Official statement: Tongwei is dead! You chose Ruijin, didn't you?

The auditorium of the Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee.

A huge red banner spanned the ceiling of the auditorium, with large, solemn, and orderly white characters in Song typeface: "Mobilization Meeting for the Investigation and Rectification of Historical Land Issues in Jingzhou City."

On the platform, Li Dakang sat upright in the center, his back straight and his expression solemn and composed.

He pushed aside his prepared speech and prepared to speak extemporaneously, exuding the aura of a pragmatic cadre honed over many years. He was determined to use the self-examination and rectification to stabilize the foundation of Beijing's development, clarify past issues, and proactively dispel external doubts.

"Comrades, Jingzhou has maintained the leading economic growth rate in the province for many consecutive years. This achievement is hard-won, but we must not rest on our laurels and relax our demands."

Li Dakang's voice was loud and steady, clearly amplified and carried throughout the entire venue.

"In the process of rapid development, a number of historical issues in the land sector have indeed accumulated. The purpose of convening this conference today is to demonstrate a willingness to undergo thorough and radical rectification."

Any violations of regulations or rules found in land approvals or project development, regardless of rank, will be investigated and dealt with strictly according to regulations, without any leniency!

The heads of various districts and municipal departments sat upright in the meeting room, notebooks open, heads bowed as they took notes.

But the officials from the land resources, planning, and housing construction departments looked tense, their fingers gripping their pens tightly, their hearts filled with unease.

Everyone knows that Guangmingfeng and Dafeng Factory are involved in a long-standing gray market for land, but no one knows who this self-inspection will ultimately lead them to.

In the second row of the dais, Zhou Zhengming sat quietly, with his ever-present thermos of goji berries beside him. His expression was calm, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

Lei Ming, a member of the supervisory team, sat upright beside him, exuding a cold aura and known for his iron-fisted approach to handling cases.

The presence of two supervisory team members instantly shifted the balance of power in the entire meeting.

Li Dakang originally planned to independently control the scope of the investigation, but now the supervisory team is closely monitoring him, and all his plans are subject to review by higher authorities.

Li Dakang paused briefly, about to announce the establishment of a municipal-level land investigation task force led by himself, thus taking control of the investigation.

Zhou Zhengming gently raised his hand and lightly tapped the microphone on the table with his fingertips. Two short, soft sounds pierced the hall, and everyone's eyes shifted from the center of the stage to the second row.

Li Dakang's expression froze slightly, a brief moment of astonishment flashing across his face.

"Secretary Dakang's statement just now fully demonstrates the local government's political awareness of taking the initiative to conduct self-examination and self-correction, and the supervisory team affirms this."

Zhou Zhengming picked up the microphone, his tone calm yet weighty, before his words immediately shifted.

"However, considering the long time span and complex relationships involved in the Guangmingfeng and Dafengchang plots, in order to avoid local protectionism and ensure the fairness of the verification, after consultation between the supervisory team and Lu Chengzhou, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, it was decided to implement a higher-level overall management for this land investigation."

Li Dakang's heart sank suddenly, sensing that his entire plan was about to fall apart.

"A provincial-level joint land supervision office will be established, led by the central supervision team and jointly with the provincial discipline inspection commission, the provincial procuratorate, and the provincial public security department."

Zhou Zhengming clearly read out the personnel arrangements, word by word: "I will serve as the director of the office, and Tian Guofu and Ji Changming will serve as deputy directors. The Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government will be mainly responsible for coordinating the stability maintenance work in the jurisdiction and cooperating with the verification and other logistical support work. All problem clues and handling plans will be submitted to the joint office for review and approval."

After the announcement, the entire audience fell silent.

The self-inspection campaign, which Li Dakang meticulously planned to buffer the conflict, was directly taken over by the provincial joint task force.

His original plan to use self-examination to identify minor issues and attribute the core blame to Ding Yizhen has completely lost its room for maneuver.

Li Dakang suppressed his inner turmoil, maintained his leadership composure, and forced a calm smile as he nodded in cooperation.

"We will fully comply with the overall arrangements of our superiors and cooperate fully with the joint supervision office in all verification work."

For the remainder of the meeting, Li Dakang kept his sharp edge in his speech, and the originally planned rectification schedule and handling standards were all scrapped.

After the meeting, he returned alone to the office of the municipal party secretary, his back instantly relaxed, and he slumped wearily into the leather chair.

Yi Xuexi, the secretary of the municipal discipline inspection commission, followed closely behind and entered the room. Seeing Li Dakang's obvious dejection, he softly offered his words of comfort:

"Secretary Dakang, upgrading the level of investigation is a routine measure to standardize case handling. It's just a process adjustment, so there's no need to worry too much."

"Standard procedure?"

Li Dakang gave a bitter laugh, his tone full of helplessness, "We've worked together for many years, and I understand this clearly. This notice about upgrading the overall coordination level is like a tight rein. From the day Sun Liancheng handed over that original assessment report, I've been put on the defensive."

I originally intended to conduct a self-examination, clarify the boundaries, and separate Ding Yizhen's irregularities from my oversight and his substantive corruption. Now, that path has been completely blocked.

"Next, the supervisory team will definitely delve into the entire land case file," Yi said in a low voice.

Before the words were finished, the director of the general office knocked on the door in a panic to report:

"Secretary Li, Team Leader Zhou from the Joint Supervision Office has arrived with a team, requesting that all meeting minutes and original land approval files from Dafeng Factory and Guangmingfeng be retrieved immediately."

Li Dakang closed his eyes and remained silent for a moment, then raised his hand in a hoarse voice to signal: "Cooperate fully. All materials in the archives shall be handed over."

The office director accepted the order and left, leaving only the two of them in the office.

Looking out the window at the gloomy sky, Li Dakang couldn't help but think of Gao Yuliang.

The other party dared to break the deadlock in an extreme way back then, while I have spent my whole life upholding the bottom line of my career and valuing people's livelihood and political achievements. Now I am constrained in both advancing and retreating, and I don't even have the option to break the deadlock.