booktalesy Chapter 694 - 664: Splitting Up to Take Action
Chapter 694 - 664: Splitting Up to Take Action
Liu Deshun sat on the yacht of Xianhong Farm for the first time, and toured it inside and out. He felt that the change in leadership at the command had indeed brought a fresh look. In the past, following Fan Lidada, he hadn’t even mentioned yachts, let alone speedboats. Of course, this was also related to Fan Lidada not being in the area for long. Xu Chunliang had been working locally for such a long time that he had already become one with the local cadres and the populace.Liu Deshun stood at the bow of the boat admiring the beautiful scenery of lakes and mountains. When he lifted his SLR camera to take pictures, a whiff of smoke drifted over, causing him to cough repeatedly.
Squinting, Liu Deshun looked over and saw Li Chengbo smoking upwind of him without realizing when he got there.
Upon hearing the cough, Li Chengbo realized he had disturbed others and laughed, "Sorry, the wind at the bow is strong, and the smoke just benefits you by chance."
Liu Deshun also laughed at his humor. Li Chengbo pulled out a cigarette and offered it to Liu Deshun, who declined and raised his SLR to click away at a flock of water birds flying overhead.
Li Chengbo curiously leaned over, "You’re photographing birds?"
Liu Deshun always felt this phrase was a bit awkward, but he nodded and said, "For future promotional material."
Li Chengbo moved to the downwind side, took a few strong puffs of his cigarette, and said, "You guys are amazing. No matter how ordinary the scenery, your shots make it look like a fairyland."
Liu Deshun replied, "Weishan Lake is not ordinary at all; in terms of natural scenery, it is the best in Dongzhou."
Li Chengbo said, "Stay in one place long enough, and even the most beautiful scenery becomes ordinary. It’s just like finding a wife..."
Xu Chunliang’s voice came from behind, "Old Li, don’t corrupt our Director Liu."
Li Chengbo said, "Personal opinion. Any resemblance is purely coincidental."
His remark made everyone laugh.
Just then, Instructor Zhao Hong came over, pointing to the waters ahead, "That’s where our people and boats were detained."
Xu Chunliang asked, "Are you sure?"
Zhao Hong replied, "Absolutely, the Underwater City is right below here."
Liu Deshun leaned over as much as he could, but even with his eyes straining, he couldn’t see any Underwater City below.
Li Chengbo patted his shoulder to remind him of safety and told Liu Deshun that seeing the Underwater City is all about luck. Some locals have never seen it in their lifetime.
Xu Chunliang thought to himself that the Underwater City wasn’t that mysterious. As long as the sunlight is strong enough to penetrate the water’s surface, the city ruins could be seen.
Li Chengbo said, "This water area was originally within Weishan County’s boundaries. Later, due to frequent disputes, both sides negotiated and Dongzhou decided to back off, ceding five townships to Jizhou. The water area has shrunk by almost half compared to before."
Xu Chunliang couldn’t help but ask, "Which leader did such a foolish thing?"
Li Chengbo laughed, "It relates to the original regulations. Because Weishan Lake is at the junction of two provinces, usual practice is to divide by the lake boundary. But the water level fluctuates frequently, causing constant boundary changes. So, it was all turned over to Jizhou’s jurisdiction. Dongzhou’s concession was a result of negotiation between the two provinces to avoid civilian disputes over boundaries."
Zhao Hong, a local, was familiar with the situation and nodded, "Those living near the mountains live off the mountains; those near the water live off the water. We locals all rely on Weishan Lake for survival. The people around the lake have received plenty of benefits from it, and we have a deep attachment to it. Administratively there are borders, but in our hearts there are none."
Liu Deshun said, "Old Zhao said it well."
Li Chengbo said, "Even after defining borders, conflicts have decreased but not disappeared. Both sides established Water Police Teams to manage their personnel and avoid conflicts."
Xu Chunliang said, "This time they even detained our Water Police Team. Mr. Li, your people aren’t doing their job well."
Li Chengbo sighed, feeling frustrated, but since the incident had happened, it needed to be dealt with.
The yacht arrived at Taibaiwa Pier. As Li Chengbo disembarked, he reminded Xu Chunliang to solve the problem, not to escalate it, and to keep his temper in check.
Xu Chunliang couldn’t help but laugh. If Li Chengbo was worried about escalating the matter, he shouldn’t have asked for his help in the first place.
Seeing him laugh, Li Chengbo understood about seven or eight-tenths, and softly said, "Some issues are inherited from history, which we cannot solve or change, so there’s no point in working hard at a thankless task."
Xu Chunliang said, "I agreed to come with you, knowing it was a thankless task."
Li Chengbo said, "Bro, it’s your elder brother, me, putting you in a tough spot. Once this is over, feel free to pick a place in Hu Shan Town, and I’ll treat you to a proper drink."
