The Official Ladder: I ascend to the pinnacle of power, wielding the power of life and death.

Jiang Yiming was speechless at the thought that he, a deputy secretary of the county party committee, was being chased by villagers.

Jiang Yiming underestimated the villagers' hatred for the cattle thieves.

After running for about twenty minutes, the villagers showed no sign of giving up the chase.

Soon, they were forced to the edge of a pond.

"Brother Ding, Director Chen, please protect Secretary Yiming."

Wan Wenbing said, "The three of us will block them from the front. If we can't stop them, you can take advantage of the chaos to run away."

After saying that, he led two police officers and ran towards the villagers.

"Quick, they have nowhere to run, catch them."

"Damn it, I'm exhausted. Once we catch them, we'll break their legs and see if they can still run away."

"They can't escape. Everyone surround them. We must not let these bastards get away."

A group of people rushed over.

Wan Wenbing quickly shouted, "We are not cattle thieves, I am Wan Wenbing from the county's public security brigade!"

The other two police officers also quickly identified themselves.

The villagers shone their flashlights on the men in uniforms, and when they heard what they were saying, they stopped and were about to ask them something when...

Suddenly someone picked up a hoe and started smashing it at Wan Wenbing.

"They are cattle thieves! They are impersonating police officers! Arrest them quickly, don't let them get away!"

A man who looked like a villager, with a fierce look in his eyes, raised a hoe and smashed it at Wan Wenbing.

Wan Wenbing and his two companions were so frightened that they hurriedly retreated.

"Quick, don't be fooled by them, these are cattle thieves, give these bastards a good beating."

Another person called out loudly.

The villagers couldn't tell what was true and what was false. When they heard someone say that, they picked up their farm tools and started hitting the group.

Just as the situation reached a critical moment, a gunshot rang out through the night sky.

Everyone stood there, stunned.

"I am Shi Pojun, the director of the Liji Township Police Station. Put down your tools!"

Shi Pojun spoke in a loud voice.

Everyone present was a villager from Liji Township. Most of them knew Shi Pojun, and when they heard his shout, they all spoke up.

"Chief Shi, you've come at the right time. There are some cattle thieves here. Arrest them quickly."

"Yes, Director Shi, these cattle thieves are too brazen. Five cattle have been stolen from our village. Everyone hates these bastards to death."

Everyone said one after another.

"I understand how you feel, but you need to be clear about whether these people are cattle thieves or not, and don't be used by others!"

Shi Pojun walked over from behind the crowd, shone his flashlight on Wan Wenbing, and said, "Those people are from the county's public security brigade. They're investigating a case, not the cattle thieves you're talking about."

Then, he approached Wan Wenbing and apologized, "I'm sorry, Captain Wan, we're late."

"Director Shi, you've arrived just in time."

Wan Wenbing said, "Secretary Jiang is still ahead. I'll take you there."

At this moment, Jiang Yiming took the initiative to walk over.

"Secretary, this is Shi Pojun, the director of the Liji Township Police Station."

"Secretary, I'm sorry I'm late."

Shi Pojun quickly apologized.

"You've come at the perfect time."

Jiang Yiming nodded, looked at the large group of villagers, and said loudly, "Fellow villagers, I am Jiang Yiming, the deputy secretary of our county party committee. The reason I came here is because I received news that someone is illegally mining sand in the Yusha River, which not only affects the rest of the surrounding villagers, but also poses a safety hazard."

“I contacted the relevant departments and they told me that there was no illegal sand mining here. The two pieces of information contradicted each other, so I brought people here to investigate in order to find out the truth. I didn’t expect it to cause such a big misunderstanding and disturb the villagers’ rest. I hope everyone will forgive me and go back to rest quickly.”

"Of course, if any of you know about illegal sand mining, you can also report it to me and help our relevant departments investigate the facts."

"So it's Secretary Jiang. I'm so sorry, we misunderstood."

