Absolute power in officialdom

Chapter 428 The Cries of the People

The fourth person to enter was a man in his fifties who walked with a limp and had a bandage wrapped around his left hand.

His name is Chen Dayong, and he is a villager from Hejiawan Village, a suburban area.

"County Chief Wu, I've come to report the incident of a gang of thugs assaulting people."

In March of this year, a piece of collective land in our village was forcibly occupied by a man named He Biao.

He Biao was a local. He had been imprisoned in his early years and, after his release, gathered a group of thugs and bullies who ran rampant in several nearby villages.

He forcibly occupied our collective land, claiming he was going to build some kind of logistics parking lot, but in reality, he was just hogging the land waiting for land expropriation and demolition to receive compensation.

Lu Xinghua added softly from the side, "He Biao and Yuan Xiaowu are good buddies. He used to work for Yuan Xiaowu, but later he started his own business."

Wu Zhiyuan nodded, and Chen Dayong continued, "Our villagers jointly wrote a letter of complaint and sent it to the town and county."

However, He Biao found out about it not long after the letter of complaint was sent.

He led a group of men, armed with sticks, and went from house to house threatening people.

Anyone who dares to report this again will have their legs broken.

Chen Dayong rolled up his sleeves, revealing a long scar on his arm: "I was ambushed and beaten up by them because I signed the whistleblower's letter."

He suffered a broken left leg and two broken fingers on his left hand, and spent two months in the hospital.

I called the police, and they came, took my statement, and reviewed the surveillance footage.

But He Biao found two people to take the blame, and he himself got away scot-free.

Those two were only detained for a few days before being released. After their release, they even came to my doorstep and acted arrogantly.

Wu Zhiyuan said seriously, "Master Chen, I will arrange for someone to verify the situation you mentioned."

If true, neither He Biao nor his protectors will escape punishment.

Chen Dayong said with a mournful face, "County Chief Wu, my leg is ruined, but I accept it."

"As long as I can get rid of this scourge He Biao, it'll be worth it even if I become crippled."

In half a day, Wu Zhiyuan received more than ten people.

The problems they raised were varied and numerous.

Wu Zhiyuan listened patiently, providing immediate answers to those he could, and requesting relevant departments to handle any matters requiring investigation and verification within a specified timeframe.

Wu Zhiyuan had just returned to his office after having lunch in the cafeteria.

He usually doesn't go back to his residence at noon; he bought a folding bed to rest.

Lü Xinghua knocked on the door and came in.

"County Chief Wu, I have contacted the main leaders of the Environmental Protection Bureau, Water Resources Bureau, and Land Resources Bureau. We will go to the Shicao River at 3 PM this afternoon to check on the pollution situation and also to investigate the illegal sand mining."

Wu Zhiyuan's expression was grave: "I've been in Qingyan for some time now, yet I knew nothing about the pollution of the Shicao River and the illegal sand mining. This is my dereliction of duty!"

Lu Xinghua quickly said, "County Chief Wu, you are extremely busy with so many important and minor matters in the county. It's impossible for you to know everything."

This is my dereliction of duty; I failed to grasp the situation in a timely manner and report it to you.

Wu Zhiyuan said with heartache, "Developing the economy is important, but if it comes at the cost of sacrificing the environment and the health of the people, then such development loses its meaning and is even a crime."

The Shicao River is one of Qingyan's mother rivers, yet it has been ruined like this. As the county head, I feel ashamed.

After a pause, Wu Zhiyuan continued, "Xinghua, I've been in Qingyan for quite some time now, and overall, I feel that the social security situation in Qingyan is pretty good."

Looking back today, it seems that's not the case. Yuan Xiaowu, He Biao, and other such evil forces were audacious and acted with impunity; they were malignant tumors on the body of Qingyan.

We are often drawn to the glamorous figures and scenes of GDP, projects, and investment attraction, but easily overlook the untold hardships and hidden dangers beneath the surface.

Lu Xinghua said, "Yuan Xiaowu and He Biao's power is not that great, but they are still very harmful."

As far as I know, they used to be Liao Chenggong's subordinates.

Liao Chenggong was a hoodlum from the beginning, Yuan Xiaowu was Liao Chenggong's subordinate, and He Biao was Yuan Xiaowu's subordinate.

Now, they have all gradually whitewashed their past, and Liao Chenggong has become the CEO of Daling Group and the richest man in Qingyan.

Yuan Xiaowu also has assets worth tens of millions, and He Biao is also a multi-millionaire.

Although they've been bleached, the darkness in their bones can never be washed away.

Wu Zhiyuan asked, "Did Yuan Xiaowu and He Biao both come from Liao Chenggong's group?"

