Absolute power in officialdom

Chapter 213 One wave subsides, another rises

Looking at the agitated villagers, Wu Zhiyuan had already made his judgment.

He called Qian Yougen, the village party secretary, and asked him to come over.

Last time, Qian Yougen and Huang Jinxiang, the village's family planning specialist, had an affair in the gynecology examination room.

He was constantly worried that Wu Zhiyuan would dismiss him from his post.

Village officials have low legal income, but considerable amounts of illicit income.

Applying for minimum living allowance, applying for dilapidated house renovation, rebuilding houses on homestead land, contracting mountain land and water surface in the village—all matters, big and small, must go through the village.

Young village cadres can still go out to work, but someone of Qian Yougen's age, once dismissed from his post, can't even endure the hardship of farming, let alone go out to work.

Wu Zhiyuan asked the old man surnamed Wang in a cold voice, "Uncle Wang, do you have any evidence that the last development damaged the environment?"

In which gully was the waste soil and slag dumped? Which villages' rice paddies were affected?

The harvest was down by 30%. Which department conducted the yield measurement? Is there an assessment report?

A series of questions startled Old Wang. He stammered, clearly lacking confidence: "What kind of report do we need? Everyone saw it, the rice paddies are full of mud."

"Yes, we all saw it!" a middle-aged man chimed in.

Wu Zhiyuan asked, "Brother, you said your rice paddies were affected. Which paddies are affected? Is it the area on the dam, or those few acres at the mouth of the ditch?"

The middle-aged man stammered, "It's all over the dam area, no, at the mouth of the gully!"

Wu Zhiyuan sneered inwardly.

There are indeed rice paddies in several villages downstream of Qingshan Gorge, but the land above the dam is dry land and rice is not grown there at all.

There were paddy fields at the mouth of the ditch, but those fields were requisitioned three years ago for road construction, and now they are a wasteland.

Qian Yougen rushed over anxiously after receiving Wu Zhiyuan's call.

"Secretary Wu, there are several key tasks for the village recently, and I didn't know you were coming."

Wu Zhiyuan cut to the chase: "Secretary Qian, do you know these villagers?"

"I know them, I know them, they're all from our village," Qian Yougen said repeatedly. "Wang Laoshuan, Li Ergou, Zhao San..."

"Okay." Wu Zhiyuan nodded and turned to the old man surnamed Wang. "Uncle Wang, you just said that the waste soil and slag from the last development were dumped in the ditch and washed away your rice fields, reducing the yield by 30%."

Secretary Qian is right here. Tell him which of your fields was washed away.

How much was lost? Is there any record in the village? Has the town offered any compensation?

Old Wang opened his mouth, his eyes darting around: "It's those few plots near the base of the mountain..."

"Which parts of the bridge of the nose?" Wu Zhiyuan pressed, his eyes fixed on Qian Yougen.

Qian Yougen felt uneasy.

Although he didn't instigate the villagers to cause trouble, he had already heard about it.

Qian Yougen was a seasoned veteran, and he naturally knew that the person who instigated these villagers to cause trouble was most likely Zhang Ping's man.

No matter which side he chooses, he may offend the other side, or even please neither side.

But Wu Zhiyuan is the top leader of the town, and today the county party secretary Gan Simiao is also here.

The lesser of two evils.

He chose to stand by Wu Zhiyuan's side as a way to atone for his sins.

Qian Yougen exposed Wang Laoshuan's lie on the spot: "Wang Laoshuan, your family's land in Bashang is dry land, where you grow peanuts and corn, where did you get rice paddies?"

Over at the mouth of the ditch, your cousin Wang Laowu's family used to have two mu of paddy fields, but they were requisitioned four years ago when the village road was built.

The compensation is 48,000 yuan, and your cousin signed it himself. The village has records, and the town's land and resources office also has files. You can't just make this up.

Wang Laoshuan's face turned a deep purplish-red, and he stammered, "I...I got it wrong, it's my cousin's field..."

Qian Yougen retorted, "Your cousin works in the provincial capital and hasn't come back for years. His family's fields were washed away, and he didn't even know it. Do you expect me to be here pleading his case?"

Wu Zhiyuan nodded in satisfaction at Qian Yougen.

Although Qian Yougen had questionable lifestyle, he still told the truth at a crucial moment.

Even if he has connections to the money, the newly appointed village secretary might not be better than him; he might even be worse.

Qian Yougen noticed Wu Zhiyuan's encouraging look and decided to be more explicit, turning to Li Ergou who was chiming in: "Li Ergou, your house is located at the east end of the village, which is far away from Qingshan Gorge, separated by two mountain ridges. Waste soil and slag could fly over there and wash away your fields."

Where are your fields? Shall I go see them now?

Li Ergou's arrogance immediately diminished, and he muttered, "I only heard it from someone else..."

Wu Zhiyuan sneered inwardly, knowing that the time was almost right.

He shouted at the villagers who were making trouble and watching the commotion: "Fellow villagers, were there any problems with the last development of Qingshan Gorge? Yes! The unfinished project is there as a lesson."

However, it is not true that the development caused large-scale pollution, crop failure, and landslides threatening villages!

