Chapter 63

Tighten the perimeter, and focus on key areas inside based on the leads.

With over twenty walkie-talkies and dozens of spare batteries prepared, the police station has a repeater, making communication convenient and command smooth.

The joint defense team members are not allowed to leave the compound without permission from now on. They must report and seek approval for any activities, even the night shift personnel's meal arrangements have been considered. The preparations and action deployments are impeccable, and the three leaders have nothing more to add.

After the small meeting, a large meeting is held.

All participating personnel go to the canteen, the three leaders give a pep talk, and Han Bo divides the teams according to the roster. Once everything is arranged, they go to their offices or lie down in the cars to rest.

Xiao Dan is in charge of intelligence and has gone out on a motorcycle in plain clothes. Wang Yan is guarding the newly installed switchboard and telephone, waiting for news. Deputy Director Wang Zhigang of the police station is busy organizing dinner, running around like a headless chicken.

In broad daylight, the three leaders can't sleep, so they play 80 points in the meeting room to pass the time.

Deputy Director Cao and Deputy Manager Song are from the county, and they are paired together.

Han Bo is a cadre of Liangzhuang, so he naturally pairs with Deputy Secretary Cui, who is responsible for political and legal affairs, comprehensive governance, etc.

Deputy Director Cao draws a bad hand and casually throws out a small pair, then suddenly asks, "Xiao Han, is the restructuring of the silk factory almost over?"

There are too many department heads in the people's organizations, and they are all concerned about the appointment of leaders.

He isn't asking about the silk factory; he wants to know about Factory Director Hou.

As an ambitious police officer, Han Bo can't help but pay attention to the leaders of his old unit who have shown him favor. In the "report and seek approval" list, Factory Director Hou is near the top, averaging a call every four days to report on work.

Many cadres from the silk factory have been transferred to government departments recently, but he is the only one truly considered a confidant.

The restructuring is nearing completion, and Factory Director Hou hasn't hidden his likely next position, but the documents haven't come down yet, so he can't guarantee there won't be any changes. He just wants Han Bo to know and not to publicize it.

He is indeed going to be promoted, but not to Sige. He will be appointed as the Deputy Mayor of Nanzhou City (a county-level city), which has a better industrial foundation and more severe problems with state-owned enterprises, and is adjacent to Nangang City.

"Always busy with this and that, I haven't had time to call and ask. Manager Song should know, as the silk factory and the silk company are essentially one."

In all of Sige, only Secretary Ding, Engineer Li, and Director Qian, who helped establish the silk factory, know this news. County leaders probably only know Secretary Xie, so Han Bo naturally won't say anything.

Manager Song, who is well-informed, says with enthusiasm, "Factory Director Hou is different from other leaders. He is cultured, capable, and has achieved remarkable results. When he went to Beijing for the two sessions, ministry leaders sought his advice on the healthy development of the silk industry and asked him to participate in formulating relevant laws and regulations. The provincial government wanted to transfer him to be the Party Secretary of the Silk Corporation last year."

He is a city-managed cadre and one of the few national people's congress deputies in the city. The city government doesn't want to let him go. Higher-ups have called repeatedly, demanding his transfer, but it's unlikely he will become the chairman of the restructured group. The city government is reluctant to let him go, and his appointment as Deputy Mayor is a done deal, just a matter of one or two months.

National People's Congress deputy, one of the top ten outstanding young people, excellent entrepreneur...

Factory Director Hou has numerous accolades and holds a significant position in the silk industry and the entire textile industry. Every year, the provincial economic and trade commission, the provincial price bureau, and the provincial silk corporation invite him to Jiangcheng to discuss and determine the silk cocoon purchase price.

When provincial and city leaders go abroad for inspections or to attract investment, they often name him to accompany them.

Old Lu doesn't buy into the county leaders' authority, but he treats Factory Director Hou with respect, saying that he is a truly capable person.

With such a leader's favor, how can a young man's future not be bright?

Being assigned to Liangzhuang as a police special envoy might have been arranged by Factory Director Hou. Otherwise, why would Old Lu give him this office building as a police station, and why would he allow the industrial and silk systems to crack down on illegal traders on his territory?

Deputy Director Cao's imagination is very rich, and his gaze toward Special Envoy Han changes, his tone becoming even more friendly.

