I feel right at home in the world of the courtyard house.

An airplane emerged slowly from the clouds and landed steadily on the airport runway. Before the roar of its engines had even faded, two jeeps sped up to it.

Li Jing'an stepped out of the cabin, casually tidying his messy hair, and muttered to himself: This military plane is really bumpy, there is no comfort at all.

A line of people was already standing beside the jeep, and they stood at attention to wait for him as he disembarked. Li Jing'an slowly descended the gangway, holding onto the ladder. Old Hu was the first to step forward, greeting him with a broad smile: "Minister Li, you must be tired from your journey."

"Stop with all that fluff, business is what matters," Li Jing'an waved his hand, his tone crisp and decisive.

Old Hu quickly stepped aside to introduce them: "Minister Li, let me introduce you—this is the responsible comrade from the Dengzhou Prefectural Committee, as well as the commander and political commissar of the military sub-district, who have come especially to welcome you."

Li Jing'an shook hands with each of them. The head of the prefectural committee said, "Comrade Minister, you have come from afar and must be tired. Why don't you go to the guesthouse to settle down and rest before we talk?"

"No need for rest. Let's go straight to the guesthouse for a short meeting, meet up, and discuss the next steps. I came here with a mission, and time is tight and the task is heavy, so we can't afford to delay."

Hearing this, everyone fell silent and got into their cars. The two jeeps then sped out of the airport and headed straight for the guesthouse.

The Dengzhou Prefectural Committee's Liaison Office remained the same, except that this time Li Jing'an wasn't accompanying the leaders on their inspection and research trip, but was directing operations independently, so he was assigned to stay in Building No. 1. He quickly washed his face and changed into clean clothes in his bedroom before leisurely walking into the small conference room inside the building.

As he entered, the people who had been chatting on the sofa stood up to greet him. Li Jing'an nodded, gesturing for everyone to sit down, and took out cigarettes from his pocket, distributing them to everyone. He sat down at the head of the table, looked around at everyone, and said bluntly, "Comrades, I believe you all know why I'm here. Several mining companies in Dengzhou have encountered such a major incident, and the leadership is taking it very seriously, specifically sending me to handle it. I hope you can understand and support me, and let's work together to successfully complete this mission."

The head of the prefectural committee was the first to express his support: "Minister Li, with your guidance, our prefectural committee will absolutely obey your unified command and fully cooperate with all your arrangements. We will contribute manpower and resources to completely quell this matter; whatever orders you give, we will complete them without fail."

Li Jing'an nodded slightly, a look of satisfaction on his face. Then the commander of the military sub-district stood up, dressed in military uniform, and said in a loud voice: "Minister Li, the military sub-district has received a notice from the provincial military district that it will fully cooperate with your work, obey your command, resolutely support the orders of the central government, and mercilessly crack down on criminals to protect the safety of equipment and personnel in the mining area."

Li Jing'an smiled and gestured for him to sit down: "Good, good, comrades. Your statements are excellent. This shows that our team is capable of fighting tough battles. I believe that with your support, this small group of bad elements will not be able to cause any trouble—they will face the iron fist of the people's dictatorship next."

He paused, then turned his gaze to Hu Wenshan: "Comrade Hu from the Metallurgical Bureau, please give us a detailed account of the situation in the mining area so that we can be prepared."

Hu Wenshan immediately stood up, first bowing slightly to Li Jing'an, then nodding to everyone, clearing his throat, and said, "Leaders and comrades, I rushed here yesterday night to conduct an immediate investigation. Currently, four large mining companies in Dengzhou have experienced a 'power grab.' Relying on their existing security departments and militia organizations, they have firmly controlled everything in the mining area. Moreover, from what I understand, a large number of employees are also involved, most of whom are lazy and cunning old hands; their purpose is self-evident. I have also tried to communicate with them, but their attitude is extremely stubborn and unyielding."

Li Jing'an suddenly raised his hand to interrupt him: "Let's talk about the most representative one first. Our first battle is to take down the toughest hill. We must give these bad elements a good shock and let them know that no one can use this to blackmail the central government. We must also give a good shock to those who have something to hide in their hearts."

