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

There's no need to name names when I say this.

Anyone in the room with a functioning brain immediately locked onto the answer within three seconds—Shen Zhong, the political commissar of the provincial military region.

The military intercepted the civilian flight, armored vehicles broke down the gates of the oil and gas group, and the military also entered the provincial party committee compound in the middle of the night to handcuff Zhao Lichun. These events have spread throughout the country, and Sha Ruijin recounts them one by one, but there is only one target.

A new broom sweeps clean, and the first thing he does is tackle the toughest challenge.

Tian Guofu was flipping through his notebook with his head down, his right index finger tracing the bottom of the pages. He felt quite pleased with himself. He had given the message at the airport last time, and today Sha Ruijin had indeed taken it.

The military's power was too great, and it was becoming too entrenched to be controlled. This was something not only he was aware of, but also those in Kyoto. Sha Ruijin's first priority upon arriving in Handong was to put this tiger back in its cage.

Gao Yuliang placed his fingers interlaced on his abdomen, his palms sweaty. Sha Ruijin's words, ostensibly criticizing the incompetence of the political and legal system, actually shifted the focus 180 degrees—you're useless, so the military has an excuse to intervene. But the military's intervention itself is problematic.

This logic is brilliantly twisted: first a slap, then a treat, and finally the knife is pointed at the real target.

Gao Yuliang glanced to the right.

Shen Zhong remained in the same posture, arms crossed over his chest, military cap on the table, head tilted back slightly.

From his perspective, it was impossible to tell whether the person was resting with their eyes closed or simply not paying attention to what was being said.

Liu Changchun was sitting next to Sha Ruijin, originally planning to quietly wait for the meeting to end before leaving. But now he shifted his position forward, took his hands off his knees, and placed them on the armrests.

interesting.

The newly appointed Party Secretary, eager to establish his authority, targeted Shen Zhong. Liu Changchun, having been outmaneuvered by Sha Ruijin's arrival, was seething with resentment. Now, Sha Ruijin was determined to challenge Shen Zhong.

He'll just watch. He'll see just how capable this newly appointed secretary really is, and whether he can suppress that young major general who even crushed Zhao Lichun to dust.

He'd accept it if he could suppress it.

If it can't be suppressed—that would be even more beautiful.

The auditorium was packed with over a thousand people. Some were gloating, some were on pins and needles, and some wished they could shrink into the cracks between their chairs. But everyone's attention was focused on the same thing.

The chair on the far right of the podium.

Shen Zhong opened his eyes.

The moment those eyes opened, He Xia's heart skipped a beat. She knew her husband all too well. This man was a mountain when his eyes were closed, and a knife when they were open.

Shen Zhong reached his right hand into the inside pocket of his military uniform, fumbled for a couple of seconds, and pulled something out.

It wasn't big, about the size of a palm. The cover was scarlet, with a pure gold national emblem in the very center. Sunlight streamed in through the side windows of the auditorium, its golden reflection sweeping across the faces of the first three rows of people.

Medal of Honor.

Shen held it up in his hand so that everyone could see it clearly.

"This award was given by the military three days ago to commend the special operation in the Zhao Lichun case."

Then--

boom!

He slapped his military medals onto the solid wood table in front of him.

The mahogany table trembled, and the lid of the teacup in front of Sha Ruijin jumped. The loudspeaker faithfully amplified the muffled sound to every corner of the auditorium.

"National security is above all official bullshit rules."

A deep voice boomed from the microphone. It wasn't off. He didn't care whether it was off or not; rather, he wanted everyone to hear it.

A deputy secretary of a prefecture-level city in the front row twitched his leg, and the chair leg scraped against the floor with a sharp sound.

Shen Zhong turned his head and looked at Sha Ruijin.

It wasn't eye-level. It was an angle looking down on him—although both were sitting, Shen's heavy figure was a whole size larger than Sha Ruijin's. The pine-green robes stretched his official robes perfectly straight, and the gold stars on his epaulets flickered in the sidelight.

"Zhao Lichun's corrupt network, built over a decade, has infiltrated every corner of Handong. The political and legal system has been rendered powerless, the Standing Committee has been manipulated, and even the provincial procuratorate's anti-corruption bureau has become a mere formality. Under such circumstances, without the use of military force, Ding Yizhen would have already flown to the other side of the Pacific Ocean."

He slammed out each word one by one.

"Each of these actions was directly authorized by Kyoto. Who thinks the military overstepped its authority—"

Shen Zhong pointed with his index finger at the military medals on the table.

"Take your materials and go to Kyoto to sue me."

The auditorium was eerily quiet. More than a thousand people were present, and not a single person dared to move their chair.

Sha Ruijin sat there, his hand holding the teacup suspended in mid-air.

He did his homework before coming to Handong. He knew Shen Zhong was tough, he knew Shen Zhong had powerful backers, and he knew this man was not easy to deal with. But theoretical discussions and face-to-face confrontation are two different things.

The military medals were on the table, their scarlet background and pure gold national emblem more eye-catching than any official title.

This medal doesn't just represent a person's ability; it represents Kyoto's recognition of that person—and the highest level of recognition at that. No matter how much Sha Ruijin was parachuted in, or how powerful his backing was, he wouldn't dare to deny the significance of a top-class military medal in public.

To deny the military medal is to deny the person who issued it.

He can't afford to mess with that person.

Sha Ruijin put down his teacup, and the sound of the bottom of the cup hitting the table was a little louder than usual.

In that brief moment, another voice rang out from the left side of the podium.

"Secretary Shen is right."

Everyone's heads turned to the left in unison.

Liu Changchun.

The provincial governor, who had been slacking off for over a week and was almost forced into early retirement by Sha Ruijin's "care," finally spoke up.

"The Zhao Lichun case is the largest corruption case in Handong since the province was established. It is unprecedented in its scope and level of involvement. Secretary Shen acted decisively at the critical moment. All his actions were for the public good and without any personal gain. This is something that everyone in Handong has seen."

Liu Changchun's voice wasn't loud, but he pronounced each word very clearly.

"Comrade Ruijin has just arrived in Handong and may not be fully aware of some situations. I think his evaluation of Secretary Shen is biased."