Nominal: The pinnacle of power began in the sixth province of Handong.

Xia Qing's research was in full swing, and the others in Handong were not idle either.

Since Xia Qinggang had just arrived in Handong, he showed a subtle tendency to align himself with Gao Yuliang, causing Sha Ruijin's offensive against the Handong University gang to gradually slow down.

But it can't keep slowing down forever.

Sha Ruijin felt that since being parachuted into Handong, he had not yet been able to achieve any substantial results.

In particular, none of the tasks assigned by the higher authorities were completed.

Feeling anxious, he desperately wanted to find a breakthrough somewhere.

But to no avail.

Therefore, Sha Ruijin summoned Tian Guofu to his office once again.

This time, Sha Ruijin's expression was extremely solemn, and there were faint dark circles under his eyes.

Sensing that something was amiss, Tian Guofu stood cautiously beside Sha Ruijin, not daring to find a stool to sit on.

Sha Ruijin pondered for a long time before speaking:

"What's the progress on the investigations by the Discipline Inspection Commission into Ding Yizhen and Ouyang Qing, and by the Jingzhou Public Security Bureau into Cai Chenggong?"

Tian Guofu scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed, and said:

"Reporting to the Secretary, the investigation into Ding Yizhen is still ongoing, but it has stalled at the division-level cadre level, and we can't find any contact with any department-level cadres... As for Ouyang Qing's bribery, according to her, it was a routine rebate operation in the financial sector. We couldn't find anything, and we couldn't dig deeper, so we released her... As for Cai Chenggong..."

Sha Ruijin said coldly:

"In other words, you've gained nothing. What happened to Tsai Cheng-gong? I'm hoping to hear some good news."

Tian Guofu said in an increasingly lower voice:

"He only said that he had bribed Ding Yizhen and Ouyang Qing, and knew nothing else..."

"Bang!" Sha Ruijin slammed his hand on the table, startling Tian Guofu!

"Comrade Guofu! I am extremely dissatisfied with the efficiency of the Discipline Inspection Commission! We've been in Handong for three months now, and besides rejecting Qi Tongwei's promotion to vice-provincial level, what have we done? Have we taken down the Handong University clique? Have we uncovered Zhao Lichun's problems?"

Sha Ruijin grew increasingly angry as he spoke; this was the first time he had ever lost his temper like this in front of Tian Guofu.

"All leads have been deliberately cut off; not a single tiger has been discovered, only flies! Tell me, with the year coming to an end, when I go to Beijing to report on my work, will I report to the leaders about the delicious food in Handong or the pleasant environment?"

Tian Guofu remained silent.

Sha Ruijin's words were all spot on.

Two parachuted-in cadres accomplished nothing in three whole months; it would only make them a laughing stock if word got out.

What made Tian Guofu most ashamed was that if it weren't for Hou Liangping's reckless behavior, they wouldn't even have been able to get any information from Ouyang Qing.

Tian Guofu couldn't help but wonder, what exactly was Xia Qing doing here, parachuting down from above?

Upon arriving, he made it clear that he was aligning himself with Gao Yuliang and rejected Sha Ruijin's offer to recruit him.

As a result, the Han University gang was able to retreat unscathed from the first offensive meticulously organized by Sha Ruijin.

Originally, after rejecting Qi Tongwei's appointment as vice-governor, the next step was to attack Gao Yuliang.

Now, Gao Yuliang is not only unharmed, but also has more confidence to remain calm and collected.

All of this is directly related to Xia Qing.

Is it...

Thinking of this, Tian Guofu cautiously asked:

"Secretary Sha, what exactly is Minister Xia here for...? It seems like he's supporting the Han University clique..."

Upon hearing this, Sha Ruijin became even more enraged. His eyes widened, and he roared:

"What do you think he's here for! We've frozen out the cadres, and after half a day we haven't seen any results, aren't we going to get angry from above? Sending Xia Qing down here is also a reminder to us: don't make any big moves until we're absolutely certain of victory!"

