Absolute power in officialdom

Chapter 347 The Young County Magistrate Who Dares to Take on Tough Challenges

Shi Xianqiang said awkwardly, "County Chief Wu, that's not what I meant."

I mean, some things can be resolved in a different way; they don't necessarily have to escalate to this point.

Wu Zhiyuan said seriously, "Director Shi, you are right. Some things can indeed be done in a different way."

But when it comes to matters of principle, there is no room for negotiation.

No matter how great Liao Chenggong's contributions were, he still had to abide by the law.

Even if there are conflicts, we cannot resort to digging up roads, blocking doors, or smashing machines at the drop of a hat.

If this continues, who will dare to invest and set up a business in Qingyan County?

Shi Xianqiang stopped talking, but he was thinking to himself: Wu Zhiyuan has really offended Liao Chenggong to death. Liao Chenggong is backed by Yuan Jin.

Wang Can asked softly, "County Chief Wu, is the next stop the town government?"

"Let's go take a look at Daling Coal Mine. Safety in production is of utmost importance. Coal mining is a high-risk industry. Since I'm here, it wouldn't be right not to go and see it."

Shi Xianqiang was very surprised.

Liao Chenggong just stormed off, clearly showing no respect for Wu Zhiyuan. Now Wu Zhiyuan is trying to curry favor with Liao Chenggong again.

Could it be that Wu Zhiyuan and Liao Chenggong have started a rivalry?

Is Wu Zhiyuan a fearless newborn calf or a reckless fool?

Who is Liao Chenggong? He's a powerful figure in Qingyan County who has connections in both the legitimate and underworld circles!

As Yuan Jin's confidant, Shi Xianqiang sent a message to Yuan Jin, briefly reporting the situation.

Then, he sent another text message to Liao Chenggong.

Liao Chenggong did not intend to meet Wu Zhiyuan, so he summoned the deputy mine manager Ding Dakang and gave him some instructions.

"Da Kang, Wu Zhiyuan is going to the coal mine. I don't want to see him. You just need to deal with him."

This kid just embarrassed me, and I didn't give him a friendly look either. Now he's back again. He's probably just nitpicking.

Don't confront him directly. Report to me immediately if anything happens.

Ding Dakang disagreed.

What does a young man not even thirty years old know about coal mines?

Like other county leaders, he probably just took a quick look around, listened to a few reports, praised them a bit for their "great contributions" and "hard work," and then left.

Wu Zhiyuan got out of the car, and Ding Dakang hurriedly went up to him with a big smile on his face: "County Chief Wu, welcome to Daling Coal Mine for inspection and guidance!"

Mr. Liao had an urgent matter to attend to in the county town, I apologize for that, and have entrusted me to accompany and receive him throughout his visit. I am Ding Dakang, the deputy mine manager.

Wu Zhiyuan nodded: "I was passing by Daling Coal Mine and thought I'd stop by for a look. Come on, show us around."

Ding Dakang tentatively asked, "County Chief Wu, the conference room is on the third floor. Shall we go to the conference room?"

Wu Zhiyuan waved his hand: "I'm not going. I'll just take a look around. I don't need to hear reports. Or, how about we go check out the dispatch room?"

"Okay, I'll lead the way," Ding Dakang readily agreed.

As Ding Dakang led the way, he introduced the mine incessantly: "County Chief Wu, Daling Coal Mine is the largest coal mine in the county and also a major taxpayer."

Last year, the company's output value exceeded 400 million yuan, and it paid more than 8 million yuan in taxes.

Mr. Liao often says, "As the company grows, we must not forget to give back to society. Over the years, we have spent several million yuan just on donating to education, building roads and bridges..."

Wu Zhiyuan listened and asked, "The output value is over 400 million, and the tax payment is over 8 million?"

With a tax burden rate of less than two percent, isn't that low compared to other companies in the same industry?

Ding Dakang hadn't expected Wu Zhiyuan to suddenly ask this question.

