Chapter 57: Strategic Planning (2)

  Entering October, it has reached the peak period of tobacco procurement.

  At this time, it was the peak period of activity for all personnel, but the tobacco purchasing point in Yulin Township was relatively calm. Xu Shaojie had driven away all the troublemakers with one move, and everyone was seeking wealth without looking for trouble. Moreover, Xu Shaojie was a cadre from the Huaiyang Municipal Party Committee Office, serving as the deputy secretary in charge of organizational work. If you really messed with Xu Shaojie, not to mention making money, you might even lose your freedom. Among so many tobacco purchasing points in Yudu District, going to other purchasing points would only require walking a few more steps.

  Yu Fu Gui originally had the same idea, but he couldn't go to other purchasing points. The main reason was that he wasn't familiar with the tobacco leaf purchasing staff at other points, which was fatal. If he wanted to sell his tobacco leaves at a good price, he couldn't afford to encounter situations where the grade and price were suppressed. The purchasing staff at other points might take care of him, but it wouldn't be convenient. Nowadays, the tobacco leaf purchasing staff is fixed, and the place for growing tobacco is also relatively fixed. Yu Fu Gui had a deep affection for Old Huang, the tobacco leaf purchasing staff in Yulin Township, so he would naturally choose to sell his tobacco leaves at the purchasing point in Yulin Township. Yu Fu Gui did more than three tobacco deals every year, earning money that was beyond his imagination through hard work. Of course, he couldn't keep all this money for himself; there were still necessary expenses to be had. This money was enough for his family's expenses, and there was still a lot left over. Over the years, Yu Fu Gui had become the richest household in the village.

  Yu Fugui is a man with a certain level of intelligence, his actions belong to the category of reselling tobacco leaves. He chose mid-October as the time, first contacting Old Huang and using the fastest speed to purchase tobacco leaves. Then, he went in the late afternoon when most farmers had already left and there were fewer people around. Finally, during this period, the management of the township government was relatively relaxed, the tobacco leaf collection had entered a normal track, and it didn't require so much worry. The township officials also felt somewhat tired and needed rest and adjustment.

  "Director Xu, Yu Fugui has already purchased a lot of tobacco leaves. I estimate he is about to start his first transaction."

  "Liu Mu, have you grasped all the evidence?"

  "There is no direct evidence, but Yu Fu Gui's family does not grow tobacco. Such a large amount of tobacco transactions must be problematic. Moreover, the issued tobacco tickets must be at Yu Fu Gui's price, and the redemption of the tobacco tickets is suspicious. Yu Fu Gui will not issue tickets in someone else's name, making it difficult to exchange for cash."

  "What do you think should be done about this matter?"

  "I've been thinking about this matter, it's difficult. There are only two entities that can directly deal with Yu Fu Gui: the tobacco inspection and public security organs. The tobacco inspection is in charge of the tobacco station, they won't listen to your orders. Then there's the police station, every year when the tobacco leaf procurement starts, the police station only listens to Liu Zhihua and Zhang Qu's orders, no one else can give them orders. We can't directly go and inspect, Yu Fu Gui doesn't disrupt the procurement order, he sells his tobacco openly and fairly. Once the transaction is complete, Yu Fu Gui puts the tobacco into his pocket, we have no way to deal with it anymore. We can't even check his accounts. The township government's responsibility is to maintain order, there are specialized institutions for handling disputes."

  "So, relying on the power of the district, you can't handle Yu Fugui, right?"

  "It's the same principle, now the situation is a bit urgent, Yu Fugui estimates that he will make the deal in these few days. Once he completes the transaction, we will lose our chance. Moreover, if we scare him off, Yu Fugui won't do tobacco business anymore, and nothing will happen. The things in the village need to be investigated by the district discipline committee, but it's impossible to investigate the village secretary without Liu Zhihua's approval."

  "Uh-huh, I see. You keep an eye on Yu FuGui and pay attention to his every move."

  Yu Du district is a piece of iron plate, Xu Shaojie originally had no intention to do so, it was the Huai'an Municipal Party Committee and the municipal government, Xu Shaojie would not have made up his mind. Liu Zhihua has been serving as the district party secretary for many years, and the relationship may have penetrated into the city long ago. It's possible that actions haven't started yet, but everyone already knows the situation. At this time, Xu Shaojie can only find his maternal family, find the most trusted person, who is Municipal Party Secretary Ding Yuan.

