Nominal: Hou Liangping blocking the door? He was slapped away!

Li Dakang took the personnel briefing stamped with the top-secret seal. The bold text on the paper was particularly eye-catching.

It clearly reads: Chu Pingshan.

The former executive vice governor of a major coastal economic province has been transferred to serve as deputy secretary of the provincial party committee and acting governor of Handong.

Fine beads of sweat glistened on the forehead of the Party Secretary of Jingzhou. Having spent so many years navigating the complexities of the system, he was no stranger to the powerful figures in the coastal provinces.

Chu Pingshan has an extremely powerful background. Most importantly, he is the godson of Sha Ruijin's father-in-law.

"Did you see it clearly?" Shen Zhong stood in front of the tactical map, arms crossed.

"This man has no mistresses, no illicit dealings, and never interferes in engineering projects." Shen Zhong pointed out the crux of the matter incisively. "He only focuses on macro-control; he's a pure bureaucrat who takes compliance and political achievements to the extreme."

Li Dakang's Adam's apple bobbed.

"Forceful suppression won't deal with this kind of person." Shen Zhong turned around and walked to his desk. "He came to Handong to use the most legal procedures to wipe out all of you troublemakers in the area."

"General Shen, I, Li Dakang, have served in Handong for so many years, and I'm not made of clay." Li Dakang gritted his teeth, suppressing his resentment. "If he wants to control Jingzhou, he'll have to consider the economic strength of Jingzhou."

Shen Zhong sneered, but didn't expose him. He knew all too well the methods of someone like Chu Pingshan.

three days later.

The auditorium of the Hantong Provincial Party Committee.

All officials at the prefectural and departmental levels and above from across the province were present, creating a solemn and somber atmosphere.

A special commissioner from the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee stood on the podium and announced the latest personnel appointments. Liu Changchun stepped down from his post due to age, and Chu Pingshan officially assumed the position of Deputy Secretary of the CPC Handong Provincial Committee and Acting Governor.

There was thunderous applause.

Chu Pingshan stood up, bowed to the audience, and then strode towards the podium.

He was in his fifties, impeccably dressed in a suit, with a refined and scholarly appearance, but his eyes exuded an intense sense of pressure. Without any unnecessary movements or deliberate affectation, simply standing there, he radiated an aura of authority befitting someone long accustomed to a position of power.

"Let's skip the pleasantries." Chu Pingshan adjusted the microphone and got straight to the point, "Handong has been through a lot of turmoil in the past six months, and everyone has had a tough time. But hard work can't put food on the table, and it certainly can't mask the objective fact that economic indicators are declining across the board."

He took out a thin document.

"Before I came here, I looked at Handong's first-quarter report. Of the thirteen cities in the province, eight experienced negative GDP growth. This is a step backward in history."

Chu Pingshan surveyed the entire venue.

"From today onwards, the provincial government will only look at data and only focus on compliance. The days of relying on falsification, concealment, and vanity projects to maintain appearances are over."

Sitting in the main seat, Sha Ruijin picked up his teacup and took a sip of water, concealing his inner elation.

He had waited too long for this day.

He couldn't touch military power, but in local economic and administrative management, Chu Pingshan was the sharpest knife in his hand. As long as Chu Pingshan charged ahead, those powerful figures deeply entrenched in the local areas would be wiped out sooner or later. With this knife, he could completely revitalize his situation in Handong.

The conference has concluded.

Sha Ruijin arranged a high-level welcome banquet at the provincial party committee's guesthouse.

Chu Pingshan stopped at the entrance of the auditorium and politely declined the invitation.

"Secretary Sha, let's postpone the welcome banquet. There's a mountain of unresolved issues at the provincial government; I'll take some people there to get a feel for things first."

Before Sha Ruijin could exchange pleasantries, Chu Pingshan, accompanied by two secretaries, got into a car and headed straight for the provincial government compound.

