Chapter 85

Chapter 23, Intense Struggle (Part 2)

The sky was a bit overcast, and a light drizzle began to fall over the entire Hongshui County.

Yang Zixuan sat in his office, his expression gloomy, gazing at the distant sky.

He had just returned to the county government office when he received a call from Xu Yin's family, saying that Tang Lu and Fang Ling had just left the office, and then Tang Lu had walked into Lin Pei's office.

Under normal circumstances, Tang Lu rarely entered Lin Pei's office unless there was a significant personnel change or an emergency, in which case he would go to Lin Pei's office to discuss it!

The situation now seemed very clear; it was highly likely that Fang Ling had complained to Tang Lu and caught him, the county magistrate, in some wrongdoing!

Yang Zixuan finished a cigarette and threw the butt out the window with a fierce toss!

The situation was now very critical!

He didn't know what Fang Ling had said to Tang Lu, but it had clearly enraged him!

...

In a secluded guesthouse in Panjiang County, the room was dimly lit. Several men, bare-chested and smoking, were noisily playing mahjong.

Each man was surrounded by a young woman, who, despite the cold weather, was dressed provocatively, flirting and touching the men around them.

"Boss, do you think the Public Security Bureau will find us here?" a thin man asked while smoking.

"What's An Zai Shan? Don't forget who the head of the Hongshui County Public Security Bureau is now! It's He! Not An! An has only been in the bureau for a few months; how can he outmaneuver He, who has been in the bureau for over a decade? Whatever tricks An wants to play in the bureau, he still has to look at He's face!"

"Indeed, He Changmao's uncle is the legitimate head of the Public Security Bureau!"

"Don't forget who gave us the assassination task! Since that leader gave us the task, he will naturally ensure our safety. You can be a hundred percent sure."

"But I heard that An and the county magistrate of our county have a good relationship. Can He outmaneuver the county magistrate?"

"Ha! What kind of county magistrate? He's already lying in the hospital! I, Black Three, have never been afraid of that kid who hasn't even grown hair yet! The county party leader has already said that as long as we take down these few people, Yang Zixuan will also be removed from his position as county magistrate! I'm not afraid of anything!"

The tall man speaking was none other than Black Three, whom Yang Zixuan and An Zai Shan had encountered in the Wangjiang private room, crying and wailing.

At that moment, the sound of clapping came from outside the room, and a tall, slender man slowly walked in!

"Black Boss, your words are really louder than farts!"

Black Three and the other men in the room, upon seeing the newcomer's face, all turned pale and instinctively reached for their knives and guns. In an instant, seven or eight plainclothes police officers had their guns pointed at Black Three and the others.

An Zai Shan had brought only seven or eight people, all of whom were his trusted subordinates, not all from the criminal investigation team.

He had been warned by Yang Zixuan that there were definitely many of He Longbin's trusted subordinates in the criminal investigation team, so he didn't dare to draw too many from there. He had brought only his trusted subordinates!

Moreover, to avoid alerting He Longbin, An Zai Shan had not stopped the ongoing search and arrest operations for the masked criminals in Hongshui County. Many police officers were still searching in the county, to mislead He Longbin!

Soon, Black Three and the others gave up resistance and were handcuffed!

At this moment, Liu Kek walked in, slapped Black Three's head hard, and laughed, "Weren't you just cursing loudly? Now you're a mute! You've finally met your match!"

Black Three, looking at Liu Kek, seemed to understand why An Zai Shan had found their location.

"Black Three, I'm giving you a chance. If you tell me who the county party leader behind you is, I can make things easier for you!" An Zai Shan moved a chair into the room and sat down, instructing the police officers to close all the windows and doors tightly.

"Forget it!" Black Three knew that as long as he didn't reveal the person behind him, that leader might still save him. Once he revealed it, he would really be headed for a long prison sentence!

He couldn't say! He would rather die than say!

"Old Liu, are you familiar with interrogation techniques?" An Zai Shan asked Liu Kek.

Liu Kek immediately looked eager. In the army and later in Black Three's organization, Liu Kek had studied various torture methods, a kind of twisted hobby. He never thought he would have the chance to put theory into practice, especially on his archenemy, Black Three.

This made Liu Kek's dark face flush with excitement!

"You're torturing me! I'll sue you, An Zai Shan!" Black Three, seeing Liu Kek's excited face, began to fear.

"Torture? Old Liu, are you a police officer?" An Zai Shan asked Liu Kek with a smile.

"I'm not!"

"Old Liu is not a police officer. Whatever he does to you is his business, not ours. This can't be considered torture!" An Zai Shan patted Black Three's head. "Black Three, enjoy this meal. When you're ready to talk, tell Old Liu who the mastermind is, and he'll stop!"