"Secretary Jiang, we all know you are a good official who stands up for the people. Are you really going to do anything about the illegal sand mining?"

"Nonsense, Secretary Jiang came here in the middle of the night on a secret visit, he must want to find out the truth about this matter."

“You’re right. I’m here to get to the bottom of this, clear things up, and shut down all the boats that are illegally mining sand.”

Jiang Yiming said, "It's very late now, so I won't disturb everyone's rest any longer. Tomorrow morning, I will bring some people to the village office to work on-site. If you have anything to say to me, you can find me at the village office."

"Okay, Secretary Jiang, you should go back and rest early too."

"Secretary Jiang, you've worked hard."

"Secretary Jiang, can you do something about this cattle theft? Our cattle have been stolen, and it feels like half our world has collapsed."

"Yes, Secretary Jiang, we hate cattle thieves even more than illegal sand mining. Cattle are the lifeblood of us farmers."

"Fellow villagers, I will take care of anything, whether it's cattle theft or illegal sand mining."

Jiang Yiming said earnestly, "I also come from the countryside, and I know how important oxen are to us farmers. I will personally take charge of this matter, and everyone must trust me."

"That's great! With Secretary Jiang personally involved, we have a good chance of catching the cattle thief."

"Secretary Jiang is truly a good official for us ordinary people."

"Secretary Jiang, we're leaving now. You should get some rest too, don't overwork yourself."

The group waved to Jiang Yiming and then left one after another.

"Wenbing, take some men to the riverbank to take photos and collect evidence. Chen Wei, take the police officers from Liji Township to inflate the tires on our two vehicles."

Jiang Yiming said, "Director Shi, would you like to have a chat with me?"

"Okay, Secretary."

Everyone responded in unison.

He then hurried toward the car.

"Director Shi, the illegal sand mining situation in your Liji Township is quite serious. Has the Water Resources Bureau come to enforce the law?"

Jiang Yiming inquired.

"Secretary, according to the division of responsibilities, after the Water Resources Bureau's law enforcement team investigates and handles cases of illegal sand mining, they are required to transfer the case files and personnel to our police. However, we have not received any cases involving illegal sand mining so far."

Shi Pojun said, "We have communicated with the Water Resources Bureau many times, but they ignore us. Moreover, I heard that the reason they don't investigate is because they receive a lot of dividends every month."

"Of course, this is just what I've heard; the secretary needs to arrange for someone to verify it."

"I understand what you're saying."

Jiang Yiming nodded and smiled, "You did a great job today. You were able to catch up with us in time and fire at the crucial moment, resolving our crisis."

"Thank you for your affirmation, Secretary. I served in the army, so I can run fast."

Shi Pojun was as happy as if he had eaten honey when he received praise from Secretary Jiang Yiming.

Jiang Yiming nodded and didn't say anything more.

Shi Pojun volunteered to help inflate the tires.

Jiang Yiming then called Du Zhengqiang.

"Secretary Yiming, what are your instructions?"

Du Zhengqiang inquired.

"Calling you at this hour is disturbing your and your sister-in-law's sweet dreams."

"It's alright, I just got back from work too."

Du Zhengqiang laughed.

“I am currently in the Liji Township section of the Yusha River. There are many boats illegally mining sand here, and I imagine there are also boats illegally mining sand in other sections of the river. Moreover, our whereabouts have been exposed, and I am worried that they will take action at night to destroy evidence. I hope that you police officers will work together with the township police station to arrest all the people on the illegal sand mining boats. I will convene a standing committee meeting tomorrow to discuss how to handle this matter.”

"Yes, Secretary, I will make the arrangements immediately."

Du Zhengqiang said.

"Thanks for your hard work."

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Yiming said to Shi Pojun, "Notify your officers to assemble here. They will cooperate with Captain Wan to seize all the boats illegally mining sand here. If they resist, they must be severely punished."