Chapter 135: Chen's Goal Troubles (2)

  Chen Dengxiang looked at the investigation report on the forest fire in Chenjiawan, Shalong County, and his eyes almost burst into flames. He had never seen such a ridiculous report before. In his heart, Chen Dengxiang had an opinion about all the officials in Huaiyang City. How could they get away with such a sloppy job? If someone just paid a little attention, problems would arise, and it wouldn't be clear who would be implicated later on. Chen Dengxiang wanted to tell Chen Mubiao to be careful, but he hesitated when the words reached his lips. He didn't have an accurate prediction of how things would develop. If he was just being paranoid, it might backfire. Now, Chen Dengxiang's reputation was very high, and Provincial Party Secretary Jiang Yuhui highly appreciated him, saying that he might be promoted soon. If Chen Mubiao caused any trouble, everything might fall apart. For the first time, Chen Dengxiang felt helpless.

  The fire at Chenjiawan Forest Farm in Shalong County is still a concern for many people, mainly because it involves Chen Mubiao. Everyone knows that Chen Mubiao is the son of Chen Dengxiang and serves as the deputy secretary of the county party committee in Shalong County, overseeing agriculture and forestry. If Chen Mubiao were to receive disciplinary action due to this fire, no one would have any objections, thinking only that he was unlucky. Being an official also requires luck. However, if the county party committee and government of Shalong County take collective responsibility, what does this mean? Is it covering up for him because his father is a leader in Xilin City? Or because Chen Dengxiang is about to be promoted?

  Apart from Huaiyang City, some people in Xinye City also paid attention to this forest fire.

  A week later, two reporters secretly arrived in Huaiyang City. The identity of the visiting reporter is not simple, a reporter from Xishan Province Branch of Xinhua News Agency. Don't underestimate these unsung heroes, their abilities are still very strong. Nowadays, news reports are divided into several levels, and not all news can be published on party newspapers. Party newspapers generally report positive messages, but reporters have an ace in the hole, that is, the internal reference of Xinhua News Agency.

  Internal references are divided into several levels. Those submitted to the central leadership for direct review are internal references, which generally report negative news and provide the central leadership with a grasp of the actual situation at the grassroots level. Internal messages provided for provincial and ministerial-level leaders to review are those that involve relatively minor negative news or individual events, but can also be seen by central leaders. As for lower-level internal references, they are not major issues. Internal references can determine an official's political life, which is something many people in the bureaucracy know well. Therefore, Xinhua News Agency reporters are often treated as honored guests locally, after all, local governments always have some improper work to hide, and if a reporter uncovers it, officials may be brought down by internal references.

  Xu Shaojie had been paying attention to everything, so when the two reporters arrived in Huaiyang City, Xu Shaojie noticed because the editor-in-chief and deputy editor-in-chief of Huaiyang Daily knew these reporters. Xu Shaojie felt that something was not right, nothing had happened in Huaiyang City, and there was no need for Xinhua News Agency reporters to come unless it was about the forest fire in Shanlong County's Chenjiawan Forest Farm.

  Xu Shaojie's judgment was accurate, and the two reporters went directly to Salong County. Xu Shaojie's heart tightened up. The fire wasn't a big deal, so why would the reporters go there without notifying the party committee and government? There must be some problem or maybe someone in charge had spoken out, and they needed to investigate clearly.

  "Secretary Ding, two reporters from Xinhua News Agency stationed in Xishan Province have gone to Shalong County. I reckon they are investigating the forest fire at Chenjiawan Forest Farm."

  Ding Yuan narrowed his eyes and remained silent for a long time. However, Secretary Ding's sudden remark left Xu Shaojie shocked and pale.

  "Old Chen is in trouble."

  Xu Shaojie was just about to speak when Ding Yuan continued talking.

  "Shao Jie, go and lock the door. This matter is extremely important. Next step, you follow what I say to do, do your best, leave it to fate."

  Xu Shaojie hastily turned around to close the door, of course, he also had to close the door of his own office. In this way, people who came to find Secretary Ding Yuan would see that his office door was closed and understand that Secretary Ding had gone out.

  "Shao Jie, have you thought things through now?"

