Absolute power in officialdom

Chapter 307 Two Battlefields

Wu Zhiyuan realized that this was blatant bribery and vote-buying.

But it was done very discreetly.

Like Hu Lijin, she was reluctant to talk about things unless asked indirectly, and would only speak when she was almost called out by name.

The others are probably the same.

After all, it's something that can't be brought into the open, so who would make a big fuss about it?

In the election of county magistrate, a candidate needs to receive more than half of the votes to be elected.

Even if you're campaigning, there's no need to win the support of all the delegates.

They would not give money or gifts to representatives who are of good character and upright.

That would not only fail to achieve anything, but would actually make things worse.

Flies do not bite seamless eggs.

Only eggs with cracks will attract flies.

Many representatives don't actually know who they represent, or they know who they represent but can't resist the temptation of material things.

Wu Zhiyuan realized that Hu Lijin's confession confirmed his worst suspicions—a meticulously planned and targeted bribery scheme had quietly spread among some delegates like a virus.

Behind this lies the temptation of profit, the pressure of a close-knit community, and a disregard for Party discipline and national laws.

Wu Zhiyuan cautioned, "Mayor Hu, the fact that you took the initiative to speak out shows that you still have a bottom line and haven't completely fallen into it."

You should take that shopping card and note directly to the county discipline inspection commission and find Secretary Lang Wenping. Tell him that you voluntarily turned over the gifts and money you received in violation of regulations.

I spoke with Secretary Lang beforehand, explaining that since you proactively explained and handed over the document, your attitude was correct, and the organization would not hold you responsible.

Hu Lijin felt a sense of relief: "County Chief Wu, thank you so much. This card was like a hot potato to me."

At the time, I accepted it out of politeness, and also because everyone else had accepted it.

To be honest, I didn't know at the time that the gift card was worth 5,000 yuan; I thought it was a gift worth at most a few hundred yuan.

I wouldn't dare say I'm particularly incorruptible, but I'm definitely not a corrupt official.

Afterwards, I learned that it was a 5,000 yuan shopping card. I regretted it and was afraid that my innocence of so many years would be ruined.

However, I don't know how to back out. I'm afraid I won't be able to explain myself clearly, and I'm also afraid of betraying others.

As you know, water that is too clear has no fish, and a person who is too discerning has no followers. I'm afraid that I'm too unsociable, and in the future, no one will dare to get too close to me.

Having worked my way up from the bottom for so many years, I know very well what that kind of isolation means.

But I also know in my heart that it's not worth risking my political life for the sake of personal relationships.

Wu Zhiyuan could understand what Hu Lijing was thinking.

Being too serious and rigid in a workplace often leads to loneliness.

Wu Zhiyuan comforted him, saying, "Mayor Hu, I've worked in townships before, so I understand how you feel."

Social skills and interpersonal relationships are paramount. Often, it's not that principles are unclear, but rather that people are too proud to admit it, afraid of hurting feelings, and even more afraid of being labeled as unsociable or hypocritical, which would make future work extremely difficult.

However, you need to think clearly about what true conformity really means.

Does it mean colluding with those who engage in crooked and evil practices?

What good is joining such a "group"? Will it help you improve, or will it give you peace of mind?

That will only make you sink deeper, and in the end, everyone will be wallowing in the mud, and no one will be able to clean themselves up.

After ending his call with Hu Lijin, Wu Zhiyuan went upstairs to Lang Wenping's residence.

The two were old friends, so they didn't need to beat around the bush when speaking.

Lang Wenping was shocked when he heard from Wu Zhiyuan that someone had tried to bribe Wang Meili and Hu Lijin.

"Wenping, this is no longer a simple violation of discipline, but a premeditated, organized, and targeted act of bribery."

Their goal was very clear: to remove County Chief Ding from office at the People's Congress and to promote Cheng Tan to the position by electing someone else.

I'm telling you all this tonight to discuss how to deal with this.

Lang Wenping tentatively suggested, "Should we go to County Chief Ding's office and discuss it with her?"

Wu Zhiyuan nodded and said, "That works too. I'll contact County Magistrate Ding to see if he's staying at his residence."

Ding Yiyi, like Wu Zhiyuan and Lang Wenping, was a cadre transferred to another region and lived in temporary housing.

Her residence was not in the same building as Wu Zhiyuan and Lang Wenping, but it was very close, as they lived in the same residential complex.

Wu Zhiyuan and Lang Wenping arrived at Ding Yiyi's residence.

Ding Yiyi was dressed in pajamas, with her long hair draped over her shoulders, looking every bit the delicate woman. Judging from her gentle appearance, she didn't seem like a county magistrate, but rather a stay-at-home woman.

Without much small talk, Wu Zhiyuan got straight to the point and told Hu Lijin everything she had said.

Ding Yiyi's expression was grave: "The situation is more serious and more rampant than I expected."

This is no longer a small-scale act by an individual, but a systematic bribery scheme involving organized, premeditated individuals, financial backers, and front-line operators.

The objective was clear, and the methods were covert and diverse, all aimed at this county magistrate election.

Hu Lijing's voluntary confession opened a crack in our understanding.