Lu Xinghua nodded and said, "Liao Chenggong started his career by fighting and killing in his early years."

At that time, Qingyan did not yet have the Daling Group. He opened a casino in the county town and employed a group of thugs.

Yuan Xiaowu was the most ruthless among those thugs, and He Biao was trained by Yuan Xiaowu.

Later, Liao Chenggong went ashore and started businesses in coal mining, cement, and building materials, gradually building up his business.

Yuan Xiaowu also benefited from this, taking on some projects from Liao Chenggong and accumulating his first pot of gold.

Later, Yuan Xiaowu went it alone and engaged in illegal sand mining in the Shicao River, which grew bigger and bigger.

He Biao also broke away from Yuan Xiaowu, and gathered his own group of people to forcibly seize land and contract construction projects in the suburbs.

Wu Zhiyuan pondered to himself, it seemed that Liao Chenggong, Yuan Xiaowu, and He Biao were three gourds on the same vine.

Liao Chenggong is the biggest melon that has already surfaced, while Yuan Xiaowu and He Biao are the smaller melons hidden under the leaves.

Regardless of size, the roots are connected.

"Xinghua, Yuan Xiaowu, and He Biao committed crimes, and the Qingyan police bear responsibility."

Li Qiaozhen's tearful story today made me feel very sad.

What era are we living in? A perfectly healthy person has mysteriously disappeared, and the police are completely helpless!

In my opinion, it's not that the police are incapable of investigating, but rather that someone is suppressing their investigation and doesn't want to!

As soon as Wu Zhiyuan spoke, he felt that he had acted impulsively.

Making such a statement without evidence is indeed inappropriate.

Fortunately, Lü Xinghua was his confidant, so it wasn't unreasonable for him to grumble occasionally.

However, Wu Zhiyuan harbored deep resentment towards Rao Zhengyi, the deputy county head and head of the county public security bureau.

This Rao Zhengyi, relying on his powerful connections, seemed to disregard the young county magistrate.

When Yuan Jin was around, he was close to Yuan Jin.

Liang Dongming arrived, and she became close to Liang Dongming again.

In the afternoon, Wu Zhiyuan and Lü Xinghua departed from the county government.

Ma Guoliang, director of the county environmental protection bureau, Hu Jianhua, director of the water resources bureau, Tan Zhiyong, director of the land and resources bureau, and others were already waiting downstairs.

Several vehicles formed a small convoy and headed towards the Shicao River.

Lu Xinghua explained the origin of the name Shicao River: "Magistrate Wu, there is a story behind Shicao River. When Cao Cao was riding his horse through this place, his horse stumbled while drinking water by the river. Cao Cao fell off the horse, but fortunately he was not seriously injured. That is how Shicao River got its name."

Of course, this is just a story, and not necessarily historical fact.

The Shicao River is located in the eastern part of Qingyan County. It is an important river that flows through Qingyan. It originates in the mountainous area of ​​Jiangdong City, flows through several towns in Qingyan County, and finally flows into the main water system in Jiangzhou.

It was once a river with clear water, teeming with fish and shrimp, and was an important source of irrigation and drinking water for the people along its banks.

However, in recent years, with the development of coastal industries and the expansion of livestock and poultry farming, pollution has become increasingly serious.

The convoy traveled along country roads and stopped near a village called Liuzhuang.

This is the section of the river mentioned by the first villager who petitioned this morning.

As soon as I got out of the car, a pungent smell hit me.

It was a foul odor, a mixture of chemical waste, livestock and poultry manure, and rotting organic matter.

The river water had an abnormal grayish-black color, with white foam and unidentified flocculent matter floating on the surface.

On both sides of the river, the once lush vegetation has withered in large areas, and the exposed soil has an abnormal grayish-white color.

Wu Zhiyuan asked Environmental Protection Bureau Director Ma Guoliang, "Are there sewage outlets both within Qingyan County and upstream?"

Ma Guoliang nodded and said, "Yes, there are several chemical plants and paper mills in Jiangdong City upstream that discharge sewage directly."

Within our Qingyan area, there are also numerous sewage outlets along both banks of the river.

Hu Jianhua added: "County Chief Wu, we have set up three water quality monitoring points in the Qingyan section of the Shicao River: one at the upstream entry point, one in the Liuzhuang section in the middle reaches, and one in the Hejiagou section in the lower reaches."

Monitoring data shows that the water quality at the entry point was already below Grade V, and by the time it reached the downstream exit point, all indicators had further deteriorated.

"So, this means that pollution sources within our own borders are also exacerbating the pollution?"

