In name only, I, Gao Yuliang, will sink Handong at worst.

Sha Ruijin and Tian Guofu took their seats.

Sha Ruijin spoke first: "I just took office yesterday, and this happened last night. It was a huge surprise. This morning, the suspect, Ding Yizhen, was dead."

Did this person die of a heart attack, or was there some other reason that forced them to die?

After Sha Ruijin finished speaking, Li Dakang immediately stood up and began his self-criticism.

"I want to apologize to Secretary Sha, Governor Liu, and the entire Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee for my poor judgment in appointing Ding Yizhen to lead the Guangming Peak project..."

As Gao Yuliang listened to this self-criticism, he felt that it was the same old story. He never took any responsibility, and even if he did, he would only pick on the minor ones. The biggest problem with the whole confession was that he couldn't judge people well. Was that even a problem?

It doesn't really matter; which leader promotes someone without causing problems?

If this is really investigated, then how many people will be investigated? Every member of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee present will inevitably receive a lash.

Gao Yuliang glanced at the other standing committee members, and they all had the same look in their eyes, a knowing look in their eyes. They had worked together for so long, how could they not understand?

Sha Ruijin's face remained expressionless, but he was overjoyed inside, thinking that Li Dakang had yielded to him. He had only been here for a short time, yet he had already won over Li Dakang and Tian Guofu.

In another month or two, wouldn't Handong become his personal fiefdom? A rise to a higher position would be just around the corner.

If Sha Ruijin's intentions were revealed, Gao Yuliang could only tell him it was wishful thinking. The reason why Zhao Lichun was able to run a one-man show here was because he could actually develop the economy and give him a position. Otherwise, who would respect him?

Even subduing Gao Yuliang was only achieved by having leverage over him, or rather, by Gao Yuliang exchanging positions for him. Moreover, Gao Yuliang had already retrieved that evidence long ago.

As for the divorce recorded in the file, it's naturally because Wu Chunlin was Gao Yuliang's woman, but it wasn't made public. How close or distant was Zhao Lichun's relationship with Wu Huifen?

"I will not shirk my responsibilities. At the same time, everyone should recognize the complexity of the case. This case is very complicated, involving the Anti-Corruption Bureau, the Supreme People's Procuratorate, the Public Security Bureau, the Jingzhou Discipline Inspection Commission, and the Zhao Dehan case in Beijing. Whoever is at fault will be held responsible."

"I propose that Comrade Zhang Shuli of the Jingzhou Discipline Inspection Commission be severely punished. He bears the responsibility of supervising Ding Yizhen, who died in the detention room of the Jingzhou Discipline Inspection Commission. He is the primary person responsible and cannot escape responsibility. I suggest that he be given a major demerit, and that XX, XX, XXX, etc. be dismissed for their dereliction of duty."

"At the same time, Huang Licheng, Wang Tong, and others should be held accountable and transferred to judicial authorities." In the final part of his self-criticism, Li Dakang also put forward his opinions on how to handle the situation, mentioning his subordinates but not his own responsibility.

Perhaps my greatest responsibility is being here.

Gao Yuliang naturally knew that this minor flaw wouldn't bring down Li Dakang. Li Dakang wasn't the root of corruption and evil, but he was the breeding ground for it. He didn't believe that the other party hadn't secretly hinted at anything.

Gao Yuliang's eyes were full of amusement.

Sha Ruijin looked at Gao Yuliang beside him and felt a little uncomfortable. Why did this old Gao seem to have nothing to do with him? He didn't give him face yesterday, but now he's here playing around.

After Li Dakang finished speaking, he sat down. As for the specifics, it would depend on the top leader's opinion. It wasn't that they wouldn't start a war now; it was simply because this was the first time, and everyone had to give him face.

The first Standing Committee meeting after that will likely approve the proposal made by the top leader.

Sha Ruijin nodded and said, "Secretary Dakang's understanding is very insightful! We often promote someone based on their achievements. The evaluation of cadres isn't comprehensive; we can't possibly dig up every single aspect of their past!"

"You can't expect the leader to take the blame every time there's a problem with your subordinates! If it's a problem with the subordinates, then it's a problem with the subordinates."

Upon hearing Sha Ruijin's words, Li Dakang breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone present understood Sha Ruijin's meaning: the problem lay with Zhang Shuli and Li Dakang's men, and had nothing to do with Li Dakang.

Sha Ruijin's gaze fell on Gao Yuliang, and everyone followed suit. Gao Yuliang was holding a cup in both hands, seemingly warming his hands.

"Comrade Yuliang, what do you think?"

Sha Ruijin wasn't soliciting opinions at all; the tone had already been set, so why was he asking for opinions?

"I think Comrade Ruijin is right. Often, when promoting someone, we look at their performance, but we can't assess them from all aspects. Mistakes in personnel selection are a problem that many leaders can't avoid. Superiors don't have to take the blame for their subordinates."

Old Gao is brave. We're all in the same team, so it's fine to address each other by our titles. In many cases, we're more used to referring to each other by titles like "Secretary" or "Governor."

Usually, only the top leader can add "Secretary" or "Governor" after their surname, such as in the case of "German Rat Agent" or "Governor Liu".

Here, others usually refer to Gao Yuliang as Secretary Yuliang, while within the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, he is also known as Secretary Gao, naturally because Gao Yuliang is the head of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission.

Gao Yuliang forced himself to place himself on an equal footing with Sha Ruijin.

Li Dakang looked at Gao Yuliang in shock, while Liu Changsheng remained expressionless. The Minister of the United Front Work Department and the Commander of the Military Region exchanged glances, their faces full of amused expressions. Lu Kang was curious about what Gao Yuliang was planning to do.

The others also had a "watching the show" expression. Was it really going to be a head-on clash between the third and first-ranked provinces on their very first meeting?

"However!"

"I think Comrade Dakang needs to reflect on why his subordinates keep causing problems. We also have people under us who cause problems, like my deputy He Liming. I reported it to the Central Committee as soon as I discovered it, and we handled it internally without causing any major issues."

"First it was in Lincheng, now it's Ding Yizhen, who knows who it will be in the future? And the current mayor of Jingzhou has been studying at the Party School without stopping. Has Secretary Dakang ever thought that he is being too domineering?" Gao Yuliang spoke slowly and deliberately, step by step, but he successfully put Li Dakang on the defensive.

I reckon someone will be on the field soon.