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

As soon as Zhao Lichun finished speaking, the air in the conference room became heavier.

These words were not a warning, but a declaration of war.

Everyone knew that Secretary Zhao was setting the tone for today's meeting, intending to put the newly arrived "dragon crossing the river" on the hot seat.

Everyone turned their attention to Shen Zhong.

Shen Zhong sat there, his face expressionless, and even slowly unscrewed the pen cap.

He sat upright with perfect posture, holding a pen in his hand, writing something in the black notebook, showing no intention of defending himself.

Zhao Lichun's brow twitched, he picked up his teacup, and said nothing more.

He is waiting.

Wait until the first knife strikes.

"cough."

A cough broke the silence.

Zhu Jichang, the Party Secretary of Lüzhou City, put down his teacup and pulled the microphone in front of him closer to his mouth.

He was Zhao Lichun's old subordinate; at a time like this, if he didn't step in, who would?

"Since the Party Secretary has encouraged everyone to speak freely, I'll start by offering my humble opinion."

Zhu Jichang pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, his eyes sharp.

"Recently, some things have happened in the province, causing widespread anxiety among the locals."

"In particular, some departments use too harsh and brutal methods when handling local disputes."

As Zhu Jichang spoke, he tapped his fingers on the table, making a loud, rhythmic sound.

"Let me give you an example, the sand dunes at Baima River."

"We acknowledge that there were indeed some irregularities there, and the local authorities are currently undergoing rectification procedures."

"But what was the result?"

Zhu Jichang raised his voice.

"Without any notification or coordination, they just brought in heavy machinery and leveled the site!"

"That's a multi-million dollar investment project! It's a key project for attracting investment to Luzhou!"

"With this kind of approach, who will dare to invest in Handong in the future? Who will dare to do business with us?"

Zhu Jichang became more and more excited as he spoke, and the flesh on his face was trembling.

"Some comrades may think this is decisive and efficient, but in my opinion, it's just playing the fool!"

"This is destroying the hard-won economic development environment of Handong!"

The hat is very big.

In this era where GDP is the sole measure of success, undermining economic development is essentially a crime.

The meeting room was quiet, with only Zhu Jichang's slightly heavy breathing.

Gao Yuliang sat there, his fingers stroking the inside of the thermos, without even lifting his eyelids.

He was waiting for Shen Zhong's reaction.

But Shen Zhong continued writing without even looking up.

Seeing that Shen Zhong did not react, Zhu Jichang felt even more confident.

Is this a case of being in the wrong?

Scared?

That's true. Soldiers are good at fighting, but they're still too green to play politics.

"Secretary Ji Chang is right."

A deep voice came from the side.

Zhou Guichun, the Party Secretary of Lincheng City, took over the conversation.

He and Zhu Jichang were classmates at the Party School and had a very good personal relationship. He was also a core member of Zhao's faction.

"The military's duty is to defend the country, not to interfere in local administrative affairs."

Zhou Guichun opened the documents in front of him, his tone serious.

"Every place has its own rules, public security organs, procuratorates, and courts, and a complete set of judicial and administrative procedures."

"If everyone speaks with their fists and acts with guns, then what's the point of the law? What's the point of local governments like us?"

Zhou Guichun looked in Shen Zhong's direction, her gaze meaningful.

"Whether it's arresting people or seizing property, we must follow procedures and rely on evidence."

"By bypassing the local Party committee and taking direct action, this is a serious overreach of authority."

"If this practice of acting first and reporting later is encouraged, will Handong still be a society governed by the rule of law?"

The two sang in perfect harmony, their voices complementing each other flawlessly.

One talks about economic impact, the other about procedural justice.

Two knives, each one drawing blood.

"I agree with the views of both secretaries."

"Yes, this is a huge disregard for the local government."

"Procedural justice must be upheld; there should be no exceptions."

Several Standing Committee members who were aligned with Zhao Lichun echoed his sentiments. Their voices were not loud, but when combined, they formed a powerful chorus.

The entire conference room seemed to have been transformed into a courtroom.

Only Shen Zhong sat in the dock.

Liu Changchun frowned.

He felt that Zhu Jichang and Zhou Guichun's words were a bit excessive.

Shen Zhong was indeed ruthless, but everyone knew about the mess behind that battlefield.

However, seeing Zhao Lichun's calm and collected demeanor, Liu Changchun swallowed back the words he was about to say.

Immortals fight, mortals suffer.

He didn't want to get himself into trouble at this time.

Chen Huai took out his pen and quickly jotted down the meeting minutes, secretly chuckling to himself.

This situation is stable.

With so many Standing Committee members launching a collective attack, even those from Beijing would have to bow their heads and admit their mistakes.

Once Shen Zhong bows his head and makes a self-criticism, his prestige in Handong will be completely destroyed.

Zhao Lichun leaned back in his chair, watching the one-sided "criticism session," and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes smoothed out.

now it's right.

This is the rhythm that Handong should have.

Here, he is the absolute authority.

Anyone who tries to challenge this authority will be crushed to dust by this vast and tightly knit bureaucratic system.

Zhao Lichun felt that the time was almost right.

He cleared his throat.

The noise in the conference room immediately stopped.

"Everyone's opinions are very pertinent."

Zhao Lichun's gaze swept across the entire room, finally settling on Shen Zhong.

"Comrade Shen Zhong, you were taking notes the whole time, your attitude was quite proper."

"Although you come from the military and may not be used to the local way of working, since you are in this position, you should humbly accept the criticism from your comrades."

Zhao Lichun spoke earnestly, displaying the demeanor of a kind and venerable elder.

"What are your thoughts on the opinions raised by everyone just now? Or is there anything you'd like to explain?"

This is an ultimatum.

If Shen Zhong were to speak up to defend himself or admit his mistake, he would be guilty of "acting rashly."

Shen Zhong finally put down his pen.

He closed the black notebook with a soft click.

"Smack."

The sound was very crisp.

Shen Zhong raised his head, his gaze calm as still water, even with a faint smile.

He did not answer Zhao Lichun's question immediately, but instead looked at Zhu Jichang, who had been shouting the loudest.

That look in his eyes was like watching a monkey putting on a great show.

Zhu Jichang felt a little uneasy under that gaze.

But he quickly regained his composure.

This is the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee meeting, Zhao Lichun's home turf. Does this guy think he can turn the world upside down?

Zhu Jichang sneered and decided to add fuel to the fire.

He leaned forward, staring directly at Shen Zhong, his tone aggressive.

"Standing Committee Member Shen, why aren't you saying anything?"

"Don't you think our local comrades are making a mountain out of a molehill?"

"We are only addressing the issue, not the person."

Zhu Jichang wore that repulsive fake smile.

"I hope you can understand the difficulties faced by our local comrades. After all, developing the economy is not like fighting a war; you can't rely on brute force alone."

"We must be scientific and follow the rules, don't you agree?"