Chapter 21: A Thousand Faces for a Thousand People

  The investigation team sent by the provincial government was led by a chubby director surnamed Chu. On the third day after the investigation team arrived in Guangning, Director Chu reported to the provincial government leaders and then communicated with the Guangning County Party Committee, conveying the opinions of the provincial government leaders. Zhang Qingming was temporarily suspended from his duties, and the county bureau was temporarily presided over by the deputy director who had shot and killed Zhang Zili.

  Qiu Dahu and the Nature have no objection. Ma Weiguo can only agree, it's just a temporary suspension after all. There are those who want to take advantage of this opportunity to suppress Zhang Qingming, and naturally there are also those who want to help him. Let's wait and see how things develop.

  Lu Zhong was actually a deputy director of the political department. Since he had to temporarily take charge of the overall work, he was soon appointed as a deputy director.

  ……

  The county committee's guest house is adjacent to the county committee's courtyard, and it is separated from the Qinglong Railway Station by an intersection. The three-story building with guest rooms, offices, and a restaurant forms the main structure of the guest house. In the yard, there are tall pines and cypresses, as well as a pool and fountain, creating a quiet and elegant environment.

  After the reform, all the service staff in the county hotel changed into brand new blue uniforms, which were quite eye-catching. In front of the newly opened gate, the hotel posted a price list with clear and transparent prices. As a result, it gradually attracted local villagers who had previously avoided the hotel. They would come to take the train or do business in the county town, and if they returned late, those who were well-off would stay in the hotel's four-person room. As for travelers arriving at the train station, there was no need to mention that the private hotels nearby had no competitive advantage and could only engage in price wars, but with a difference of just a few cents per night, it didn't matter much to people who could afford to travel now.

  The hotel's dining hall is now divided into two, one responsible for the county committee's compound staff and workers' meals, and the other is a restaurant for hotel guests. The dishes are similar, coming from the same kitchen, but the price of the county committee's compound canteen is slightly cheaper. Although they started to pursue profits, this little bit of incense sentiment still exists.

  Lu Zhun is now having a meal with Chu Chulang in the canteen on this side of the county committee's compound, Lu Zhun's straight and upright olive green police uniform, really looks spirited and majestic.

  "Director Lu, your Guangning is developing really fast! I think some provincial cities and prefecture-level cities in the province are not as good as yours." Director Chu was a very serious person who rarely showed his emotions, even when facing He Dawei and Ma Weiguo. He had an air of superiority, although he was also a deputy county-level official like He Dawei, but he was an inspector and a department head with real power in the provincial hall, and the public security system was relatively independent with vertical management, so he didn't have to buy into He Dawei's account.

  When Chu Chulang first arrived in Guangning, he called Lu Zhong "Little Lu". Later, he learned that Lu Zhong was the deputy county head and soon changed his address to call him "Director Lu".

  Lu Zhong smiled and said: "When Chu is free, I'll accompany you to the sand dunes to have some fun. It's a great place. Foreigners who come to Wushan for business also often go there."

  Chu Chulang nodded slightly: "Wait until there is time."

  Lu Zhong smiled and whispered a few words to Chu Chulang.

  The canteen is not big, there is no loud echo, the tables and chairs are neatly arranged, and the dining environment is very good.

  At the table by the window, Liu Baojun was slowly drinking soup, occasionally glancing at Lu Zhong and Chu Chulang's table.

  Zhang Zili's case, Zhang Qingming was indeed implicated, but it is said that Liu Baojun's situation is not good either. Zhang Zili stayed in the county for more than a dozen days during the recruitment process. Some municipal leaders criticized him, saying that Liu Baojun only focused on economic benefits when reforming the recruitment system, and did not strictly check the certificates, giving the fugitive an opportunity to escape.

  Liu Baojun sat alone at a table, perhaps similar to his situation in the county party committee compound.

  Lu Zhong finally smiled and stood up with Chu Chuzhang, then the two said a few words, Chu Chuzhang left the dining hall, Lu Zhong smiled and nodded to the cadres who greeted him, and walked towards Liu Baojun's table.

  "Lü Zhēn, sit down, sit down..." Liu Bǎo Jūn smiled and chuckled. If it's said that before he didn't really put Lü Zhēn in his heart, but now, Lü Zhēn has truly become one of the core figures with real power in the county public security bureau. He can't help but treat him carefully. The current Lü Zhēn is not just temporarily in charge of the county bureau's work; having experienced the 516 incident, the Nányíng massacre case, and the legendary feat of shooting down the Republic's number one fugitive, Lü Zhēn's prestige has reached an extraordinary height. Moreover, Liu Bǎo Jūn had some other thoughts in mind.

  "Hey, this time you can at least get a second-class merit, right? I'm the one who's really suffering." Liu Baojun shook his head with a bitter smile.

  "How could it be? Zhang Zili's affairs can't be blamed on you." Lu Zhong said, but in his heart, he was pondering the meaning of Liu Baojun. Liu Baojun was a man with some experience, even if the situation was unfavorable, he wouldn't show it on his face, let alone complain everywhere.

