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

Li Dakang's execution ability is indeed impeccable.

I slammed my fist on the table at the meeting this morning, and by 3 p.m., the seal from the Municipal Finance Bureau was affixed to the system backend of the Hexi District Finance Bureau.

"Secretary He, I just received a notification that all accounts have been frozen."

Old Wang, the director of the district finance bureau, pushed open the door and came in, his face even more grim than the gloomy weather outside.

"Even the office expenses have been sealed off?" He Xia put down her pen.

"It's frozen." Old Wang placed a copy of an official document on the table. "The city's decision is that the freeze will only be lifted when we can come up with contracts for industrial projects worth over a billion yuan. Until then, even the money to buy A4 paper requires a special report and approval."

He Xia looked at the paper; the bright red official seal on it resembled a mocking smile.

This is Li Dakang's method.

I won't argue with you, I won't make a fuss with you, I'll just cut off your supply lines.

Without money, the district government is just an empty shell; all talk about people's livelihood and urban renewal is just empty rhetoric.

"Okay, you can go ahead and get busy." He Xia waved her hand.

Old Wang didn't move, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.

"Is there anything else?"

"The power company just called too," Old Wang said in a low voice. "They said there's a line maintenance issue in this area, so the streetlights... might not be working tonight."

He Xia suddenly looked up.

"Maintenance? Why today of all times?"

Old Wang smiled wryly: "They said it's to cooperate with the city's call for energy conservation and emission reduction. Our district isn't a major taxpayer, so we have to give up our electricity quotas to the factories in the High-tech Zone."

He Xia slammed the pen in her hand heavily on the table.

This isn't a repair; it's clearly just something they put on a show for her.

The message is to tell the entire city of Jingzhou that those who oppose the municipal party committee will not even be allowed to keep their streetlights on.

The sky was getting dark.

The streetlights that should have been on seemed to be blind tonight.

The entire Hexi Avenue was plunged into darkness, with only the occasional headlights of passing cars breaking through the darkness.

The phone in the district head's office started ringing non-stop.

"Hey? Is this the district government? What's going on? Why aren't the streetlights working? I almost fell into a ditch on my way home from get off work!"

"Are they just abandoning us to our fate?"

"If the lights don't come back on, we'll complain to the municipal government!"

The operator's voice was hoarse from shouting, and he explained that it was a line fault.

But no one believed it.

To make matters worse, at 8 p.m., the online version of the Jingzhou Evening News pushed out a news item.

The headline is sensational: "Chaotic management and paralyzed infrastructure in Hexi District: Who should be held responsible?"

The accompanying picture shows a dark street with several blurry figures pointing and gesturing.

The article made no mention of a fiscal freeze or the power company cutting off electricity; it only stated that the district committee's leadership was incompetent, leading to widespread public discontent.

This fire was precise and ruthless.

He Xia sat in the dimly lit office. The boxed lunch on the table had long since gone cold, with a little oil solidified on the surface of the soup.

She didn't turn on the light, she just sat there.

That feeling of powerlessness surged up like a tidal wave, threatening to overwhelm you.

This is the officialdom.

It was a war without gunfire, yet more brutal than any battlefield.

Even if you want to do good deeds, as long as you block someone's way or do not conform to the intentions of those above, you will be crushed to pieces.

"Click".

The door lock clicked softly.

The office door was pushed open, and a crack of light from the corridor shone in.

Shen Zhong walked in.

He was wearing an ordinary jacket, not a military uniform, and carrying a thermos.

Hearing the noise, He Xia quickly wiped her face and stood up.

"Why are you here?"

His voice was hoarse and had a heavy nasal tone.

Shen Zhong placed the thermos on the table and casually turned on the switch on the wall.

The glaring incandescent light came on.

He Xia subconsciously raised her hand to cover her eyes, not wanting her husband to see her reddened eyes.

Shen Zhong walked over and pulled her hand down.

"Have you cried?"

"No." He Xia turned her head away.

Shen Zhong didn't expose her, but simply unscrewed the thermos, revealing steaming hot chicken soup inside. The aroma instantly dispelled the chill in the room.

"Li Dakang is a fine knife, and a swift knife."

Shen Zhong ladled out a bowl of soup and handed it to He Xia.

"He wants to force you to bow down in this way, to force you to admit that focusing on people's livelihood is wrong, and focusing on GDP is right."

He Xia held the bowl, the warmth of her hands spreading throughout her body.

"Did I really make a mistake?" she asked softly. "If we hadn't undertaken those projects, the finances wouldn't be so tight, and we wouldn't..."

"You did nothing wrong."

Shen Zhong pulled up a chair and sat opposite her, his gaze steady.

"The problem lies with this world, and with those who only look at numbers and not people."

"Drink your soup." Shen Zhong tapped the table. "After you finish, go home and sleep."

"But outside..." He Xia pointed to the pitch-black night outside the window, "the people are cursing, and the public order is..."

"I won't scold you tomorrow."

Shen Zhong stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the darkness in the distance.

"Some people think that if they hold the switch, they can control the light."

"Then let's show him who's in charge."

Shen Zhong turned around and ruffled He Xia's hair.

"Leave the rest to me."

Half an hour later.

Shen walked heavily out of the district government building.

A green military off-road vehicle was parked in the shadows, like a lurking beast.

Zhou Weiguo, sitting in the driver's seat, saw Shen Zhong get out and immediately started the car.

Shen Zhong opened the car door and got in, not in a hurry to let Zhou Weiguo drive.

He rolled down the car window and lit a cigarette.

The glow of the cigarette butt reflected on his unpleasant complexion.

In the distance, across a river, the municipal party committee building was brightly lit.

Every floor is brightly lit, dazzling like a lighthouse in the city, towering high above the pitch-black Hexi District.

"Old Zhou."

"Here." Zhou Weiguo said, gripping the steering wheel.

"Look over there." Shen Zhong pointed to the municipal party committee building with a cigarette between his fingers. "Is it bright?"

"It's bright," Zhou Weiguo said honestly. "It's quite dazzling."

"Yes, it's quite dazzling."

Shen Zhong exhaled a puff of smoke.

"Only officials are allowed to light lamps, while commoners are forbidden to walk. It's time to change the rules of Jingzhou."

He turned his head and looked at Zhou Weiguo.

"Have you checked which of our units' power supply lines overlap with the one near the municipal party committee building?"

Zhou Weiguo picked up a blueprint from the passenger seat and turned on the reading light.

"We've checked. The No. 1 backup power line for the municipal party committee compound and our eastern suburban radar station runs through the same substation. That substation is for both military and civilian use, but we have control over it."

"That makes things easier."