Hou Liangping arrested a hawkish general, and his father-in-law panicked

Sha Ruijin's tone suddenly intensified, and his fingers stopped tapping on the table. He pressed his index finger firmly on the table. "This isn't a businessman going missing, nor is it just an ordinary cadre going missing. This is the head of a military region commanding a large number of troops! If this matter isn't handled properly and it gets reported to the higher-ups, how will the Handong Provincial Party Committee, everyone here, including me, Sha Ruijin, explain this to them? How will we, the organization?"

The air was sucked out, and it was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

Everyone present was a veteran who had been working in officialdom for many years, but at this moment, they felt like they were standing on the edge of a cliff, and the ground beneath their feet was collapsing inch by inch.

The disappearance of a military commander in his own jurisdiction is a political accident that has never been heard of since the founding of the People's Republic of China.

"I don't care what his purpose is in coming to Handong, nor whose case he is involved in."

Sha Ruijin's gaze was like a knife, sweeping across each person's face one by one. "I only ask for one thing—a thorough investigation! Use all your strength to find the person for me!"

"If I can't find it, I'll leave first!"

Eight words, eight cold nails, were driven into everyone's heart.

The whole place was still silent. Beads of sweat appeared on everyone's forehead, but no one dared to raise their hands to wipe them.

In this suffocating silence, Li Dakang cleared his throat and spoke with difficulty: "Secretary Sha, I may have a clue about this matter."

Everyone's eyes were instantly focused on him.

Li Dakang met Sha Ruijin's gaze and said with a stiff upper lip, "Commander Zhao disappeared in Jinghai. Jinghai is a county-level city under Jingzhou. Recently, Jinghai has... shown some bad signs. I suspect this incident may be related to..."

"Comrade Dakang."

Sha Ruijin suddenly spoke up, interrupting him.

"Jingzhou, Jinghai, and Shengxiang are all part of Handong's territory. Don't connect this matter with other bad things."

Sha Ruijin told Li Dakang to be careful with his words.

Then he turned to Gao Yuliang on the other side.

"Comrade Yuliang, you are the Secretary of the Provincial Political and Legal Affairs Commission. The political and legal system must bear primary responsibility for this matter. I order the immediate establishment of a joint task force led by the Provincial Public Security Department. I'll give you half a day. I want to see the preliminary results of the investigation."

The subject was abruptly changed.

Li Dakang's cheek muscles twitched slightly. He opened his mouth but eventually swallowed his words back.

His gaze unconsciously drifted to Gao Yuliang who was diagonally opposite him.

Gao Yuliang happened to raise his head.

Their eyes met for only a moment.

Li Dakang read the tacit sarcasm in Gao Yuliang's calm eyes.

They all understood that Sha Ruijin did not fail to hear, but did not want to hear.

At this highest-level meeting, if the army commander is linked to local issues, then even if there is no problem in Handong Province, the problem must be found.

Li Dakang rested his hands on the conference table, his knuckles turning white from the exertion.

He stared at the untouched cup of tea in front of him, his face full of fatigue and struggle reflected on the water.

Every second of silence was like a blunt knife, cutting repeatedly into his political life.

He knew that he had no way out.

Jingzhou, the GDP highland where he poured all his efforts and was proud of, has now become a powder keg that may explode at any time.

Finally, he raised his head, avoiding the probing gaze of Provincial Party Secretary Sha Ruijin, and said in a voice as hoarse as if it had been rubbed with sandpaper: "Secretary Sha, fellow comrades... I have a responsibility."

His opening remarks made everyone's heart sink.

Li Dakang's lips moved a few times as he tried to form more difficult words.

His eyes, which were always as sharp as an eagle, were now dull and bloodshot.

"Commander Zhao Yuanchao's disappearance in Jingzhou is not a coincidence."

He paused, and the only sound in the conference room was his heavy breathing.

"I must admit that I misjudged Jingzhou's current social security situation. The situation is more complicated and serious than we imagined."

He finally uttered the word that made him feel most ashamed.

"Jingzhou... has gotten out of control to some extent."

The moment the words fell, the air in the entire conference room was sucked out.

out of control?

When these two words come out of the mouth of Li Dakang, the economic star and political strongman of Handong Province, their weight is no less than an 8.0 magnitude earthquake.

This means that he personally tore down the monument of his own political achievements and exposed his most vulnerable side to all his political opponents.

Gao Yuliang has been observing every subtle expression of Li Dakang calmly.

When the word "out of control" sounded, he adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, and his eyes behind the lenses flashed with almost imperceptible pleasure.

The opportunity is here.

"Comrade Dakang,"

"Out of control? That's too strong a word. Jingzhou is an economic powerhouse that Comrade Li Dakang single-handedly built. How could it suddenly spiral out of control? Could it be that our Provincial Party Committee, our people, have only witnessed a false prosperity all along?"

