Nominal: My senior brothers are all big shots

The atmosphere in the meeting room suddenly became tense.

Organization Minister Wu Chunlin continued, "I support Comrade Yuliang's opinion. Comrade Chen Hai's problem is not just about this incident. Since his transfer to the position of Executive Deputy Director of the Public Security Department, he has repeatedly bypassed key leaders and reported directly to Secretary Sha. This is not an isolated phenomenon; it's a problem of organizational discipline. If the children of Standing Committee members can get special treatment and disregard the rules, how can we expect other cadres to do the same?"

These words directly imply that Chen Hai was transferred by Sha Ruijin, suggesting that Sha Ruijin was condoning Chen Hai's actions.

Executive Vice Governor Fang Weidong also stated, "I agree to handle this matter seriously. Public security work has its own unique characteristics; strict discipline and absolute obedience are ironclad rules. This time it resulted in the injury or death of police officers, but what if next time it results in the injury or death of civilians? What if a key suspect escapes? Who will bear the responsibility then?"

Military Sub-district Commander Zheng Guoping's voice boomed, "Our army is most disciplined! On the battlefield, any act of disobeying orders or acting without authorization will be dealt with according to military law! The public security front is also a quasi-military force. If such a serious mistake is not dealt with, how can we lead the troops in the future? I support serious accountability!"

Sha Ruijin's expression remained calm, but his eyes were deep. He looked at Governor Liu Yandong, "Comrade Yandong, what is your opinion?"

Liu Yandong pondered for a moment, "This matter does indeed have two sides. On the one hand, Comrades Chen Hai and Zhao Donglai made mistakes and should be dealt with; on the other hand, we must also consider the actual situation and the training of cadres. I suggest that Comrade Chen Hai be given a Party warning, transferred out of the Public Security Bureau, and reassigned to another job. Comrade Zhao Donglai should receive an administrative demerit, but retain his position as director for the time being, to observe his future conduct."

This suggestion, seemingly a compromise, actually leans towards a serious approach—transferring Chen Hai from the Public Security Bureau would be a major blow.

Zheng Guofeng immediately retorted, "Governor Liu, this punishment is too harsh! Comrade Chen Hai was an outstanding cadre when he worked in the Anti-Corruption Bureau of the Procuratorate. His transfer to the Public Security Department was to strengthen the political and legal team. Transferring him because of one mistake is not conducive to the growth of cadres, nor is it conducive to the continuity of work."

"A mistake?" Gao Yuliang sneered. "Secretary Zheng, this mistake could have cost the lives of seven officers! If the assault team hadn't handled it properly, if the SWAT team hadn't provided timely reinforcements, there might have been seven corpses last night! Then, will you still call it a mistake?"

Tian Guofu tried to de-escalate the situation, saying, "Comrade Yuliang, don't make it sound so serious. We haven't reached that point yet, have we? When dealing with cadres, we must adhere to the principles of learning from past mistakes to avoid future ones and curing the disease to save the patient."

"Punish past mistakes to prevent future ones?" Gao Yuliang retorted, "If we don't deal with this seriously, how can we prevent future ones? If other cadres see that Chen Hai's violations go unpunished, will they be allowed to privately remind others and act on their own initiative in the future? How can the Public Security Bureau command? How can the political and legal system function?"

Li Dakang interjected, "I understand Secretary Yuliang's anger. It's painful for everyone to see officers injured. But when dealing with officials, we must be realistic and consider various factors."

The two sides exchanged heated arguments.

Sha Ruijin listened in silence, his fingers tapping the table unconsciously.

The debate lasted for nearly an hour.

Finally, Sha Ruijin raised his hand, and the conference room fell silent.

"Comrades have all expressed their opinions, and I have understood them all," Sha Ruijin said slowly. "This matter does indeed reflect some problems in our work. There are problems with information communication, work coordination, and organizational discipline."

Sha Ruijin paused for a moment, "But as some comrades have said, there are two sides to every story. On the one hand, we must acknowledge the success of the operation and commend those who made contributions; on the other hand, we must also face up to the mistakes and learn from them. As for how to handle the specifics..."

