Chapter 9: The Birth of the Dock

  The case was soon clear, and the next day, a special task force led by Director Zhang restarted. In the afternoon, Zhang Ming-shan was taken back to Guangning. He confessed to the crime without hesitation and was transferred to the procuratorate along with his father Zhang Guoliang. Li Weijun was released for lack of evidence.

  That noon, Lu Zhong was having lunch in the bureau canteen when an unexpected guest arrived, Li Xiangyang, deputy director of the county propaganda department and director of the radio and television bureau, who is also Li Weijun's uncle.

  Li Xiangyang came to express his gratitude and said that his sister-in-law's family wanted to invite Lu Zhong to dinner tonight.

  Lu Zhong however didn't give them a choice, and told Du Xiaohu to go cook two dishes. He then said to Li Xiangyang: "You definitely haven't eaten yet, let's eat something together first."

  Li Xiangyang smiled wryly: "I came to invite you to dinner, how did it turn out that I ended up being invited instead? I didn't plan to come at noon, but was afraid that during office hours, you would be busy with tasks and couldn't find you."

  Lu Zhong just smiled and said: "It's all the same, I'm just doing my job, you don't have to thank me for anything."

  The canteen was not large, and there was no such "buzzing" echo. The cadres and police officers who came in and out would all come over to greet Lu Zhong, and their attitude towards Lu Zhong was also different. After all, everyone respected people with real skills. The "615" case was solved by Lu Zhong alone, and the whole bureau knew that he had found the real culprit. People looked at Lu Zhong again, and their impression of him was naturally different.

  Of course, members of the original task force's criminal investigation team are exempt.

  Li Xiangyang said: "Lu Zhengwei is too polite, my sister said that she must give you a few head knocks and say that you are the reincarnation of Bao Qingtian. Wei Jun was supposed to come and invite you today, but he heard that he had to go to the Public Security Bureau, so..." He stopped here, now his nephew was still dizzy and incontinent, hearing the name of the Public Security Bureau made him shiver with fear.

  Lu Zhong also sighed and said: "He's been wronged, Li. I apologize to him and his family on behalf of the task force."

  "This is said." Li Xiangyang was somewhat uneasy, shaking his head repeatedly. "What does this have to do with you? You're being too serious, too serious!" He was now more and more admiring of this young public security bureau's political commissar, who was clever and capable, yet humble, really not like someone who had achieved success at a young age.

  "Director Lu, it's just a casual dinner at home tonight, nothing else. If you don't go, my sister-in-law won't let me off the hook. Just do me a favor and show up?" Li Xiangyang said sincerely.

  Lu Zhong hesitated for a moment and said, "I'm afraid it won't work tonight. This afternoon, County Political and Legal Committee Secretary Liu saw me, but I don't know what's going on yet. In that case, I'll definitely come over in a few days."

  Li Xiangyang could see that Lu Zhong was not making excuses, so he smiled and said: "Alright then, it's settled. Commissioner Lu's word is as good as gold, you can't cheat me."

  Lu Zhong smiled and said: "To say, Li is also my superior, how dare I deceive you?"

  Two people were chatting and laughing when two figures appeared at the entrance of the cafeteria, Gao Zhikai and his lover Zhao Hongxia.

  Gao Zhikai saw Lu Zheng sitting not far from the entrance, his face sank, and he whispered a few words in Zhao Hongxia's ear, and the two turned around and left.

  Zhao Hongxia looked at her husband's gloomy face and sighed softly in her heart. She had heard some rumors about the case, knowing that Lu Zheng had overturned the big case handled by her husband. She was even more resentful than Gao Zhikai. This Lu Zheng was just lucky, but she would wait and see how long his luck would last.

  ……

  At three o'clock in the afternoon, Lu Zhong arrived at the county committee's courtyard, where the green cypresses and pines swayed gently in the wind, and the red building stood solemnly.

  The office of Liu Baojun, secretary of the Politics and Law Committee, is located on the second floor of the county committee office building. He is also a vice-county magistrate, and the position of secretary of the Politics and Law Committee is a concurrent post.