However, relying solely on Hu Lijing's testimony and a shopping card, the chain of evidence is too weak to form an ironclad case, let alone shake the potentially enormous entity behind it.

She looked at Lang Wenping: "Secretary Lang, you are the secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission. From a professional perspective, what do you think we should do next?"

Should we take immediate action against Hu Quanyou, or continue the covert investigation to gather more evidence?

Lang Wenping said with a serious expression: "My opinion is that this case is of great importance and may involve a wide range of people, and may even touch on the main leaders of the county."

If we were to take coercive measures or launch a public investigation against Hu Quanyou now in the name of the county discipline inspection commission, the news would immediately leak out, alerting him to the danger.

Our adversaries are likely to take countermeasures, such as destroying evidence, colluding with each other, or even turning the tables on us. At that point, we will be in a very passive position.

Conversely, if we do not take action and merely observe from the shadows, the other side is likely to continue its activities and gain enough representatives.

"Once the results of the People's Congress vote are in, the die is cast, and it will be too difficult for us to overturn the verdict."

Ding Yiyi and Wu Zhiyuan both nodded silently. This was precisely the dilemma they were currently facing—whether they moved or not, the risks were both very high.

Lang Wenping continued, "My idea is that we must rely on the city's resources, and we must act quickly and decisively."

Because relying solely on our county, we would find it difficult to handle such a complex situation on our own, given the limited authority, resources, and potential pressures.

I suggest that County Chief Ding, you and I go to the city tomorrow to give an urgent face-to-face report to Comrade Lin Xue, Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee, and Comrade Han Ying, Member of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee and Secretary of the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection.

We will report the current situation to the two leaders in its entirety.

Wu Zhiyuan cautioned, "Won't it arouse suspicion from Cheng Tanzhi and the others if you all go to the city together tomorrow? Won't it make them wary?"

Ding Yiyi chimed in, "Zhiyuan's reminder was very timely. If Wenping and I go to the city together, Cheng Tanzhi and the others will know immediately."

However, I was going to the city tomorrow to attend a symposium on optimizing the business environment, which was a planned itinerary and wouldn't arouse any suspicion.

Wenping, can you come up with some excuse? Like, to report on a specific task at the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection?

Lang Wenping thought for a moment and said, "I need to submit a progress report on the special campaign against grassroots petty corruption to the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection these next few days."

Tomorrow, I will go to Geng Dongqing's place to report to him first.

Firstly, it was out of superficial respect, after all, he was the county party secretary.

Secondly, it was also to reassure him and prevent him from suspecting my true motives for going to the city.

Wu Zhiyuan laughed and said, "This is a battle of wits and courage."

Ding Yi nodded and said, "That's right, this is a battle of wits and courage without the smoke of gunpowder. One wrong step and the whole game is lost."

She stood up and paced back and forth in the living room, thinking as she paced. After a few minutes, she slowly spoke: "Tomorrow morning, I will go to the city for a meeting. After the meeting, I will meet with Secretary Lin to report on the relevant situation."

Wenping, go report to Secretary Geng Dongqing, and then go to the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection to see Secretary Han.

When reporting to city leaders, three points should be emphasized:

First, what we have is not just hearsay, but concrete evidence of bribery with witnesses and physical proof, and the bribery is ongoing, with the direct aim of interfering in the county magistrate election.

Second, this matter occurred on the eve of the county people's congress, and time was of the essence. If it was not dealt with decisively, it could result in the election being manipulated as a fait accompli, with extremely serious consequences.

Third, the county discipline inspection commission has limited resources and involves county-level leaders, requiring strong support from the municipal discipline inspection commission and even the municipal party committee.

……

After listening to Ding Yiyi's report, Lin Xue looked serious and called Han Ying to her office.

"Secretary Han, this is the situation." Lin Xue tapped her fingers unconsciously on the table. "The problem in Qingshan County is extremely serious. It's no longer a simple violation of discipline, but rather an organized attempt to sabotage the election."

Han Ying's expression was stern. Like Lin Xue before her, she was a female discipline inspection secretary known for her iron-fisted approach and strictness.

"Secretary Lin, although the situation reported by County Chief Ding is serious, there is currently limited direct evidence."

Hu Quanyou and others were just middlemen; who were the real operators and financiers behind them?

How large is their network? We don't know yet.

If we launch a large-scale investigation now, it might alert key figures and lead to the destruction or concealment of crucial evidence.

Lin Xue nodded slightly: "Secretary Han, I understand your concerns. But time waits for no one."

The People's Congress of Qingshan County will officially open next week. Once the election process begins, it will be difficult to interfere, and the county will be in a very passive position.

We must react effectively within this window of opportunity, upholding the seriousness and fairness of the election while avoiding any actions that could alert the enemy and cause all our previous efforts to be in vain.

She paused, then continued, "Now there are two battlefields."

One is the election battlefield, where it is essential to ensure that the People's Congress can proceed smoothly in accordance with laws and regulations, and that the organization's intentions are achieved.

The other battleground is the fight against corruption. This unhealthy trend of attempting to manipulate elections must be eradicated completely, regardless of who is involved.