He usually only cared about production and was not proficient in finance and taxation, so he was speechless for a moment: "County Chief Wu, there are specialized financial personnel in charge of specific finance and taxation, and I am not very clear about it either."

But we pay taxes in accordance with the law and never default on our tax payments.

Sometimes, when tax revenue targets aren't met, taxes are paid in advance.

Wu Zhiyuan nodded slightly: "Paying taxes according to law is an obligation. However, with an output value of over 400 million, according to tax law, the total value-added tax, resource tax, and corporate income tax should theoretically be more than that."

Of course, each case needs to be analyzed individually, and there may be deductions or discounts.

However, as a resource-based enterprise, we could ask the tax bureau to help us calculate this tax burden rate to see if it's a policy-permitted preferential treatment or if there are any areas in tax collection and administration that could be better regulated.

Ding Dakang dared not say more; too much talk leads to mistakes, and trouble comes from the mouth.

If Wu Zhiyuan really lets the tax bureau audit the accounts, they will definitely find problems, and then it will be a big problem.

The dispatch room is on the first floor; just walk through the corridor to get there.

Inside the control room, several large screens display real-time images of various working faces underground, and several dispatchers are on duty.

Wu Zhiyuan stood in front of the screen and asked, "Manager Ding, how many people are underground right now?"

Ding Dakang was taken aback and looked at the dispatcher.

The dispatcher checked and said, "Reporting to County Chief Wu, there are 127 people on duty underground."

Wu Zhiyuan nodded, then asked, "Who is the supervisor in charge?"

The dispatcher said, "It's Chief Li from the Safety Department."

Wu Zhiyuan walked to the dispatch console and casually picked up a notebook to look through it.

It is a record of the leaders taking shifts down into the mine.

He flipped through a few pages and asked, "Mine Manager Ding, why is Liao Chenggong's record of leading shifts down the mine only four times last month? I noticed the number wasn't enough the month before last either."

Ding Dakang broke out in a cold sweat: "The records might be incomplete; the actual number of shifts he led was more than that."

"More than that? What's the actual amount? Are there any other records?"

Ding Dakang stammered as he explained, "This...this...sometimes the shift leader goes down and forgets to register."

Wu Zhiyuan's voice became stern: "Forgot to register? The system of leaders taking shifts down the mine is a mandatory requirement, not just a formality or a perfunctory exercise!"

Mine leaders must go down into the mine and come up at the same time as the workers, and direct and supervise the work on-site.

If you can't even remember the registration, how can you possibly remember leading the shift down the mine?

Ding Dakang was speechless for a moment.

Wu Zhiyuan turned to the dispatcher: "Retrieve the personnel positioning system records from the past year."

To ensure the authenticity of mine leaders leading shifts underground, all personnel going down the mine are equipped with positioning systems, each with a unique code, and the positioning system's records are kept for at least one year.

The dispatcher glanced at Ding Dakang subconsciously, awaiting his instructions.

Wu Zhiyuan asked coldly, "What? Can't you get it working? Or are you afraid to?"

Ding Dakang covered up by saying, "County Chief Wu, the system is sometimes unstable, and the records may not be very accurate."

Wu Zhiyuan sneered, "Not very accurate?" If a safety accident occurs, will you rely on a not-so-accurate system for location and rescue, or on forgotten records to identify personnel underground?

Liu Feng stood aside, feeling a growing admiration for Wu Zhiyuan.

Although Wu Zhiyuan was young, as soon as he arrived at the coal mine, he asked about the output value, the tax burden, the system of leaders taking shifts down the mine, and the positioning system down the mine. Every question he asked hit the nail on the head.

Liu Feng is not in charge of production safety. He came to the coal mine to accompany Wu Zhiyuan and could not ask or say much.

Ding Dakang broke out in a cold sweat. The moment the tracking system was activated, the mine leaders' underground records would be exposed. He forced a smile.

"County Chief Wu, this system is not very stable. Let's go to the conference room and have the finance and technical staff give you a detailed report."