  When Lu Zhong knocked on the door and came in, Liu Baojun stood up enthusiastically, beckoning Lu Zhong to sit on the guest sofa. He also sat down beside Lu Zhong, with a small standing tea table between them. Soon, the staff rushed over with hot tea.

  Liu Baojun is not tall in stature and does not appear to have any air of authority, he looks very easy-going.

  Handing a cigarette to Lu Zhun, Liu Baojun smiled and said: "Lu Zhun, this battle hero has made new achievements in his new position."

  Lu Zhong busied himself lighting Liu Baojun's cigarette and modestly said a few words, saying that Director Zhang had his own way of doing things, but also couldn't leave out the county leadership's care and Secretary Liu's guidance.

  Liu Baojun narrowed his eyes and smiled, thinking that this Lu Gangtou was not as bad as the rumors said.

  Listening to Liu Baojun ask about the case, Lu Zhong responded casually, thinking in his heart, but didn't know what Liu Baojun wanted from him.

  Lu Zhong knew that although Liu Baojun was the secretary of the Political and Legal Committee, coordinating the public security, procuratorate and court departments, Zhang Qingming, the director of the Public Security Bureau, had never taken him seriously. The current Political and Legal Committee was not as powerful as it would be in later years, but rather dispensable. Especially from the top level, several central leaders proposed to abolish the Central Political and Legal Committee. These central leaders belonged to the radical liberal reform faction, believing that public security, procuratorate and court should enforce laws independently, and the party should not interfere too much, let alone intervene in everything.

  Lu Zhong also knew that in the previous life, a few years later, with the complete dominance of the liberal reform faction, the Central Political and Legal Committee would be abolished. However, just a few short years later, the liberal reform faction was completely defeated, and the Central Political and Legal Committee was re-established, and its power grew stronger and stronger.

  But now, Liu Baojun, this political and legal committee secretary, is not being taken seriously by Zhang Qingming, which is also a matter of course.

  After chatting for a while, Liu Baojun gradually entered the topic, "Lu Zhong, you know that we are going to crack down on this organization?"

  Lu Zhong nodded slightly.

  Liu Baojun took a deep drag on his cigarette, and in the smoke, his expression became increasingly thoughtful. "The county committee has discussed this at a meeting, and it's been decided that having the industrial and commercial department solely responsible for law enforcement is no longer suitable for the new situation. You also know that there are more and more criminal elements engaging in speculation and profiteering these days. Having only the industrial and commercial department handle law enforcement would be too weak and lacking in deterrent power. In light of the new situation, the county committee has decided that cracking down on speculation and profiteering activities will require joint law enforcement by the industrial and commercial and public security departments, with the industrial and commercial department taking the lead and the public security department playing a supporting role."

  Lu Zhong nodded slightly, Wu Shan is a coastal open city, business is booming, Guangning County is near the water tower, economic development is also very fast. But at the same time, more and more people are selling goods illegally, color TVs, watches, bicycles and other products have become the target of these second-hand dealers who want to get rich first.

  From the perspective of later generations, it is normal for goods to circulate freely, but now, with limited productivity, the market cannot be fully opened up temporarily. Moreover, those who take advantage of price dual-track system to speculate on these scarce goods must have insiders from various management departments participating, or even "official speculation", which has nothing to do with getting rich through hard work and fairness.

  In later generations, people will resent this class of vested interests that became rich first by exploiting information and unequal power.

  Compared with the later frenzy of dividing up state-owned assets, the small-time "official speculation" was nothing.

  One generation is stronger than the previous one, Lu Zhong thought to himself with a hint of self-mockery.

  On the other side, Liu Baojun continued to say: "In this way, your county bureau will have to draw out a comrade to sit in and preside over the Strike Office. I have already proposed to the County Committee that you take on the concurrent post of First Deputy Director of the Strike Office. Of course, you will still hold your position at the county bureau, but you should make some adjustments to shift the focus of your work to the Strike Office."

  Lu Zhong was stunned for a moment, but he had never thought of this.

