Chapter 67: Coal Mine Battle

Du Long knew that things were not that simple. He listened quietly, and Ma Guangming continued, "This matter was only reported to the city on Sunday, and many facts were concealed. Although I noticed they were hiding something, I didn't expect them to hide so much."

Ma Guangming clenched his fists tightly and said, "The Municipal Committee began to pay attention to the coal mine issues in Wuxi County. The county party secretary still assured me yesterday that everything was perfectly resolved, but I didn't expect that just one night later..."

Ma Guangming continued, "Last night, over 300 workers from Tieling Coal Mine stormed into Heijin Coal Mine for retaliation. Unexpectedly, they fell into an empty city trap and were surrounded by even more people. Both sides engaged in a fierce fight at Heijin Coal Mine, using firearms, and eventually reached a standoff..."

Du Long finally understood the severity of the situation. A large-scale brawl involving hundreds of people and the use of firearms were two things that officials in charge of a region most feared, and they had both happened simultaneously.

Du Long asked in a deep voice, "How many people died?"

Ma Guangming sighed lightly, "Three deaths have been confirmed, and several others are critically injured. I never expected this..."

Ma Guangming felt a deep hatred in his heart. If it weren't for Zhang Xing distracting him, this incident could have been avoided. Now that it has happened, even though Ma Guangming's main responsibility is not in coal mine safety, he still bears some responsibility. His record will inevitably be tarnished, which will definitely affect his future career. This is assuming the matter is handled well; if not, he might be dismissed immediately.

Du Long pursued, "Have the brawlers been dispersed? Have the firearms been confiscated? Have the main responsible persons been arrested? Have the families of the dead and injured been properly accommodated?"

Hearing Du Long's series of questions, Ma Guangming nodded inwardly. He had already questioned the Wuxi County Party Secretary Zhao Huian over the phone, but Zhao's answers were vague and ambiguous, which made Ma Guangming furious. Despite his age and long career, Zhao's political acumen and ability to handle emergencies were inferior to a newly graduated young man. It was a waste of his life.

Ma Guangming said in a deep voice, "The Wuxi County government has not given me a clear response. However, I learned some information through private channels, which revealed that the situation is far more complicated than it appears. There are many issues, and I have summarized a few points. Xiao Yu, you can tell Du Long."

Lu Shunyu responded and turned to Du Long, "Du Long, Mayor Ma has summarized a few points. First, many coal mines in Wuxi County have unclear ownership and boundaries, leading to frequent disputes over overstepping boundaries. Second, after the Heijin Coal Mine workers injured the Tieling Coal Mine workers, the issue was not properly resolved, leading to accumulated resentment among the Tieling Coal Mine workers, which eventually erupted. Third, the Wuxi County government clearly favored Heijin Coal Mine. During the mediation, they failed to resolve the conflict and instead exacerbated it. Fourth, the response speed of the Wuxi County government was too slow. The riot police arrived three hours later, and the news had already leaked, allowing the Heijin Coal Mine people to escape without a single arrest. Fifth, the families of the dead and injured were not properly comforted, leading to incidents of family members being beaten, which further escalated public emotions and resulted in the siege of the county government."

Ma Guangming sighed lightly and said, "Du Long, what can you see from this series of events?"

Du Long replied, "Heijin Coal Mine is very powerful, and there are problems with the Wuxi County government."

Ma Guangming said, "Well said, but you have it backwards. Why is Heijin Coal Mine so powerful? Because no one dares to manage them. I want to see who is protecting these bandits!"

Du Long nodded and said, "How many large coal mines are there in Wuxi County? What is the name of the owner of Heijin Coal Mine? I have a friend in Wuxi County who might be able to provide me with some firsthand information."

Ma Guangming looked at Du Long and said, "Oh? What department is your friend in? He might not be willing to tell you such things."

Du Long smiled and said, "It's worth a try. You won't think I'm alarming the snake, will you?"

Ma Guangming said, "The snakes have already fled. What's there to worry about? Go ahead and see what you can find out."

Du Long then took out his phone and made a call. The call was hung up as soon as it rang. Du Long tried again after two minutes, and the call was hung up again. Du Long grunted and said, "This bastard actually hung up on me, truly fearless!"

Ma Guangming said, "I told you, in such a critical time, it's already good that he hasn't turned off his phone."

Du Long grunted, and his fingers rapidly tapped on his phone, sending a text message: "Fang, you dare to hang up on me! Great, the report about your dual identity and your affair will soon be on the desk of the Secretary of the Tianan Province Discipline Inspection Commission."

Less than two minutes after sending the text, Du Long's phone rang. He hung up immediately. The phone rang again, and Du Long hung up again. Ma Guangming glanced at Du Long, this kid really had a personality, he loved hanging up on people.

Du Long hung up on the caller four times. On the fifth call, he waited for half a minute before answering, and he asked lazily, "Hello, who are you? Why do you keep calling me? Do you want me to block you?"

Fang Tianci laughed bitterly and said, "It's me, Fang Tianci. Young brother, you're the young police officer from this morning, right? What's your name... Long?"

Du Long smiled and said, "Oh, it's you. I'm Du Long. I thought it was some brat playing with a phone. Where are you, Mr. Fang? Why is your phone so hard to get through?"

Fang Tianci laughed bitterly and said, "Officer Du, don't play with me. I have urgent matters. What do you want to say quickly?"

Du Long sneered, "My matters are more urgent. You should know who the owner of Heijin Coal Mine is, right? His connections in Wuxi County are very strong. Who is protecting him? You won't say you don't know, will you?"

Fang Tianci suddenly became alert and countered, "Officer Du, this matter has nothing to do with you, right? Aren't you from the criminal investigation team? Why are you involved in Wuxi County?"

Du Long sneered, "You're right. I just finished a case this morning and was transferred to a special task force in the afternoon. I'm on my way to Wuxi County right now, and sitting next to me is the Secretary of the Yuming City Discipline Inspection Commission, Liu Mingqing. Do you want to chat with Secretary Liu?"

Fang Tianci's legs trembled violently. He was currently running around dealing with the coal mine battle in Wuxi County. At this moment, he dared not speak to the city's discipline inspection commission secretary. Du Long's statement that he had joined the special task force and was heading to Wuxi County left Fang Tianci with no doubt about Du Long's words. Instead, it made him believe that Du Long was highly influential. After all, how easy is it to join a special task force?