  Xu Shaojie and Yu Fugui don't have deep hatred, but Yu Fugui shouldn't be Liu Zhihua's lackey, openly or secretly passing on messages, helping Liu Zhihua deal with Xu Shaojie. Xu Shaojie wants to open up a breakthrough, he must take drastic measures against Yu Fugui. Xu Shaojie's idea is mature, once he grasps Yu Fugui, the things behind Yu Fugui will soon be exposed, and the village affairs will be exposed. It may involve Liu Zhihua, which is the best effect.

  Liu Zhihua, such a person, Xu Shaojie believes, should not have been in the position of district party secretary long ago. Prison is where he should be.

  Xu Shaojie, a Chinese literature graduate, has some forward-thinking views. Nowadays, the issue of male and female relationships is a high-pressure line for officials that cannot be crossed. Xu Shaojie is somewhat ambiguous about this atmosphere. In ancient times, successful men often had multiple wives and concubines, but such thinking is now considered poisonous and must be resolutely opposed. However, literary works do not reflect this reality. Famous biographies are full of stories about women, and although the works may be subtle, one can still find clues between the lines. The Book of Songs says, "The virtuous woman is shy and reserved, while the gentleman is fond of her." Xu Shaojie has some contradictions. He does not believe that officials who appear to be upright and dignified are actually hypocritical and look down on beautiful women. When it comes to voluntary relationships, they expose their true nature and have no excuses. However, Xu Shaojie strongly opposes Liu Zhihua's behavior of forcing himself on others. If officials use their power to coerce women into submission, thinking that this is justified, Xu Shaojie cannot imagine what the future will hold. Liu Zhihua raped Yu Zhihong and shamelessly claimed it was justified. Does this mean that Zhang Shijie and Sun Jianbo's wives should also do something for Liu Zhihua? Xu Shaojie absolutely cannot accept such absurd logic.

  Liu Zhihua's patriarchal style was also something that Xu Shaojie couldn't stand. As a rural cadre, he had a strong endurance and worked diligently, which was what Xu Shaojie admired. However, some cadres, after taking on leadership roles, due to limitations in their understanding and lack of emphasis on learning, viewed the relationship between superiors and subordinates as that of father and son, treating a region as their own personal fiefdom, where they had the final say. Over time, their desire for power would inflate, and it was only a matter of time before problems arose.

  Xu Shaojie set off after dark, in order not to expose his tracks. Xu Shaojie thought of a way and went to the city's passenger bus station, but there were no more buses at night. If he took Yang Chen's car from the district government courtyard, everyone would definitely know. So, Xu Shaojie and Yang Chen discussed it and after arriving at Yulin Township Government, they checked their work and did not return to the district government. After Yang Chen sent Hu Deyong back home to check on tobacco purchasing work, he also didn't

  Returning to the district office, it's not unusual for a Jeep to spend the night in the village. After dark, Yang Chen went to the highway to pick up Xu Shaojie and headed straight to Huai'an City.

  Xu Shaojie already has a few iron fans in Yudu District, and Yang Chen is one of them.

  Ding Yuan lived in the municipal party committee dormitory area, and when the jeep arrived at the dormitory area, it was almost 10 o'clock in the evening. Xu Shaojie didn't know if Ding Yuan was home or not, so he could only try his luck.

  From a distance, Xu Shaojie saw the lights on in Secretary Ding Yuan's home and was delighted. Secretary Ding Yuan was at home, but at this time, Xu Shaojie would not go up. He had to wait until Secretary Ding Yuan turned off the lights before going up. As the municipal party secretary, there were unknown guests at his home, and he couldn't just barge in, lest he encounter various leaders, which wouldn't be a good thing. If things went badly, it might even attract other people's attention.

  Xu Shaojie and Yang Chen lit cigarettes and waited quietly inside the jeep.

  After Ding Yuan sent away the last batch of visiting officials, he felt very tired. His family was not in Huaiyang City, and Ding Yuan had almost no personal time. The office was crowded during the day, with countless meetings, and at night, his home was just as crowded, with people coming to visit and report on their work, one after another. Ding Yuan had no choice, and it wasn't until 11 o'clock that things got a little better, but by then he needed to sleep.

  After Ding Yuan turned off the lights, he was ready to rest.

