Absolute power in officialdom

Chapter 110 Xu Youwei's Defeat in Longcheng

Wu Zhiyuan muttered to himself: "When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. Is this the beginning?"

He knew that Gan Simiao would not be the last person to change his attitude.

Wu Zhiyuan then reported to Xu Youwei, truthfully recounting the subtle changes in Gan Simiao's attitude.

Xu Youwei calmly said, "It's normal for people to drift apart when they leave; the reality is that the tea gets cold even before the person leaves. Zhiyuan, take it easy, this is politics."

Subsequently, Xu Youwei personally made a phone call to Lang Yuanyuan, a member of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee and Minister of Publicity.

Lang Yuanyuan was very cooperative and promised to immediately urge the Municipal Cyberspace Administration to intensify its efforts, delete the posts as soon as possible, and trace their source. She also promised to organize resources to provide positive guidance and clarify the facts.

At this moment, Zhou Wei hurriedly pushed open the door and entered, his face grave: "Secretary Xu, there are over a hundred people gathered at the entrance of the compound, and the number is growing. They are all depositors of the Yinnong Cooperative, and they are very agitated, shouting that they want to see you and demanding compensation from the government. The situation is extremely chaotic!"

Xu Youwei's face turned ashen. What was bound to happen had finally arrived, and with such swiftness!

He waved his hand: "Let's go take a look! Notify the heads of the petition office and the public security bureau to come to the scene immediately!"

Remember, don't arrest anyone unless absolutely necessary!

A huge crowd completely blocked the entrance to the compound.

"Xu Youwei! Come out here! Give us an explanation!"

When will we repay our hard-earned money?

"The government can't lie to us! They can't abandon us and let us live or die!"

"If you don't pay us back, we'll die here!"

Xu Youwei took the megaphone handed to him by a staff member and said loudly, "Fellow villagers! Please be quiet! Let me say a few words!"

The municipal government attaches great importance to the case of Yinnong Cooperative!

We are making every effort to recover the stolen goods and minimize losses! Please trust the government; we will do everything possible to recover everyone's losses!

"You're lying! You're getting transferred soon! You're just trying to fool us!"

"They just arrested Peng Dafu to take the blame, and that's it! What about our money?"

"Don't listen to him! He's stalling for time!"

"Last time the provincial party secretary came to Longcheng for a field meeting, you tricked us into going to the countryside in two buses! You big liars!"

The crowd was incited and became agitated.

An agitator mingled in the crowd interrupted Xu Youwei, directing the crowd's anger toward Xu Youwei personally.

Just then, a commotion broke out at the back of the crowd. Some people started to rush the cordon, shove the security guards, and some even started to smash public facilities and vehicles at the entrance.

"Protect Secretary Xu!" Wu Zhiyuan, Zhou Wei, and several other cadres quickly shielded Xu Youwei in the middle.

Police at the scene were forced to take coercive measures in an attempt to control several lawbreakers who were leading the riots and vandalizing the property.

The conflict escalated instantly, with cries, shouts, and sirens filling the air.

In the midst of the chaos, no one noticed that an elderly man in his seventies, Lao Zhao, pulled out a bottle of paraquat pesticide and gulped down most of it.

Old Zhao's son died in a gas explosion in a coal mine. The mine paid out hundreds of thousands of yuan in compensation, and he deposited all of it into the Yinnong Cooperative because of its high interest rates.

This money is both my retirement fund and the school fees for my two grandsons.

Now, having lost everything and seeing no hope, and with his wife complaining, he committed suicide by poisoning himself in a fit of anger.

Old Zhao was taken to the hospital by ambulance, but died from his injuries.

That evening, many posts appeared online, some with explosive titles such as "Longcheng officials use violence to maintain stability, driving an elderly debt collector to his death!" and accompanied by photos and videos from the scene.

Fueled by those with ulterior motives, public opinion continues to escalate.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Ai Kun dialed his old leader Jiang Jun's number: "Secretary Jiang, I want to give you a deep self-criticism! A major mass incident has occurred in Longcheng!"