"Comrade Guofu, I must remind you again: Avoid making suggestions like freezing cadre appointments!"

Tian Guofu was on the verge of tears.

How did the freezing of cadres get dragged into this and I got dragged into it?

Wasn't it you, Sha Ruijin, who proposed the freeze to give the Han University clique and the cadres left behind by Zhao Lichun a hard time?

I just said in private, "Why don't we freeze these old people left behind by Zhao Lichun for now, and then quickly break through the Han University gang?"

You, Sha Ruijin, did something quite different. You froze the project without proper preparation, and it dragged on for over half a month with no progress. Now that Xia Qing has been sent over to resolve the issue, the new round of work can't proceed, and you're blaming me again!

A higher rank can have a crushing effect...

Even so, Tian Guofu certainly couldn't reveal it.

All I could do was force a smile and say:

"Secretary Sha, please calm down... there's always a way..."

Sha Ruijin sat back down in his chair, his gaze fixed on the table in front of him.

On the table were the report materials recently sent by Li Dakang.

Li Dakang stated that negotiations with the remaining shareholders of Dafeng Factory are progressing effectively.

The problem of large wind turbines is expected to be completely resolved in the short term.

At the same time, without affecting the overall progress of the Guangmingfeng project, the possibility of forced demolition cannot be ruled out.

Sha Ruijin frowned and said:

"Look at Xia Qing. After arriving in Handong, she quickly achieved results, and in such a high-profile way. Compared to the two of us, it's simply...sigh..."

As Tian Guofu looked at Li Dakang's report, he recalled the overall structure of Dafeng Factory in his mind. Suddenly, something occurred to him, and he said to Sha Ruijin:

"Secretary Sha, there's someone at Dafeng Factory we can investigate!"

Sha Ruijin asked without much expectation:

"Who?"

"Chen Qingquan, the one who issued the verdict for the Shanshui Group back then!" Tian Guofu said excitedly.

Sha Ruijin frowned. He had considered starting with Chen Qingquan, but it wasn't convenient.

Because of two things.

First, the statute of limitations for prosecution has expired since the original judgment, so it is inappropriate to investigate a serving leader of the Jingzhou Intermediate People's Court now.

Secondly, Chen Qingquan was Gao Yuliang's former secretary; taking action against him would be tantamount to slapping Gao Yuliang in the face. Having recovered from his initial shock, Gao Yuliang is now more vigilant and his retaliation will be even more ruthless.

Sha Ruijin was really unwilling to make such a big move that would allow for endless interpretations from the outside world without any prior preparation, but he had no breakthrough to get him to carry out his work, and was caught in a dilemma.

"Let's wait a bit, it's not the right time yet."

Sha Ruijin pondered for a moment, then suddenly thought of something and asked:

"Crescent Lake Food City... Have you made any progress in your covert investigation?"

Tian Guofu said in a low voice:

"Yes, this place is directly connected to Zhao Ruilong and Huilong Group, but it's not a good place to make a move..."

Sha Ruijin was immediately furious.

What does it mean to be difficult to do something?

That's because they're afraid of getting burned!

Tian Guofu may seem honest and simple, but he is actually quite cunning.

He was well aware that he had only been parachuted into Handong to work with Sha Ruijin.

Tian Guofu wouldn't touch the dirty work at the very front.

Moreover, launching an attack on the food court is tantamount to declaring war on the Zhao family.

No matter how you look at it, Tian Guofu wouldn't be happy to do this at this time.

Even so, Sha Ruijin cannot tolerate Tian Guofu's shirking of responsibility; how can the work be carried out if he keeps making excuses?

Therefore, Sha Ruijin said seriously:

"Comrade Guofu, you need to recommend a suitable candidate, someone who can launch an attack on the food court!"

Tian Guofu scratched his head again and said:

"Secretary Sha, there really is someone suitable."

"Who?" Sha Ruijin asked, not holding out much hope.

"Director of the Lüzhou Development Zone, Yi Xuexi."