booktalesy Chapter 345 Local Bullying
Chapter 345 Local Bullying
The contents of the USB drive were far more complex than he had anticipated.
Yu Jinxing, Yuan Jin, and those women who willingly threw themselves into the arms of men constituted the most secretive and sordid corner of the power structure in Qingyan County.
He didn't look any further; all he saw were sordid deals.
He put the USB drive away; it wasn't needed for the time being.
Wu Zhiyuan went to townships for research.
Wu Zhiyuan was accompanied by Liu Feng, the deputy county head, Shi Xianqiang, the director of the county government office, and Wang Can, the secretary.
Before any adjustments are made, Shi Xianqiang and Wang Can will still need to be included.
Our first stop was Daling Town.
Daling Town is located in the northeast of Qingyan County. It is a mountainous town with abundant resources, including the county's largest coal mine, Daling Coal Mine.
The owner of Daling Coal Mine was Liao Chenggong.
Besides the coal mine, there are also several cement plants and stone quarries in the town.
As the car passed near a cement factory in Daling Town, Wu Zhiyuan sensed something was wrong.
A side road next to the main road leads to a cement factory called Dajiang.
The side road was dug up, so cars inside couldn't get out, and cars outside couldn't get in.
Wu Zhiyuan signaled the driver to stop the car.
Two large trucks were parked at the intersection, and the drivers were smoking and cursing.
"Master, what's going on?" Wu Zhiyuan asked.
The driver sized up Wu Zhiyuan and his group: "You must be leaders, right? The two cement plants are fighting, and we drivers are the ones who suffer."
Wang Can introduced, "Master, this is the newly appointed County Chief Wu, and this is County Chief Liu."
"Greetings, County Magistrates." A middle-aged driver, who seemed to have seen the world, was not flustered when he saw the county magistrates. Instead, he complained, "It's good that the county magistrates are here. Please give us your opinion."
We truck drivers rely on this road for our livelihood. Now that the road is cut off, we lose several hundred dollars a day.
Is this a society governed by the rule of law or a jungle society? Whoever has the bigger fist gets to call the shots?
Wu Zhiyuan looked at him and asked, "Whose fist is bigger?"
The driver gestured towards a spot not far away: "Who else could it be? Shunfa Cement, of course."
County Chief Wu, you are newly appointed and may not be familiar with the situation.
There are two cement plants in Daling Town. One is Shunfa Cement, and the owner is the same person who owns Daling Coal Mine.
Another company, Dajiang Cement, is owned by a man surnamed Tang who came from out of town and has no roots here.
As for Boss Liao, he was a favorite of the county leaders.
Dajiang Cement is of high quality and affordable, making it more popular with customers.
The two cement plants are neighbors, so competition between them is normal.
But Boss Liao was a local and familiar with the county leaders. When he saw that Dajiang was taking away his business, he refused to accept it.
First they try to lower the price, and when they can't, they start finding fault.
Last month they sent people to block the factory gate, and this time they simply dug up the road.
Another driver chimed in, "This isn't doing business; this is outright robbery!"
Mr. Tang called the police. The police came, looked around, and said that economic disputes were not under their jurisdiction, and then left.
What kind of mess is this? We sports car drivers are caught in the middle, getting yelled at from both sides, and now we're even suffering losses.
Wu Zhiyuan frowned and said, "Let's go check out Dajiang Cement first."
Shi Xianqiang looked troubled: "County Chief Wu, the leaders of the Daling Town Party Committee and Government are waiting."
I told them you'd arrive at 10 a.m.
Wu Zhiyuan said seriously, "When we go down to the grassroots, we are there to discover and solve problems. If we discover problems now and don't deal with them, are we going to go back and listen to those empty and meaningless reports?"
"When roads are blocked for businesses, drivers suffer as a result. Their demands have been heard, and this is more important than any pre-booked trip."
Shi Xianqiang's case was met with fluctuating reactions, and he dared not say anything more.
The car can't be driven into the factory.
Wu Zhiyuan walked there.
Tang Dajiang, the CEO of Dajiang Cement, was very surprised to hear that the new county head had arrived.
"County Magistrate Wu, we're completely helpless now! I'm at my wit's end!"
Strictly speaking, Wu Zhiyuan is not yet a real county magistrate, but most people believe that the county magistrate election is just a formality, so they refer to Wu Zhiyuan as "county magistrate" in advance.
Wu Zhiyuan asked with a serious expression, "How long has it been since the road was dug up?"
Reporting to the police and contacting the town government yielded no results?
Tang Dajiang said with a wry smile, "It's been three days. The police station came, but said it was a commercial dispute and they wouldn't file a case."
When we went to the town government, the town leaders either avoided us or told us to resolve the issue through negotiation.
But Liao Chenggong gave me no room for negotiation; he was determined to force me out and take over my factory and market…”
Wu Zhiyuan's face was gloomy.
A road was dug up for three days, and a legally operating business was blocked for three days. The police station and the town government either turned a blind eye or shirked responsibility.
Wu Zhiyuan looked at Shi Xianqiang and said, "Call the Party Committee and government of Daling Town right now."
Tell them that the scheduled report this morning is canceled.
I'm not going to the town government for the briefing; I'll hold the meeting right here on-site.
Shi Xianqiang was taken aback: "Right here?"
"Yes, right here. Have the main leaders of the town's Party committee and government, as well as the head of the police station, come over now."
Wu Zhiyuan paused, then added, "Have Liao Chenggong come over too."
Shi Xianqiang was stunned again.
Should Liao Chenggong be brought here? Should he be brought to this kind of situation to confront Tang Dajiang face-to-face?
Shi Xianqiang hesitated and said, "County Chief Wu, Boss Liao owns several companies. I wonder if he has time?"
