Qi Tongwei at the start: Not relying on Liang Lu, but winning by a single move against Heaven.

The notice to shut down and rectify the four small mines caused an uproar in the four townships.

These four townships all rely on coal for their livelihood.

The closure of small coal mines is tantamount to cutting off the village's economic resources.

It's already mid-September, and winter coal has started to hit the market, which is the best time for coal prices.

Every day we shut down, we lose several thousand dollars.

After receiving the notification, Li Guangran's office phone kept ringing off the hook.

At first, Li Guangran patiently explained to the other party.

The shutdown is not the goal, but for safe production. Work can resume immediately once the shutdown is completed.

But as the calls came in one after another, the other party's tone became increasingly worse.

Li Guangran's temper flared up as well. Even a clay Buddha has some temper, let alone a human being.

The other party was firm, so he responded even more firmly: no work could begin without rectification, and there was no room for negotiation.

Ergong Township is the closest to the town, and after receiving the notification, Township Head Liu Wei came up immediately.

When Li Guangran was working at the Ergong Township mine, he often went to Liu Wei's house to freeload drinks, and the two had always had a good personal relationship.

Liu Wei arrived at the office, plopped down on the sofa, and immediately began to complain.

"What do you mean... losing over three thousand yuan just for stopping work for one day?"

If the workers don't get paid for three days, they'll start making a scene.

Li Guangran was not surprised to see him arrive.

He got up and poured Liu Wei a glass of water, frowning slightly.

Instead of complaining, you should hurry up and make changes.

Those mines in Ergong Township are all prone to leaks and spills; aren't they all potential hazards?

"What could possibly go wrong that wouldn't be enough to cause you trouble?"

Liu Wei grinned, frowned, and let out a bitter laugh.

"Rectify my ass! Rectification doesn't cost money? Besides, the timing is wrong."

It's September, winter coal is selling well, and you're stopping it now? That's causing too much trouble...

He paused slightly, took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, and handed one to Li Guangran.

"Can you open a back door and make changes after winter?"

Li Guangran took the cigarette, glanced at Liu Wei, and let out a cold laugh.

"Viagra, you can fool others, but not me?"

After winter sets in, the soil freezes harder than stone. How can we rectify this?

Do you even believe what you're saying?

He lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and his voice became more serious.

"To be honest with you, this order was issued directly by the new Party Secretary."

This time it's for real, not just a formality like before...

Liu Wei was taken aback, took two deep drags on his cigarette, and didn't respond.

......

After receiving Li Guofu's personal instructions, Gao Gui completely quieted down.

There were no more complaints, nor was there any mention of slacking off.

The next morning, he took the initiative to go to Beitai Town.

Before leaving, he even went to Qi Tongwei's office to say goodbye, and his words were very eloquent.

"Secretary Qi, I've thought it through."

The organization is giving me responsibilities because it trusts me and is testing me.

I will do my utmost to complete the task and secure the funding for the road construction as soon as possible.

Qi Tongwei, unaware of his true intentions, replied with a smile.

"Okay, Comrade Gao Gui, I'm waiting for your good news."

"The funding has been secured; I'll recommend you to the city government for recognition."

Watching Gao Gui's departing figure, Qi Tongwei couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.

He knew in his heart that these old guard members wouldn't easily back down.

As for what other tricks the other party might have up their sleeve, he couldn't be bothered to care.

He has more important things to do right now.

Seeing that he had almost finished his work for the day, he then dialed the number for the car fleet.

"I am Qi Tongwei. Get ready, I'm going out for a bit."

......

As the Santana drove along, Qi Tongwei closed his eyes to rest in the back seat.

As the top official in Fuyuan County, he had absolutely no need to do everything personally.

But this trip won't work; the matter is too big, and he has to leave.

The Santana drove for about an hour before stopping at the foot of a reddish-brown rocky mountain.

Seeing that Qi Tongwei hadn't moved for a while, the driver whispered a reminder.

"Secretary, we've arrived at Huoshaoliang."

Qi Tongwei grunted in agreement, opened the door, and got out of the car.

The driver also got out and casually draped a coat over his shoulders.

Qi Tongwei looked at the crimson mountain ridge in front of him, smiled and waved.

"Come on, let's climb Huoshaoliang together."

Standing atop the beam, Qi Tongwei looked down into the distance.

Under the setting sun, the reddish-brown hills and ravines stretch out in a continuous, undulating pattern.

He sniffed it, and the pungent smell of sulfur made him frown.

Looking at the rising white smoke in the distance, Qi Tongwei couldn't help but smile slightly.

He was in a great mood and asked the driver next to him with a smile.

"Little Li, do you know the origin of the story of the burning beams?"

Xiao Li nodded and immediately continued.

"I know. The old man said that there used to be an evil dragon causing havoc here."

They ate livestock and herders, and even blocked the springs.

Later, the gods were enraged and unleashed a celestial fire, burning the dragon to death...

The dragon's blood stained the earth red, and the mountains turned red.

Qi Tongwei looked at the rolling mountains and burst into laughter.

"Excellent! What a brilliant heavenly fire... Burns well!"

......

Qi Tongwei was pointing out the state of affairs at Huoshaoliang, while Zhang Wei was playing drinking games with several township heads.

Inside the yurt, all the township heads except Liu Wei from Ergong Township were present.

Four people sat cross-legged on a felt mat, with a bowl of hand-pulled mutton and several bottles of Yili Special on the table.

The four men were gnawing on hand-pulled mutton, their faces and necks flushed from drinking.

Li Dayou from Dayou Township wiped the grease from his mouth and spoke first.

"What's going on... Stopping construction for rectification now, are you trying to kill me?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the township heads of Santai Township and Quanzi Township echoed his sentiments.

"Exactly! Winter coal is selling like hotcakes, this is cutting off their livelihood..."

"That son of a bitch Li Guangran, we used to have a good relationship, but now he's turned his back on me."

"I heard that this order was given directly by the new Party Secretary, and Li Guangran couldn't do anything about it."

The three of them took turns hurling insults at Qi Tongwei and Li Guangran, giving them a thorough dressing-down.

Zhang Wei smiled and gnawed on a piece of meat in front of his hand, remaining silent.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Li Dayou frowned slightly, put down his wine glass, and asked.

"County Chief Zhang, please say something... What should we do?"

Zhang Wei swallowed the meat in his mouth, picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and then said slowly.

"What can I do? It's an order from Secretary Qi, what can I do?"

"There's nothing I can do... a higher-ranking official can have absolute power."

Li Dayi was stunned and cursed aloud.

"Damn it, if he hadn't been transferred here, the Party Secretary position would be yours, and none of this would have happened!"

These words struck a chord with Zhang Wei, but he didn't respond.

He put down the mutton in his hand, smiled, and shook his head.

"We must obey the organization's arrangements and cooperate with Secretary Qi's work."

He paused slightly, glanced at the group, and then spoke with a smile.

"Stopping your work is for your own good. People die in the mines every year."

"Which year wasn't it me who suppressed these things for you? You guys just need to obediently rectify them..."

Li Dayou frowned and spoke with a wry smile.

"When you're mining, people are bound to die. Besides, they've all been compensated for the deaths..."

He paused slightly, lit a cigarette for Zhang Wei, and lowered his voice.

"County Chief Zhang, you have so many ideas... please think of a solution."

Zhang Wei took the cigarette, took a deep drag, and slowly exhaled.

He paused briefly, glanced at Li Dayou, and muttered something under his breath.

"With someone watching during the day, we definitely can't start work."