After saying this, An Zai Shan patted Liu Kek's shoulder and smiled. "If you need any tools, just let us know. We've brought everything, like electric batons. Do whatever you want! We'll be outside keeping watch!"

"They've already booked the entire guesthouse, so it's just them. This makes it convenient for us."

As soon as An Zai Shan closed the door, a muffled scream, like a pig being slaughtered, came from inside!

...

"Secretary, have you heard about the Tianma Mountain Tourism Area in Hongshui County?"

Tang Lu sat opposite Lin Pei, his head still held high.

"I've seen the Tianma Mountain promotional video. It's well done! It shows that the Hongshui County government has put a lot of effort into it!" Lin Pei, not knowing why his archenemy Tang Lu had suddenly come to discuss matters with him, asked, "But the Hongshui County Party Committee and government haven't reported to the municipal party committee yet. I'm not very clear on the details. Is there a problem with this tourism area?"

"Secretary, do you know about the attempted assassination of a Taiwanese businesswoman who was interested in investing in Tianma Mountain yesterday?" Tang Lu immediately dropped a bombshell.

"What?" Lin Pei was immediately startled, sitting up straight and speaking sternly. "Such a serious incident? Why didn't the Hongshui County Party Committee and government report it to the city?"

"The county government has already reported it to Deputy Secretary Xu. Deputy Mayor Xu went to Hongshui County this morning and will likely report to you when he returns!" Tang Lu explained. "But that's not the main point. The main point is that I want to discuss Comrade Yang Zixuan's personal issues."

"Yang Zixuan? Is he involved in this?" Lin Pei frowned, his index finger tapping the table fiercely!

This was his habitual action when he was angry!

"The businesswoman is fine, but Comrade Yang Zixuan was injured."

"Yang Zixuan, in an attempt to take all the credit, neglected security and took the businesswoman and her group to Tianma Mountain for an on-site inspection. They were attacked by masked criminals hiding in the forest! Fortunately, he was injured, not the businesswoman!"

"However, the consequences are still unimaginable. If a Taiwanese businesswoman were to have an incident in our Daming area, it would have a serious negative impact on Daming and even the entire Luofu's investment environment and reputation."

"Especially since Daming is actively promoting investment attraction this year. If such an incident happens to a foreign investor in Daming, it will create an image of poor public security, making it impossible to talk about investment attraction!"

"Moreover, due to Yang Zixuan's independent action, the work done by other Hongshui County government staff for the Tianma Mountain Tourism Area has been wasted. The Taiwanese businesswoman, after being frightened, will likely not consider investing in the Tianma Mountain tourism project anymore, and even if she does, she will demand more concessions from the government!"

Tang Lu, following Fang Ling's account, listed Yang Zixuan's faults one by one, each more severe than the last!

Tang Lu knew that what Fang Ling said was not entirely true and had been exaggerated, but he had no choice.

He had to choose Fang Ling's version!

His conflict with Yang Zixuan was already well-known in the municipal party committee and government. The Honghe Economic Development Zone project had also gained some supporters in the municipal government, and he knew that the Xu family was planning a new attack on him!

If this project were to pass, his reputation would be severely damaged!

With the reform momentum already established, he couldn't openly oppose the Honghe Economic Development Zone.

But Tang Lu, with years of experience in the political arena, understood the intricacies of the situation!

Since he couldn't oppose the project, he could take down the person leading it! Without a leader, the Honghe Economic Development Zone would naturally disappear!

This was the real reason why Tang Lu was willing to accept Fang Ling's exaggerated account!

"Secretary, I believe this is a major mistake by Comrade Yang Zixuan in his work!" Tang Lu finally placed the blame squarely on Yang Zixuan.

Tang Lu had gauged Lin Pei's mindset. Lin Pei was one of the most likely candidates to be promoted to a provincial-level position next year!

Lin Pei, now focusing on economic development, would certainly not want any major incidents to occur in Daming during this period!

Lin Pei needed a united and stable leadership team and a thriving economic situation to smoothly transition from party secretary to a provincial-level position!

Especially an incident like the attempted assassination of a Taiwanese investor in Daming, which could severely damage Lin Pei's reputation and prospects, was something he could not tolerate.

Tang Lu had hit the nail on the head!

"Whoever is negligent in such matters must take responsibility!"

"Whoever almost caused such a serious incident must lose their position!" Tang Lu's voice was firm.

"Therefore, Secretary, I formally request a meeting of the municipal party committee to discuss Comrade Yang Zixuan's personal issues!"

...

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