Sha Ruijin looked around at everyone and said, "I see that we can't reach a consensus today. Here's what we'll do: First, do everything we can to treat the injured officers and provide proper compensation and support, with the costs covered by a special fund from the provincial finance department; second, form a joint investigation team composed of the Discipline Inspection Commission, the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, and the Organization Department to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the incident and produce a detailed report within a week; third, comrades Chen Hai and Zhao Donglai will be suspended from their duties to cooperate with the investigation; fourth, at the next Standing Committee meeting, we will discuss specific handling measures based on the investigation results."

This decision temporarily shelved the issue, giving both sides some breathing room.

Before Gao Yuliang could say anything more, Sha Ruijin had already stood up. "That's all for today's meeting. Meeting adjourned."

The Standing Committee members left the meeting room one after another. Gao Yuliang, Wu Chunlin, and Zhao Lichun walked together, their faces grim.

"Secretary Sha is stalling for time," Wu Chunlin said in a low voice.

"We must deal with it, even if it's delayed." Gao Yuliang said firmly.

On the other side, Zheng Guofeng and Tian Guofu accompanied Sha Ruijin toward his office.

"Secretary, Gao Yuliang and his men are determined to take down Chen Hai this time," Zheng Guofeng said.

Sha Ruijin continued walking, "Chen Hai did make a mistake. But Comrade Yuliang's actions this time are not just about dealing with Chen Hai."

Tian Guofu's eyes flashed. "Secretary Sha means..."

"The Public Security Bureau and the political and legal system are Comrade Yu Liang's core base," Sha Ruijin said meaningfully. "Last time, he had no choice but to give up his position to allow his top disciple to rise to power. But now Chen Hai has given him such a big excuse, and he can take advantage of it. However..."

Sha Ruijin stopped and looked out the window. "But the injured officers are real, and the mistake is real. This is not a good situation."

7 p.m., Gao Yuliang's study.

The plan for the treatment of Crescent Lake was spread out on the mahogany desk, but Gao Yuliang's mind was clearly elsewhere. His fingers tapped unconsciously on the table, his gaze fixed on the darkening sky outside the window.

The heated exchanges at the Standing Committee meeting still echoed in my mind. Sha Ruijin's attitude was ambiguous, Zheng Guofeng was clearly protecting Chen Hai, and Tian Guofu and Li Dakang advocated for leniency.

While his hardline stance, along with that of Liu Yandong, Wu Chunlin, Fang Weidong, and others, has temporarily created a standoff, it remains to be seen whether the Standing Committee can maintain this stance at the next meeting.

More importantly, there's the condition of the two seriously injured officers. Liu Qiang underwent another surgery this afternoon, and his condition is not optimistic. Zhang Wei has regained consciousness, but his lung infection is severe, and he still needs to overcome several more challenges.

The phone on the table suddenly rang, breaking the silence of the study.

Gao Yuliang glanced at the caller ID—Beijing area code. His expression hardened, and he quickly answered the phone.

"Hello, this is Kao Yu-liang."

"Secretary Yuliang, good evening." A calm voice with a slight smile came from the other end of the phone. Gao Yuliang immediately recognized it as Chen Zhenhua, Vice Minister of Public Security. "Did I disturb your rest?"

"Minister Chen, hello. You're still up?" Gao Yuliang said respectfully. "What instructions do you have for calling so late?"

"No instructions whatsoever, I just wanted to let you know and have a chat," Chen Zhenhua said casually.

"First of all, congratulations! The August 15th case, involving over fifty kilograms of drugs and a cross-border drug trafficking network, was a resounding success! The ministry held a special meeting this morning, and Minister Zhengshan personally listened to the report and commended the Handong Public Security System!"

Gao Yuliang's heart skipped a beat. "Thank you for the recognition from the department leaders. This is what we should do."

"This isn't just polite talk; you really did a great job," Chen Zhenhua said sincerely.

"Comrade Qi Tongwei's command was excellent, and the frontline officers were brave and fearless, demonstrating the might of our public security force! Especially those two seriously wounded comrades, Zhang Wei and Liu Qiang, right? Their ability to continue fighting under those circumstances until they fell is a spirit worthy of emulation by our entire public security system!"

"Yes, they were all good comrades," Gao Yuliang added, "but the price was too high."