"Secretary Sha, I'm not criticizing Comrade Dakang. I know he's focused on GDP and has made tremendous contributions to Handong's economic development. However, stability is the prerequisite for development! If local evil forces are so rampant that they can easily make a military commander disappear, then what's the point of pursuing economic development?"

These words sounded very reasonable and flawless.

It "understands" Li Dakang's hard work, but at the same time attributes all his achievements to a deformed, reckless and one-sided development.

Inside the conference room, the power struggle becomes increasingly fierce.

Chapter 7 He must be coming for us!

Gao Yuliang met Li Dakang's gaze.

The political tension in the conference room intensified as the two men stared at each other silently.

"enough."

Sha Ruijin's voice was not loud.

His face was as gloomy as iron, and his fingers tapped lightly on the table, tapping on everyone's heart.

He didn't look at Gao Yuliang or Li Dakang.

"Zhao Yuanchao..."

"Just wait. If Commander Zhao isn't found within 12 hours, the 20th Army will come to question you."

"Why would such a hero, such a battle-hardened commander, come secretly to Handong? Why did he come at this time, not earlier or later? And why did he 'disappear' in Jingzhou in this way?"

Sha Ruijin's gaze slowly swept over everyone present, his eyes sharp enough to see through people's hearts.

"Have you ever considered that there might be more behind this than just the forces of evil? Is it possible that his disappearance is related to his past identity? Is it possible that Handong has become a transit point for some massive network, or even... the source?"

Everyone's expressions changed.

If the disappearance of Commander Zhao was a political storm, then if special drugs were involved, especially the possible network of special drugs related to the military, it would be a political tsunami that could overturn the entire Handong officialdom!

Ji Changming, the provincial procurator-general and a veteran prosecutor known for his steadiness, could no longer sit still.

He subconsciously adjusted his tie and grumbled to the Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission beside him, "Alas, this Commander Zhao, why didn't he inform our Provincial Party Committee before coming here? He just came here alone. This is against the rules and it's too presumptuous. Now look, he's caused us so much trouble..."

His voice was not loud, but it was particularly clear in the silent conference room.

"Comrade Changming!"

Gao Yuliang immediately seized the opportunity, his voice suddenly rising as he sternly reprimanded, "What time is it now? Is this the time to discuss the rules? If we can't find Commander Zhao, we will be to blame!"

The people in the conference room dispersed one after another. Everyone walked in a hurry with a worried expression on their face. No one dared to look at Gao Yuliang and Li Dakang for a long time.

Gao Yuliang was organizing his notebook slowly and steadily. Before leaving, he glanced at Li Dakang meaningfully.

Li Dakang stared at Gao Yuliang's back until the heavy wooden door slowly closed, blocking all sight.

"Comrade Dakang, you stay."

Sha Ruijin's voice echoed in the empty conference room, calm but unquestionable.

Li Dakang's body suddenly stiffened. He turned his head and met Sha Ruijin's deep and unfathomable gaze.

He knew that the real storm had just begun.

The guard quietly put away the teacups, retreated, and gently closed the door.

Click.

The sound of the door lock falling marked the beginning of this secret conversation.

Only Sha Ruijin and Li Dakang were left in the conference room.

Sha Ruijin did not return to his main seat, but walked to the window, put his hands behind his back, and looked at the gloomy sky outside.

There was no light in the office, and the light was dim, stretching the two people's shadows into thin and long ones, casting two cracks on the smooth floor that could intertwine at any time.

"Do you think Zhao Yuanchao came to our Handong for tourism?"

"Secretary Sha, he..."

"He's a military commander with great military achievements who loves his soldiers like his own sons. I heard that not long ago, six of his soldiers disappeared in Handong Province!"

Sha Ruijin interrupted him, slowly turned around, his eyes as sharp as an eagle, firmly fixed on Li Dakang.

"He came to Handong without informing the military district or the provincial party committee. This in itself is the biggest problem. He's not here as a guest, Comrade Dakang, he's here to investigate. And he's here with the imperial sword, to investigate all of us!"

Every word Sha Ruijin spoke was like a heavy hammer, hitting Li Dakang's heart.

He could feel his heartbeat getting out of control, and a chill ran from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

It’s not that he hasn’t thought about this possibility, but he just doesn’t dare to think about it too deeply.

Now, this layer of window paper has been ruthlessly broken by Sha Ruijin.

"Jingzhou, is there any...unclean place?"

Sha Ruijin's tone became even more severe.

Li Dakang's Adam's apple rolled up and down, and his lips moved, but no sound came out.

Jingzhou, which he was proud of and the political achievements he had built with great effort, was now spinning rapidly in his mind. Every project and every decision was under the most rigorous scrutiny.

Finally, his gaze fixed on the unresolved construction site.