"The one who tied the knot must untie it. If Liao Chenggong doesn't have anything special to say, have him come over now and tell him it was me who said it."
"Okay, I'll give it a try."
Looking at the scene before him, Tang Da felt as if he were in a dream.
In the past few days, he has made many phone calls and gone to the town government and police station, but he can't find a place to reason with them.
The police station passed the buck to the town government, which said it needed to be negotiated.
He was an outsider, without any roots or connections here, and was about to be driven to a dead end.
But now, the newly arrived county head is standing in front of him, saying he wants to hold an on-site meeting at his factory.
When the county magistrate arrived, the workers started complaining all at once, saying how Shunfa Cement had been finding fault with them, blocking their doors, and bullying them over the past few months.
"County Chief Wu, our Boss Tang is an honest man and never delays paying wages, but we can't live like this anymore."
"If this continues, the factory will have to close down, and we'll all lose our jobs."
After finishing his call, Shi Xianqiang came over to report: "County Chief Wu, Secretary Ma and his team from the town are setting off immediately and will arrive in about ten minutes."
Boss Liao said he had urgent business to attend to and might not be able to make it over.
Wu Zhiyuan asked in a deep voice, "Did he say I was looking for him?"
Shi Xianqiang said, "I told him that County Chief Wu invited you to a site meeting at Dajiang Cement Plant. He said he understood."
Wu Zhiyuan was very unhappy.
Liao Chenggong completely disregarded him, the county magistrate.
Isn't it just because of his relationship with Yuan Jin?
If Lin Xue hadn't told him to be low-key and calm during their conversation, he would have lost his temper.
Wu Zhiyuan said coldly, "Director Shi, you call Liao Chenggong. I'll speak to him personally."
Shi Xianqiang didn't expect Wu Zhiyuan to be so serious, but he didn't dare to disobey, so he had no choice but to call Liao Chenggong.
Wu Zhiyuan took the phone, and Liao Chenggong's voice came from the other end, sounding somewhat perfunctory: "Director Shi, as I just said, I have urgent business to attend to and I really can't leave."
Could you please help explain this to County Magistrate Wu? I'll pay him a special visit another day...
"Mr. Liao, this is Wu Zhiyuan."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.
Liao Chenggong was surprised that Wu Zhiyuan would call him personally.
"Oh dear, County Chief Wu, hello, hello! Director Shi just told me that I'm really sorry, but I do have an urgent matter to attend to. An important client is coming from the provincial capital to discuss a business deal, and I simply can't leave..."
Wu Zhiyuan interrupted him: "President Liao, what business is more important than fixing the road you dug up and the factory gate you blocked?"
Liao Chenggong was taken aback: "County Chief Wu, what you're saying..."
"I'm asking you, is the dispute between Shunfa Cement and Dajiang Cement a matter between your two companies?"
"Yes, but..."
"Since this is a matter between your two families, I am here now, and the town's Party Secretary and Mayor will be here soon, as will the police station."
"If you, the party involved, don't come, how can this meeting be held? How can this problem be resolved?"
Liao Chenggong said with a forced smile, "I am the county magistrate. I don't have any fundamental conflict with Dajiang Cement. It's just that some disputes have arisen over land boundaries."
"Mr. Liao, I don't care what your urgent matter is, it's 10 a.m. now."
I'm giving you one hour. Be at Dajiang Cement Plant before 11 o'clock.
If you really can't come, you can send a subordinate who can make the final decision.
Otherwise, I will have the county public security bureau open an investigation for suspected disruption of production and business operations, bring in a television station to conduct on-site interviews, and let the people judge the matter.
Liao Chenggong was intimidated by Wu Zhiyuan's imposing manner and said helplessly, "County Magistrate Wu, I will try my best to come over."
Shortly after hanging up the phone, the town's Party Secretary Ma Zhenshan, the town mayor, and the head of the town's police station arrived.
Without any pleasantries or formalities, Wu Zhiyuan got straight to the point: "Today, we're having a meeting here to resolve issues on the spot."
"You all know that the road in front of Dajiang Cement Plant has been dug up for three days now, right?"
Ma Zhenshan said hesitantly, "I know that Dajiang and Shunfa have some disputes over land boundaries."
The town government and the police station mediated, but without any substantial results.
We also advise Dajiang to try to resolve the matter through negotiation. If negotiation fails, then resolve it through legal channels; if necessary, file a lawsuit.
Wu Zhiyuan stared at Ma Zhenshan: "I suggest resolving this through legal channels?"
Secretary Ma, are you saying that the town government has neither the responsibility nor the ability to mediate business disputes, and that the businesses should have to go to court themselves?
Ma Zhenshan was speechless for a moment, and said awkwardly, "County Chief Wu, that's not what I meant..."
"So what do you mean? A company's road was dug up, causing it to stop production for three days. As the town's Party Secretary, your first reaction wasn't to go to the scene, mediate, or solve the problem, but to suggest that the company go to court?"
How long will a lawsuit take? Six months? A year? Are we really going to let this road be dug up for six months, a year? Which company can afford to wait that long?
Wu Zhiyuan turned to the police station chief: "When your police station receives a report, you tell people it's an economic dispute and don't file a case."
I ask you, does digging up a highway count as damaging transportation facilities?
Does blocking the factory gate constitute disrupting production and business operations? Can these things be explained away as economic disputes?
Wu Zhiyuan looked around at everyone and said sternly, "Every enterprise, regardless of size or whether it is local or from out of town, must operate in accordance with the law and be treated fairly!"
When conflicts arise between businesses, the government must intervene, and see it through to the end! It's not about passing the buck to the judiciary, trying to smooth things over, or turning a blind eye!