Nominal: Hou Liangping blocking the door? He was slapped away!

The provincial party committee building, in a small conference room.

An hour before the Standing Committee meeting, there was still some time before the formal meeting.

Zhao Lichun pushed open the door alone, but instead of sitting down immediately, he paced back and forth in the conference room.

A moment later, a jumble of footsteps could be heard outside the corridor.

Chen Huai, Secretary-General of the Provincial Party Committee, pushed open the side door.

"Let's start here," Chen Huai said, leading the way.

Lincheng Municipal Party Committee Secretary Zhou Guichun and several other core members of the Zhao family's standing committee followed them in.

Watching the back of Zhao Lichun, the backbone of the Zhao family troupe, their expressions were somewhat solemn. The recent series of major events in the officialdom of Handong made everyone feel uneasy.

Chen Huai arranged for them to sit on the left side of the conference table according to the established seating arrangement.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Zhao Lichun slowly turned around, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

His hands were folded and placed flat on the table, his gaze sweeping over everyone present from left to right.

"Everyone's here, let's talk things over first." Zhao Lichun turned his gaze away and spoke.

Everyone straightened up and looked toward the person in the main seat.

"A lot has happened recently, and everyone has seen it." Zhao Lichun spoke slowly.

"That Shen Zhong is very domineering in his actions. He doesn't follow the rules and doesn't show any mercy."

"Wu Chunlin from the Organization Department led the sabotage at a previous meeting, which seriously affected our unity and caused a very bad impact."

When Zhao Lichun mentioned Wu Chunlin, he emphasized the word.

"There is only one main agenda item for the Standing Committee meeting tonight," Zhao Lichun said, flipping through the roster in his hand. "It concerns the change of the candidate for Secretary of the Lüzhou Municipal Party Committee."

"Zhu Jichang has been placed under investigation for violating the rules."

"But Luzhou cannot be left leaderless."

"That's the economic powerhouse of the entire province, the cornerstone of GDP."

"The work in the province cannot be brought to a standstill because of the problems of one or two people; someone still needs to take the lead in all tasks."

Zhao Lichun pointed to a name on the roster with his finger.

"After my personal investigation, I recommend Qian Shouyi. I have also discussed this with you beforehand."

"He served as mayor of Luzhou for so many years and is familiar with the local economic development and infrastructure. He was in charge of many major projects. Only with his leadership could Luzhou's economic data be guaranteed not to decline significantly."

"He is currently the only suitable candidate to succeed the position of municipal party secretary."

After saying this, Zhao Lichun paused for a moment, picked up his teacup, and took a sip of water.

"Everyone here is a smart person, and I don't need to elaborate on the importance of these seats on the Standing Committee," Zhao Lichun said, putting down his teacup and raising his voice slightly.

"In the upcoming formal meeting and vote, everyone must remain in step to ensure that Comrade Qian Shouyi is successfully nominated."

"The overall situation in Luzhou must not be thrown into chaos; we cannot afford to lose our positions again."

Zhou Guichun was the first to speak out.

"The secretary's considerations are comprehensive. I fully agree with this proposal. Comrade Qian Shouyi has a solid work style, understands economics, and is good at construction."

"Letting him succeed in the rightful way is perfectly justified, and there's no reason to criticize him."

The Minister of the United Front Work Department also spoke up.

"The Party Secretary's decision is far-sighted, and I firmly support it."

The head of the publicity department opened his notebook and took notes.

"I also agree with the secretary's opinion and guarantee to vote in favor at the meeting to resolutely implement the provincial party committee's intentions and not give anyone an opportunity to take advantage of the situation."

Zhao Lichun nodded, quite satisfied with everyone's state.

He turned his gaze to Li Dakang, who was sitting at the very end.

Li Dakang lowered his head, staring at the white ceramic teacup in front of him, without saying a word.

His mind was filled with the mess that had happened in the past few days: the flooding of the Guangmingfeng project had inundated the entire area, and he, as the municipal party secretary, had been humiliated by the floodwaters, losing all face.

His most trusted subordinate, Cheng Du, was shot in the head and died right in front of him.

The three hundred fully armed special police officers were disarmed in less than ten minutes by several helicopters and assault team members.

That shot not only shattered Cheng Du's head, but also destroyed Li Dakang's once-unrivaled authority in Jingzhou, forcing him to sign a humiliating treaty on the spot.

Not only did they allocate 1 billion yuan to Sun Liancheng, that crazy district head of Hexi District, for construction projects.

We must also fully support He Xia's appointment as Secretary of the Lüzhou Municipal Party Committee at today's Standing Committee meeting.

Shen Zhong made him personally stab Zhao Lichun in the heart with his own knife.

If he doesn't comply, the evidence that would put him in a military court will be sent directly to the capital.

"Comrade Dakang." Chen Huai nudged Li Dakang's arm with his elbow.

Li Dakang snapped out of his daze, shifted his body slightly, and hurriedly picked up his teacup and took a big gulp of water to cover up his embarrassment.

He put down his teacup and met Zhao Lichun's gaze.

"Dakang, you're my old subordinate, and I trust you the most," Zhao Lichun added. "Your statement at this meeting is very important."

"Secretary." Li Dakang's voice was a little hoarse.

"I knew Comrade Qian Shouyi when I was working in Lincheng."

"His work ability is indeed excellent. He is a master at economic development and also has a knack for leading teams."

Li Dakang adjusted his posture and placed his hands on the edge of the table.

"I will vote in favor at the next Standing Committee meeting."

While saying this, Li Dakang was quickly calculating a countermeasure in his mind, planning to openly betray He Xia in the conference room later.

He could foresee Zhao Lichun's fury at openly contradicting his former boss, who had promoted him.

But he had no choice.

He was more afraid of that madman who held military power than of offending Zhao Lichun.

Shen Zhong's methods were too ruthless; he completely disregarded the so-called human relationships and social niceties of officialdom.

Zhao Lichun frowned as he watched Li Dakang's dazed state.

He raised his right index finger and tapped it twice heavily on the cover of the document on the table, the sound echoing in the conference room.

"Comrade Dakang, you need to adjust your mindset. Although Shen Zhong is domineering, he should not interfere too much in local government affairs. You can't lose your spirit after one or two mistakes." Zhao Lichun emphasized, his words carrying a warning tone.

"The location of Lüzhou is crucial to the overall economic development of the entire Handong province."

"This is not only a decision of the provincial party committee, but also the bottom line for our team."

"There is no room for ambiguity on this matter. Whoever falters at a critical moment will bear the responsibility for jeopardizing the overall situation. As the governor of Jingzhou, you should understand the importance of the overall situation even more."

Li Dakang did not respond to Zhao Lichun's warning.

He lowered his head, opened his notebook and pretended to check the data inside, while his hand holding the pen made a few random marks on the paper.

The atmosphere became somewhat tense for a moment.

Seeing this, Chen Huai quickly interjected to smooth things over.

"Secretary, the progress reports for several key projects in the province have just been delivered."

"In particular, the fiber optic cable repair project in Lincheng has been completed, and the military region has not pursued the matter further."

Zhao Lichun closed the document in front of him, pushed it aside, and glanced at the clock on the wall.

The official meeting time at nine o'clock is almost here.

"Let's end the meeting here for now." Zhao Lichun stood up and straightened his tie.

"Everyone, get ready and head to the large conference room on the first floor for a meeting. Don't cause any trouble during the meeting."

Everyone began to tidy up the paper and pens on the table.

Li Dakang stood up, tucked his work notes under his arm, straightened his jacket, and picked up his thermos.

"I'm going to the restroom for a smoke. You guys go ahead."