Xu Chunliang said to Zhao Hong and Liu Deshun, "You both heard it, isn’t Mr. Li stingy? Picking any place in Hu Shan Town, how high can the living costs be there? I want to eat in Jizhou."
Li Chengbo said with a bitter smile, "Jizhou it is, I’ll spend half a month’s salary."
Li Chengbo’s intention was to go to Jizhou City, Weishan Lake Scenic Management Office Taibaiwa Branch, Water Security Management Team.
Xu Chunliang said that they should go, but he should head to Jizhou City, Weishan Lake National Resort Project Command. The Cultural and Tourism Bureau assigned him to lead Dongzhou National Resort Project Command, so these two units align.
After some discussion, they decided to split into two groups. Li Chengbo and Zhao Hong would head to Jizhou City, Weishan Lake Scenic Management Office Taibaiwa Branch, Water Security Management Team to visit their own staff and assess any property damage.
Xu Chunliang would go directly to the command to negotiate.
The Water Security Management Team was not far from the pier. After Li Chengbo and Zhao Hong arrived, they were met with a cold attitude, being told the issue was handled by higher-ups, and they were only responsible for detaining people. To resolve the issue, they would need to negotiate with the upper management.
Li Chengbo thought to himself that Xu Chunliang was right; these grassroots departments couldn’t solve the problem. He requested to meet their three staff members, and the other party didn’t make it difficult for them, arranging a meeting.
Upon meeting, they found all three staff members had been beaten, each with bruised faces. Li Chengbo saw this and became livid, questioning the other side about why they beat people.
The other party was dismissive, retorting to Li Chengbo, "Why don’t you ask what they were doing?"
It turned out there was another speedboat with two men and three women. When the Security Management Team discovered them, they were filming video clips on the lake, dressed skimpily and acting provocatively, almost resembling a Neon AV.
Li Chengbo genuinely didn’t know about this. When Taibaiwa Water Security Management Team’s patrol boat went to enforce, a speedboat got away, leaving only Hu Shan Town Water Police Team’s three staff members whose boat malfunctioned.
Li Chengbo thought, "These incompetent ones, planning to seek justice, now got caught red-handed. No doubt they misused their authority to open doors for friends."
The issue was, Taibaiwa Water Security Management Team insisted they were conducting indecent activities in Underwater City, stating they were only executing tasks, while problem-solving needed higher departments.
Li Chengbo quickly called Xu Chunliang to update him with the latest information.
Xu Chunliang had arrived at the command entrance. After hearing from Li Chengbo, he frowned, realizing they weren’t detained without reason; they really ventured into disputed waters for indecent actions. Xu Chunliang asked in detail what kind of indecent actions they were?
Li Chengbo was very sullen; from what he’s gathered, it wasn’t a serious matter, just some men and women gathering at the site to shoot videos. Nowadays such incidents are common, with influencers pursuing attention and traffic without principles, causing them headaches in resolving the issue.
Xu Chunliang thought his three temporary workers were too naive; influencers managed to escape, yet these temporary workers and their boat got caught. He advised Li Chengbo not to worry and to stay and inquire further, not only listening to Taibaiwa Water Security Management Team but also hearing from his own side.
Hearing that all three were beaten, Xu Chunliang asked him to take some photos and send them over, also to capture the damage situation of their speedboat.
Xu Chunliang put down the phone, and Liu Deshun beside him asked with concern, "How’s the situation?"
Xu Chunliang replied, "What can I say, they’re alive."
Liu Deshun almost laughed, thinking how could such a minor dispute result in a fatality?
Jizhou Weishan Lake National Resort Project Command was evidently taken more seriously than Dongzhou, with a dedicated department established, formally led by Jizhou City Cultural and Tourism Bureau Director Xiao Changyin.
Of course, the actual affairs were handled by the Deputy Director Lu Yunqi.
When Xu Chunliang and Liu Deshun entered, they were stopped by the guard; Liu Deshun promptly explained their visit, and the guard asked them to register and would inform the leadership accordingly.
Seeing their setup and scene, Liu Deshun felt a sense of inferiority compared to their shabby office environment.
After the phone call, the guard notified they could proceed to the command building’s second-floor office. There, Director Liang Xin awaited them to guide them to meet relevant leaders.
The two thanked the guard and entered the administrative building. Liu Deshun asked, "Town Mayor Xu, any thoughts?"
Xu Chunliang replied, "Excessive and wasteful; it’s just a command center, this extravagant display is nothing but a waste of national funds."
Liu Deshun didn’t expect such a reply from him and was momentarily speechless. He wanted to ask more but forgot, although after pondering, he realized Xu Chunliang made a valid point.
The command office director was a woman in her late twenties named Liang Xin.
When Xu Chunliang and Liu Deshun knocked and entered, Liang Xin was on a call, habitually adjusting her black-framed glasses, gesturing for the guests to sit on the sofa.