezzle funds during the renovation of dangerous buildings, and the county health bureau had accepted kickbacks during the procurement of medical equipment.

"Xiao Chen!" Gu Mingyuan called his secretary in.

"Secretary Gu, you wanted to see me?"

"Register and number all these complaint letters, and send them to the Discipline Inspection Commission." Gu Mingyuan said sternly.

"In addition, notify all members of the anti-corruption leading group that a meeting will be held at 9:00 a.m.

"yes!"

At nine o'clock in the morning, the small conference room was filled with smoke.

The top officials from the Discipline Inspection Commission, the Organization Department, the Public Security Bureau, the Audit Bureau, and the Finance Bureau were all present, each with a solemn expression.

Gu Mingyuan got straight to the point: "Yesterday's meeting was over. Today we'll discuss the specific action plan. Secretary Qiu, you go first."

Qiu Mu cleared his throat and opened his notebook: "According to the preliminary investigation, the clues we have so far involve seven townships and twelve county-level departments, involving 28 cadres suspected of violating discipline and laws, including seven at the section level, 15 at the division level, and six others."

"The initial estimate of the amount involved is around two million yuan."

"Two million yuan?" Gu Mingyuan frowned.

"How much is Liping's annual fiscal revenue? These corrupt officials dare to embezzle so much!"

He looked at the audit bureau chief: "Old Zhou, what has your audit bureau discovered?"

Director Zhou, in his fifties and a veteran auditor, spoke slowly and deliberately: "Secretary Gu, we audited the county's poverty alleviation funds last year and found several problems: First, fund disbursement was slow, averaging two months from the county to the township. Second, the funds were used improperly, with some townships diverting poverty alleviation funds to office expenses. Third, there was a lack of oversight, with many project acceptances being merely a formality."

He produced a report: "The most typical example is the poverty alleviation project for livestock breeding in Qingshi Township. The plan was to support 100 households, but only 68 households were actually supported, although all the funds were disbursed."

"Where did the rest of the money go? The township says it's for management fees, but they can't provide any evidence."

Gu Mingyuan's face turned ashen: "What about the police?"

Police Chief Zhao Gang, a retired soldier, spoke crisply and decisively: "We have already launched preliminary investigations into several suspected criminal leads."

"For example, Wang Dayou, the head of the Engineering Section of the County Transportation Bureau, was found in a preliminary investigation to have accepted 80,000 yuan in bribes from construction companies during the construction of rural roads last year. He also violated regulations by designating suppliers, which resulted in some sections of the road being substandard."

"Okay!" Gu Mingyuan slammed his hand on the table.

"Let's make a breakthrough with Wang Dayou's case! Old Zhao, you take charge personally, organize a capable team, and investigate according to the law."

"Secretary Qiu, the Discipline Inspection Commission is following up on this as well, and will investigate his disciplinary violations."

"Yes!" they both replied simultaneously.

Gu Mingyuan looked around the room and said, "Comrades, the fight against corruption is not a dinner party; it's for real."

"I hereby establish three rules: First, no tipping off others. Second, no lobbying or making requests on behalf of others. Third, no shirking responsibility or passing the buck."

"Anyone who violates these three rules will be dealt with!"

After the meeting, Gu Mingyuan kept Qiu Mu behind alone.

"Secretary Qiu, I've looked at the proposal you came up with yesterday, and it's not in-depth enough." Gu Mingyuan looked directly at him.

"Twenty-eight cadres, all at or below the section chief level? Do you believe that?"

Qiu Mu's eyes flickered: "Secretary Gu, this is all the evidence we have at the moment..."

"Evidence is found through investigation, not waited for!" Gu Mingyuan stood up and paced around the conference room.

"It would be strange if the corruption problem in Liping only reached the section chief level."

"Think about it, if a section chief in the engineering department dares to accept an 80,000 yuan kickback, does he have connections above him? Does the director of the transportation bureau know about it? Is the deputy county head in charge clean?"

Qiu Mu's forehead was sweating: "This... requires further investigation."

"It's not just a need, it's a must!" Gu Mingyuan stopped in front of Qiu Mu, his eyes blazing.

"Secretary Qiu, you're a veteran discipline inspector, you should know the characteristics of corruption—connected cases and cases involving multiple individuals."

"When you pull out a radish, mud comes out with it; how could it only bring out some small radishes?"

He paused, then asked meaningfully, "Or are you afraid of bringing out a big radish?"

Qiu Mu trembled: "Secretary Gu, what do you mean? I... I am absolutely loyal to the organization!"

"Loyalty isn't something you talk about; it's something you prove with your actions." Gu Mingyuan sat back down.

"In that case, continue the investigation according to the original plan, but focus on digging deeper."

"Report to me immediately if you encounter any obstacles."

Watching Qiu Mu's hurried departure, Gu Mingyuan frowned.

This secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission has a problem.

He was too eager to cover it up and too eager to control the scope and intensity of the investigation.

This is not in line with the responsibility expected of a secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission.

Thinking of this, Gu Mingyuan picked up the phone and dialed Pei Yihong's number.

"Secretary Pei, this is Mingyuan. I have something important to report to you."

On the other end of the phone, Pei Yihong's voice was calm and steady: "Go ahead, I'm listening."

Gu Mingyuan gave a detailed report on the progress of the anti-corruption campaign in Liping and expressed his concerns: "Secretary Pei, I think the corruption problem in Liping may be more serious than we imagined."

"The county discipline inspection commission's attitude is somewhat ambiguous. I'm worried that the county's resources won't be enough to investigate thoroughly."

Pei Yihong was silent for a moment: "Is there any basis for your judgment?"

"Yes, firstly, the initial plan proposed by the county discipline inspection commission only involved cadres below the section level, which is not in line with common sense."

"Secondly, Qiu Mu, the secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission, repeatedly emphasized that stability would affect the work, which suggests a tendency to cover up the truth."

"Third, I received some anonymous reports pointing to higher-level officials."

"You suspect that Qiu Mu himself has problems?"

"I can't rule out that possibility," Gu Mingyuan said frankly.

"Secretary Pei, I suggest that the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection intervene directly and establish a joint investigation team."

"This way, we can overcome obstacles and ensure the fairness of the case handling."

Pei Yihong thought for a few seconds and then said decisively, "Okay, I support you. I'll send the comrades from the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection down tomorrow."

"Mingyuan, the fight against corruption is a tough battle, you need to be mentally prepared."

"It might offend a lot of people, and there might be all sorts of pressure."

"I'm not afraid!" Gu Mingyuan said firmly.

"As long as it helps to rid Liping of corrupt officials and restore a clean political environment for the people, I'll shoulder any pressure!"

"Good! It's good that you have this sense of responsibility," Pei Yihong said with satisfaction.

"Don't worry about doing your job, the municipal party committee is your strong backing."

"If you need any support, just let me know!"

After hanging up the phone, Gu Mingyuan felt more at ease.

With the municipal discipline inspection commission involved, things became much easier.

In the afternoon, Gu Mingyuan visited the county transportation bureau for research—ostensibly to investigate transportation construction, but in reality, it was a show of force.

Transportation Bureau Director Li Weiguo, a short, stout middle-aged man, rushed out to greet Gu Mingyuan upon his arrival: "Secretary Gu, welcome to our work!"