Hu Jianhua dared not hide the truth: "Yes. There are more than 20 sewage outlets of various sizes along both banks of the river, including seven industrial sewage outlets."

This includes the sewage outlets of a chemical plant, a paper mill, a printing and dyeing plant, and several large-scale farms.

Most of these sewage outlets have not undergone formal approval and lack corresponding pollution control facilities.

Not far away, a thick cement pipe extends from the riverbank. Below the pipe opening is a patch of black silt, and sewage is slowly flowing out of the pipe and spreading across the river surface.

Wu Zhiyuan asked, "Whose sewage outlet is this?"

Tan Zhiyong glanced at the location: "It should be that paper mill."

"Did your land bureau approve this land?"

Tan Zhiyong quickly said, "County Chief Wu, this paper mill was brought in more than ten years ago through investment promotion, and all the procedures were in place at the time."

However, the company has changed hands several times over the years, and the current owner is from out of town; the sewage treatment facilities have not been updated or renovated.

Wu Zhiyuan didn't reply and continued walking forward.

After walking about 200 meters, we saw another sewage outlet. The pipe was even wider than the previous one, and the water flowing out was covered with milky white foam, spreading out over a large area on the river.

"What about this one?"

Ma Guoliang said, "It's from that chemical plant. This chemical plant mainly produces chemical intermediates, and its wastewater has a complex composition, containing a variety of toxic and harmful substances."

Our environmental protection bureau has issued rectification notices and imposed fines multiple times, but the company always plays cat and mouse with us.

When we went to inspect, they turned on the pollution control facilities; as soon as we left, they turned them off.

"Why not shut it down?"

Ma Guoliang said with a bitter face, "County Chief Wu, this company pays tens of millions of yuan in taxes every year and is a key source of tax revenue for the county."

There are more than 200 registered employees, and with the addition of jobs in upstream and downstream industries, the total number is at least 400 to 500.

If it's shut down, what will happen to these hundreds of people? The county's tax revenue will also decrease significantly.

Wu Zhiyuan fell silent.

He was all too familiar with this predicament.

On one hand, there's environmental protection and public health; on the other hand, there's tax revenue and employment.

The reason why impoverished counties are impoverished is largely due to the lack of high-quality industries, and they can only take over high-pollution and high-energy-consuming enterprises that have been phased out by developed regions.

These companies are like vampires, draining the local environment dry, leaving behind a mess, and then leaving without a trace.

But Wu Zhiyuan knew in his heart that this account couldn't be calculated that way.

The cost of restoring a damaged environment is astronomical.

The damage to the health of ordinary people is immeasurable in monetary terms.

The convoy continued its journey along the river.

The situation here is even more shocking.

The river channel narrowed significantly, the riverbed was exposed, and the water was only ankle-deep in some places, but there were pits several meters deep in others, as if something had dug through the riverbed.

Hu Jianhua explained: "Illegal sand mining has left the riverbed riddled with holes of varying depths."

These deep pits are not noticeable when the water level is low, but during the flood season, the rapid currents cause these pits to disrupt the flow and severely erode the foundation of the riverbanks.

Wu Zhiyuan asked, "If the flood season comes, how great is the risk of the dike collapsing?"

Hu Jianhua dared not hide the truth: "If there is continuous heavy rain, the water level will rise sharply, and there is a high possibility of the dike breaking."

The river embankments in this area have been in disrepair for years and their foundations have been damaged by illegal sand mining, resulting in a severe lack of flood control capacity.

What's behind the riverbank?

"It's a village, and there are also several thousand acres of farmland."

Just then, a loud rumbling sound of machinery came from downstream.

"What's that sound?" Wu Zhiyuan asked.

The group looked at each other, wanting to speak but not daring to.

Lu Xinghua said, "County Chief Wu, it seems there are sand dredgers operating downstream."

Wu Zhiyuan strode towards the direction from which the sound came.

After walking for about ten minutes, he turned a bend in the river and the sight before him enraged him.

On the wide river, two sand dredgers are at work.

The ship's sand pumps roared deafeningly, and thick sand pipes extended from the ship to the shore, piling up a small mountain of sand.

Two large trucks were parked on the shore, loading sand.

Several shirtless workers were working busily.

Wu Zhiyuan asked coldly, "Is this what you call illegal sand mining?"

Hu Jianhua hurriedly explained, "County Chief Wu, our Water Resources Bureau's law enforcement team has limited manpower, and these people are all habitual offenders who are playing guerrilla warfare with us."

When we come to investigate, they run away; when we leave, they come back.

"It's a weekday, it's 4 PM now, and in broad daylight, two ships are operating simultaneously. Is this what you call playing guerrilla warfare?"