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

Sha Ruijin soon learned that Li Dakang had gone to the military region.

When the secretary notified him, Sha Ruijin was reviewing documents. He finished reviewing the last one and put down his pen.

"Notify Li Dakang to come to my office at 3 p.m. this afternoon."

The secretary responded and turned to leave.

"Wait a moment."

Sha Ruijin took a document out of the drawer, turned to one of the pages, and drew a line under a line of text with a red pen.

Dafeng Factory.

He had heard of this name before coming to Handong. Zhao Ruilong forcefully pushed through the demolition, and Shenyang Heavy Machinery deployed armored vehicles to take over the site, turning the entire Dafeng Factory into a military-controlled area. It's been almost a month now, and military personnel are still stationed at the factory gate, completely halting the demolition.

The Guangmingfeng section of Jingzhou is stuck here and can't be pushed down.

This is where Sha Ruijin's approach comes in.

3 PM.

Li Dakang arrived on time.

Li Dakang was different today than yesterday. Yesterday, when he went to the military region, he kept a very low profile. Today, sitting opposite Sha Ruijin, his back was back at its usual angle—neither humble nor arrogant, but his brow was furrowed.

Sha Ruijin didn't exchange pleasantries.

"Comrade Dakang, you know about the Dafeng Factory incident, right?"

Li Dakang nodded. "Understood."

"The factory area has been under military control for almost a month now. The Jingzhou Guangmingfeng project is nearly forty days behind schedule due to the problems at Dafeng Factory. You know about this, right?"

"Know."

"Forty days." Sha Ruijin repeated the number again. "Guangming Peak is a key provincial project, listed as one of the top ten livelihood projects in Handong Province this year. You know better than I do the chain reaction of a forty-day delay—municipal pipeline renovation, commercial complex leasing, and surrounding road widening will all be postponed."

Li Dakang did not respond.

Sha Ruijin pushed the document with the red line drawn over.

"I'll give you a week. Complete the demolition of Dafeng Factory within seven days. Worker resettlement, factory relocation, and construction commencement—all in one go."

Li Dakang looked at the document and rubbed his right thumb on the lid of the thermos twice.

One week.

The mess at Dafeng Factory involves the livelihoods of hundreds of workers, the equity dispute within Shanshui Group, and the military's control over the company. Can it be resolved within seven days?

This is forcing him to go to Shen's important territory.

Sha Ruijin wanted to put him in a very difficult position. "Didn't you go to the military region to pledge your loyalty? Fine, then prove your worth with actions—go and take back the territory the military has occupied."

Getting it back shows that Shen Zhong is indeed protecting you, but it also shows that you, Li Dakang, are just a gofer in front of Shen Zhong.

If you don't come back, it means your pledge of loyalty was in vain; Shen Zhong doesn't take you seriously at all.

Neither path is easy to take.

"Secretary Sha, the situation at Dafeng Factory is rather unique—"

“I know it’s special,” Sha Ruijin interrupted him. “That’s why I entrusted this task to you. I wouldn’t feel comfortable assigning it to someone less capable.”

pause.

"Comrade Dakang, seven days. If you can't handle this, the provincial party committee will hold you accountable."

Accountability.

This word is more direct than any threat.

Li Dakang stood up. "I tried my best."

"It's not just about trying your best." Sha Ruijin picked up his teacup. "It's a must."

Li Dakang walked out of the provincial party committee building and stood in the parking lot for thirty seconds. A cold wind rushed into his collar.

Jin Liqun jogged over. "Secretary Li—"

"Call Zhou Weiguo, I want to see Secretary Shen."

……

That evening, at the military region office.

Shen Zhong listened to Li Dakang's account without showing any surprise.

Sha Ruijin's use of administrative power to coerce people was within his expectations. In fact, one could say that he would have found it strange if Sha Ruijin hadn't taken this tactic.

"Seven days?"

"Seven days." Li Dakang's brows furrowed. "Sha Ruijin is clearly targeting me. The military control of Dafeng Factory was your order; I have no authority—"

"withdraw."

Li Dakang was speechless.

"Military control will be lifted tomorrow," Shen Zhong said calmly.

Li Dakang opened his mouth. "Secretary Shen, those several hundred workers at Dafeng Factory—"

"You handle the workers' problem." Shen Zhong opened a drawer, pulled out a document, and threw it on the table. "Military control is a temporary measure. The Shanshui Group has been dealt with, the threat of forced demolition no longer exists, and the military has no reason to continue occupying the area."

That makes sense, but Li Dakang still felt that Shen Zhong was moving too fast.

It was so fast that it didn't seem like a passive response, but rather like they had been waiting for this step all along.

"Comrade Dakang, there are three things you need to do when you get back." Shen Zhong held up three fingers.

"First, issue a public notice in the name of the Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee, clarifying the resettlement plan after the demolition of Dafeng Factory. The resettlement fee will be advanced by the municipal finance, with each household receiving no less than 1.2 times the current standard. If Guangming District cannot afford this money, then it will be squeezed out by the Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee."

Li Dakang did the math in his head, felt a pang of regret, but nodded.

"Secondly, the asset verification work of Shanshui Group is being carried out by the Discipline Inspection Commission and the audit department. After the investigation is thoroughly completed, the shares held by Dafeng Factory employees will be compensated according to the market price at that time. This clause is written in the announcement, in black and white, and stamped with the seal of the Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee."

"Third, have Zheng Xipo explain the contents of the announcement to the workers point by point. He has prestige among the workers at Dafeng Factory, and he'll be more effective than any cadre you send."

Each of the three things was spot on.

Li Dakang brought the teacup to his lips, but found it was empty, so he put it down.

"Secretary Shen, let's advance the resettlement fees. If Sha Ruijin inquires about the source of the funds—"

"Just say that the Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee proactively allocated financial resources to expedite the progress of key provincial projects." Shen Zhong leaned back in his chair. "Sha Ruijin wants the Dafeng Factory demolition and relocation issue resolved. As long as you present the results, he can't do anything about it."

Li Dakang gripped the thermos cup tightly.

How exactly does this person's brain work?

Before Sha Ruijin's knife could fall, he disarmed it.

With the military control lifted, Sha Ruijin's pretext of "the military occupying the land and preventing any movement" disappeared. The municipal party committee advanced the resettlement fees, ensuring the workers' livelihoods and preventing them from causing trouble. The demolition proceeded smoothly, and Sha Ruijin's accountability fell on Li Dakang.

What's even more remarkable is that Li Dakang orchestrated all of this. From the outside perspective, it appeared that the Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee proactively resolved the conflict, with Shen Zhong remaining completely absent throughout.

Sha Ruijin wanted to force him to confront Shen Zhong head-on, but he didn't even manage to touch him.

"Comrade Dakang, there's one more thing."

Li Dakang looked up.

"Sha Ruijin will continue to cause you trouble. You should decide for yourself how much you can handle it. Come to me when you can't handle it anymore, but don't come all the time."

"clear."