Hou Liangping arrested a hawkish general, and his father-in-law panicked

"cough."

Sha Ruijin cleared his throat, breaking the suffocating silence.

"Comrades, we have invited you all here today because of something that everyone is very concerned about."

Sha Ruijin's opening remarks were, as usual, bureaucratic. "Recently, due to some... misunderstandings, some unpleasantness has arisen between Handong Province and the 20th Army. This has not only affected unity between the military and the local government, but has also brought some unnecessary trouble to Handong's social stability."

"Today, we have invited all parties involved here with an attitude of openness and problem-solving. Everyone should put everything on the table, clarify the issues, and resolve misunderstandings. Unity is our magic weapon to overcome all difficulties."

His words were flawless. He both determined the nature (misunderstanding) and pointed out the direction (unity), putting himself in the position of a mediator who took the overall situation into consideration.

Gao Yuliang listened from the side and secretly admired him.

Sha Ruijin's Tai Chi pushing hands are performed to perfection.

However, some people don't buy his tricks.

"Secretary Sha, I don't agree with you."

Zhao Lichun's voice rang out, hoarse and cold.

As soon as he opened his mouth, he kicked the ball thrown by Sha Ruijin back.

"This is not a misunderstanding!"

Zhao Lichun's gaze swept across everyone present, finally fixing itself on Zhao Yuanchao's face. "This is an organized and premeditated provocation against our local Party committee and government!"

"A serving army commander, without informing the local authorities or obtaining authorization from the Military Commission, arbitrarily deployed troops on our territory, blocked the city, and arrested our cadres! Secretary Sha, tell me, is there such a 'misunderstanding' anywhere in the world?!"

"This is warlord behavior! This is undermining the fundamental principle of our party's command of the gun!"

As soon as Zhao Lichun came up, he put two huge accusations on him.

He did not argue with Zhao Yuanchao about whether the arrest was right or wrong, but directly denied the action from the perspective of political principles, party discipline and national laws.

He wants to seize the commanding heights of morality and law.

"He Liming and Zhao Lidong are Party-managed cadres! Even if they truly have problems, they should be investigated and handled by our Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and the Provincial Political and Legal System! When will it be the military's turn to enforce family discipline on our cadres?"

"If they arrest a deputy mayor today, will they arrest the governor tomorrow? Will they roll tanks into the provincial party committee compound the day after tomorrow to hold our provincial party secretary accountable?"

Zhao Lichun's voice grew louder and louder, filled with grief, indignation and questioning.

"This loophole must not be opened! If it is opened, where will the face of our Handong Provincial Party Committee be? Where will the dignity of our local government be? Where will the majesty of our party discipline and national laws be?"

He slammed the table with a loud bang.

"I demand that the 20th Army immediately cease all operations in Jinghai! Immediately release all cadres they have illegally arrested! Then, high-ranking military officials must personally come to our Handong Provincial Party Committee to conduct a thorough self-examination!"

"There is no room for negotiation on this matter!"

After Zhao Lichun finished speaking, he leaned heavily back in his chair, breathing heavily.

There was dead silence in the conference room.

All Handong cadres, including Li Dakang, looked solemn.

Although Zhao Lichun's words were meant to excuse his own people, every word he said made sense.

Military-civilian relations have always been an extremely sensitive topic.

The military's interference in local affairs is the biggest taboo of all.

From a procedural point of view, Zhao Yuanchao's action this time was indeed an indisputable overstepping of authority.

Gao Yuliang adjusted his glasses and spoke slowly.

"Although Secretary Zhao's words were a bit emotional, the logic is sound."

His voice was steady, like a professor giving an academic presentation. "Our country is a society ruled by law. All actions must be conducted within the legal framework. The military has its responsibilities, and local authorities have their jurisdiction. There should be a clear boundary between the two. If this boundary is blurred, it will easily lead to many problems."

His words seemed to be speaking in support of Zhao Lichun, but in fact they were adding fuel to the fire.

He cleverly shifted the question from "Should Zhao Yuanchao arrest Zhao Lidong" to the larger and more unsolvable proposition of "division of powers and responsibilities between the military and local governments."

This time, the ball was kicked to Sha Ruijin's feet again.

As the provincial party secretary, Sha Ruijin, are you trying to safeguard local power and confront the military?

Or are we sacrificing local principles for the sake of so-called "military-civilian unity"?

