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

(There will be one more update before 2 PM. For the next week, there will be five updates daily.)

Sha Ruijin and Tian Guofu watched this scene with some helplessness.

"I never imagined Gao Yuliang and Qi Tongwei were so popular in Handong!"

"In my opinion, someone must have taken the lead. The one with the megaphone was shouting the loudest. If no one was leading, how could they be so synchronized? I don't believe it."

Sha Ruijin may not know much else, but he is absolutely certain that Gao Yuliang's control over public opinion is simply extreme.

Gao Yuliang, can I say that I know nothing?

Dafeng Factory.

Gao Yu took the megaphone and said, "I am very fortunate to have everyone's trust. We will work on-site right here. Whoever is involved, I will make a phone call right here and have someone come and invite them over. We will resolve this matter concerning Dafeng Factory for everyone."

"We can't let the workers work so hard, but we still won't get our resettlement compensation. However, we might have to trouble the workers to wait a bit while someone sets up the site. There's still gasoline on the ground, which is a bit dangerous and not suitable for starting work right away. I promise it won't take more than twenty minutes. What do you think? Is that okay?"

"Okay." They trusted Gao Yuliang and Qi Tongwei.

There are no fake police incidents here now; on the contrary, everyone is helping them, so they naturally trust this place.

at the same time.

Gao Yuliang immediately summoned Qi Tongwei.

"You need to gather a batch of supplies right now: bottled water, bread, blankets, you need all of those. If you can get a projector and screen, that would be even better. It would be best to have your police officers from the Public Security Bureau prepare meals, as this meeting might go on until tomorrow morning."

"If there aren't any toilets here, bring me some portable toilets."

"Send it to them later."

"Yes. By the way, teacher, quite a few reporters from Jingzhou have arrived here, what do you think?"

"These things can't be hidden. Let them in, make them sign an agreement, and conduct a full report. Whatever the facts are, they are the facts. They can't smear me. Register their press credentials directly. If they spread rumors, arrest and detain them on the charges."

Gao Yuliang then approached Ma Guangming and Li Dakang, looked at them, and said, "I have no idea what you've done. Even the people don't trust you anymore."

"If you can't salvage the situation later, be careful you'll get criticized! I'll see if I can give you a chance later. This kind of opportunity is rare, so talk less and do more, don't try to shift the blame to others, and don't be afraid to do anything to avoid being criticized."

"Secretary Yuliang is right." Ma Guangming was still grateful to Gao Yuliang. If the gasoline hadn't been removed yesterday, something terrible would have happened. Now, there were only burns, and people were trampled.

I can't even imagine what would happen if it exploded.

Soon, a simple stage, lights, sound system, and other equipment were all prepared, as they were readily available at the Provincial Public Security Bureau and the Provincial Party Committee.

When Chen Yanshi arrived on his electric scooter, workers from Dafeng Factory were sitting on the ground with tall lights on them, and a doctor was treating some of the people on the scene with simple abrasions and burns.

These doctors included community doctors and police officers who had come with first-aid kits. Chen Yanshi learned that a conflict had broken out earlier, and now the provincial party committee had intervened to maintain order.

"Next, the workers will elect five representatives to confront Mr. Du Bozhong, the general manager of Shanshui Manor, to thoroughly clarify this matter. If anyone has any questions, please raise your hand afterward, okay? There will be a dedicated Q&A session."

"Next, I'll ask Mr. Du Bozhong a question. Could you please give a detailed explanation of how Dafeng Factory and the land it occupies came about?"

Du Bozhong was initially a little flustered, but then he remembered that this was his territory, and others were occupying it. He had bought the land of Dafeng Factory with his own hard-earned money.

Moreover, he has the Zhao family behind him.

"Initially, Cai Chenggong came to me to borrow 50 million in bridge loans. These bridge loans don't exist openly, but they are a kind of financial tool in secret. Bridge loans are usually used to borrow new money to repay old debts in a very short period of time, and then borrow money from the bank to repay me."

"Because this place was originally a gray area with interest rates as high as eight percent, he mortgaged Dafeng Factory to me, along with the land below. When the mortgage was made, I had the collective signatures of all the shareholders of Dafeng Factory."

"No, we didn't sign it," one of the workers shouted.

"We did not sign it."

Gao Yuliang gestured for silence, "Let's listen to President Du finish speaking first, and then we can ask questions later."

Du Bozhong continued, "For contracts like this, signatures from multiple shareholders need to be notarized. I've already had mine notarized before signing. I'll have someone bring the contract over later so everyone can take a look."

Is that interest rate weekly or annual?

"Weekly interest rates, that's how bridge loans work. People who have money or can get a normal loan from a bank won't touch this. Bridge loans are for people with very bad credit."

Gao Yuliang nodded. "In our country, the standard for usury is an actual annual interest rate of over 36%. However, if the actual annual interest rate of a single illegal lending activity does not exceed 36%, it shall not be included in the conviction and sentencing. This 8% interest is for one week and does not exceed the standard, so it is not considered usury."

"Although it is not considered usury, if it violates national regulations, is not approved by regulatory authorities, or exceeds the scope of business, and is used for profit to frequently issue loans to unspecified individuals in society, thereby disrupting the order of the financial market, and the circumstances are serious, it shall be convicted and punished as the crime of illegal business operations in accordance with Article 225, Paragraph (4) of the Criminal Law."

"Let's not discuss this matter here for now. Let's resolve the Dafeng Factory issue first, and then investigate further. Shanshui Manor and President Du are here; they can't escape." Gao Yuliang knew there were reporters present. Since they had said these things were shady, he, as the Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, knew he couldn't ignore it and couldn't remain silent.

Du Bozhong: "I engaged in illegal operations, and I accept the punishment. Later, Cai Chenggong was unable to obtain a loan from Jingzhou Bank and defaulted directly. The equity of Dafeng Factory, along with the land, then belonged to me. I put up 4500 million yuan and plan to lay off all the employees of Dafeng Factory."

Du Bozhong knew the standards for the crime of illegal business operations; at most, it would result in a fine of ten or twenty million yuan, which was insignificant compared to a billion yuan.

"I have already transferred 4500 million to Dafeng Factory's account. I did not withhold a single penny."