  "Secretary Ding, I thought of some ideas, but didn't think it would be so complicated."

  "Think of something and say it out loud, I'll listen."

  Xinhua News Agency reporter went to Shalong County for investigation, it's said that the fire at Chenjiawan Forest Farm was not a big deal, not worth reporting, but if the fire incident was reported in the internal reference, problems arose, involving the biggest responsible person, who is Chen Dazhi, the county magistrate of Shalong County, and also Chen Mubiao, which is about disciplinary action.

  "Heh heh, Shao Jie, sometimes when considering a problem, try to look further ahead and don't think that everything is as beautiful as everyone else does. The Xinhua News Agency's reporters must have gone to investigate the fire, but what was their focus? Can you guess?"

  Xu Shaojie shook his head.

  "It's just Chen Dazhi and Chen Mubiao, maybe it's not a big deal, but if because of Chen Mubiao's special identity, the Shalun County or even the Huaiyang Municipal Party Committee and Government are intentionally covering up and not letting Chen Mubiao take responsibility, think about it, what kind of consequences would such reports have."

  Xu Shaojie broke out in a cold sweat.

  "Xinhua News Agency reporters wouldn't have much interest in Huaiyang City, otherwise they would contact the propaganda department. Now that we've reached this point, Shaojie, think about it, what are they after?"

  "Secretary Ding, could it be that they are targeting Chen Mubao's father, Chen Dengxiang?"

  "It's very likely that Old Chen in Xilin City won't be without a rival. With something like this happening, isn't it a good opportunity? A journalist's professional sensitivity dictates that they will definitely investigate the ins and outs of things. I've long heard that Provincial Committee Secretary Jiang holds Old Chen in high esteem, and Old Chen's promotion is imminent. A big tree attracts wind, after all. If the journalist's pen is slightly biased and implicates Old Chen, who will Old Chen go to for an explanation?"

  Xu Shaojie was dumbfounded, as if he were listening to a story.

  "Shao Jie, this is my prediction. I'm not afraid of ten thousand, but I do fear the one in ten thousand. Don't go look for those two reporters, it's useless even if you find them. If what I predicted is true, after they finish their investigation, they will directly return to the provincial city. In other words, someone has already made arrangements ahead of time."

  I'll give you a call, and you represent me to meet with Comrade Bai Changlin, the head of Xinhua News Agency's station in Xishan Province. Bai Changlin is quite particular and dislikes pretentious behavior. Any articles written by reporters must go through his review before being submitted, so this step is crucial. If done well, everyone will be fine.

  Xu Shaojie didn't dare to readily agree.

  "Secretary Ding, I don't know Director Bai, and I'm not sure if he'll see me. If we don't get along, the matter will be ruined, and I won't be able to report back."

  "Hehe, Shao Jie, you'll always have to go through some things and meet some people. After a long time following me, there will come a time when we part ways. I believe you can do well. I'll give Bai Changlin a call."

  Xu Shaojie felt a little more at ease, judging from Secretary Ding Yuan's tone, his relationship with Bai Changlin should still be pretty good, so the problem isn't that big, at least there's a foundation.

  Huang Haitao did not fall asleep.

  After the fire in Chenjiawan Forest Farm, Shalong County, Huang Haitao called He Xuxiong and Chen Dazhi to scold them. As the main leaders, they had an inescapable responsibility for such a big thing happening in the county. Later, after He Xuxiong reported back, Huang Haitao looked at the report but didn't say anything.

  People are complex, Huang Haitao painstakingly transferred Chen Mubiao to Shalong County as the deputy secretary of the county party committee. Unexpectedly, Chen Mubiao and Xu Shaojie had an unusual relationship, and soon defected to Ding Yuan's side. Huang Haitao held his breath, understanding that his connection with Chen Dengxiang would also fade away with Chen Mubiao's betrayal. Where there are parents who don't consider their children, so even though Huang Haitao saw problems in Shalong County's report, he didn't speak up. If someone questioned why the person in charge wasn't dealt with, although the municipal party committee and government had some responsibility, it wasn't a big issue, because the Shalong County Party Committee had collectively studied it, and the municipal party committee and government also had to respect Shalong County's opinion.

