"Stop! Everyone stop!"
Wang Zhongfei shouted, but the red-eyed villagers ignored him, trying to push past him as he stood blocking the office door.
"Halt!"
A stern roar, drowning out all the noise, brought the frenzied villagers to an immediate stop. They turned to look behind them.
The first thing they saw was several piles of people pressed together behind them.
From beneath these piles came wails, sinking their hearts and bringing three words to mind: something happened.
The second thing they saw were more than a dozen people with an air of authority walking towards them.
Even the dullest among them could recognize the authority emanating from these people as official power.
An official power more intense than that of Mayor Li or Secretary Ji.
Was this? The aftermath that Village Chief Wang had spoken of? Was the relocation plan really not as simple as saying it could be done?
Wan Zhongshan was glad he had proposed bypassing the county and going directly to the village for a visit.
He was also fortunate that his informant had told him that the village chief of Zhangshan Village had been promoted by Li Zhengguo. As he entered this village road, a possibility suddenly occurred to him, and sure enough, something had happened here.
If a life were lost here, Li Zhengguo, who had been appointed to the front line of the relocation, would surely face imprisonment.
After his roar of uncontrollable rage, his anger grew, and he raised his hand and gestured:
"Surround everyone. Anyone who dares to leave will be shot on sight!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the dozen or so bodyguards behind him immediately took out their weapons and spread out, pointing them at all the villagers.
The poverty alleviation and development leading group was composed of different member units, each led by the head of that unit.
But they were merely one member unit of the poverty alleviation leading group.
All member units still had to obey the several deputy leaders and the leader.
Those who could become deputy leaders were people in high positions, holding multiple posts, and one of the identities of these deputy leaders was that of a standing committee member.
At this time, at this place, in this scene, the deeper meaning behind it was understood by the deputy leader as well as Wan Zhongshan.
Understanding it made their hearts grow cold, and understanding it made them angry!
The sapling planting base in Ku Mountain had been bestowed upon it as the first planting base by him. This "first" represented the utmost importance and direct control.
Directly subordinate to their poverty alleviation leading group, directly subordinate to the state.
Thus, to be suppressed in such a manner was not only an insult to him but also lawless.
Therefore, Wan Zhongshan's order was also his order, and it was the order of the poverty alleviation leading group.
Seeing the weapons, the villagers were stunned.
Those villagers piled on top of each other, their bodies reacting faster than their minds in their fear, immediately got up and stood to the side, not daring to move.
The villagers on top had gotten up, but the villagers underneath could not. They had sustained injuries of varying degrees all over their bodies.
Wan Zhongshan looked at Wang Zhongfei at the office door: "Where is the village chief? Come out and speak."
Wang Zhongfei stepped forward: "I am Wang Zhongfei, the village chief of Zhangshan Village. Leaders, please come inside."
Wan Zhongshan gave Wang Zhongfei a cold glance: "Right here. Report the situation truthfully."
Wang Zhongfei saw disappointment and indifference in this leader's eyes. He no longer dared to be obsequious and quickly explained the cause of the incident.
Wan Zhongshan looked at the villagers who couldn't get up from the ground: "Point out who each person standing next to you is."
Soon, the two villagers who had pushed people, and Tian Liwen and Tian Liwu, were identified.
Wan Zhongshan waved to Wang Zhongfei: "Send the injured villagers for treatment. No villager is allowed to speculate wildly. Anyone who incites the villagers' emotions again will be immediately sent to the public security bureau for inciting unrest."
"Yes!"
Wang Zhongfei responded loudly.
Although Wan Zhongshan had been transferred to the poverty alleviation leading group, he still served concurrently as the Director of Criminal Investigation at the Ministry of Public Security.
Tian Liwen and the other three had no way to hide from Wan Zhongshan and confessed everything they knew.
Just as Wan Zhongshan had guessed, the plan was to provoke the villagers, have the troublemaking villagers get hurt, and then incite the injured villagers to go to Ku Mountain to cause trouble for Li Zhengguo, thereby making Li Zhengguo, who did not support the relocation, pay with his life.