Just as he draws a good hand and is about to play, Wang Yan knocks and walks in to report, "Special Envoy Han, the acquisition station started weighing five minutes ago, with six windows open simultaneously. There are many people selling cocoons, and even more coming to inquire about the price. Also, Xiao Dan reports that in the key villages, almost every household is picking cocoons."

Manager Song asks in surprise, "How could it be so fast? We just started weighing!"

Deputy Secretary Cui throws his cards on the table and says casually, "Many silkworm farmers didn't buy the silkworm eggs from the guidance station but from Xin'an, which is one and a half to two days earlier on average than Sige."

The guidance station only got on track in the second half of the year, and there were few people before, so Deputy Manager Song isn't very familiar with the distribution of silkworm eggs.

Deputy Director Cao, who participates in the cocoon acquisition every year, understands the relationship between silkworm eggs and cocoons very well, and can't help but exclaim, "The planned acquisition amount is estimated based on the number of silkworm eggs distributed. So, the actual amount of fresh cocoons in Liangzhuang far exceeds 85,000 kilograms!"

You county officials don't often visit the countryside, so how would you know the situation there?

Deputy Secretary Cui smiles and confirms, "We've been expanding the mulberry fields for years. The 85,000 kilograms is an old figure. If we can acquire all of them, it won't be less than 140,000 kilograms. And the weather this year is good, which is beneficial for cocoon production."

Without raising silkworms at home, I don't know these details.

Han Bo suddenly realizes and stands up abruptly, "The peak period for selling cocoons is tonight to tomorrow morning, and we only have one night. Our deployment is problematic and must be immediately adjusted!"

"How do you plan to adjust it?"

"We can't passively defend; we must take the initiative. First, ensure that all the cocoons in the township are acquired, then set up checkpoints to intercept those passing through our area."

"Xiao Han, do you plan to go to the villages to catch them?"

To win this battle, Xiao Dan is fully committed.

With the help of his uncle, he has developed over a dozen informants, mostly from families in the villages that don't raise silkworms and former village cadres who have been out of office for years. Almost every household has a phone, and the information is well-connected.

To ensure everything goes smoothly, Xiao Dan has mobilized many relatives and friends.

His mother is helping to monitor in his grandfather's village, and his motorcycle repairman comrade has been helping with this matter for the past few days.

Most traders who come to Liangzhuang to buy cocoons don't pay in cash.

Without help and guarantees, the villagers wouldn't dare sell their cocoons to them. They are also "mobilizing the masses," but not semi-publicly, completely openly. They are just worried about being intercepted on the way back, so they usually start weighing after midnight.

Which village has how many traders, what their surnames are, what their names are, who they are related to, what their exact relationship is, which households they have agreed with, and where they will weigh at night, the police station knows everything clearly.

The reason they haven't considered catching them in the act is the fear that the silkworm farmers who sell to the traders will obstruct the operation in the village. It concerns their income for the second half of the year and their hard-earned money, which could lead to a mass incident.

Deputy Secretary Cui shares the same concern and frowns, saying, "Xiao Han, you need to think carefully. If the situation gets out of control, it could be a major issue!"

"Secretary Cui, I need the support of the township party committee and government. When we take action, the township will organize the village party members and cadres to handle the aftermath."

"Wait, I'll seek approval from Secretary Lu."

Ensuring the autumn cocoon acquisition is a task assigned by the provincial, city, and county governments, and the township has an obligation to assist.

To smoothly transition from a township to a town, we must maintain good relations with the higher-ups, at least to ease the tension. In the past, we could turn a blind eye or敷衍了事, but now we can't.

For the sake of the overall situation of transitioning from a township to a town, Old Lu agrees on the phone.

The township immediately notifies the village party secretaries, village chiefs (village committee directors), and security chiefs to come to a meeting. Once they enter the township government, they start talking about the transition from a township to a town, one after another. They are provided dinner, and they are not allowed to leave until the talks are finished.

...

PS: Some readers have doubts about the term "speculation and profiteering." Here's an explanation.

At the time, the 1979 Criminal Law was in effect, and the term "speculation and profiteering" was frequently used. Later, due to its strong political connotations, it was less openly used. According to the legal provisions, it refers to violations of industrial and commercial management regulations and the disruption of the socialist market economy.

Additionally, like tobacco, silk cocoons are under a monopoly, which remains the case to this day. Traders not only cross regions to acquire but also lack the authority to acquire. However, the penalties are not as severe now, typically ranging from three to five times the illegal gains.