  Moreover, the county's recruitment is not to be blamed on Liu Baojun. Wushan has long been implementing an ID card system, and in the urban area of Wushan, ID cards have gradually replaced introduction letters as a valid certificate for accommodation registration. The reform of county recruitment is also following the rules of the city. Moreover, as a coastal open city and one of the most developed cities in the north, Wushan has a large floating population, while Guangning is a famous scenic spot and leisure place in Wushan, sticking to the old rules is no longer suitable for economic development.

  It's not wrong for the county to start recognizing ID cards as valid documents for accommodation registration. On the contrary, if only ID cards are recognized as accommodation certificates, then people like Zhang Zili would find it harder to cheat, after all, forging an ID card is much more difficult than forging a letter of introduction.

  Liu Baojun let out a deep sigh: "Even if I don't pursue my responsibility, it's still leaving people with something to talk about." He also said: "Alright, you've been busy lately, so there's no need for you to accompany me anymore."

  Lowering his head, he went to drink the soup, as if the tomato and egg soup with floating oil flowers was particularly attractive.

  Lu Zhong didn't say anything more and got up to leave the restaurant.

  As soon as he walked out of the restaurant, on the stone road among the green pines and cypresses, Hou Jianjun hurried over. He looked up and saw Lu Zhong's face filled with joy, smiling and saying: "Director Lu, I've finally found you."

  Now, Hou Jianjun is deeply regretful in his heart, regretting that he should not have been confused for a moment and followed Gao Zhikai's suit. He also regrets that he has intentionally or unintentionally kept his distance from Lu Ju during this period of time. Now he can only make up for the loss.

  "Lu Bureau, this time Lao Zhang is about 80 or 90% done for, even if he's not hanged, it's settled?" Hou Jianjun raised an eyebrow.

  Lu Zhong smiled and said, "I don't know about that."

  Hou Jianjun leaned in close to Lu Zhong and said in a low voice, "Director Lu, I've heard that Secretary Liu Baojun has his sights set on Old Zhang's position. Someone from the municipal bureau mentioned his name. You should make arrangements ahead of time. However, your relationship with Secretary Liu is quite good, haha, this is a great opportunity." The county bureau will definitely undergo a major overhaul, and it makes sense for the secretary of the political and legal committee to temporarily take over as director. Lu Zhong indeed has foresight, if Liu Baojun becomes the director of the county bureau, then Lu Zhong will surely be the second-in-command, and should be the one in charge of daily work.

  Lu Zhong smiled: "Does Secretary Liu still have this idea?"

  Hou Jianjun suddenly felt that something was off, why did he hear a hidden meaning in Lu Ju's words? Immediately, Hou Jianjun was startled and looked up at Lu Zhong, could it be that Director Lu also had the idea of competing with him?

  With the current ability and prestige of Director Lu in the bureau, he is naturally the best candidate to take over from Old Zhang. However, Director Lu is too young. Although it's not uncommon for young cadres to be promoted ahead of schedule nowadays, this isn't a department or provincial agency, but rather the grassroots level in Wushan County. A 22-year-old chief of police at the county and township level? That's unheard of, especially when it comes to ensuring the safety of Baofang Township's Public Security Bureau.

  Hou Jianjun's mind was racing, and he smiled as he said: "Yes, but if I had to say it, Secretary Liu doesn't have any frontline work experience. If our public security system is led by outsiders, that would be dangerous." In an instant, he made up his mind - having already taken a wrong step, he absolutely couldn't afford to take another wrong one. With Lu's age and demonstrated abilities, although this promotion was out of the question, his future prospects were boundless, and that was something Liu Baosheng couldn't compare with.

  Lu Zhong just smiled and didn't say a word, patted Hou Jianjun on the shoulder and said: "I still have something to do, let's get together tomorrow night."

  Hou Jianjun hastily nodded in agreement, watching Lu Zhong's back, Hou Jianjun wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, not knowing if his performance just now was satisfactory to Director Lu. But thinking about it, when he was in front of Director Lu before, he didn't have to be so cautious with every word and consider for half a day. This is what they mean by "one level higher in official rank can crush you". If the other person is a low-ranking soldier, having a bad temper means being a troublemaker or a hoodlum, but if it's a leader who has a bad temper, that's different, that's being overbearing, that's aura. The difference between these two is like heaven and earth.

  ……

  In the afternoon, Lu Zhong held his first team meeting in the office of Lu Zhong and Ma Yuewu after taking charge of the overall work.

  Apart from Lu Zhong, Ma Yuewu and Gao Zhi Kai, there were also Deputy Director and Head of the Discipline Inspection Group Wei Qingxian, Deputy Director and Chairman of the Bureau's Trade Union He Liansheng, Deputy Director Wang Yi and others, totaling six people. In fact, the county bureau had another deputy director, but he was seconded from the municipal bureau to work as a deputy director and concurrently served as the head of one of the bureaus below, often running around the grassroots level writing investigation reports.

  Lu Zhong was originally ranked just below the acting official in the leadership team, but now he has suddenly taken charge of the bureau's daily work. At this first meeting, although no one said anything, the atmosphere was somewhat unusual.

