Chapter 227 Qi Tongwei, the Suit-Wearing Thug, Specializes in Tearing Apart False Gentlemen!

Sha Ruijin was the first to raise his right hand.

Gao Yuliang followed suit and raised his hand.

Chen Huai, the provincial party committee secretary-general, looked at Sha Ruijin, then at Gao Yuliang, and raised his hand as well.

Shen Zhong, the political commissar of the provincial military district, sat at the end of the long table.

He was wearing a pine-green military uniform, and the gold stars on his epaulets gleamed metallically under the lights.

From the start of the meeting, he remained silent, coldly observing this clumsy political charade.

Gao Yuliang's unusual behavior completely confirmed his deduction.

Sha Ruijin has already played his trump card, and the chips from Hong Kong Island have come into play.

Gao Yuliang's defenses completely collapsed. In order to protect his illegitimate son, he even handed over his personnel power in the political and legal system in exchange for Sha Ruijin's leniency.

The performance of this play was remarkably harmonious.

Shen Zhong looked at Gao Yuliang's righteous and awe-inspiring appearance and tapped his fingers lightly on the seam of his military uniform trousers twice.

Gao Yuliang's tactic of using someone else to do his dirty work was brilliant.

By sending Yi Xuexi to Lüzhou, Sha Ruijin's ambition to intervene in Lüzhou was satisfied, and the blame for offending He Xia and Shen Zhong's camp was conveniently pinned on the Sha family gang.

Gao Yuliang was telling Sha Ruijin in this way that he had yielded, but he had also left himself a backup plan.

If Yi Xuexi messes things up in Lüzhou, Sha Ruijin will also have to bear the responsibility.

Shen Zhong could even guess that the perpetrator of this bloodshed was definitely a mole planted by Gao Yuliang.

Shen Zhong did not interrupt the farce.

If Sha Ruijin wants to muddy the waters, then let him muddy them.

The muddier the water, the easier it is for turtles hidden at the bottom to surface.

Shen Zhong did not raise his hand.

Liu Changchun, Li Dakang, and Wu Chunlin also did not raise their hands.

Tian Guofu abstained.

However, with several other neutral parties choosing to compromise under the pressure of the combined efforts of Shagao, the number of votes in favor just exceeded half.

"The resolution has been passed."

Sha Ruijin made the final decision and pushed the document forward.

"After the meeting, the Organization Department immediately spoke with Comrade Yi Xuexi, and he will go to Luzhou to take up his post first thing tomorrow morning."

Meeting adjourned.

Sha Ruijin stood up and strode out of the conference room.

……

Luzhou City, the core construction site of Trina Solar Group's new energy project.

The heavy rain had just stopped, and traces of last night's fierce battle remained in the muddy foundation pit.

The massive tower crane stopped rotating, and several heavy excavators sat in the mud, their exhaust pipes still emitting white smoke after being shut down.

Several police cars were parked across the construction site gate, their flashing red and blue lights illuminating the surroundings.

Yi Xuexi, wearing a worn-out dark jacket and muddy leather shoes, stood inside the cordon.

He held a stop-work notice stamped with a red seal in his hand and slapped it directly onto the chest of the construction site manager.

"Four lives lost! Are you building a city or treating human life like dirt?"

The site manager was sweating profusely with anxiety, pointing to the massive construction equipment behind him and repeatedly complaining.

"Secretary Yi, this is a key project for the province. The daily equipment rental fee is hundreds of thousands, and the workers' food, drink, and other necessities for a day of work stoppage are also a huge expense. We can't explain this indefinite shutdown to the investors!"

Yi Xuexi wasn't buying it at all, pointing to the dark red bloodstain in the muddy water.

"Explain to the investors? You should explain to the families of those four deceased first!"

"Starting today, all core construction projects in Luzhou are to be halted for self-inspection! Work will only resume when all safety hazards have been identified and resolved. Anyone who dares to start work without authorization will be arrested by me personally!"

The seal was quickly affixed to the construction site gate.

Several special police officers stood guard at the entrance, setting up a long cordon.