Depositors at the Yinnong Cooperative became agitated because they couldn't get their money back, and gathered at the entrance of the municipal party committee building.

Comrade Xu Youwei personally intervened to handle the situation, but his methods may have been inappropriate, and he failed to control the situation. A conflict broke out on the spot, and an elderly man, unable to bear it any longer, committed suicide by poisoning himself!

The news is spreading like wildfire online, with a terrible impact! As the mayor, I bear unshirkable responsibility and request the provincial party committee to impose disciplinary action!

Jiang Jun was furious: "What's wrong with Longcheng? This illegal fundraising case has been going on for so long, and instead of being resolved, it has resulted in a death!"

How did Xu Youwei become the municipal party secretary? Where was his political acumen? Where was his ability to work with the masses?

Such a serious and incompetent handling of a major mass incident has resulted in irreparable consequences! This is a grave dereliction of duty!

Jiang Jun was furious, partly due to the overwhelming public opinion, and partly because he had just taken office and was worried about damaging the image of Jiangzhong Province.

On the other hand, he was very dissatisfied with Xu Youwei, especially regarding the Zhang Wanlin incident. Xu Youwei outwardly complied but inwardly defied him, which put him in a very passive position for a time. Fortunately, Zhang Wanlin was killed; otherwise, let alone his promotion to the top position of the provincial party committee, even his safe landing would have been a big problem.

With both old and new grudges, we must seize this opportunity to take down Xu Youwei, so that Ai Kun can rightfully take over.

The Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee has decided that, given the inappropriate decision-making and ineffective handling of the mass incident triggered by the illegal fundraising case of the Yinnong Cooperative in Longcheng City, which resulted in a serious incident with deaths and triggered significant negative public opinion, it has been decided that Comrade Xu Youwei, Secretary of the Longcheng Municipal Party Committee, will be suspended from his duties for investigation, effective immediately. During this period, Comrade Ai Kun, Deputy Secretary of the Longcheng Municipal Party Committee and Mayor, will temporarily preside over the overall work of the Longcheng Municipal Party Committee.

In the office, Wu Zhiyuan saw Xu Youwei's somewhat forlorn expression, and his nose tingled with emotion.

Xu Youwei poured his heart and soul into Longcheng, especially in handling the Zhang Wanlin case and the collapse of the Yinnong Cooperative. Despite the immense pressure, he ultimately ended up in such a dismal way.

"Secretary Xu..." Wu Zhiyuan didn't know how to comfort him.

Xu Youwei said calmly, "Zhiyuan, I had a premonition of this outcome."

I never imagined it would cost an elderly person their life; that's what pains me the most.

He walked to the window, looked down at the familiar yet gradually fading street scene, and slowly said, "I came to Longcheng with the intention of doing something practical, to rectify the social atmosphere, and to solve some problems for the people."

But this is the price you pay for threatening someone's interests and offending the wrong person. Political struggles have always been this ruthless.

He turned around and looked at Wu Zhiyuan: "But I, Xu Youwei, have a clear conscience. I have lived up to the oath I took under the Party flag and to the people of Longcheng."

The inability to completely solve the problem was due to my limited abilities, or perhaps, the timing was wrong. Zhiyuan, do you remember what I told you?

Wu Zhiyuan nodded emphatically: "Remember! Uphold the bottom line in politics and the bottom line in being a decent human being."

"That's right!" Xu Youwei patted Wu Zhiyuan's shoulder hard, his eyes full of expectation. "No matter where you are or what position you hold, you can't abandon these two bottom lines."

Although I have left, there are still many comrades in Longcheng who uphold principles, such as Secretary Lin Xue.

Wu Zhiyuan's eyes welled up with tears: "Secretary Xu, rest assured! I will never let you down!"

Xu Youwei nodded with satisfaction, glanced around the familiar office, his gaze sweeping over the books on the bookshelves, the maps on the walls, and the unfinished documents on the desk, a hint of longing and regret in his eyes.

"Alright, Zhiyuan, help me pack my personal belongings. The rest can be left to the next comrade."