"Yes, Minister Li," Hu Wenshan replied. "Then let me tell you about this mining company—the very one that sparked this incident. This company is currently controlled by the former Revolutionary Committee Director, whose surname is Fei. He's surrounded by a group of former Revolutionary Committee members, all of whom were old comrades when they were removed from their posts. As far as I know, they were able to stir up trouble because several personal safety accidents happened at the mine. They used this as an excuse to spread rumors and attack the former leadership for embezzlement—claiming that the former leaders embezzled money meant for safety equipment on the production line, which led to the accidents. They even claimed that these things were leaked to them by the Japanese technicians who came to install and debug the equipment. They first incited the families of the injured and deceased to cause trouble at the factory, and then they incited a group of idle and lazy employees. These employees have been used to a relaxed lifestyle for the past few years, and now that production has resumed and they are required to work normally, they are already full of resentment. Taking advantage of this opportunity, they quickly joined the camp of the former Revolutionary Committee, causing trouble in an attempt to return to the old days of supporting lazy people."

Old Hu spoke at length, paused to calm himself, and then continued, "The mining area has now been transformed by them. They've set up checkpoints at the entrance, built fortifications with sandbags, and established combat positions on the high ground surrounding the factory area. They've mobilized the security department and militia to patrol day and night, intending to use this force to resist and achieve their ulterior motives."

"Wait a minute." Li Jing'an suddenly waved his hand to interrupt, "Is the mine still in production? How many people are there during the day? How many are there at night? Be clear."

"Minister Li, I'll get to you right away," Hu Wenshan replied hastily. "The mining area has now ceased production and is spending all its time on propaganda and rectification campaigns. They have no heart for production anymore. During the day, the mining area is crowded. Apart from a few people who stay at home and don't work, everyone else is participating in activities in the factory area. At night, apart from the security department and the militia, only a portion of the employees they've mobilized voluntarily participate in patrols and resistance."

Li Jing'an nodded, pondered for a moment, and suddenly said to the comrades from the prefectural committee, "Comrades from the prefectural committee, could you organize some militia to cooperate with this operation tomorrow?"

"Minister Li, rest assured, we have as many militia as we need. If the nearby communes don't have enough, I can transfer more from other places," the head of the prefectural committee quickly stood up to reply.

Li Jing'an nodded and said, "We don't need that many. The nearest ones are enough. Their main responsibility is to maintain the blockade and avoid alerting outsiders, so as to prevent further public outcry and rumors." After saying this, he turned to the people from the military district and asked, "How many troops can the military district provide?"

"Comrade Minister, our military sub-district has a regiment under its command. In addition to its daily duties, it can spare two battalions to participate in operations that are actually carrying out missions," the commander replied.

"Enough." Li Jing'an slammed his hand on the table, looked around at everyone, and said, "Tomorrow night, the prefectural committee will mobilize the militia from the surrounding communes to participate in the operation. The military sub-district will use two battalions as the main force to carry out the assault mission. The time is set after get off work tomorrow evening. Do not assemble nearby; assemble in a more distant place. The operation will be sudden, giving them no time to prepare. Tomorrow, the militia under the prefectural committee's command will be responsible for controlling all intersections, blocking the access roads from the mining area to the outside, as well as the workers' accommodation area and family area, which will also be controlled by the militia. After tomorrow evening, no one is allowed to enter the mining area, and no one is allowed to leave."

"Yes! We guarantee to complete the mission!" The comrade from the prefectural committee immediately stood up and pledged.

Li Jing'an then looked at the military sub-district commander: "The military sub-district will have a tough task tomorrow. You are the main force, mainly tasked with attacking the stubborn elements in the mining area. If negotiations fail, we may have to launch a full-scale assault. Make sure you bring all your equipment, be mentally prepared, and plan for a strong attack. We must make a decisive move and avoid any unforeseen complications. This is the moment to test your combat effectiveness; don't let your superiors down."

"Yes, sir! We guarantee to complete the mission!" The military district commander immediately stood up, saluted, and shouted.

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