Absolute power in officialdom

Chapter 67 Demons and Monsters, Intrigues and Schemes

This wasn't a reminder from Zhang Wanlin; it was a blatant threat and a showdown!

Tao Sizhong suddenly sat upright in the water, staring intently at Zhang Wanlin: "Zhang Wanlin! What do you mean by this! Are you threatening me?"

Zhang Wanlin laughed heartily: "Secretary Tao, why are you so agitated? Did I hit your weak spot?"

This isn't a threat; it's self-defense, and more importantly, a reminder that we are now truly in a situation where if one of us is gone, the other will be in danger.

You clean up my mess, and I'll keep your secret; it's all a transaction.

But now, Xu Youwei has arrived with imperial authority, and he intends to take everything down.

If we continue to distrust and fight amongst ourselves, even trying to scapegoat each other, the end result will be that we all perish together!

Zhang Wanlin's voice turned cold: "You know better than I how Liu Ruyan died!"

I can make that evidence disappear forever, or I can make it appear on the provincial discipline inspection commission's desk!

I have detailed records of every penny you've taken from me over the years and every woman you've slept with!

Tao Sizhong, do you think you're safe just because you're sitting in the position of Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission? If I fall, you'll be the first one to take me down with you!

Tao Sizhong knew that Zhang Wanlin was telling the whole truth.

The bond between them is too deep; they're already in the same boat.

The evidence Zhang Wanlin possessed was enough to ruin his reputation, send him to jail, and even punish him severely...

He forced himself to calm down and said in a trembling voice, "Zhang Wanlin...you...you're ruthless! Fine, fine! You win!"

Zhang Wanlin softened his tone: "Secretary Tao, what we need most right now is not infighting, but sincere cooperation."

"Use your position and influence to keep a close eye on Xu Youwei's every move, delaying and interfering as much as possible. If necessary, you can even..."

He made a throat-slitting gesture, his eyes fierce.

Tao Sizhong felt a chill run down his spine. He knew Zhang Wanlin was ruthless and capable of anything when pushed to the limit.

But he was even more aware that using extreme measures against a municipal party secretary like Xu Youwei was extremely risky, and if exposed, it would lead to utter ruin.

"Wan Lin, calm down! We must never resort to such extreme measures unless absolutely necessary!"

Xu Youwei is a provincial-level cadre. If something happens to him in Longcheng, it will be a huge case. The higher authorities will definitely investigate it thoroughly, and none of us will be able to escape!

That would truly be playing with fire and courting disaster!

Tao Sizhong paused for a moment, then continued, "Wanlin, we're not fighting alone. Don't forget, Ai Kun and the others are here to clean up your mess."

Don't underestimate Ai Kun; he was Chiang Kai-shek's secretary.

When Chiang Kai-shek's army came to Longcheng last time, they gave Xu Youwei a warning, but it wasn't strong enough.

If necessary, Jiang Jun should exert greater pressure, even directly intervening in the investigation in Longcheng from the provincial level. This is the best course of action.

Zhang Wanlin had to admit that directly eliminating Xu Youwei physically was too risky and was a last-ditch effort.

Using high-level power to suppress is indeed the least costly method.

He scoffed, "Aikun? Of course he'll protect me, but he'll protect himself even more!"

If the fire gets too big and burns him, whether he will abandon the pawn to save the king is anyone's guess.

Therefore, we cannot place all our hopes on others.

Tao Sizhong chuckled a few times: "Over the years, Ai Kun has taken no shortage of benefits from you and slept with no shortage of your women, hasn't he? Everyone knows he's a regular at Villa No. 5."

Zhang Wanlin snorted coldly: "Don't forget, he's Chiang Kai-shek's man. His first priority is to protect Chiang Kai-shek's reputation and his own official position!"

If the fire really gets out of control, do you think he would sacrifice himself completely to protect me?

In critical moments, sacrificing pawns to save the rook is a common tactic used by these people!

