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

"you say."

"Just now, the Central Inspection Team issued a notice regarding the handling of Huilong Group."

Tian Guofu opened the page on his phone. "The first item is the tax evasion issue of Huilong Group. After investigation, the amount involved is particularly huge. According to the law, it will be fined up to four times the amount, totaling 1.5 billion yuan."

Li Dakang loosened his grip on the pen, and the pen rolled half a circle on the document.

Gao Yuliang raised his head, his gaze behind his glasses falling on Tian Guofu.

Tian Guofu continued reading: "The second item is that the Luzhou Crescent Lake Water Food City is determined to be an illegal building, and Huilong Group is ordered to demolish it within a specified period and bear all costs for the restoration of the Crescent Lake water body and surrounding landscape."

This time, no one spoke.

Tian Guofu raised his phone higher. "The announcement has been published on the official website of the Central Inspection Team. Provincial departments can verify it themselves."

Sha Ruijin stared at those few lines of text, his fingertips lightly scraping along the tabletop.

"A fine of 1.5 billion yuan?"

"Yes."

"Has Huilong Group agreed?"

The announcement stated that the penalty decision was made in accordance with the law.

"What's the basis for the fine?"

Tian Guofu pushed over another attachment: "Preliminary results of the tax audit show that related-party lending amounted to 12.4 billion yuan, concealing interest income and project revenue, involving multiple overseas accounts. The evidence has been transferred to the relevant departments."

Sha Ruijin did not ask any further questions.

Tian Guofu looked at the silent crowd and suddenly laughed.

"This is what it means to serve the people."

"The Crescent Lake, which has been delayed for so many years, is being demolished just like that. Who caused the pollution and who will bear the costs? The announcement makes it very clear."

"Huilong Group will have to take at least 1.5 billion yuan. The benefits that the Zhao family has taken from Handong over the years are finally being returned in part."

After saying that, he handed the phone back to his secretary and stood up to straighten his sleeves.

"Secretary Sha, the rectification notice from the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection will be delivered to Luzhou within one hour."

"As for how to implement it, please have the Provincial Party Committee supervise."

Tian Guofu turned and walked towards the door.

As he reached the door, he stopped again. "By the way, I will also send the drinking water safety test report for the residents of Crescent Lake to the General Office of the Provincial Party Committee."

"Anyone who says this is making a mountain out of a molehill can go have a drink of water by the lake first."

The secretary opened the door for him, and Tian Guofu walked away.

After a moment, someone spoke in the conference room.

"This Team Leader Su is really daring."

"1.5 billion yuan, this time Huilong Group has suffered a serious blow."

"That festering sore at Crescent Lake had been dragging on for years, and nobody wanted to touch it. I never expected that the central inspection team would solve it."

"Local governments will be more restrained when undertaking projects in the future."

Liu Zhendong looked at the document again, and when he looked up, a smile appeared on his face.

"happy."

Someone turned around. "Secretary Liu?"

"I say this was handled very well." Liu Zhendong put down the materials. "Those who should be punished will be punished, and those who should be demolished will be demolished. The people only care about the results."

Sha Ruijin did not respond.

The Standing Committee members stood up one after another, and the secretary began to tidy up the documents on the table. The conference room, which had been full of people, quickly became empty.

In the end, only Sha Ruijin, Gao Yuliang, and Li Dakang remained.

As soon as the door closed, Sha Ruijin's face darkened.

"Su Zhe's reckless actions have disrupted the balance and stability of Handong; we cannot allow him to continue like this."

Gao Yuliang immediately chimed in, "The secretary is right. His arbitrary detention of Zhao Ruilong and forcing Huilong Group to pay a 1.5 billion yuan fine is no different from kidnapping a company executive."

"Whether Zhao Ruilong violated the law should be handled by the tax and public security authorities," Gao Yuliang continued. "The working group's direct decision to impose a penalty has already overstepped the boundaries of local governance."

Li Dakang rubbed his flushed face. "Huilong Group has created jobs for tens of thousands of people in Handong, and it involves even more upstream and downstream companies."

"Su Zhe only cares about achieving results and gaining fame in front of the central government," Li Dakang said. "But the economic losses after the fines, the project shutdowns, and the job resettlement are ultimately borne by the local governments."

Sha Ruijin looked at him. "You think so too?"

Li Dakang nodded, "Young people tend to focus only on the immediate situation and disregard the consequences when handling cases."

Gao Yuliang chimed in, "He did the good work, but the bad guys are all made to play the villains. There's no such thing as a fair game."

Sha Ruijin rested his fingers on the edge of the table, his expression finally softening.

"I originally fully supported the work of the inspection team. Whether it was Jinghai or Jingzhou, they would deal with the problems once they were found."

"But Su Zhe's reach went too far." He looked at the two of them. "He used Handong as a stepping stone for his own promotion. He announced everything that could get him attention, and left all the cleanup to the provincial and local governments."

Gao Yuliang said, "This is no longer a matter of case-handling style, but a matter of the boundaries of power."

