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

Xia Qing's assertive remarks surprised everyone.

Secretary Qian, who had been beaming with pride, suddenly froze in place, then awkwardly laughed:

"Oh dear, Minister Xia, I was just using an analogy. How could I possibly let a dog into the civil service? You're taking this a bit too seriously..."

Upon hearing this, Sha Ruijin frowned.

What's wrong with Secretary Qian? Is he really that incompetent?

Secretary Sha looked at Tian Guofu, who was looking at the ceiling, avoiding Sha Ruijin's gaze.

Xia Qing naturally wouldn't let this opportunity slip by, and sneered:

"Take it seriously? Secretary-General Qian, you can't just use a metaphor like this that relates to the quality of my Organization Department's work. If you bring it up, I'll definitely take it seriously."

Just as Tian Guofu was about to smooth things over, Xia Qing didn't give him the chance and immediately followed up with another sentence:

"However, Secretary-General Qian himself said it was just an analogy, which means the example he gave was exaggerated and untenable. Since that's the case, I won't delve into it further. But Secretary-General Qian, I'll call you Comrade Qian Tu. Any statement must be based on reason and evidence. Making things up like this will damage the credibility of your future statements."

Despite the cold winter weather, Secretary-General Qian was sweating slightly, and he unconsciously reached out to wipe it away.

Sha Ruijin quickly spoke up, saving Secretary-General Qian, who was being completely suppressed by Xia Qing:

"Ahem, alright, Comrade Qian Tu, Comrade Xia Qing has given you some constructive criticism, so please keep it in mind. Now let's continue. Next up is... Comrade Yu Liang, please give your speech."

Governor Liu, observing the situation with a detached eye, was fully aware of everything. If Xia Qing continued speaking, Secretary-General Qian would likely be eliminated prematurely.

Sha Ruijin couldn't allow the thugs and mouth doubles he had specially hired to be eliminated without playing any role, so he was forced to speak up, interrupting Xia Qing's offensive and pulling Secretary Qian aside.

In this way, the initial impression of the democratic life meeting has been formed:

Secretary-General Qian is no match for Xia Qing!

With this in mind, Governor Liu looked at Gao Yuliang with great interest, ready to hear what kind of self-criticism he would make.

"Comrades, I'd like to offer some self-reflection regarding the problems at Crescent Lake Food City. Back then..."

Gao Yuliang started by mentioning Crescent Lake Food City, which didn't surprise anyone.

After all, the only obvious problem with Gao Yuliang recently is probably the approval of the food court back then.

Because the environmental inspection team led by Yi Xuexi failed to find any corruption issues in Gao Yuliang's approval process back then.

Therefore, Gao Yuliang only addressed the issue from an environmental perspective, emphasizing that it was a necessary measure to develop the tertiary industry back then.

A series of self-criticisms sounded more like a recounting of the hardships of the past.

Sha Ruijin was certainly not satisfied with this result.

He was about to speak when he saw Gao Yuliang put away his manuscript and continue:

"Next, I would like to focus on the issue of Public Security Bureau Chief Qi Tongwei."

These words were spoken.

Everyone looked at each other.

Did Gao Yuliang bring up Qi Tongwei on his own initiative?

Could it be a strategic retreat?

"As the Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, I failed to promptly criticize and educate Qi Tongwei, the Director of the Public Security Department, regarding some of his issues, which constitutes negligence and inaction. Taking this opportunity of self-criticism, I will also bring out some of my own problems, expose them to the light, and let them be frank and sweat it out."

Gao Yuliang spoke calmly and then began to list Qi Tongwei's problems.

Sha Ruijin and Tian Guofu listened attentively, but the more they listened, the more they felt something was wrong.

Gao Yuliang's explanation of Qi Tongwei's problem completely evaded the main issue.

The issues mentioned were mostly minor, such as a lack of initiative in learning, a failure to improve professional skills, and a lack of effective work methods—better than nothing.

These issues were completely insignificant to Gao Yuliang, but he expressed deep remorse and earnestness for not correcting Qi Tongwei in time.

