Official excuse: I've put you on patrol in Handong, and the whole province is in a panic.

Sha Ruijin nodded.

"No destruction, no construction; some abscesses will burst sooner or later. Handong's development needs a healthy political environment as a guarantee; otherwise, no matter how well the economy performs, the foundation will not be stable! The central government's determination to send elite troops this time is both a form of supervision and an opportunity for Handong. We must actively cooperate and take advantage of this opportunity to thoroughly clean up the deep-seated problems that Handong has accumulated over the years."

Although the two spoke softly, their conversation still caused a slight ripple in the relatively quiet welcoming crowd.

Standing a short distance behind them was Gao Yuliang, the deputy secretary of the provincial party committee and secretary of the political and legal affairs commission. His face was expressionless, with only his eyes behind his glasses flickering slightly, revealing no emotion.

But he had a different thought in mind.

Before Zhao Lichun, the former provincial party secretary, was promoted to Beijing, he spared no effort in recommending Zhao to the central government to succeed him as provincial party secretary.

Gao Yuliang himself also believes that, in terms of qualifications, ability, and familiarity with the situation in Handong, he is the right person to succeed Zhao Lichun.

He is an outstanding representative of local cadres in Handong. From university professor to political and legal cadre, and then to local official, he has taken every step steadily. He has been working in Handong for many years, and his students and old friends are all over the province.

However, the final result was beyond his expectations and surprised many local cadres in Handong. Sha Ruijin was parachuted in from the central government to become the top leader of Handong Province.

Gao Yuliang, the third-ranked deputy secretary of the provincial party committee, was clearly delusional to think he could directly ascend to the position of provincial party secretary...

Despite being mentally prepared, Gao Yuliang still couldn't help but feel disappointed and had mixed feelings about the result.

At this moment, listening to the chilling atmosphere emanating from Sha Ruijin and Liu Zhendong's conversation, a shadow crossed Gao Yuliang's heart, but it was quickly obscured.

Gao Yuliang smiled slightly and interjected, "Secretary Sha, Governor Liu, you are both very insightful! This time, the arrangements made by the higher authorities are indeed different from usual; they are targeted and purposeful! Normally, inspections are inspections, and case handling is case handling. But now, the higher authorities are implementing this so-called 'joint inspection and disciplinary action,' which is simply to shorten the time interval between the discovery of problems during inspections and the intervention of the disciplinary committee. At the same time, it has increased the intensity and precision of case handling! It seems that the higher authorities are determined to fight a tough battle in Handong!"

Upon hearing this, Sha Ruijin glanced at Gao Yuliang, his face still bearing that faint smile.

"Comrade Yuliang's analysis is spot on. Whether it will be a tough battle or not ultimately depends on whether our cadres in Handong can truly withstand the test."

He deliberately emphasized the phrase "able to withstand the test".

Gao Yuliang remained calm and nodded, echoing Sha Ruijin's words: "Secretary Sha is right. I believe that the vast majority of comrades in our Handong cadre team are good and can withstand the test. But are there any bad comrades?"

I think...there are some. These people may have been hiding in the shadows for years, or perhaps they are concealed beneath the seemingly calm surface. I sincerely hope that the inspection sword sent by our superiors this time will be sharp enough to find all these demons and monsters, and restore order to Handong!

Recently, Sha Ruijin has convened two meetings of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee.

At the same time, Gao Yuliang also read all the reports about his grassroots research.

From his initial arrival in Handong until now, Sha Ruijin has consistently, both openly and subtly, criticized Zhao Lichun, the former provincial party secretary of Handong...

Currently, the inspection team has increased the pressure on leading cadres in Handong, which Sha Ruijin is naturally happy to see.

Gao Yuliang also knew that Sha Ruijin's question about whether it could withstand the test was most likely aimed at him.

Although Gao Yuliang spoke with great conviction, he was equally uncertain inside...

Putting aside others, he couldn't even rest easy about his own prized student, Qi Tongwei.

Standing to the side and behind Gao Yuliang, Li Dakang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee, listened to the conversation between the main leaders with a stern face.

When he heard Gao Yuliang's high-sounding remarks, he couldn't help but let out a soft snort.

Li Dakang came from the secretarial faction and was originally Zhao Lichun's secretary.

When Zhao Lichun served as the deputy secretary of the provincial party committee, he was transferred to Jinshan County to serve as the county magistrate.

He has grown step by step into his current position as a member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee.

When Li Dakang served as mayor of Lüzhou, he had an unpleasant encounter with Gao Yuliang, who was then the secretary of the Lüzhou Municipal Party Committee.

Since then, the two have been engaged in open and covert struggles for many years, and even now, they still can't stand each other.

He was very clear about Gao Yuliang's Han University clique.

Rumors about Gao Yuliang's disciples are rampant. How could Gao Yuliang have the nerve to say such high-sounding words?

However, Li Dakang was also somewhat uneasy.

For some time now, my mind has been preoccupied with the development plan of Jingzhou City and several major projects that urgently need to be promoted. I am both somewhat impatient with the subtle power struggles and witty remarks among the provincial leaders, and I remain highly vigilant.

He knew that when the inspection team came down, Jingzhou, as the provincial capital, would inevitably be the first to be inspected, and he had to ensure that there would be no major mistakes in Jingzhou, which he was in charge of.

Other provincial leaders and heads of relevant departments present, such as the Minister of Organization and the Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission, also remained silent, some with their heads down in thought, others looking ahead, but all with their ears perked up, carefully capturing the subtle differences and underlying meanings in the words of each key leader.

In the midst of this seemingly calm yet turbulent wait, a series of light footsteps and voices could be heard from the end of the VIP passage.

Sha Ruijin straightened his suit and tie first, with a broad smile on his face.

Liu Zhendong, Gao Yuliang, Li Dakang, and the others immediately composed themselves, straightened their backs, and turned their gazes toward the exit of the passage.

The moment has officially arrived to welcome the central inspection team.

At the entrance of the passage, Team Leader Xu Ming was the first to walk out.

Sha Ruijin immediately stepped forward, extending both hands: "Team Leader Xu, you must be tired from your journey! Welcome to Handong with your inspection team!"

"Comrade Ruijin, Comrade Zhendong, hello everyone! Sorry to have kept you waiting."

Xu Ming shook hands with key leaders such as Sha Ruijin and Liu Zhendong one by one.

Immediately afterwards, Su Zhe followed Xu Ming out.

His youthful face stood out in the welcoming crowd, but his composed demeanor commanded respect.

Although it was Sha Ruijin's first time meeting Su Zhe, he had clearly done his homework. He warmly shook hands with Su Zhe: "This must be Comrade Su Zhe! Welcome, welcome! I've long heard that a promising young talent has arrived at the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, and he certainly lives up to his reputation!"

Su Zhe bowed slightly and said with a smile, "Hello, Secretary Sha, and hello to all the leaders. I am Su Zhe, and I am new here. I will need your cooperation in the future!"

Gao Yuliang stood a little further back, a formulaic smile on his face. When he shook hands with Su Zhe, his gaze swept sharply across Su Zhe's face, as if he was quickly assessing the weight of this young deputy leader and head of the special governance working group.

When Li Dakang shook hands with Su Zhe, his gesture was more direct and forceful. He simply said, "Welcome, Team Leader Su," and then said no more.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries and introductions...

Sha Ruijin smiled and said, "Distinguished leaders, the cars are waiting outside. Please go to your hotel and rest for a while!"

Not far away.

Su Zhe suddenly looked at Sha Ruijin and the others, and said, "Wait!"