  "Comrade Qingming agrees with it and the county committee has also passed it, but I still want to hear your opinion." Liu Baojun looked at Lu Zhong with some expectation.

  "The Office of the Leading Group for Crackdown on Smuggling and Speculation" was one of the temporary institutions under Liu Baojun's charge, while Liu Baojun had spent his whole life mastering the art of politics. If it weren't for the Cultural Revolution, he would not have been delayed in his career and would definitely not be stuck at the deputy county level now. He was unwilling to accept this, especially since he did not want to become a mere figurehead as the secretary of the Politics and Law Committee, but County Bureau Chief Zhang Qingming had too much power and influence, making it impossible for him to intervene.

  Until recently, Liu Baojun discovered that the opportunity had come. Lu Gang, who cracked the 615 case, was always a marginal figure in the county bureau and was not on good terms with Zhang Qingming's faction. Moreover, although the 615 case became the achievement of Zhang Qingming leading all police officers in the final work report to the county public security bureau, everyone knew what really happened behind the scenes.

  So, Lu Zhong, who had cracked the case, was afraid that it would make Zhang Qingming unhappy instead. Liu Baojun had also recently heard that Lu Zhong's position in the bureau was somewhat embarrassing, so Liu Baojun took the initiative to extend an olive branch.

  Liu Baojun's mentality and the situation in the county were naturally as clear as a mirror to Lu Zhong, who had been through two lifetimes.

  But Lu Zhong now really feels that he should make a move, although the cadres and police officers in the bureau seem to be friendly towards him, his position in the bureau has not changed at all, and it's even more embarrassing.

  No matter how the credit is ultimately counted on Zhang Qingming's head, he himself was initially equivalent to slapping him in the face. As for Gao Zhikai and those old detectives, they were even more furious.

  Trees move the dead and the living, temporarily leaving this environment, out of their sight, waiting for this case that makes many people embarrassed to gradually calm down, which is not a bad strategy to retreat in order to advance.

  Now he's wandering around in the bureau, it's like a needle, stabbing them hard every day.

  Of course, if I can take advantage of this personnel change to finally leave the public security system, that would be for the best. After all, I have self-awareness and know I'm not suitable for working in public security. Moreover, thinking about the broader stage outside makes me eager to give it a try.

  Lu Zhong thought for a moment and said: "Thank you, Secretary Liu, for your kindness. I would be delighted to learn from you and improve myself."

  Liu Baojun smiled contentedly. Originally, he was worried that this foolish kid wouldn't understand what was going on and would think he had achieved a great merit in the bureau.

  Now it seems that Lu Gangtou is not as messy as rumored, perhaps he is a person like Zhang Fei, rough but with finesse.

  Lu Zhong said, "Secretary Liu, I have another request. I'd like to take a few days off." These days, Lu Zhong met many old friends and saw Lu Guobin and Aunt Cuihong again. He also missed his home and his biological parents. In his past life, this was the knot in his heart that had been bleeding until the day he died under the wheels of a car.

  This life, can't afford to make another mistake again.

  Liu Baojun smiled and said, "You should rest well, I know how tiring it is to handle cases. You just take a good rest for a few days, whenever you feel rested, come find me, and I'll arrange things for you then."

  "Thank you, Secretary Liu." Lu Zhong thought for a moment and then said: "I have another matter to ask for your help, Hou Jianjun from the City Public Security Bureau has made great efforts in this case. However, such a comrade has not been treated fairly all along, and until now, his deputy department-level treatment has not been resolved. Secretary Liu, can you please help?"

  Liu Baojun hummed in response, he had heard about Hou Jianjun's situation. In fact, for the Wushan area, the heads of the city and county public security bureaus are basically at the deputy department level, this is according to a document from the provincial department last year. But strangely, Hou Jianjun was still at the regular section chief level, it was said that there were differing opinions within the county bureau, so he was stuck.

  "This thing, I'll take a look later." Liu Baojun vaguely replied.

  Lu Zhong took one look and felt something was wrong, this new dock was very obvious, the ship was leaking water shallowly.