Chapter Fifty-One: Decisive

  At this moment, Du Guoping came in and reported that Xu Feng, the secretary of the Municipal Discipline Inspection Commission, had arrived.

  "Alright, just like that, you go ahead and busy yourself." After Cold Cloud waved her hand to let Xiao Jie leave, Xu Feng followed in.

  "Secretary Leng, sorry about this. I just rushed back from outside and arrived late." Xu Feng explained as soon as he entered the door. He was also promoted by Wang Peiyuan, and after Wang Peiyuan was transferred to Shu Du, most of them closely gathered around Leng Yunyi, with him as their leader. The two worked closely together and rectified many corrupt officials.

  The secretary of the municipal discipline inspection commission is also a member of the standing committee of the municipal party committee, but compared to Leng Yunyi, the vice secretary of the municipal party committee who holds great power, he still lags behind.

  "Come on, Old Xu, don't be polite, sit down quickly." Leng Yunying didn't put on any airs with Xu Feng either, picking up her tea cup and sitting down beside him. After Du Guoping brought over the tea water and closed the door behind him, Leng Yunying furrowed her brow and told him what was going on.

  After listening to what Leng Yunying said, Xu Feng did not speak immediately. He took a few puffs of his cigarette before saying, "Secretary Leng, I'm also deeply grieved by this incident. I'll dispatch someone to investigate right away." If it weren't for Leng Yunying's intervention, he wouldn't have been the slightest bit interested in something like this; after all, a small village branch secretary was really not worth his attention.

  It seems that Leng Yun has seen through Xu Feng's thoughts, and he said solemnly: "Old Xu, this matter may seem small to us, but for the common people, it is their everything. The good situation in Changfu is unfolding, we can't let these troublemakers ruin our government's reputation and credibility. I still have an important meeting with Feiyuan Company this afternoon, so I'll leave this matter to you."

  "Secretary Leng, you can rest assured that I will handle this matter quickly and severely, and report the situation to you at the first time." Xu Feng stood up and solemnly promised to Leng Yun. Since even Secretary Leng attaches such great importance to it, what reason does he have not to take it seriously?

  Under the joint attention of Leng Yun and Xu Feng, the investigation team of the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection was quickly dispatched. To be honest, for a small village branch secretary, mobilizing the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection is a bit of an overreaction, but who let things get to Leng Yun's ears?

  Things soon came to a head. Zhao Dage's village, Zhangmu Village, belonged to Anning Town, 14 kilometers from the county seat. The village branch secretary, Wen Dahai, was a local tyrant who had become the village branch secretary through various relationships and means. He liked to squander the village's limited public funds on a daily basis, even going so far as to fabricate charges and collect fees arbitrarily. His two sons were also village bullies, cheating and robbing people, and flirting with the village's young women. Everyone was angry but dared not speak out.

  Of course, they can be so unscrupulous because, apart from their own strength, there is also someone backing them up. Otherwise, they would have been asked to drink tea at the police station long ago. This person is none other than the current mayor of Changfu City - Hong Gang.

  Hong Gang and Wen Dahai were childhood friends and neighbors. Although they didn't have any familial relationship, when Hong Gang's family was poor and his mother died after giving birth to him due to a difficult labor, Hong Gang was raised by Wen Dahai's mother, who breastfed him, and later received much care from the Wen family, which allowed him to grow up into an adult.

  Hong Gang has always remembered this kindness and taken great care of Wen Dahai's family. Although he also knew that what Wen Dahai did was not good, he couldn't get rid of the emotional debt and still made excuses for him every time. As a result, the local township government and police station all knew that Hong Gang was Wen Dahai's backstage supporter. Who would dare to come out and do evil? Wouldn't that be openly offending Hong Gang?

  After Hong Gang became the mayor, Wen's family became even more arrogant and domineering. Even some police officers from the local police station and township officials colluded with them. At first, there were still some who couldn't bear to look at this situation, but they were soon transferred away or subjected to various forms of exclusion and suppression. Those in the village who dared to petition and report the truth not only failed to get any response, but also suffered double revenge from Wen's family. Over time, everyone became terrified of them and didn't dare to provoke them.

  Wen Dahai and his son were also very arrogant, and when the investigation team investigated them, they not only spoke wildly but also claimed that they would make them look good. They even physically assaulted two members of the investigation team. The investigators were all enraged, but they were also wary of Mayor Hong Gang behind Wen Dahai and did not dare to do anything to him. They could only report the situation to Xu Feng.