Yi Xuexi's first move after taking office completely destroyed He Xia's hard work.

The First Conference Room at the Luzhou Municipal Party Committee Guesthouse.

The conference room was filled with smoke, and the ashtrays were overflowing with cigarette butts from various brand-name cigarettes.

Representatives from Tianhe Group and Huarui Heavy Industry sat on either side of a long table, their ties loosely undone, suit jackets casually draped over the backs of their chairs, and their faces darkened.

He Xia, dressed in a dark business suit, with no makeup, sat alone in the main seat, her back ramrod straight.

The representative from Tianhe Group slammed his hand on the table, splashing water from his teacup.

"Secretary He, we've come all this way to invest in Handong; we don't intend to be taken advantage of!"

"A one-day shutdown costs over 20 million yuan just for equipment damage and personnel expenses! Who should pay for that?"

The representative from Huari Heavy Industry followed up with pressure, throwing a thick stack of documents onto the table, scattering the papers all over the floor.

"When you were attracting investment, your Luzhou Municipal Party Committee assured us of a favorable business environment. Now, look what's happened—the newly appointed Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission can halt projects worth billions with just a single word. Why should our businesses foot the bill for your internal political infighting?"

"Three days! We can only wait three days at most! If we can't fully resume operations after three days, we'll withdraw our investment immediately. We'll fight this lawsuit to the bitter end, even if it takes us all the way to Beijing!"

Faced with repeated pressure and accusations, He Xia neither lost her temper nor backed down.

She picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip to moisten her throat, and pushed the stack of documents back.

"Gentlemen, a murder has occurred. Suspending operations for rectification is a legal procedure, and no one can stop it."

"But Tianhe and Huarui's projects are key projects in Handong Province, and I, He Xia, will use my position as the municipal party secretary to guarantee your success. The city will double the compensation for the direct economic losses caused in these three days through subsequent tax reductions and land transfer fees."

"Everyone invests their money in Handong because they value its long-term industrial development. Give me three days, and I'll give you a satisfactory explanation. If anyone withdraws their investment now, not only will their initial investment go down the drain, but they'll also be completely unable to enter the Handong market in the future."

These words, though seemingly gentle, were actually quite firm, directly hitting the businessman's Achilles' heel.

The meeting room fell silent.

The delegates looked at each other, exchanged glances, and finally sat back down in their chairs.

Late at night, in the office of the Secretary of the Luzhou Municipal Party Committee.

He Xia stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the pitch-black night outside, and dialed Shen Zhong's confidential phone number.

"Yi Xuexi brought down the imperial sword, and he was completely unyielding. He clearly intended to use the project as a starting point to thoroughly muddy the waters of Lüzhou."

On the other end of the phone, Shen Zhong sat in the military region office, fiddling with a brass bullet casing in his hand.

"Sha Ruijin has been driven to desperation. Gao Yuliang handed over the Political and Legal Affairs Commission in exchange for the lives of his wife and son. Sha Ruijin is taking advantage of this to insert Yi Xuexi into Luzhou, trying to force us into chaos."

He Xia leaned against the windowsill and rubbed her aching temples.

"I only managed to secure three days with the investors. If Yi Xuexi doesn't give in, Luzhou will face a wave of withdrawals in three days. He's using the guise of a security check, which is completely in accordance with procedure, so it's difficult for us to find fault with him."

Shen Zhong stood the spent cartridge upright on the table, making a crisp clinking sound.

"You stabilize the core business, proceed with other tasks as usual, and avoid direct conflict with Yi Xuexi. Let him investigate; leave the rest to me."

The following day, a coordination meeting between the military and local authorities in Handong Province was held.

The atmosphere in the provincial party committee's first conference room was extremely oppressive.

Sha Ruijin sat in the main seat, holding a teacup, and began to speak slowly and deliberately.

"The situation in Hong Kong is having a very negative impact. I propose that the Provincial Party Committee and the Military Region take the lead in establishing a joint investigation team to get to the bottom of this. We cannot allow certain individuals to act recklessly outside and tarnish the reputation of our Handong cadres."