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

The next morning, Sha Ruijin immediately arranged to talk with Li Dakang.

The location was the provincial party secretary's office.

"Comrade Dakang, please sit down."

Li Dakang sat down, his back ramrod straight, holding his thermos cup in his hand without placing it on the table.

Sha Ruijin got straight to the point.

"Jingzhou has done a good job recently, with GDP growing for two consecutive quarters. The fact that you were able to stabilize the situation despite the impact of the Zhao Lichun case shows that you are highly capable."

"Thank you for your recognition, Secretary Sha."

"You're welcome." Sha Ruijin leaned back in his chair and tapped his fingers twice on the armrest. "Comrade Dakang, you are a key figure in the economic development of Handong. Not only have I seen this, but the capital has seen it too."

Li Dakang held his thermos without moving.

"Governor Liu Changchun isn't young anymore, and his health hasn't been very good. I heard him say the other day that his old lumbar spine problem had flared up again," Sha Ruijin said, taking a different turn. "The organization has always attached great importance to the development of the cadre team in Handong. The governor's position will eventually need a suitable successor."

Even a deaf person could understand what was being said.

Li Dakang kept his head down, slowly twisting the lid of the thermos.

Sha Ruijin waited a few seconds, then added another sentence.

"Of course, that's all for later. Right now, the most important thing is unity. Handong just went through an earthquake, and the team needs stability and unity of purpose. Comrade Dakang, don't you agree?"

"Secretary Sha is right."

Li Dakang's answer was perfectly balanced, without any faults, but it didn't contain an extra word either.

Sha Ruijin looked at him for a few seconds, smiled, and picked up his teacup.

"Alright, I won't take up any more of your time. Go back and do your job well. If you need any support from the provincial party committee, just let me know."

Li Dakang stood up and bowed slightly.

"Thank you for your concern, Secretary Sha."

Li Dakang did not stop walking as he left the provincial party committee building.

Secretary Jin Liqun jogged up to catch up. "Secretary Li, the car is here—"

"I know."

Once inside the car, Li Dakang placed his thermos on the cup holder and stared at the windshield.

Sha Ruijin's strategy wasn't particularly brilliant, but it wasn't bad either. He first praised Liu Changchun's abilities, then hinted at Liu's impending departure, and finally offered him a lucrative position as provincial governor. The condition was simple—choose sides.

Three months ago, Li Dakang might have actually been tempted.

Governor.

But things are different three months ago. Li Dakang, sitting on the platform, could clearly see what color Sha Ruijin's face was yesterday.

How big can the pie in the sky be if a provincial party secretary is publicly slammed on the table and doesn't dare to utter a single harsh word?

But Shen Zhong is different.

That man defeated Zhao Lichun, and defeated everyone who opposed him. What he held in his hand was a hundred times more substantial than the provincial party secretary's promise.

Li Dakang unscrewed the thermos again and took a sip of water.

"Go to the military region."

Jin Liqun was taken aback. "Secretary Li, the military region?"

"Provincial Military Command. Take the road through the south gate, don't go around to the provincial party committee building."

Jin Liqun didn't ask any more questions and turned the steering wheel.

The car drove for fifteen minutes and arrived at the gate of the provincial military district.

Before getting out of the car, Li Dakang straightened his tie and tucked a prepared folder under his arm. The cover bore the four characters: "Progress Report on the Jingzhou Military-Civilian Joint Construction Project."

This is a cover-up.

The sentry checked the identification, made a phone call, and let them pass.

Li Dakang walked into the provincial military district's office building. Along the way, three officers greeted him, and he politely nodded in response. Normally, he was the one who had the final say in Jingzhou, but here, he lowered his stance to the lowest possible level.

Zhou Weiguo was waiting for him at the end of the third-floor corridor.

"Secretary Li, the leader is inside."

Li Dakang nodded and pushed the door open to go inside.

The office was small. It was far too simple for a major general's office. There was a metal table, two chairs, and a military map hanging on the wall.

Shen Zhong sat heavily behind the desk, flipping through a document. He wore a black jacket, not a military uniform, but the oppressive aura he exuded had nothing to do with whether he was wearing a uniform or not.