By the way, let me ask Mr. Liao again to see if he's taken care of things.

In Ding Dakang's view, Wu Zhiyuan was nitpicking because he didn't feel respected.

When the county head came to conduct research, Liao Chenggong avoided meeting him, making the county head lose face.

Ding Dakang felt he couldn't hold on any longer and sent a message to Liao Chenggong.

At this moment, Liao Chenggong was actually in his office, with the door closed, watching Japanese adult films by himself. When he got excited, he slapped his thigh and said: "I'll use this position with my lover tonight."

Upon seeing the message sent by Ding Dakang, Liao Chenggong first cursed Ding Dakang, and then cursed Wu Zhiyuan.

This Wu Zhiyuan is clearly here to nitpick.

Liao Chenggong slammed his phone onto the sofa.

"Damn it, they're so ungrateful!"

On the screen, a Japanese adult film was reaching a crucial moment, but he lost interest.

Wu Zhiyuan's hateful face kept flashing through his mind, making him angrier the more he thought about it.

He spent decades in Qingyan, rising from a small-time hoodlum to a coal mine owner with a net worth of over 100 million yuan. What did he rely on?

They relied on their ability to get things done and on having connections at higher levels.

All the former county party committee and county government leaders treated him with utmost respect.

But this Wu Zhiyuan, a young man not even thirty years old, who hadn't even become a formal county magistrate yet, not only embarrassed him in front of so many people, but also went to the coal mine to nitpick.

Mine leaders leading shifts down the mine can be of varying sizes.

To put it mildly, it's a matter of poor management, which can be easily rectified.

To put it more bluntly, it constitutes a serious violation of safety production regulations and warrants a production shutdown for rectification.

He hasn't gone down the well even once in the past few years.

Why go down the mine? It's dirty, tiring, and most importantly, dangerous.

If a gas explosion or coal dust explosion were to occur, and someone were to lose their life, it would be far too tragic!

His life is more valuable than those of coal miners.

His records of going down the well were all fake.

The county also conducts inspections, but they turn a blind eye to everything.

Over there, Wu Zhiyuan said to Ding Dakang in an extremely stern tone, "Mine Manager Ding, is the system broken, or are you afraid to open it?"

I need to see the location system records now. As the county head, it is both my right and my duty to conduct safety inspections of high-risk industries within my jurisdiction.

If you don't cooperate, I can only conclude that Daling Coal Mine has engaged in serious fraud regarding the fact that leaders are leading shifts underground, and that you are trying to cover it up.

Wu Zhiyuan looked at Shi Xianqiang: "Director Shi, notify the comrades of the Safety Supervision Bureau and the Coal Mine Safety Supervision Branch."

"Have them bring their professional technicians and equipment to thoroughly seal off and verify all safety-related systems, ledgers, and records at Daling Coal Mine!"

Ding Dakang panicked completely. He knew all too well that if the relevant departments really got involved, it wouldn't just be the falsification of the well-drilling records that would be exposed; the accounts, safety investments, hazard rectification, and so on—all the festering sores would be exposed.

If Liao Chenggong blames him, he'll be the first to suffer the consequences.

"No, no, County Chief Wu, the system can be accessed." Ding Dakang quickly signaled to the dispatcher, "Quickly, retrieve the historical records of the underground personnel positioning system and show them to County Chief Wu!"

Wu Zhiyuan personally investigated.

Liao Chenggong never went down into a well.

Other mine leaders either did not comply with national regulations regarding the number of times or duration of their underground visits, or they falsified information by claiming they had gone underground when they hadn't.

Wu Zhiyuan said sternly, "Is this your Daling Coal Mine's system of having leaders take shifts down the mine?"

The logbook is filled with fancy writing, but the system is empty. Who are they trying to fool?

The system of having leaders take shifts underground is a mandatory national regulation designed to ensure safe production in coal mines and protect the lives of miners.

What you're doing is a serious violation of regulations; you're playing with the lives of your workers!