Chapter 226 Sha Gao Joins Forces! Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee Exerts Shocking Pres

The First Conference Room of the Provincial Party Committee.

Teacups and documents were neatly arranged on the huge oval mahogany table.

The cold, hard incandescent light overhead shone on the smooth tabletop, reflecting a glaring white halo.

The air was extremely stuffy, and even the rustling sound of turning pages seemed abrupt.

Sha Ruijin sat in the main seat, his right index finger bent, and tapped the table with his knuckle.

"Tap—tap—tap—"

The dull thumping echoed in the spacious conference room, each strike striking a nerve with everyone present.

Four lives lost!

Sha Ruijin slammed the case report in his hand heavily on the table, and several color photos of the scene investigation slid to the center of the conference table.

The photo shows a horrifying sight: a body submerged in a muddy pit, soaking in a mixture of blood and rainwater.

"Right under our noses, at the construction site of Tianhe Group in Luzhou, four corpses lay scattered about!"

"What kind of situation is this, with hundreds of people fighting with weapons?"

"This is a blatant gang warfare!"

Sha Ruijin's gaze swept over the Standing Committee members on both sides of the long table, finally settling on the empty seat vacated by He Xia.

He Xia, as the person involved, was waiting for questioning in the outer room and did not sit at the table according to the rules.

"Some of our comrades, in pursuit of so-called economic indicators and dazzling political achievements, have abandoned all moral principles. They've taken such big steps with a 4 billion yuan project, yet security measures are practically non-existent."

"As the Party Secretary of Lüzhou City, Comrade He Xia bears primary responsibility for this heinous incident!"

The meeting room was completely silent.

Liu Changchun sat in the first seat on the left, picked up his teacup, blew on the floating leaves, and took a sip.

"Secretary Ruijin, the case is still under investigation."

"Several wanted criminals from other places infiltrated the security team and caused trouble. There must be someone deliberately sabotaging them. It is unfair to put all the blame on Comrade He Xia now."

"Tianhe Group's project is a key provincial project, with billions of yuan already invested. If it comes to a standstill, who will bear the losses?"

Wu Chunlin, the head of the Organization Department of the Provincial Party Committee, followed suit with a statement.

"Governor Changchun is right. Since Comrade He Xia arrived in Luzhou, the overall situation has been very stable. This sudden incident is clearly aimed at sabotaging the project. We cannot fall into someone else's trap."

Sha Ruijin did not respond, but turned his gaze to Gao Yuliang, who was sitting opposite Liu Changchun.

There was an open notebook in front of Gao Yuliang.

He picked up the pen beside him, scribbled a couple of lines on the paper unconsciously, and then placed the pen flat on the table.

The pen struck the mahogany table with a crisp sound.

"Comrade Changchun, Comrade Chunlin, you can't say that."

Gao Yuliang leaned forward, crossed his hands on the table, and clasped his fingers together.

"Economic development is important, but it must never come at the cost of the lives and safety of the people. The loss of four precious lives is a bloody lesson."

"The security situation in Luzhou has reached a point where it absolutely must be addressed."

"I agree with Secretary Ruijin's view that Comrade He Xia is indeed good at managing the economy, but she has seriously neglected her duties in comprehensive social governance."

The moment those words were spoken, the air in the conference room froze completely.

Tian Guofu's hand, holding the teacup, froze in mid-air.

Wu Chunlin froze as he flipped through the documents.

The top two leaders of the Handong Provincial Party Committee have always been outwardly friendly but inwardly at odds, and it is common for them to clash at each other during the Standing Committee meetings.

Today, Gao Yuliang surprisingly sided with Sha Ruijin.

The two men were wearing the same pair of pants.

Li Dakang, sitting in the back, slammed his hand on the table.

The teacup was jolted and jumped up, splashing tea onto the laptop.

"Secretary Yuliang, what kind of logic is that!"

Li Dakang stood up, placed his hands on the table, leaned forward, and approached Gao Yuliang.