"sit."

One word.

Li Dakang sat down, placed the folder on his lap, and rested his hands on it.

"Secretary Shen, I've come to report on the Jingzhou military-civilian joint construction project—"

"Alright." Shen Zhong tossed the documents in his hand onto the table and looked up. "Comrade Dakang didn't make a special trip to the military region just to talk about this."

Li Dakang's words caught in his throat, and he swallowed them back.

He knew that beating around the bush with Shen Zhong was the stupidest thing to do. This man could see through people's hearts as easily as flipping a card.

"Secretary Shen, I have three things to discuss."

Shen Zhong didn't speak, leaning back in his chair and waiting.

"First, about Ouyang Jing." Li Dakang bowed slightly. "I haven't had a chance to thank Secretary Shen in person since he helped me last time. If it weren't for you, my political career would have been over if Ouyang Jing's affair had been exposed. I, Li Dakang, will remember this kindness."

Shen Zhong tapped his heavy finger on the table, but didn't reply.

"The second thing," Li Dakang leaned forward. "Secondly, Secretary Sha spoke with me yesterday."

The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere in the office shifted.

"He hinted that Governor Liu should retire early, promising to recommend me for the governorship in the future. The condition was that I maintain consistency with the provincial party committee."

Li Dakang repeated Sha Ruijin's words almost verbatim.

"Are you done talking?"

"I'm done." Li Dakang straightened his back. "Secretary Shen, I, Li Dakang, have done stupid things in my life, followed the wrong people, and worked under Zhao Lichun for more than ten years. I have many shady dealings. But there's one thing—I am a cadre of the Party and the state, not anyone's lackey."

The heavy fingers stopped.

He looked at Li Dakang, and that gaze made the hairs on the back of Li Dakang's back stand on end. The feeling of being evaluated, dissected, and peeled back layer by layer was ten times stronger than when he was in front of Zhao Lichun.

"The third thing." Li Dakang opened the folder, pulled out a piece of paper, and handed it over. "I plan to transfer Sun Liancheng from Hexi District back to Guangming District to serve as the district party secretary and concurrently as the vice mayor of Jingzhou City."

What it means for Li Dakang to transfer this person back to Jingzhou is self-evident.

Guangming District is the core urban area of ​​Jingzhou. Sun Liancheng's return to take charge is tantamount to handing over the most lucrative territory in Jingzhou to someone Shen Zhongneng can trust.

The Warlords.

A pledge of allegiance is more effective than a thousand eloquent words.

Shen Zhong placed the paper on the table, then shifted his gaze from the paper to Li Dakang's face.

Then he laughed.

Very slight. The corner of her mouth twitched, so slightly as to be barely noticeable.

But this one moment completely put Li Dakang's mind at ease.

This was the first time Shen Zhong had smiled at him.

"Comrade Dakang," Shen Zhong spoke up. "Sun Liancheng is a pragmatist; putting him in that position would definitely be more reliable than Ding Yizhen's previous role."

"Yes, Secretary Shen, that's my opinion too."

"Jingzhou's economy accounts for half of Handong's economy. If you manage Jingzhou well and achieve results, I will speak up for you in the future."

Li Dakang tightened his grip on his knees.

"I'll communicate with Governor Liu." Shen Zhong didn't say much, but every word hit the nail on the head. "As long as you work diligently, the legitimate matters will naturally be arranged for you."

Justifiably.

Four words.

Sha Ruijin's promise was made secretly, in a shady way. Shen Zhong's path was paved with integrity—achievements, Liu Changchun's recommendation, and organizational approval.

Li Dakang could figure out which of these two paths was more reliable even with his toes.

"Thank you, Secretary Shen!"

"Don't thank me." Shen Zhong picked up the documents on the table and reopened them, making it clear that the reception was over. "Thank yourself."

Li Dakang stood up, clipped the folder together, and turned to walk out the door.

As I reached the door, a heavy voice came from behind me again.

"Comrade Dakang."

"Do a good job."

"clear."