"Let's wait and see," Sha Ruijin said. "The central government won't just send one inspection team."

Li Dakang looked up. "There's another inspection team?"

"It will come soon."

Sha Ruijin pushed an unpublished internal memo onto the table: "The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection is leading the effort, with the Ministry of Public Security deploying its best personnel to investigate the illegal drug problem in Dongshan City."

Gao Yuliang's expression changed.

He was in charge of Dongshan City, and he was also responsible for the provincial political and legal system and anti-drug work.

Sha Ruijin looked at him and said, "The responsibilities of this inspection team and Su Zhe's working group will overlap."

Li Dakang asked, "Will there be a conflict?"

"As long as Su Zhe continues with his current methods of handling cases, conflict is bound to occur sooner or later." Sha Ruijin put the documents away. "We'll see who can handle things more steadily then."

Gao Yuliang sat in the chair, his fingers slowly clenching the corner of the document.

Before the Crescent Lake issue has been resolved, another storm is brewing in Dongshan City.

He suddenly remembered Su Zhe's words during the live broadcast: "We only recognize procedures and evidence." The spot where his back was against the chair gradually felt cold.

This time, Su Zhe's investigation is no longer limited to the Zhao family.

In the temporary office of Jingzhou International Hotel, Su Zhe was reviewing the demolition plan for Crescent Lake.

Yang Can pushed the door open, holding an encrypted fax in his hand.

"Team leader, there's a new notification from central command."

Su Zhe didn't look up. "Speak."

"The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection led the establishment of a special inspection team, with personnel drawn from the Ministry of Public Security to assist, targeting the issue of prohibited drugs in Dongshan City."

Li Chengyang stopped flipping through the documents. "Dongshan City?"

"The notice stated that the underground drug distribution network in Dongshan City would be investigated, with a focus on the source of production and sales, the protection of those involved, and dereliction of duty by law enforcement."

Changshan glanced at Su Zhe, "What does this have to do with us?"

Yang Can placed the fax on the table. "There is a clause in the notice that involves clues about protective umbrellas for organized crime within Handong Province. The two working groups can cooperate in the investigation, and important information should be shared with each other."

Su Zhe picked up the fax and read it from beginning to end.

The document was worded very cautiously, granting the new inspection team independent investigative authority, as well as the authority to assist Su Zhe in the investigation and transfer of cases.

No one explicitly stated how the two groups would divide their work, but the illegal drug supply line in Dongshan City had already become connected to the old Jinghai case.

Several transactions for goods from Dongshan appeared in the accounts of Gao Qiqiang's gang.

Xu Jiang's associates had also purchased a batch of prohibited drugs from Dongshan City.

As for the transaction records found at Shanshui Manor, they have not yet pointed to Dongshan.

"Has the central command given the other side a list of team leaders?" Su Zhe asked.

"Yes, Han Qiming, deputy director of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, serves as the team leader, and Wei Ping, deputy director of the Criminal Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security, serves as the deputy team leader."

Li Chengyang asked, "What's Han Qiming's background?"

"A veteran inspector who handled the Southwest pharmaceutical case, known for his strict procedures and disciplinary requirements."

Changshan raised an eyebrow. "They don't sound like they're here to cause trouble."

Yang Can said, "There is also a deputy group leader, Feng Qinian from the Supreme People's Procuratorate's Inspectorate, who is said to have a good relationship with the Zhong family."

No one spoke inside the room.

Su Zhe folded the fax. "Who first informed the provincial party committee?"

"The Provincial Party Committee General Office received a notification last night that Sha Ruijin had a meeting with Gao Yuliang and Li Dakang this morning."

"Gao Yuliang is in charge of Dongshan City."

"right."

Su Zhe looked out the window. A map of Dongshan City was pasted on the wall, with several red lines extending from the drug distribution point to the port city and finally back to the prefecture-level cities of Handong.

Who is the chief of the Dongshan Public Security Bureau?

Yang Can opened the file: "Han Dongsheng, former deputy head of the provincial anti-drug brigade, was transferred to Dongshan three years ago."

"The vice mayor in charge?"

"Executive Vice Mayor Liang Chengwu, and Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission Zhou Dehai."

Li Chengyang handed over a summary of an old case: "Dongshan has uncovered many cases of illegal drugs in the past five years, but each time they only target the low-level runners, and the actual storage points have never been verified."

"Several cases have had the same situation," Yang Can continued. "The scene was under control, the main culprit temporarily went missing, and the subsequent investigation was changed to illegal operation of ordinary drugs."

Changshan asked, "What does this have to do with Jinghai?"

Su Zhe flipped to a copy of Gao Qiqiang's ledger. "Last March, Xu Jiang's people rented two cold storage facilities from Dongshan City. The consignee was registered as a building materials company."

"What about Gao Qiqiang?"

"Last May, Tang Xiaolong sent three batches of goods to Dongshan through a logistics company. The accounts listed the goods as engineering consumables, but the actual goods have not yet been verified."

Li Chengyang stared at the few transactions, "If Dongshan is the transit point, then Gao Qiqiang and Xu Jiang are just downstream."