"That project in Luzhou was negotiated by Comrade He Xia and her team after countless sleepless nights! Forty billion yuan in real money—how many jobs will that create, and how many upstream and downstream industries will it stimulate?"

"Just because a few thugs got into a fight, does that mean we have to completely negate Luzhou's achievements? Where did those security guards come from? Have their backgrounds been investigated?"

"Instead of catching the masterminds behind the scenes, they're here labeling officials who are actually doing their jobs—it's utterly absurd!"

Gao Yuliang looked at Li Dakang, speaking steadily without even glancing at him.

"Comrade Dakang, you keep talking about a 4 billion yuan project. I ask you, which is more important, 4 billion yuan or the lives of ordinary people?"

"Your flawed thinking, which focuses solely on GDP, should have been corrected long ago."

Li Dakang was so angry that he laughed instead.

"Secretary Yuliang, stop using your authority to intimidate us! If the project stops, how many workers will go hungry? Who will be responsible for the social unrest that might result? You sit in the provincial party committee compound and just talk, while the people below have to run themselves ragged!"

Sha Ruijin tapped the table again, this time with more force.

"Comrade Dakang, watch your attitude. This is the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee meeting. Put away your Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee manners."

Gao Yuliang picked up the conversation.

"Comrade Dakang's feelings are understandable. Precisely because it is a key project, a stable social environment is even more necessary."

"The political and legal system of Lüzhou City reacted slowly in this incident, and its prevention mechanism was completely lacking. As the Secretary of the Provincial Political and Legal Committee, I cannot shirk my responsibility."

Gao Yuliang paused for a moment and turned to look at Sha Ruijin.

"In order to thoroughly rectify the public security environment in Luzhou and ensure the smooth progress of key projects, I propose to make personnel adjustments to the Luzhou municipal political and legal system."

"Comrade Yi Xuexi, the current Party Working Committee Secretary of the Development Zone, has strong Party spirit, a tough work style, and rich grassroots experience."

"He was appointed as a member of the Standing Committee of the Luzhou Municipal Party Committee, Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, and Director of the Public Security Bureau, taking full control of Luzhou's public security work."

See the picture poorly.

Li Dakang clenched his back teeth, his cheeks puffing out.

Yi Xuexi is one of Sha Ruijin's men; this is common knowledge throughout the province.

Gao Yuliang directly handed over such an important position as the secretary of the municipal political and legal affairs commission to Sha Ruijin.

This is like stabbing a knife into He Xia's rear.

Once Yi Xuexi is in place, Tianhe Group's projects could be halted at any time, or even suspended indefinitely, under the pretext of rectifying public order.

"I strongly object!"

Li Dakang did not back down, his voice resounding in the conference room.

"Comrade Yi Xuexi is a good cadre, but he has always been involved in economic and Party building work and has never had any experience in performing duties in the political and legal system."

"Letting an outsider manage law and order, especially at this critical juncture, is utterly reckless!"

Sha Ruijin completely ignored Li Dakang's protests and leaned back in his chair.

"The training of cadres should involve multi-position training. Comrade Yi Xuexi has strong principles, which is exactly what Lüzhou needs right now."

"Secretary Yuliang's suggestion was timely and necessary."

Tian Guofu, who had been silent all along, put down his teacup and cleared his throat.

"Secretary Ruijin, Secretary Yuliang, aren't these personnel appointments too hasty? The matter in Lüzhou hasn't been fully investigated yet, and changing leaders on the spot could easily cause unrest at the grassroots level."

Liu Changchun's face was ashen, and he slammed his fingers heavily on the table.

"Secretary Ruijin, I reserve my opinion. The provincial government will send an investigation team to Luzhou. As for such a major matter as personnel appointments, I suggest we postpone them."

Sha Ruijin retorted directly.

"Comrade Changchun, you may reserve your opinion, but the rule of the Standing Committee is that the minority must obey the majority. These are extraordinary times, and we cannot afford any delays."

Let's vote.