Zhang Wanlin had Tao Sizhong completely under his control because Tao Sizhong was not only greedy for money and lustful, but also involved in a murder case.

But Iain is different; he won't accept cash.

So far, Iain has only accepted a watch and some cigarettes and alcohol.

But Iqbal had a good way to make money: lending at exorbitant interest rates.

Zhang Wanlin was not short of money, but he still accepted Ai Kun's loan of five million yuan with an interest rate of two percent.

Ai Kun was a womanizer, and Villa No. 5 practically became his palace.

But whether Ai Kun accepted luxury watches, cigarettes and alcohol, loan sharking, or womanizing, it was all just a violation of discipline. At most, he would be dismissed from his post and given a disciplinary punishment. He was not suspected of committing any illegal or criminal acts.

Tao Sizhong tentatively said, "There's no cat in the world that doesn't eat fish. I don't believe Xu Youwei really doesn't eat fish. How can we find something to use against him?"

Zhang Wanlin said, "Xu Youwei lives in the city's armed police detachment camp, which is inaccessible to ordinary people. Your honey trap failed last time, didn't it?"

Secretary Tao, I still admire you for actually letting your own daughter participate.

Tao Sizhong chuckled awkwardly, "You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub."

If we could win over Xu Youwei, it would be worth it. The key is that Xu Youwei is completely unyielding.

I have a new idea that can trip up Xu Youwei.

Zhang Wanlin's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly asked, "What kind of sign?"

Tao Sizhong said slowly, "Your Jintang Group is a leading enterprise in Longcheng, with great influence and is a major taxpayer."

Under the guise of safety inspections and failure to meet environmental standards, the group temporarily suspended production at several of its key factories and mines for rectification, or delayed investment in some major projects.

This creates the illusion of declining economic indicators and worker unemployment in Longcheng.

Then, through Ai Kun or other channels, they reported to the provincial authorities that Xu Youwei's radical policies were affecting economic development.

They could also manipulate public opinion, hiring online trolls and bribing independent media outlets to spread rumors that Xu Youwei was ambitious, marginalizing local officials, running a "one-man show," and engaging in unrealistic and reckless actions that damaged Longcheng's original healthy political environment.

Zhang Wanlin waved his hand: "Making my company stop production won't work! Take Longqiao Coal Mine for example, if it stops production for even a day, it will lose several million yuan."

However, hiring online trolls to smear and spread rumors is acceptable.

You could find a man who bears some resemblance to Xu Youwei, film some indecent videos, or use face-swapping technology to report Xu Youwei for having questionable lifestyle.

It's hard to distinguish between true and false information online these days. Even if things are eventually clarified, Xu Youwei's reputation will be ruined. How will the provincial leaders view him?

How much prestige can a municipal party secretary who is embroiled in scandals as soon as he takes office still have to carry out his work?

This could indeed cause him a lot of trouble, distract him, and buy us time!

Tao Sizhong chimed in, "That's right! What we want is to keep him busy and embroiled in a media storm."

As long as he's preoccupied with his own problems and overwhelmed with other issues, he naturally won't have the energy to delve into your background.

Zhang Wanlin made up his mind: "Let's do it this way. As long as it costs a little money, these things are no big deal."

Tao Sizhong reminded him: "Wan Lin, Xu Youwei's people, and his family can all be used as breakthroughs."

Xu Youwei trusted his secretary Wu Zhiyuan very much. If we remove Wu Zhiyuan, this thorn in our side, it will be equivalent to removing Xu Youwei's right-hand man.

Xu Youwei's wife, Liu Qingqing, is about to be transferred to the Longcheng City Cultural Center, and their daughter will also be studying in Longcheng. This isn't a secret. They could make a story out of it.

Zhang Wanlin's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately had an idea: "What if we could create some rumors about Wu Zhiyuan and Liu Qingqing?"