Everyone's eyes were focused on Sha Ruijin and Zhao Yuanchao.

Sha Ruijin picked up the teacup, blew gently on the floating tea leaves, and said nothing.

He knew that now was the protagonist's turn.

The pressure in the entire conference room was instantly transferred to Zhao Yuanchao alone.

He became the target of public criticism.

However, Zhao Yuanchao's face still had that calm expression.

He even smiled at Zhao Lichun who was glaring at him.

In Zhao Lichun's opinion, that smile was full of silent mockery.

Zhao Lichun clenched his fists tightly under the table.

He just didn't believe that in front of so many members of the provincial party committee standing committee and in front of the iron laws of the party discipline and the country, he, Zhao Yuanchao, could still turn the tables!

The door of the conference room is closed.

No one can leave this meeting today!

If you don’t give me a satisfactory answer, this matter will never be over!

Chapter 119: Beating Zhao Lichun

Inside the conference room of the Provincial Party Committee Building.

Zhao Lichun: "I demand that the 20th Army must immediately cease all operations in Jinghai! Immediately release all cadres they have illegally arrested! Then, high-ranking military officials must personally come to our Handong Provincial Party Committee to conduct a profound self-examination!"

"There is no room for negotiation on this matter!"

After Zhao Lichun finished speaking, there was silence in the conference room for a long while.

"Zhao Lichun, are you finished?"

Zhao Yuanchao finally spoke. His voice was not loud, but it was like a sharp knife, instantly cutting through the solemn atmosphere in the conference room.

Zhao Lichun snorted coldly and didn't say anything.

Zhao Yuanchao smiled, and his eyes moved away from Zhao Lichun's face, which had turned the color of pig liver, and turned to Sha Ruijin who was sitting in the main seat.

"Secretary Sha, leaders."

He stood up and bowed slightly, his posture very straight, like a subordinate who came to report on his work.

Sha Ruijin, Gao Yuliang and others quickly stood up.

It is very unusual for a hawkish figure like Zhao Yuanchao to suddenly become polite.

"I was deeply moved by Zhao Lichun's remarks. The Party commands the gun. This is the unchanging spirit of our People's Army. No one, at any time, can waver from this fundamental principle."

When he said this, everyone was stunned.

This is……

Is it soft?

Gao Yuliang frowned slightly, he felt that things were not that simple.

With Zhao Yuanchao's character, he would never give in so easily.

A look of satisfaction flashed across Zhao Lichun's face.

He thought his words had the effect of frightening others.

"but,"

Zhao Yuanchao changed the subject, his voice suddenly becoming sharp. "We must not forget that a soldier's duty is to defend our country! When national security and the interests of the people are seriously threatened, we soldiers must stand up! This is a sacred duty written into the Constitution!"

He paused and his gaze fell back on Zhao Lichun.

"Zhao Lichun has just been talking about principles and procedures. Well, let's not discuss these empty things today."

Zhao Yuanchao's tone turned cold.

"Let's just talk about the facts."

He turned to Sha Ruijin and the Discipline Inspection Commission Secretary Tian Guofu. His voice was low, but every word was powerful: "Secretary Sha, Secretary Tian, ​​since the leaders of the Provincial Party Committee are here today, the 20th Army would like to take this opportunity to report to the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission the preliminary results of our investigation into Operation Thunder."

"I suppose this isn't against the rules, is it?"

Sha Ruijin looked at Zhao Yuanchao deeply, then nodded. "Of course it's not against the rules. We'd also like to know what other successes the 20th Army has had in Jinghai."

Gao Yuliang showed an interested look.

Zhao Lichun's heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition arose.

Zhao Yuanchao didn't say any more nonsense.

He took something out of his pocket.

Not a document, not a photo.

Instead, it was a black voice recorder that looked ordinary, even a little cheap.

He gently placed the recorder on the smooth conference table.

"despair."

It was a soft sound, but like a heavy bomb, it exploded in everyone's heart.

Zhao Lichun's pupils shrank to the size of a needle tip in an instant.

"Before the report, please listen to a recording."

Zhao Yuanchao said this, stretched out his finger and pressed the play button of the recorder.

After the crackling sound of electricity, a conversation was clearly heard in the conference room.

It was a woman's voice, crying and desperate.

"Mr. He, I beg you! Please let me go! I don't want anything anymore, I just want to live!"