Upon entering the building, Chu Pingshan immediately issued instructions.

"Notify the Information Center to open up the economic report database of the past three years for all thirteen cities in the province. Tonight, I want to see all the core data for Jingzhou, Lüzhou, and Lincheng."

"Governor, the amount of data is huge. Do we need to mobilize personnel from the Audit Office?" the secretary asked from the side.

"No need, just pull the raw data. I can process the accounts faster than them." Chu Pingshan took off his suit jacket and plunged into the pile of data.

the other side.

Li Dakang returned to the Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee with a gloomy face.

He immediately convened an emergency meeting overnight with the secretaries of the district party committees and the heads of the municipal bureaus.

"The new governor is making his mark, and his first move will definitely be to target Jingzhou!" Li Dakang slammed his fist on the table. "All districts, get moving! Make those stalled projects look impressive! Even if you have to fill in the Guangming Peak project with dirt, make it look like a bustling, vibrant scene! Anyone who disgraces Jingzhou, I'll skin them alive!"

The officials below looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

This assertive municipal party secretary attempted to use Jingzhou's massive economy to intimidate the new provincial governor. He aimed to transform Jingzhou into a unified entity in the shortest possible time.

Command Center of the Handong Military Region.

Shen Zhong stood in front of a huge electronic screen, which displayed the traffic and information network monitoring of the entire Handong province.

He picked up the secure phone and dialed the number of He Xia, the Party Secretary of Lüzhou City.

"Go through all the accounts and approval processes for the new energy project in Luzhou again to ensure there are no procedural flaws," Shen Zhong said bluntly.

"I understand," He Xia replied on the other end. "Chu Pingshan pulled up the data from Luzhou overnight, and I've already arranged for full cooperation. There's nothing I'm hiding."

"Remember, don't use the same defensive approach you used against Sha Ruijin." Shen Zhong looked at the data stream on the screen. "Chu Pingshan's purpose here is definitely not to set up a political frame; he's here to reap economic benefits. As long as you ensure that the projects in Luzhou are clean, he won't be able to find any fault with you. As for Li Dakang, he's going to fall into trouble."

"Secretary Dakang has deep roots in Jingzhou. How could Chu Pingshan, who just arrived, be able to touch him?" He Xia asked with some doubt.

"Chu Pingshan doesn't need to touch his people," Shen Zhong said before hanging up the phone. "He only needs to overturn Li Dakang's table."

The next morning.

The first conference room of the provincial government.

Chu Pingshan chaired the first provincial government executive meeting since taking office. Mayors of all cities and heads of major economic departments were all present.

Two detailed engineering reports were projected directly onto the large screen.

The newly appointed acting governor sat in the main seat and opened the notebook in front of him.

Chu Pingshan pointed to the large screen, "These two reports are: one is the 'Science and Technology Innovation Park' project in the southern district of Jingzhou, and the other is the 'International Logistics Port' project in the eastern new district."

The entire room fell silent.

"The total investment reported for these two projects reached 20 billion yuan." Chu Pingshan turned a page. "But I checked the cash flow and on-site construction progress yesterday. The so-called science and technology park is just a piece of wasteland with two unfinished buildings; the logistics port hasn't even finished its foundation, and its funding chain has been broken for half a year."

Chu Pingshan looked at the mayor of Jingzhou sitting to his side.

"Using two unfinished zombie projects to masquerade as a multi-billion-dollar investment achievement—is this the report card Jingzhou has handed in?"

The mayor of Jingzhou was sweating profusely. He took out a handkerchief to wipe his brow and stammered, unable to speak.

Chu Pingshan ignored his embarrassment and directly presented the final data.

"Secretary Dakang has been emphasizing the economic strength of Jingzhou." Chu Pingshan stood up, placed his hands on the table, and surveyed the room with an imposing presence.

"But I did the math."

"If you remove these fraudulently reported zombie projects, Jingzhou's GDP is inflated by 11 percent."