  Xu Feng was also worried when he learned about it. Although he had the upper hand, this time he was facing the mayor of a city and the second-in-command of Changfu, who was also the first deputy secretary of the municipal party committee. His ranking in the standing committee was even higher than that of Leng Yunyi. It wasn't something that Xu Feng, a small secretary of the discipline inspection commission, could contend with. If he wasn't careful, not only would he face a crisis, but he might also implicate Leng Yunyi. After thinking about it carefully, he had no choice but to call Leng Yunyi again.

  In the afternoon, Leng Yunying and Zhu Jianjun were discussing matters related to Changfu Steel Plant in the VIP hall of Feiyuan International Hotel. Since Leng Bingxue mentioned it, Zhu Jianjun had someone collect a lot of information about Changfu Steel Plant, which also gave him a general understanding at the initial contact, so he wouldn't be completely in the dark and know nothing.

  Zhu Jianjun is the only person in this world who knows about Leng Binghan's situation, and he naturally has great respect for Leng Binghan's father, Leng Yunying. This makes Leng Yunying very surprised - how can someone from a far-off Hong Kong company be so good at speaking? With such a foundation, the conversation proceeds smoothly in this harmonious atmosphere.

  After answering Xufeng's phone call, Leng Yun was also surprised. He didn't think that such a small matter would lead to his confrontation with Hong Gang.

  Logically, Hong Gang is also a member of Wang Peiyuan's faction, which is why he can replace Wang Peiyuan as the mayor. However, Hong Gang clearly has reservations about Wang Peiyuan's full support for Leng Yunqiao. Although he is the actual mayor of this city, it seems that everyone else is more obedient to Leng Yunqiao, which makes Hong Gang somewhat unacceptable.

  As work progressed, the two inevitably had differing opinions at times. Leng Yun was more straightforward and would definitely speak up when he felt something was unreasonable or wrong. This made Hong Gang somewhat unable to save face, as he stubbornly believed that Leng Yun wanted to challenge his authority. As a result, there were some barriers between them.

  Leng Yun actually didn't want to compete with Hong Gang for anything, on the contrary, he wanted to maintain the unity of leading cadres. He wouldn't interfere in things that weren't his business, but where there are people, there is struggle. It seems this time it's unavoidable. If Leng Yun were to abandon his principles and sit idly by while watching Wen Dahai and Wen Yong's situation unfold before him without intervening, that would be dereliction of duty, a betrayal of the tens of millions of common people.

  Leng Yun didn't think much and resolutely said on the phone: "Old Xu, Prince Wang broke the law and should be punished like a commoner. No matter who it is, no one can interfere with the country's laws and regulations. I will let the head of the Municipal Public Security Bureau lead a team to cooperate with your work. If you encounter any obstacles during the investigation, have them come find me directly."

  "Yes, Secretary Leng, I guarantee to complete the task!" Xu Feng answered loudly with great excitement. Upon hearing Leng Yun's words, in his view, this was a signal that Leng Yun was going to formally declare war on Hong Gang, and he and the Public Security Bureau were Leng Yun's vanguard for attacking and capturing the stronghold.

  To be honest, Xu Feng has always looked down on Hong Gang and has secretly despised him many times: if it weren't for his seniority, how could he have become the mayor? On the other hand, Leng Yunyi is someone he has always thought highly of, not only because of her strong abilities but also because she is upright and honest, uncorrupted by wealth or lust, with a straightforward style. Moreover, Wang Peiyuan's unwavering support for Leng Yunyi is something that anyone with discerning eyes can see, and the relationship between Fei Yuan Company and them is not ordinary either - aren't many of Fei Yuan Company's actions aimed at increasing Leng Yunyi's political achievements? With such a powerful background, how could an ordinary mayor compare to her?

  When Leng Yunying was just transferred to the municipal party committee, his ranking was even after Xu Feng's, but Xu Feng had a keen eye for talent and was sure that Leng Yunying had a bright future ahead of him. He actively extended an olive branch to him, and as expected, within two or three years, Leng Yunying had already become the third-ranked standing committee member, just one step away from contending for the positions of municipal party secretary and mayor. Everyone also believed that one of those two positions would eventually be his.

  Who can guarantee that now is not the time for Leng Yunfei to launch an attack? If Leng Yunfei takes this opportunity to bring down Hong Gang, he will definitely go further and become the mayor. Then, won't I also be able to follow closely behind him and make progress too?

  As for whether there is a chance of winning, Xu Feng doesn't worry at all. Hong Gang relies on Wang Peiyuan too, but if Wang Peiyuan had to choose between Hong Gang and Leng Yunqiu, it's obvious that he would choose Leng Yunqiu. Does Hong Gang still have any chance?