Sha, Tian, ​​and Qian exchanged glances, unsure of what to do.

Qi Tongwei raised some issues, but they were all minor.

Gao Yuliang's self-criticism was sincere and earnest.

How do I bring this up?

While the others hesitated, Gao Yuliang had already finished speaking and sat back down.

Sha Ruijin knew that if he didn't take control of the meeting's direction, it might really become just a formality.

So, Sha Ruijin cleared his throat and said:

"Just now, Comrade Dakang and Comrade Yuliang both gave speeches, and their analyses of their own problems were very insightful and to the point. In particular, Comrade Yuliang reflected on his own problems through the issue of his subordinate, the Director of the Public Security Bureau, which is a very good perspective! For this reason, I would also like to say something to Comrade Dakang again: as the top leader of Jingzhou City, you should take the initiative to assume leadership responsibility for the problems of some of your subordinates, such as Ding Yizhen, so as to effectively prevent the same problems from happening again in the future."

Sha Ruijin's words caught Li Dakang completely off guard.

Li Dakang's mind was a little fuzzy, but he quickly started thinking.

My loyalty to Secretary Sha is as clear as day.

On the very first day Secretary Sha arrived in Handong, I was already planning a Sha-Li pairing and actively sought to get closer to him and cooperate.

Logically speaking, I was the first among the leadership team left behind by Zhao Lichun to surrender to Secretary Sha.

Why did you, Secretary Sha, turn on me during the democratic life meeting?

Li Dakang felt wronged and confused. He didn't understand why Sha Ruijin would bring up Ding Yizhen's stain at this critical juncture.

This is like digging into his festering sore!

Seeing Li Dakang's expression change drastically, the quick-witted Tian Guofu immediately offered a reminder:

"I wholeheartedly agree with Secretary Sha's words. However, I also have a somewhat immature opinion. That is, Ding Yizhen's problem may not be a minority. He may very well represent a phenomenon in our ranks: cadres who appear upright on the surface but engage in underhanded and corrupt practices behind the scenes!"

Tian Guofu's words had an effect. With Li Dakang's experience, he only needed to ponder for a few seconds before he immediately understood the meaning of Tian Guofu's words and the true purpose of Sha Ruijin mentioning Ding Yizhen.

Ding Yizhen is just a starting point.

What we really need to discuss is bringing Qi Tongwei back into the spotlight.

Since you, Gao Yuliang, brought up Qi Tongwei's problem, you downplayed it and made it disappear.

Therefore, as the Party Secretary of Jingzhou City who has had the same experience as you, you should naturally bring Ding Yizhen to the forefront as well.

In this way, Qi Tongwei and Ding Yizhen can be compared in the following speech.

But anyone with eyes can see that.

Qi Tongwei's problems do not involve any fundamental errors.

Ding Yizhen, however, had already genuinely fled the country out of fear of punishment.

The two people are in completely different situations, like heaven and earth.

To draw any comparisons between them would be an insult to Qi Tongwei.

However, Li Dakang keenly realized that Sha Ruijin wanted to use Li Dakang's support for Ding Yizhen as an analogy for Gao Yuliang's support for Qi Tongwei.

In this way, Qi Tongwei's case will be forced to be compared with that of a criminal like Ding Yizhen.

For a public security bureau chief who had the opportunity to become a vice-provincial level official, this was a devastating blow to his reputation and face.

Secretary Sha, what a brilliant move to copy someone else's actions!

Li Dakang felt immense admiration for Sha Ruijin's political skills.

After careful consideration, he gave what he considered the most perfect answer:

"Secretary Sha and Secretary Tian are absolutely right. I was deeply inspired by their remarks. Comrades, when our subordinates have problems, we leaders must take responsibility; that's perfectly understandable. Speaking of Ding Yizhen, I get so angry. That guy is usually so respectful to me and incredibly efficient at his work, who knew he was such a scoundrel behind my back!"

At this point, Li Dakang paused deliberately, then looked at Gao Yuliang and sneered:

"I wonder if Qi Tongwei is similar to Ding Yizhen?"