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

Li Dakang's expression changed.

Shen Zhong didn't give him any chance to refute and continued speaking.

"The relocation issue that Secretary Li mentioned is, in my opinion, not a minor issue, but a matter of principle."

"Therefore, I suggest that before the Standing Committee formally discusses this project, our provincial military region, with myself taking the lead, should organize a special 'military-civilian coordination meeting' with relevant comrades from Jingzhou City."

"Our military needs to thoroughly understand the specifics of the project and, more importantly, solicit the opinions of military families door-to-door to ensure that their legitimate rights and interests are fully protected. Only when the military families have no objections and their rights and interests are properly arranged can we continue to discuss this project."

After he finished speaking, the conference room fell silent.

It is reasonable, well-founded, and it also occupies the moral and legal high ground of "supporting the military," which no one can refute.

He not only returned the ball that Li Dakang had thrown to him intact, but also seized absolute control over the subsequent development of the project.

You want to harm my people? Fine.

Let's have a meeting first, and I'll lead it.

Let's discuss the terms first, then I'll make the decision.

Li Dakang, all the rhetoric you prepared about GDP and urban development has no room to maneuver in the face of the big labels of "basic national policy" and "meritorious military family members".

Li Dakang stood there, his face turning red and white in turns, but he couldn't utter a single word.

Zhao Lichun watched all this with an unreadable expression in his eyes.

Gao Yuliang's lips twitched slightly, at an angle that was not easily noticed by others.

The meeting ended in an eerie atmosphere.

The group gradually left the conference room.

Gao Yuliang, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, deliberately slowed down and walked to Shen Zhong's side.

With a gentle smile typical of scholars, he extended his hand.

"Hello, Standing Committee Member Shen, this is Gao Yuliang."

Shen Zhong shook hands with him.

"Secretary Gao."

The two walked out side by side, and Gao Yuliang said casually, "Standing Committee Member Shen's speech at the meeting was reasonable and measured, which is admirable."

He paused for a moment, turned his head, and looked at Shen Zhong.

"Standing Committee Member Shen, the situation in Handong is very complex. Sometimes, having more friends is always better than having more enemies, isn't it?"

Shen Zhong stopped and turned to the political and legal committee secretary who had cultivated his influence in the Han Dong officialdom for many years.

He didn't answer the question directly, but simply responded with a calm smile.

"Secretary Gao, you flatter me. I'm new here and my main focus is on the work of the military region. I'm not familiar with local affairs. I'll definitely visit you when I have time to ask for your advice."

His words were polite and considerate, yet they also conveyed a sense of distance.

He neither accepted the offer nor refused it on the spot, but simply postponed it to "another day".

Gao Yuliang, being the person he was, immediately understood the implication. His expression remained unchanged; he smiled gently, shook hands with Shen Zhong, and then left first.

Watching Gao Yuliang's retreating figure, Shen Zhong made no unnecessary movements and turned to walk towards the parking lot.

He doesn't need friends, much less allies.

In Handong, he only believed in his own strength.

It was dusk in the military compound.

The temporary accommodations at the guesthouse were brightly lit.

Shen Zhong pushed open the door and entered, and a fragrant aroma of food wafted towards him.

He Xia, wearing an apron, was placing the last soup on the table. She had tidied up the originally simply furnished room, making it neat and tidy. The table was set with four dishes and a soup, all home-style dishes, and the whole house was filled with the warmth of home because of her presence.

This warmth stands in stark contrast to the cold, unspoken tension of the conference room during the day.

"You're back? Go wash your hands, dinner will be ready soon."

He Xia took off her apron, naturally took the coat he had taken off, and hung it on the hanger.

Looking at his busy wife, Shen Zhong felt much more relaxed after a long day.

At the dinner table, He Xia served Shen Zhong a bowl of soup, but she herself seemed somewhat absent-minded.

"Tomorrow, I'm going to report to the Hexi District Government." She put down her chopsticks, her words revealing a hint of worry. "Although I know you've made all the arrangements, I'm still a little... uncertain about facing a completely new environment."

Shen Zhong took a sip of soup and put the bowl down.

"Before, you were all alone, so they dared to bully you without restraint. Now, you have me standing behind you, and the entire Handong Military Region."

He Xia listened quietly, her hands slowly clenching under the table.

Shen Zhong looked into his wife's eyes and spoke each word with exceptional clarity.

"So, starting tomorrow, you're in Handong. You don't need to worry about anyone's feelings or take sides. Whether it's Zhao Lichun or Li Dakang, you don't need to care about them."

"You just need to stand tall, let go, and do what you believe is right. Go realize your ambitions and achieve your goals."

"If anything happens, I'll fix it. Even if there's a huge hole, I'll fill it."

His words were like a warm current, instantly dispelling all the gloom and unease in He Xia's heart.

He Xia's eyes immediately reddened.

She didn't cry, she just nodded vigorously, all her emotions transforming into boundless motivation and courage.

She knew that her husband had provided her with the strongest protective umbrella in the skies of Handong.

Under this umbrella, she can be fearless.

late at night.

He Xia, relieved of her burden, quickly fell asleep peacefully.

Shen Zhong went to the study alone and opened the military-grade encrypted laptop.

The screen lit up, and he opened a folder named "Follow-up to Operation Clean Stream".

Inside was a summary of information from the core ledgers of that illegal sand quarry, compiled by Zhou Weiguo overnight.

Instead of looking at the trivial transaction records, he directly used the data filtering function to extract all the transaction records with "Shanshui Group" as the payee.

Rows of data appeared on the screen.

Transfer time, amount, handler, project name...

Funds were transferred in very frequently, with large sums of money being deposited in almost every week.

The amounts range from hundreds of thousands to millions, and the names are varied, including "landscape stone purchase fee," "river dredging project fee," and "consulting service fee."

"Shanshui Group" was a front man used by Zhao Lichun's son, Zhao Ruilong, to amass wealth in Handong.

The tens of millions of illicit funds contributed annually by Liu Xinjian's sand quarry are likely just a part of the Zhao family's vast underground money empire.

Shen Zhong leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping lightly on the table.

His original plan was to first establish a firm foothold, and then gradually lay out his plans, collecting evidence of the Zhao family's crimes bit by bit.

But now it seems that the other party's claws have already reached out to his wife.

A show of force might scare away small fry, but it can't shake the foundations of a great tree.

The heavy movements stopped.

He moved the mouse and created a new document on the computer.

Two names were entered.

Shanshui Group.

Zhao Ruilong.