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

The Provincial Party Committee compound in Handong.

The morning mist had not yet dissipated, but a somber atmosphere had already spread throughout the offices.

Everyone walked very quietly, afraid of making any noise that might disturb something.

Although the news of Hou Liangping's arrest was suppressed, in such a core circle of power, there are no secrets that stay hidden forever.

Everyone knows that something big has happened.

Chen Huai, the secretary-general of the provincial party committee, sat behind his desk, holding the list in his hand.

The Standing Committee will hold a democratic life meeting tomorrow.

The name sounds impressive, but this is not just a meeting; it's a way to put certain people in a very difficult position.

He picked up the red secure phone and expertly dialed the number.

"Hello, is this Secretary Ji Chang? This is Chen Huai."

The voice of Zhu Jichang, the Party Secretary of Lüzhou City, came from the other end of the phone: "Secretary-General Chen, so early?"

Chen Huai lightly tapped the paper with his pen: "For tomorrow's meeting at nine o'clock in the morning, Secretary Zhao specifically instructed that organizational discipline should be emphasized."

"Especially regarding certain rule-breaking and unauthorized actions, everyone should speak freely."

Zhu Jichang was silent for two seconds, then laughed: "I understand. Young people these days are indeed too impulsive; they need to be properly educated."

"Then I'll have to trouble Secretary Ji Chang."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Huai dialed the hotline of Zhou Guichun, the Party Secretary of Lincheng City.

"Secretary Guichun, the relationship between the military and the local authorities has been a bit tense lately," Chen Huai said bluntly.

Zhou Guichun's voice was deep: "I've heard about it too. Some comrades, relying on their special status, disregard the normal operation of local governments. This trend cannot continue."

Chen Huai leaned back in his chair: "At tomorrow's meeting, Secretary Zhao hopes to hear everyone's honest opinions."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Chen Huai put down the phone and put two checkmarks on the list.

That's politics.

There's no need to explicitly state who you're targeting; just set the tone, and those below will naturally know who to attack.

……

Governor's Office.

Liu Changchun stared at the document in his hand, not turning a single page for a long time.

The secretary came in to change the tea and whispered, "Boss, I heard that Secretary Zhao is determined to make an example of someone this time."

Liu Changchun closed the file: "Which one is the chicken? Which one is the monkey?"

The secretary didn't dare to respond.

Zhao Lichun couldn't sit still any longer.

Liu Changchun stood up, walked to the window, and looked down at the garden.

"That Shen Zhong is no pushover. Zhao Lichun's attempt to establish his authority by taking him down won't be so easy."

Knock knock knock.

There was a knock on the door.

Tian Guofu, the secretary of the provincial discipline inspection commission, pushed open the door and sat down on the sofa without any ceremony.

"Old Liu, are you going to the meeting tomorrow too?"

Liu Changchun turned around: "Can I not go? I'm on the list too."

Tian Guofu picked up his teacup and blew on it: "Secretary Zhao has acted too hastily. He just arrested someone and now he wants to hold a meeting to criticize individual heroism. He's trying to tear off the military's mask."

Liu Changchun sneered: "He's used to being the boss in Handong, and he can't tolerate the slightest dissent. That Shen Zhong not only arrested people, but also sealed off a military restricted area. This is a direct slap in the face to the Zhao family."

"How do you plan to choose sides tomorrow?" Tian Guofu asked directly.

"Let's watch the show." Liu Changchun sat back down in his chair. "When two tigers fight, one will surely be injured. Those of us who are in charge of the economy and discipline should not get involved in this battle of the gods."

Tian Guofu nodded: "That's true. I also think that since Shen Zhong dared to do this, he must have some trump cards up his sleeve."

……

At Gao Yuliang's home.

He was holding a pair of scissors and pruning the branches and leaves of his beloved asparagus fern.

The phone kept ringing next to me.

But he acted as if he hadn't heard, and only slowly answered the phone after he had cut off the last withered leaf.

"Secretary," Gao Yuliang said respectfully.

Zhao Lichun's voice came through the receiver, carrying an undeniable authority: "Yuliang, you will uphold justice tomorrow. You are the Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, you know the law best. You have the most say in some lawless matters."

Gao Yuliang's eyes flickered: "Secretary, rest assured, I will be based on facts."

"Yes, I believe in your resolve."

The phone hangs up.

Gao Yuliang stared at the black screen and tossed his phone aside.

"Seeking truth from facts?" he muttered to himself. "Those four words are not easy to write."

He knows Zhao Lichun too well.

This is meant to make him a spearhead in the charge.

However, Shen Zhong used the "Military Facilities Protection Law" to send Hou Liangping in, which is a hard and fast rule.

Zhao Lichun's attempt to use Party discipline to suppress military law is a risky move in itself.

……

A typical office in the provincial military district.

Shen Zhong, dressed in casual clothes, was flipping through an internal reference book about the economic development of Handong.

Zhou Weiguo stood opposite him and saluted.

"Sir, the phone lines on the provincial party committee are practically glowing red."

Shen Zhong didn't even look up: "Aren't they all plotting how to criticize me tomorrow?"

"According to monitoring, Zhao Lichun's secretary-general, Chen Huai, contacted at least four members of the Standing Committee. The tone was very consistent: ignoring organizational procedures, engaging in personal heroism, and undermining military-political unity."

Zhou Weiguo's tone was sarcastic.

"Undermining unity?" Shen Zhong closed the book, smiled, and said, "Their definition of unity is everyone going along with the same corrupt practices?"

"Sir, is there anything we can do for you?"

"No need." Shen Zhong stood up and straightened his collar. "Let them prepare. The bigger the stage, the more painful the fall will be."

He picked up the meeting notice on the table and glanced at the time.

"Zhu Jichang, Zhou Guichun, and their ilk are all shady characters. Zhao Lichun wants to use them to attack me, but isn't he afraid I'll just pick off these rotten pieces as well?"

Zhou Weiguo handed over a document: "This is the material about Zhu Jichang's waterfront food city project in Luzhou, and also the record of Zhou Guichun's wife acquiring land in Lincheng."

Shen Zhong took the document, glanced at it, and tucked it directly into the black military notebook.

"Tomorrow, I'll go and teach them a lesson."

……

Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee.

Li Dakang slammed the pen in his hand onto the table.

"What the hell are you doing!"

He pointed at the meeting notice and yelled at his secretary, "Meetings all day long! What's the point of these pointless meetings? Will they boost GDP?"

The secretary was too frightened to speak.

"If you're targeting Shen Zhong, just say so. Why insist on holding a democratic life meeting?"

Li Dakang irritably unbuttoned his top button: "Zhao Lichun is getting more and more senile with age. That's the provincial military region, it's not under his jurisdiction!"

But there was nothing he could do.

The secretary summoned him, and he had to go.

……

Office of the Provincial Party Secretary.

Chen Huai stood in front of his desk, head bowed, as he reported.

"Secretary, everyone has been notified. Everyone is in high spirits and outraged by this disregard for local rules."

Zhao Lichun leaned back in his executive chair, a string of Buddhist prayer beads twirling in his hand.

"Indignation is the right thing to do."

Zhao Lichun squinted: "Handong belongs to the Party and the people, not to some soldier's private domain. Anyone who wants to establish an independent kingdom here, or arbitrarily arrest people, has come to the wrong place."

Chen Huai smiled ingratiatingly: "That's right, with you as the anchor of stability, nothing can be stirred up."

Zhao Lichun put the Buddhist prayer beads back on his wrist: "Tomorrow, I'm going to make him give a self-criticism at the Standing Committee meeting. I want him to understand who really calls the shots in Handong."