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

Liu Changchun, who was drinking tea from a thermos on the other end of the phone, immediately sat up straight upon hearing this.

"General Shen, please speak."

"Tian Guofu will be meeting with Sha Ruijin tonight. I'd like to know what they discussed."

Liu Changchun's eyelid twitched.

Tian Guofu was Sha Ruijin's henchman, and it would be extremely difficult to get information out of him.

But he dared not disobey a heavy order.

I tried my best.

"Not just try my best, I will definitely do it." The deep voice was calm and composed, yet it conveyed an undeniable determination.

"Sharikin wanted to tear a hole in my wife, and I'm going to show him just how hard his knife really is."

It's 11 p.m.

The light was still on in the secretary's office in the Hantong Provincial Party Committee compound.

The curtains were drawn tightly shut, not a single ray of light could get through.

Tian Guofu, carrying his ever-present black briefcase, pushed open the door and came in.

Instead of sitting behind his desk, Sha Ruijin stood by the window with his back to him.

"sit."

Sha Ruijin's voice sounded somewhat deep in the quiet room.

Tian Guofu sat down on the sofa, his back ramrod straight, his briefcase resting on his lap.

He didn't speak first.

The silence lasted for three minutes.

Sha Ruijin turned around, walked to the sofa opposite Tian Guofu, sat down, and personally poured him a cup of tea.

"Guofu, what's your opinion on the matter in Lüzhou?"

Tian Guofu picked up the teacup but didn't drink it; he simply rubbed the warm cup with his fingers.

"Comrade He Xia is very capable, and the team in Lüzhou is very effective." He chose his words carefully.

"Yes, four billion in three days, it even made the news on the national news program." Sha Ruijin's lips twitched slightly, it was hard to tell whether it was praise or sarcasm. "We have to admit this achievement. We can't break through it head-on anymore."

Tian Guofu's fingers stopped.

He knew that the real issue was about to be addressed.

Sha Ruijin leaned back on the sofa, his fingers interlaced, his gaze, shining through his glasses like two beams of cold electricity, piercing straight at Tian Guofu.

"However, we are Party cadres, and we must not only look at economic results, but also ensure the integrity of the process. Sun Liancheng made the decision to transfer the industries of Guangmingfeng all by himself, and a project worth billions of yuan was moved at will. Was there any transfer of benefits behind this? Was anyone using national projects to pave the way for their own political achievements?"

Sha Ruijin's voice wasn't loud, but every word struck Tian Guofu's heart like a hammer blow.

Tian Guofu remained silent for ten seconds.

He raised his head, met Sha Ruijin's gaze, and asked a question that went straight to the point.

"Secretary Sha, should we investigate Sun Liancheng or He Xia?"

Sha Ruijin smiled.

"I won't investigate anyone else." He picked up his teacup, blew on the steam, and said, "I'll only investigate one thing—whether the asset pricing mechanism during the industrial transfer process was compliant. How were the costs of transferring those downstream modules of Guangming Peak to Luzhou calculated? Was it assessed by a professional third-party institution? Did this process result in a disguised loss of state-owned assets in Jingzhou City?"

What a great move!

Tian Guofu felt a chill run down his spine.

He doesn't investigate people directly, but rather the "matter." However, this chain of events connects Sun Liancheng and Li Dakang on one end, and He Xia on the other. Even the slightest flaw could drag everyone down with him.

"Secretary Sha, Sun Liancheng has Li Dakang's full authorization letter. Procedurally speaking, it's difficult for us to find any loopholes," Tian Guofu said frankly.

"Let's look at it from a different angle." Sha Ruijin put down his teacup, leaning forward slightly. "These three projects in Lüzhou came too quickly, too coincidentally. Huarui Heavy Industry and China Shipbuilding Industry both have strong military backgrounds. Lin Zhiyuan of Tianhe Group is notoriously arrogant. Why would they all set their sights on Lüzhou, an area that has been at the bottom of the economy for two consecutive quarters, at the same time?"

Sha Ruijin stared at Tian Guofu and said, enunciating each word clearly, "Was there any improper interference from those with military backgrounds? Were there individuals who abused their power to provide 'special favors' to local investment promotion efforts?"

Tian Guofu tapped his knee three times unconsciously with his fingers.

He knew that Sha Ruijin had finally revealed his true intentions.

Investigating from this angle leads directly to the true deity—Shen Zhong.

"I'm investigating whether the local officials' investment promotion activities are compliant; it doesn't involve the military," Sha Ruijin added, seemingly seeing through Tian Guofu's concerns.

This is typical bureaucratic rhetoric.

The discussion only touched on the level of provincial-level officials, but the consequences could spread infinitely upwards.

Tian Guofu stood up. "I understand, Secretary Sha."

He picked up his briefcase, turned, and left.

Once inside his car, Tian Guofu sat quietly in the darkness for a full five minutes without starting the engine.

Launch a political investigation against a major general in the military region?

Tian Guofu hasn't lived enough yet.

He took out his phone and dialed a number.

The phone rang twice and was answered.

"Governor of Changchun, it's so late, but there's something I feel I need to discuss with you..."

……

In the provincial government's residential compound, Liu Changchun hung up Tian Guofu's phone call, leaned back in his chair, and let out a low, cold laugh.

"He's gone mad."

After muttering something to himself, Liu Changchun immediately picked up another phone and dialed Shen Zhong's number.

He repeated Sha Ruijin's entire plan verbatim.

On the other end of the phone, Shen Zhong listened without any emotional fluctuation; his voice was as calm as a deep pool.

He only asked one question.

Will Tian Guofu cooperate with Sha Ruijin?

Liu Changchun smiled, his laughter carrying a hint of relief.

"General Shen, Lao Tian called me tonight on his own initiative. What do you think?"

**Chapter 209: One phone call from Shen Zhong and Sha Ruijin's knife snapped before he could even raise it!**

Major General's Office, Handong Provincial Military Region.

The night outside the window was as dark as ink.

Shen Zhong hung up Liu Changchun's call without any expression on his face.

Investigate military background? Investigate improper interference?

Sha Ruijin was cornered and started throwing punches haphazardly.

Little did he know that he was not swinging cotton, but a steel plate.

Shen Zhong picked up the scarlet secure telephone on the table and dialed Xu Lao of the Central Military Commission directly.

The phone was answered after only one ring, and Old Xu's strong voice came through.

"Shen Zhong? Something wrong so late?"

"Mr. Xu, I'll keep it short." Shen Zhong spoke steadily and succinctly reported in three minutes on Sha Ruijin's plan to investigate the investment project by focusing on its military background.

There was a five-second silence on the other end of the phone.

Then, Old Xu's voice rang out, tinged with barely suppressed anger.

"He's just a provincial party secretary, yet he's got his hands all over the place! Huari Heavy Industry is a key enterprise in the military-industrial complex's restructuring; he wants to investigate it? He'll have to get an approval form from the Central Military Commission first!"

"I understand, Mr. Xu."

"What do you know!" Old Xu interrupted him directly. "You don't need to worry about this. I'll handle it. Just remember, you're in Handong, so go ahead and do your thing. If anyone dares to trip you up, I'll break their legs!"