Chapter 21: The Beast in Distress (Part 2)

  Xiao Yongnian and Yang Liguo's investigation yielded nothing, and Wang Liben was not too surprised either.

  He knew that the cadres and masses below had a lot of opinions about him, even if someone was secretly active, those cadres were all old oil slicks, they would definitely not tell the truth, let alone those party members among the masses, who couldn't wait for him to fall.

  He let Xiao Yongnian and Yang Liguo go to investigate, but it was just an excuse to have a private conversation with Luo Zhili. If he really wanted to get to the bottom of things, he would have to think of a good way to do so.

  Xiao and Yang went to investigate, he did some work on Luo Zhili again. Although Luo Zhili still insisted on reporting the matter to his superiors, many things he said were recognized by Luo Zhili, which also gave him more room for maneuver.

  Xiao Yongnian and Yang Liguo are back, he thought it would be impossible to delay reporting to the county again, so he had to ask Luo Zhili to report to the Organization Department.

  Minister of the Organization Department, Qiu Chenggong, is stationed in the county to understand the situation of the election of representatives throughout the county. With less than two months left before the party congress, the whole county is creating a stable and peaceful atmosphere, and it is even more impossible to make mistakes in the election of representatives. Therefore, he also attaches great importance to this election. The county party committee's organization department sent personnel to the grassroots level to guide the election, which actually also plays a supervisory role. From the reported situation, the effect is still not bad. The county requires that all elected candidates must be successfully elected, and only wait for the last two or three towns to report back on the situation before the election work can be completed satisfactorily. Qiu Chenggong's mood is also quite good.

  But suddenly, something unexpected happened in Shanhe Town, and Qiu Cheng also couldn't believe what Luo Zhili reported.

  Intraparty elections should emphasize discipline, principles and party spirit, and such elections are even more so. Wang Liben is the secretary of the township party committee and one of the iron-clad representatives. He is also the leader of the delegation to the Party Congress. Unexpectedly, Shanhe Township actually voted out the leader of the delegation, which is unheard of in Yanghe County.

  Just as the election work was about to be successfully completed, Shanhe Township made a big fuss, and Qiu Cheng felt like he had almost finished eating a delicious meal, only to find a fly in his plate. He was extremely angry, but such things would definitely not be known to Luo Zhili either, so he let Wang Liben answer the phone:

  "Wang Liben, how did you become the secretary of this rural party committee? How did you organize this election? Where has your ability to control the overall situation gone? You even got yourself voted out as a party representative, it's really ridiculous!"

  Qiu Chenggong severely criticized Wang Liben in a stern tone, and only then did his tone slightly soften:

  "Wang Liben, what's going on? Has there been any representation or mass reflection that the election has been abnormal?"

  Wang Liben listened to Qiu Cheng's words and still leaned towards the fact that something was wrong with this matter. It seemed that Luo Zhili's words had taken effect, like grasping a straw to save his life. He hastily wiped away the cold sweat on his forehead while crying and said:

  "Director Qiu, I...I've been framed. Something just happened in our hometown. The local handicraft factory recently made a profit, and some of the town's leaders are planning to use this money to repair roads, expand the factory, give bonuses to officials, and provide subsidies. I and other members of the party committee opposed this short-sighted approach, but some town leaders were dissatisfied and secretly formed alliances, plotted behind the scenes, and launched a surprise attack during the election...Director Qiu, this is a well-planned conspiracy. Director Qiu, I've been framed..."

  Wang Liben also knew that this time he lost face was lost to his grandmother's house, and things had reached this point. No matter whether there was really someone playing tricks or not, he must insist that someone was secretly manipulating him, only then would he have a chance to turn the tables.

  Qiu Chenggong also knew that Wang Liben was a straightforward and rough person, never paying attention to struggle strategies, and would immediately show his displeasure towards anyone he didn't like. The unity of the team had always been a problem. Although Wang Liben's shortcomings were prominent, his advantages were equally prominent. He had always done a good job in completing the tasks assigned by the county, and many leaders in the county had a good impression of him.

  Qiu Chenggong listened to Wang Liben's words and also believed in his heart. According to his past experience, it was very likely that someone had taken advantage of the dissatisfaction among cadres and masses to push waves and bring down Wang Liben. Although Wang Liben had some shortcomings and should be criticized, if someone used this point to achieve their goals through unorganized and undisciplined means that violated the organization's intentions and principles, such nature was extremely vicious and absolutely could not be tolerated!

  Qiu Chenggong thought for a moment and said:

  "First temporarily freeze this election result, immediately start investigating the problems that have arisen in the election, and take action quickly."

  Wang Liben carefully replied:

  "I have set up an investigation team led by Xiao Yongnian, deputy secretary of the township party committee, to conduct a thorough investigation into the problems that occurred during the election."

  Qiu Chenggong said without a doubt:

  "This matter should be handled quickly. The investigation work must be serious and solid, and it must withstand scrutiny. Whatever the situation, report to me in a timely manner. I will immediately report to Secretary Liao, as for other matters, wait for further instructions from the county!"

  Wang Liben nodded on the phone, bowing his waist, completely different from his usual domineering demeanor in the countryside. His respectful attitude was as if Director Qiu was right in front of him:

  "Yes, yes, I will resolutely follow Minister Qiu's instructions..."

  Wang Liben put down the phone, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and saw that Luo Zhili had also gone to eat. He thought for a moment, gritted his teeth, and made another call to Lin Changdong, the deputy secretary of the county party committee. This was his real lifesaver. Although Secretary Lin was only in charge of propaganda, united front work, and agriculture, as long as he was willing to speak up, he would still be able to get things done. But Lin Changdong wasn't available, and Wang Liben's anxiety grew. He could only try to find Secretary Lin again that evening...

  Wang Liben sat there with a gloomy face, thinking of a countermeasure. He had already reported the situation to Director Qiu as if someone was plotting against him.

  But he was very clear that this election had such a problem, the most direct fuse was the one million votes brought back by Lu Zhengdong, which led to a collective backlash from the people below.

  Is it really someone who is plotting, he just suspects and has no real evidence, but since the report has been filed, the county will definitely investigate, he must come up with a plausible explanation, otherwise, he still can't pass.

  There are many people in the village who are dissatisfied with him, but those who have the courage and ability to rush at him must be the leaders of the village. Liang Hui Tian is considered to have that courage, but he definitely doesn't have that ability, at most he's just a vanguard.

  Here, Wu Zhonghe and Lu Zhengdong are the most suspicious. These two people have never gotten along with him, and they had a fierce quarrel with him not long ago. The suspicion is greatest, so just now when he was reporting to Minister Qiu, his tone was already very clear.

  Although he suspected that it was Wu Zhonghe and Lu Zhengdong who were behind the plot, there had been no rumors about this beforehand, indicating that their actions were quite covert. It would not be easy to catch them off guard either.

  Decided to personally find the cadres below and go through the formalities, see if I can find some clues...