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

Headquarters of the Handong Provincial Military Region.

It was late at night, but the lights in the operations duty room were still on.

The commander, who was over fifty years old, had just finished a video conference and was about to take a break to drink some water when the red secure phone on his desk rang.

It wasn't a phone call; it was an encrypted message.

He put on his reading glasses, clicked on the screen, and froze on the spot.

A screenshot of a transfer order from the highest level in Beijing.

An action request from the newly appointed Standing Committee member who has not yet taken office.

"Hey old buddy, come over here and take a look," he called out to the office next door.

Soon, the political commissar of the military region walked in with a teacup in his hand.

"What's wrong, Lao Li? Why are you in such a hurry?"

The commander didn't speak, he just pushed the phone over.

The political commissar glanced at it, and the relaxation on his face vanished instantly.

"This is... Shen Zhong? Hasn't he reported for duty yet?"

"The man hasn't arrived yet," the commander said, leaning back in his chair, picking up his teacup and tracing the rim with his fingers, "but his orders have arrived."

"What's this? A show of force?" The political commissar's voice rose. "We haven't even entered the gate, and they're already mobilizing troops, or is it the engineering platoon going to do some kind of... obstacle clearing? This is overstepping their bounds!"

The commander waved his hand, signaling him to calm down.

"Look at his reasons for applying first."

The political commissar picked up his phone and read the title of the document word by word.

"Application for the newly appointed military-uniformed Standing Committee members to familiarize themselves with the defense zone in advance and to survey and clear illegal work sites that may affect military transportation."

"Familiarize yourself with the defense zone and ensure military transport..." the political commissar murmured to himself, repeatedly pondering these words.

"Look," the commander tapped his fingers on the table, "the reasons are high-sounding. The procedures are impeccable. We are in charge of military affairs; ensuring the security of military transport routes is our duty. Can we refute his reasoning?"

"But he's just a deputy secretary who hasn't even taken office yet..."

"He's a major general directly appointed by the Central Military Commission!" the commander interrupted him. "We're his subordinates. He's now requesting the transfer of a company-level unit for a reconnaissance mission. Tell me, what reason do we have to refuse?"

The political commissar remained silent.

Reason? There is no reason.

According to the rules, they could find no excuse to refuse.

Emotionally, they felt aggrieved. This new comrade was far too domineering.

"So... we'll just go along with him like this?"

"If we don't cooperate, we'll be derelict in our duty." The commander stood up and paced around the office. "They've come with imperial authority. There's only one thing we can do."

He stopped and looked at the political commissar.

"Unconditional cooperation."

The political commissar breathed a sigh of relief and finally nodded.

"I understand. I will immediately have the operations department issue an order to temporarily transfer command of the engineering platoon near Jingzhou."

An order was issued from the provincial military command and went directly to an engineering unit stationed in the suburbs of Jingzhou.

……

at the same time.

Study room in Building No. 1, Hantong Provincial Party Committee Compound.

Provincial Party Secretary Zhao Lichun was practicing his calligraphy, his strokes flowing smoothly and effortlessly.

Secretary Qian Guodong tiptoed in and placed a newly received briefing on the table.

"Secretary, there's been a new development from the military region."

Zhao Lichun put down his brush, picked up a towel to wipe his hands, and then slowly picked up the briefing.

The briefing was very short, only stating that the military had just issued a temporary mobilization order, transferring command of an engineering platoon to Comrade Shen Zhong, the incoming Standing Committee member in military uniform.

Zhao Lichun held the thin piece of paper in his hand, remaining silent for a long time.

The air in the study was so quiet it felt almost oppressive.

"The engineer platoon..." he began, his voice unreadable, "What is he planning? Deploying troops before they've even reached Handong?"

"The briefing said it was for conducting zone reconnaissance and obstacle clearing missions," Qian Guodong replied in a low voice.

"Clear obstacles? Clear what obstacles?" Zhao Lichun pressed. "Have you found out exactly what this so-called illegal work site is?"

Qian Guodong lowered his head even further.

"I asked the comrades in the military region office. They replied that this was a military operation, and the specific location and target were military secrets that they were not authorized to disclose."

Military secrets.

What a military secret!

Zhao Lichun put the briefing on the table, picked up the brush again, but could no longer write a single word.

For the first time, he felt that things were getting difficult.

This Shen Zhong doesn't play by the rules of officialdom at all. He's like a man with a hammer, seeing everything as a nail, and he doesn't play those roundabout power struggles and deals with you.

He can hit whoever he wants without hesitation.

But the way he does it makes it impossible for you to find any fault with him.

Zhao Lichun had absolutely no idea what this young man was up to. This feeling of being out of control made him very uncomfortable.

……

In the solemn study of Jingzhou.

He had finished his conversation with He Xia and was now having a video call via an encrypted line.

On the other side of the screen was a dark-skinned, upright young officer with the rank of lieutenant on his shoulder. He stood ramrod straight, with the army's field command tent in the background.

He was the platoon leader of that engineering platoon.

"Greetings, Commander! This is Platoon Leader of the 3rd Company, 1st Battalion, Engineer Regiment of the Handong Provincial Military Region reporting for duty!"

His expression remained unchanged, and his voice was steady and clear, as if he were issuing a perfectly ordinary command.

"The operation is scheduled for 5:00 AM the following day. I need to see results before dawn."

Operation codename: Clear Stream.

"Operation target: 20 kilometers downstream of Jingzhou, coordinates 31.87N, 118.79E. There is a large sand quarry there."

He paused for a moment, giving the other person time to process it.

"Your mission, under the guise of 'clearing the river channel and ensuring smooth transportation for combat readiness,' is to treat all man-made facilities at the target location, including but not limited to sand dredgers, conveyor belts, sheds, and vehicles, as 'obstacles' and clear them out."

The platoon leader on the other side of the screen stood up straighter, his eyes revealing a soldier's unique excitement.

The deep, emotionless voice continued to ring out.

"During the operation, all personnel must keep their individual body cameras on at all times. Any form of obstruction will result in a verbal warning. If the warning is ineffective, it will be treated as 'obstruction of military operations,' and you will be allowed to take coercive measures, directly detain personnel, and transfer them to the military prosecutor's office."

"yes!"

"The last point, and the most crucial instruction." The heavy volume remained unchanged, but the weight of it made the platoon leader on the other side of the screen hold his breath.

"During the cleanup process, be sure to collect and preserve any samples of 'pollutants' found on site that may affect the environment, as well as all related paper documents, ledgers, computer hard drives, and other materials. All of these items should be sealed up intact as 'evidence of obstruction of military operations,' compiled into an inventory, and await my receipt."

This is no longer a simple matter of clearing obstacles.

This is ransacking!

The engineering platoon leader, facing the screen, suddenly straightened his body, thrust his chest forward, and answered loudly with all his might:

"Mission accomplished!"