  Xinhua News Agency's correspondent station in Xishan Province sent a reporter to Huaiyang City. Huang Haitao also learned the news and locked himself in his office, thinking for half a day before understanding everything.

  Yu Huixiang entered Huang Haitao's office when Huang Haitao was looking at the report of Salong County.

  "Mayor Huang, what are your orders?"

  "Xiao Yu, a Xinhua News Agency reporter, what are you busy with now?"

  Normally, Huang Haitao wouldn't personally ask about such things. Over the years, Yu Huixiang has done a great job in this regard, and Huang Haitao has been quite satisfied.

  "Mayor Huang, the reporter spent a day investigating at Chenjiawan Forest Farm without contacting the county party committee and government leaders. Secretary He and Mayor Chen called me to ask about it, I said you didn't have any instructions, they also didn't dare to directly contact the reporter."

  "Hehe, okay, in this case, it's better not to get involved. The reporter will come and investigate, and they will report fairly. It's not a big deal, there won't be any major problems."

  "Alright, I'll call Secretary He and County Mayor Chen right away."

  "Uh-huh, but you need to pay attention to your tone."

  Yu Huixiang nodded and was about to leave when Huang Haitao called out to him.

  "Do you know what Chen's attitude towards his goal is now?"

  "He Shuji and Chen Xianzhang both said that Chen Mubiao didn't show anything special, but was more cautious at work. After the reporter came, Chen Mubiao was still a bit curious and worried, mainly worrying whether Chen Dazhi would be implicated."

  Huang Haitao smiled and waved his hand, Yu Huaixiang tactfully withdrew.

  "Hehe, still too young, doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth."

  Huang Haitao muttered to himself, lost in thought.

  Chen Dengxiang's face turned iron-gray as he paced back and forth in his office. He really couldn't think of how a reporter would end up in Shalong County without notifying the local party committee and government. Chen Dengxiang had carefully considered this, and the biggest possibility was that the reporter's investigation was targeting him. As the deputy secretary in charge of agriculture, Chen Deyi was involved in a forest fire, which wasn't a big deal to begin with. If the county magistrate of Shalong County, Chen Deyi, who was in charge of agriculture, and the government's deputy county head had come out to take responsibility, at most they would have received an internal warning or disciplinary action - it wouldn't have been a huge deal, and others wouldn't have been able to say anything. But for some reason, when Shalong County investigated, they collectively took responsibility, which was clearly biased. Chen Dengxiang understood this but couldn't speak out, as the local party committee and government handled things in their own way - how could outsiders comment? Now that a reporter had come to investigate, the biggest news topic would be focused on Chen Deyi's body.

  Chen Dengxiang knew that he had many competitors, and from the current situation, many people were eyeing the position of Mayor of Xilin City. The Mayor of Xilin City was a deputy provincial governor, and Chen was not one of the most advantageous officials, but with Jiang Yuhui's support, he might have won. However, if some people with ulterior motives created trouble at this time, such as using the forest fire in Chenjiawan Forest Farm in Shalong County to reveal Chen Dengxiang's identity in a report, suggesting that someone was shielding him and would not be punished, it would immediately trigger public opinion, and things might become difficult to handle. Not to mention the central leadership, the provincial leaders would soon understand the subtleties involved.

  Chen Dengxiang couldn't think of a good solution, at this time, if Chen Mubiao was asked to resign, it might have an effect, or it might be even worse, with a taste of "three hundred taels of silver nowhere to be found". What's the point of doing anything now? Chen Dengxiang temporarily couldn't think of a good solution. Since someone had made such arrangements, they would definitely pay attention to his every move. If he wasn't careful, wouldn't he fall into the other party's trap? Chen Dengxiang was worried and really couldn't think of what to do. Originally, he wanted Chen Mubiao to go down and be tempered, but who knew something like this would happen? Now it's not about tempering, it's a matter of self-preservation.

  After careful consideration, Chen Dengxiang decided to hold back for the time being. The situation may not be as bad as reported by the journalist, who also needs solid materials. It's always better to ask the county and municipal committees for their opinions. Otherwise, such reports would be somewhat untrue.

  When everyone's interests are tied up in one thing, there will be many different views, so now the situation in Huaiyang City is a bit subtle.