The deputy leader waved his hand, and the four villagers were taken away by the bodyguards.
As Wan Zhongshan left, he told Wang Zhongfei: "I am Wan Zhongshan, Director of the Criminal Investigation Office of the Ministry of Public Security. I am taking these four villagers away for a reason."
Wang Zhongfei nodded and respectfully saw the group off.
On the minibus, the deputy leader asked Wan Zhongshan where their next stop was.
Wan Zhongshan smiled: "You want to go to Ku Mountain? Impossible. Since we have witnesses, we'll handle the matter in Ling County first. Otherwise, you'll only be met with indifference if you go. We'll go after we're done here."
The deputy leader also smiled: "Then what do you think about Captain Tian's long leave?"
Wan Zhongshan shook his head: "Based on my understanding of her, she will continue to request it. Catching the mastermind in Ling County is not enough to appease her anger."
The deputy leader pointed at him playfully: "You are not qualified to interfere in other matters, only within the scope of our poverty alleviation leading group."
"I know," Wan Zhongshan nodded. "Your purpose in coming here wasn't just to personally comfort Captain Tian? Wasn't it to make it clear to everyone the importance of the Ku Mountain nursery?"
"We do what we should do. It's enough not to let Captain Tian feel disheartened. As for other matters, I believe she has her own ways. She's the deputy captain of that team."
The deputy leader sighed: "What about the nursery planting base?"
"Cold noodles!" Having apprehended the four troublemaking villagers and stopped the escalation of the situation, Wan Zhongshan felt much better:
"I plan to approve her leave, indefinitely, so that those who are leisurely drinking tea will know the consequences of offending a capable person."
"That team does not belong to the poverty alleviation leading group. Who has the authority to order Captain Tian?"
The deputy leader looked at Wan Zhongshan: "At the beginning of the nursery's establishment, it was arranged by Captain Zeng."
Wan Zhongshan smiled: "Do you think I didn't know? When the poverty alleviation leading group was first established, the power distribution was chaotic. Captain Zeng arranged for Captain Tian to manage the nursery with the approval of the higher-ups. But now, the higher-ups have completely let go."
"You, you." The deputy leader smiled and shook his head. "Your personality hasn't changed in ten thousand years."
Wan Zhongshan retorted: "Why change it? After working under you for a few more years, I'll be retiring."
The deputy leader smiled helplessly: "Alright, alright, you just linger on."
...
In Ku Mountain, Li family's quadrangle courtyard.
Li Min paced angrily in several rooms of the main house.
Li's mother said with a headache: "Can you stop?"
"No," Li Min said, her face full of rage. "I want to beat someone, but I can't find anyone to beat."
Chen Suozhu pulled his wife away. Everyone was angry, and his wife was adding to the chaos.
Ouyang Meihua asked Tian Jing, who was guarding the telephone: "What are your plans?"
Tian Jing raised her eyelids: "I had a mishap with my body during training. I want to request a long leave. I'm waiting for a response from the poverty alleviation leading group."
Ouyang Meihua raised an eyebrow: "You called yesterday, and there's still no response?"
Tian Jing nodded: "Yes, it's a bit suspicious, so I'm waiting. If I don't hear back today..."
"Ring, ring, ring."
The phone interrupted Tian Jing. She picked up the receiver: "Hello?"
Wan Zhongshan looked at the deputy leader, completely indifferent to his dagger-like gaze:
"Tian Jing, your leave is approved. Rest well."
"By the way, your position as deputy captain does not fall under the jurisdiction of the poverty alleviation leading group."
Tian Jing smiled: "I know, but I am a person who sees things through. I can't just walk away. Since I can let go, I will let go completely. Thank you, Director Wan."
"You're welcome."
"Please also ask Director Wan to see how to arrange for those forty retired soldiers."
"Alright, I will pass this matter up the chain."