"The ledger didn't specify the medicines," Yang Can said. "It only listed the code and the payment."

"So we can't merge the cases directly yet." Su Zhe closed the documents. "But we can cooperate in the investigation."

Changshan asked, "Should we hand over the leads to the new inspection team first?"

"pay."

Several people looked at him.

Su Zhe divided Gao Qiqiang's ledger and Xu Jiang's peripheral transaction records into two parts: "The originals will remain with us, and copies and a transfer list will be sent over, indicating the source and status of the evidence."

Yang Can asked, "What if they demand complete control?"

"Have them issue a formal letter."

"What if the other party says this is a unified operation from the central command and doesn't require group divisions?"

"Let them issue the letter anyway."

Su Zhe picked up a pen and wrote a few lines on the handover form.

"We can assist in investigating leads in Dongshan City, but the main case in Jinghai cannot be separated from our case file system. Anyone who wants to access the original documents must first state their reasons."

Li Chengyang nodded, "This way, we can prevent the evidence from being broken up."

Su Zhe looked at him, "We need to add one more thing."

"What?"

"After the new inspection team enters Dongshan, all synchronized actions must be communicated in advance, and witnesses and suspects involved in the case must not be questioned repeatedly."

Changshan understood: "To prevent someone from taking people away under the guise of assisting in the investigation."

"It also prevents discrepancies between the two sides."

Yang Can picked up the materials and prepared to leave when Su Zhe called him back.

Send Han Qiming a statement explaining the situation.

"How do I write it?"

"Tell him that we welcome your cooperation in the investigation, and that the clues from Dongshan come from a gang-related case in Jinghai. Both sides can jointly verify them."

"Should we mention Feng Qinian?"

"Mention the position, not the relationship."

Yang Can nodded and left.

The office fell silent again. Li Chengyang looked at Su Zhe and said, "Team leader, the provincial party committee probably hopes we'll clash with the new team."

"They will wait."

"Should we inform Mr. Sun in advance?"

Report the facts, not judgments.

Su Zhe dialed a secure phone number and gave a full account of the clues from Dongshan and the situation of the new inspection team.

After listening to the conversation, Old Sun asked, "Do you know anything about Han Qiming?"

"I've met him twice. He's very procedural and doesn't like to leave loopholes in his investigations."

"Where is Feng Qinian?"

"All we know is that he's in the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, but we can't determine the specifics of his relationship with the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection."

Old Sun chuckled, "You're quite cautious."

"Judgments without evidence will become problematic once they are written into the report."

"The connection in Dongshan might be deeper than you think," Old Sun said. "The fact that the central government sent the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the Ministry of Public Security together shows that someone has already reported the situation."

Su Zhe asked, "Who is it for?"

"Someone reported that the Dongshan City anti-drug system had long-term collusion with local enterprises, and the report also mentioned the political and legal system of Handong Province."

"Gao Yuliang?"

"The materials were not named."

Su Zhe picked up the map on the table. "If the whistleblower only focuses on Dongshan, they won't include the provincial political and legal system."

"you mean?"

"Someone wants to use Dongshan to open a door to the province."

Old Sun was silent for a moment, then asked, "How do you plan to answer?"

"Let them investigate first."

"Aren't you worried about having your credit stolen?"

"Honors can be acknowledged, but evidence must not be fabricated."

Old Sun chuckled on the other end of the phone, "You sound just like Tian Guofu."

"At least Secretary Tian dared to speak his mind."

"He caused quite a stir at the Standing Committee meeting this time, and Sha Ruijin didn't look good."

"The announcement for Crescent Lake has been issued, and Lu Jinghe has already signed for the rectification notice today."

Where is Zhao Ruilong?

"Still under review."

Has he given any indication of what's going on?

"It's a little loose, not loose enough in the crucial areas."

"What is he willing to pay?"

"Partial project accounts of Huilong Group, a list of Gangcheng-related companies, and the investment agreement for the Crescent Lake project."

Old Sun asked, "Where is Zhao Lichun?"

"It wasn't mentioned directly."

"This is a test of the conditions."

Su Zhe did not answer.

Old Sun added, "The Dongshan group might come and bother your people."

"Let them touch it."

"Don't be careless."

"I will receive you according to procedure."

Old Sun paused for a moment, then asked, "What if Feng Qinian brings up the Zhong family's connections?"

"Have him leave a written opinion."

What if he doesn't stay?

"Then record it in the conversation log."

A soft chuckle came from the other end of the phone. "You plan to leave a trace of everyone."

"They left this behind themselves."

Su Zhe hung up the phone and handed the explanation of the situation in Dongshan to Li Chengyang.

"Notify Anxin."

"Should we send him to Jingzhou?"

"Have him bring all the materials related to Dongshan from the old Jinghai case to the station tomorrow morning."

Li Chengyang took the document. "An Changlin, do you want to come along?"

"Let An Xin come first, and An Changlin will stay in Jinghai to oversee the review of old cases."

"clear."