The county and town authorities invited Mr. Wei and his team back to re-inspect Qingshanxia in order to develop this valuable land and truly benefit the people of Qingshanxia Village!

We must plan scientifically, prioritize environmental protection, and turn our green mountains and clear waters into gold and silver mountains!

Once the scenic area is built, how many service staff, cleaners, security guards, and tour guides will be needed?

Can our agritourism businesses open? Can we sell our local specialties for a good price? Do young people still need to go to other places to work?

The villagers whispered among themselves.

Wu Zhiyuan pressed on, saying, "Why did someone gather everyone here today, block the road, and shout these flimsy slogans?"

Is it truly for environmental protection and for future generations? Or is it for some other reason, to prevent the development of Qingshan Gorge?

Don't you want our Xindian Town to have new prospects? Don't you want everyone to have more ways to make money?

Wu Zhiyuan looked at Qin Xiaotong, the head of the town's police station, who had rushed over, with a serious expression: "Chief Qin, you saw it all and heard it all."

Wang Laoshuan, Li Ergou, and others, acting under orders, fabricated facts, gathered a crowd to block and obstruct key investment promotion activities, and disrupted public order. The facts are clear.

Please take them back immediately and conduct a thorough investigation in accordance with the law, making sure to find out the whole story, including who was behind it.

Those who ringleaded the group should be detained or punished as appropriate; there will be absolutely no leniency!

Wu Zhiyuan opposes the frequent use of police force, but he will never be lenient towards obvious illegal acts.

Qin Xiaotong led several police officers forward, subdued Wang Laoshuan, Li Ergou, and others, and took them away from the scene.

Upon seeing this, the remaining villagers scattered like birds and beasts.

At this moment, Gan Simiao was accompanying Wei Guochun, pointing out the beautiful Qingshan Gorge.

Previously, he had asked the county public security bureau to send someone over.

Wu Zhiyuan walked over and said apologetically to Wei Guochun and the others, "I'm sorry to have made you all laugh. There are countless things to do at the grassroots level, and there are bound to be some discordant voices."

But rest assured, the Xindian Town Party Committee and government are determined and capable of clearing all obstacles on the road to development!

Wei Guochun generously said, "Good things often come with difficulties; there are always discordant voices everywhere."

Investment decisions should not only consider resources, but also the environment and the responsibility of those in power. You have shown me that responsibility.

Zhou Zhenhua chimed in, "Yes, it's not the problems that are scary, it's the cover-ups or attempts to smooth things over. Secretary Wu's decisive action is commendable!"

Gan Simiao praised, "Zhiyuan handled it very promptly and appropriately."

To develop the economy and optimize the business environment, we must crack down on such unhealthy practices as soon as they emerge, without any leniency!

Qian Yougen also came over and said to Wu Zhiyuan in a flattering tone, "Wang Laoshuan is an old rogue. When he was young, he harassed women and was caught up in the 'Strike Hard' campaign, so he spent more than ten years in prison."

After his release from prison, he became lazy and had no skills, so he made a living by stealing chickens and dogs, and ended up in prison again.

You could say he was born bad; it's not that old people become bad, but that bad people grow old.

That Li Ergou isn't a good person either; he's a notorious lazy bum and gambler in the village, drowning in debt. He'll patronize whoever pays him.

Wu Zhiyuan nodded: "Secretary Qian, you told the truth and did what you were supposed to do today, that's good."

I know grassroots work is difficult. In the future, if anything happens in the village, communicate with the town government promptly; don't hide anything, and don't let yourself be used as a pawn.

"Yes, yes, Secretary Wu." Qian Yougen felt a weight lifted from his heart; his position as village secretary was basically secure.

The group walked to the scenic area.

Chen Qiming and Zhou Zhenhua, who were visiting Qingshan Gorge for the first time, were full of praise for the beautiful scenery.

"What a great place! What a great place!" Chen Qiming said, taking pictures with his professional camera. "The canyon is deep enough, the landscape is rich in layers, the water is clear, and the vegetation is relatively well preserved."

With proper planning, it can definitely be developed into a top-notch tourist attraction.

However, one wave has not settled, and one wave has risen again.

Suddenly, about twenty men in mud-covered work clothes and hard hats emerged from the path in the nearby forest. They were carrying shovels and pickaxe handles. Judging from their work clothes, they were miners from the Longkou Iron Mine.

Although they didn't display banners or shout slogans, their expressions were unfriendly, and they walked straight to the middle of the road, blocking the way.

The leader was a burly man with dark skin and a thick beard. He stepped forward and spoke in a booming voice with a distinct local accent: "Leaders, stop! You can't go any further!"

Wu Zhiyuan stepped forward: "Sir, what can I do for you? We're here with investors from the town on a site visit."

The dark-faced man glared at him, his tone sharp: "I don't care if you're here for an inspection or whatever!"

If you walk further ahead, underground are the tunnels of our Longkou Iron Mine!

"You've been messing around up there, setting off blasts and disturbing the earth, causing tunnel collapses, flooding, or gas accidents. Who will be responsible for the lives of hundreds of miners? Can you officials bear that responsibility?"