  However, everyone knows that with this kind of thing happening in the bureau, Zhang's position is probably untenable. Moreover, this leak can't be blamed on Zhang Qingming alone; presumably there will be major personnel changes after the rectification of work style.

  Several deputy directors were calculating their own accounts and didn't think that Lu Zhong presiding over this meeting was particularly embarrassing.

  Lu Zhong put down his teacup, coughed and said: "Everyone, I won't make any polite remarks. Director Zhang is not here, but our work can't be neglected. Before the provincial investigation team leaves Guangning, let's work together to show them our new image. We can't let one mistake negate all the hard work we've done in the past. Now, without me saying it, everyone should know that the key word is stability! During this period, there must not be any mistakes or negligence in our work. All departments below, especially notify the directors and instructors of each department." Lu Zhong turned to Ma Yuewu: "Director Ma, inform all department heads and instructors to attend a meeting for middle-level cadres tomorrow afternoon."

  Ma Yuewu nodded, but it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

  It's been rumored in the bureau that Ma Yuewu is someone Secretary Yuan values, but has always been suppressed by Director Zhang. Now that Director Zhang is leaving, it's Ma's turn according to seniority, so these past few days, several mid-level cadres have gone to visit Ma Yuewu at night.

  "Alright, who else wants to add a few more sentences?" Lu Zhong asked.

  Everyone was stunned for a moment, but they didn't expect that Lu Zhong would finish the meeting with just these few words. They all thought they would have to listen to hours of empty talk and long-winded speeches, but thinking about it, the bureau's business is straightforward, so what needs to be done gets done. Actually, today's task of unifying thoughts was exactly what Lu Zhong said in those few sentences.

  Of course, some people secretly thought that Lu Zhong was quite measured, he also knew that the provincial hall was currently like a blind man touching an elephant, unclear about the county bureau situation, so he temporarily called him to take charge of the work. Once the investigation team left, the director would still be who he was, if he now put on a airs as the official director, it would only make people disgusted. However, in the subsequent personnel adjustments, Lu Zhong's ranking will certainly be greatly improved, and in the future, he may become the second-in-command of the bureau.

  Just as Lu Zhong was about to announce the adjournment, Ma Yuewu cleared his throat and said, "I'd like to add a few words." Lu Zhong nodded slightly and made a please-go-ahead gesture.

  "Comrades, this lesson is very profound. The number one fugitive, a heartless and crazy man, hid in our Guangning for over ten days, and we were completely unaware of it. Even when he was mistakenly caught by the criminal investigation team, we still had no idea. It wasn't until two comrades made the ultimate sacrifice that we realized what had happened! If Comrade Lu Zhong hadn't discovered him, I think he would have slipped away from under our noses. Comrades, I've been a policeman for 30 years, and I've never felt so ashamed. What does this reveal?"

  Ma Yuewu paused for a moment, emphasizing his tone: "This shows that our county bureau's past was superficial! The problem is very serious! We must self-examine and correct ourselves, starting from within, rectify our work style, and deeply reflect..."

  He was about to continue speaking when Gao Zhikai lightly applauded.

  Ma Yuewu's face didn't look very good, but he could only swallow his words. After all, at this point, it could be considered that his speech had ended. If he continued to speak, it would be very embarrassing.

  Lu Zhendao said: "Alright, let's disperse, Zhi Kai, you stay behind."

  Several deputy directors noticed Lu Zhong's brief two-word address to Gao Zhi Kai, but no one showed any reaction except Ma Yuewu, who stood up and walked out.

  Ever since he was slapped by Lu Zhong, especially after Zhang Ju's incident, Gao Zhi Kai became silent, and in the bureau, he no longer acted as arrogant as before, but instead became gloomy, making people feel even more afraid.

  Lu Zhong asked him to stay, and he stayed, only faintly asking: "Is there something?" It seemed that in Lu Zhong's heart, there was no grudge either.

  Lu Zhong smiled and handed him a red-headed document, saying: "I think you must be interested, take a look?"

  Gao Zhikai took it over nonchalantly, flipped through it a few times, and his eyes slowly narrowed.

  It was originally a document jointly issued by the Municipal Party Committee, Municipal Government and Municipal Administration for Industry and Commerce, requiring the city's industry and commerce system to focus on economic construction first, abolishing the "Wushan City Strike against Smuggling and Speculation Work Leading Group" and establishing the "Wushan City Strike against Smuggling Work Leading Group", shifting the work focus to cracking down on illegal smuggling crimes and so on.

  "What's the point of showing me this? I'm not from the business department." Gao Zhikai threw the file back onto Lu Zhuang's office desk, his face expressionless.

  Lu Zhong smiled and said: "I thought you wanted to see it, since it's useless, I guess I made an unnecessary move."

  Gao Zhikai walked out with a calm face, and Ma Yuewu took off his reading glasses at the opposite office desk, saying to Lu Zheng: "Come on, let me take a look." He was very curious about what Lu Zheng had shown Gao Zhikai.

  Lu Zhong smiled and handed it over. It was a document from the Administration for Industry and Commerce, Ma Yuewu also looked puzzled, but said: "What does he know about economics? He doesn't even understand his own business."

  Lu Zhong just smiled.