  Xu Feng leisurely took a puff of his cigarette, thinking to himself: "Hong Gang, you'd better not be a turtle hiding in your shell. If you are, it'll be hard to find an opportunity to deal with you."

  Less than half an hour later, the director of the Municipal Public Security Bureau personally led a team to find Xufeng.

  The director of the Municipal Public Security Bureau is surnamed Song, called Song Zuyun. He is a veteran policeman who has been in the business for nearly 50 years and still maintains his tough and efficient style. His professional skills are also very familiar. Because he had no background, after being a police officer for 20 years, he was only a deputy director of the Municipal Public Security Bureau in charge of criminal investigation. After the old director retired, it was under the strong support of Leng Yunfei that he took up the post of director. He is extremely grateful to Leng Yunfei and can be said to be his most loyal subordinate.

  "Old Song, you're pretty quick on your feet!" Xu Feng handed a cigarette to Song Zuyun.

  Leng Yunying was in charge of economics and politics, and also served as the secretary of the Political and Legal Committee. Both men were under his jurisdiction. Although Xu Feng's rank was higher than Song Zuyun's, they often cooperated with each other, so their relationship was not bad. Moreover, Leng Yunying valued Song Zuyun very much. There was a rumor throughout the system that Leng Yunying's concurrent position as secretary of the Political and Legal Committee was actually reserved for Song Zuyun, and this position would eventually be his. Therefore, in front of Song Zuyun, Xu Feng couldn't put on airs about his high rank. It was unclear when Song Zuyun would become the secretary of the Political and Legal Committee, at which point he might not be inferior to himself, but rather have more actual power than him.

  "Secretary Leng has given the order, how dare I slack off?" Song Zuyun took over Xu Feng's cigarette and looked at it: "Oh, still foreign cigarettes? Old Xu, be honest, did you get them through corruption?"

  "Get out, it's not bad to smoke occasionally, if you don't smoke then come back!" Xu Feng gave him a white eye and said: "This cigarette is specially brought by Zhu Manager of Fei Yuan Company from Hong Kong for Secretary Leng, only a few packs. I heard that one pack costs several hundred Hong Kong dollars, which is two or three months' salary. I finally managed to get a pack from Secretary Leng's tobacco tycoon with great difficulty. It's just you, if it were someone else, don't even think about it, I wouldn't even want to smoke it."

  Song Zuoyun made up his mind, after finishing the matter, he must go to Leng Shuji's place to get a few packs of cigarettes. He muttered to himself: "Leng Shuji doesn't even smoke, why would Zhu Manager from Feiyuan Company give him cigarettes?"

  This question had also been asked to Zhu Jianjun before, but he just smiled slyly and said: "Your old man doesn't smoke, can't you give it to his subordinates to smoke? Not only can it win over the subordinates, but also when the time comes, everyone will know that Fei Yuan Company has a special relationship with him. When have we ever seen Fei Yuan Company giving things to other people? It's just proof that our Fei Yuan Company only recognizes Secretary Leng, and doesn't recognize anyone else."

  Not to mention, this move really works.

  Time waits for no man, the joint law enforcement team set off immediately, led by the municipal discipline inspection secretary and the municipal public security bureau director in person, rushing to Zhangmu Village. To be able to get these two officials at the deputy department level to take action, Wen Dahai, this village branch secretary, should die with his eyes closed.

  The joint law enforcement team immediately captured Wen Dahai and his two sons, Wen Bing and Wen Yong, and sent them directly to the Changfu City Public Security Bureau for investigation. A survey team was left in Zhangmu Village to continue investigating the village's financial situation and the crimes of the Wen family.

  Watching Wenjia's three father and son being taken away, the old and young villagers all applauded with joy, some even set off firecrackers, which was more joyful than the Chinese New Year.

  Even if they were caught by the Municipal Public Security Bureau, Wen Jia San and his sons still acted in a domineering manner, not only refusing to cooperate with the investigation but also boasting that Mayor Hong would definitely bail them out, and when that happened, those who had arrested them would all lose their jobs.

  There is no wall that doesn't leak wind, and Hong Gang is still the legitimate mayor. Wen Jia's father and son were taken back to the Municipal Public Security Bureau, and he received the news, feeling both angry and anxious. He was angry because Wen Dahai's father and son were so stubborn and refused to listen to his warnings, despite him having told them many times before. They didn't know how to restrain themselves and didn't care about giving him a hard time. This time, they had even fallen into Leng Yunfei's hands. At the same time, he was also angry with Xu Feng and Song Zuyun for not even giving him a heads up, despite knowing his relationship with Wen Dahai, and instead taking away Wen Dahai's father and son. Wasn't this just slapping himself in the face? How could others look at him in the future?