  At this time, someone knocked on the door, the voice was very light. Ding Yuan was extremely annoyed and didn't want to bother with it. It's so late, how can there still be people coming? The municipal party secretary also needs to rest. Ding Yuan continued to lie down. The knocking sound continued, very light, but the interval time was not long. Ding Yuan couldn't sleep at all. He got up and turned on the light, went to open the door, and prepared to deal with this visitor properly.

  Ding Yuan almost didn't recognize Xu Shaojie when he saw him. The Xu Shaojie in front of him was tanned and had lost a lot of weight.

  "Secretary Ding, it's so late, I'm disturbing you."

  "Xu Shaojie, why didn't you come earlier? I'm about to go to sleep. Come in quickly."

  "Secretary Ding, I arrived early and was waiting downstairs. When the lights went out, I came up. There are many leaders coming to your home to report important matters, so I didn't dare disturb you."

  Ding Yuan couldn't help but laugh and cry, this Xu Shaojie was really cunning. He had gone to sleep himself, and must have thought there were no other guests in the house. At the risk of being scolded, he found an opportune moment, and indeed had ideas.

  "Xu Shaojie, did you know that even the municipal party secretary needs a rest?"

  "I know, I have no choice either. You are the municipal party secretary and I am the deputy party secretary of the district, six levels apart. My coming to see you is an out-of-turn visit, so it can only be done secretly."

  "Nonsense, what's with this jumping the queue and petitioning above your level? You little scamp has only been down there for a few days and already learned to be glib-tongued."

  It had been several months since Ding Yuan last saw Xu Shaojie, and he couldn't help but feel a little sentimental. He had been too busy lately to bother understanding Xu Shaojie's situation, and besides, it wasn't even half a year since Xu Shaojie went down, so being familiar with the situation was already quite good. There was no need to understand now. But Xu Shaojie came to visit so late, he must have something on his mind, Ding Yuan thought to himself, and he had a strange feeling that Xu Shaojie must have encountered something, and it wasn't small matters either.

  "Sit down, say what you have to say, I still want to get some rest within an hour."

  Xu Shaojie got straight to the point without any pleasantries or beating around the bush, and began reporting on his work in Yudu District. Xu Shaojie's report focused on key points, mainly discussing the situation at the stationed village of Huaguan, the two district committee meetings where disputes arose, especially the issues between Liu Zhihua and Yu Zihong, as well as the experiences of Liu Mu and Yu Zihong. Xu Shaojie tried to maintain a calm tone, using an objective tone to describe the events.

  Ding Yuan had long forgotten about the time requirement, and his face became increasingly serious. Xu Shaojie's report was very logical and did not make any baseless conjectures, and he gave reasons for doubting each matter. When he heard about Liu Zhihua raping Yu Zihong, Ding Yuan couldn't sit still and paced back and forth in the living room.

  "Damn it, there's actually a district committee secretary like this, who doesn't know shame, and is even worse than a street thug. Little Xu, what do you think, speak your mind."

  "Secretary Ding, this matter has been over for four years and there is no evidence. I have carefully considered it and temporarily cannot touch Liu Zhihua. Yu Fugui, the secretary of Huaguan Village, has used his power to have improper relationships with multiple women in the village, including Village Head Ma Cuihua. Yu Fugui is one of Liu Zhihua's most trusted village secretaries. Therefore, I have decided to take down Yu Fugui first. The conditions at Yu Fugui's home are very good, and I have long suspected that he has improper income. Recently, I obtained a piece of information: Yu Fugui is doing tobacco business. It is currently the peak season for purchasing tobacco leaves. Without growing tobacco himself, Yu Fugui used his official power to forcibly buy and sell large quantities of tobacco leaves in the village, preparing to sell them at the tobacco purchasing point within the next two days. This matter is a breakthrough. As long as we can take measures against Yu Fugui, we will definitely make a breakthrough soon. Only the Tobacco Law Enforcement, Public Security Department, and Tobacco Inspection have the qualifications for this. The Yudu District is currently an iron plate, and it is impossible to take measures against Yu Fugui. Liu Zhihua has been serving as district secretary for a long time and must have many connections in Huai'an City. I do not dare go to Huai'an City to avoid startling the snake."

  Xu Shaojie's thinking is very satisfactory to Ding Yuan. It seems that Xu Shaojie has not disappointed his expectations and will be able to accomplish things in the next few months.

  "I understand, tell me what you want to do."

  "Secretary Ding, I want to leverage the power of the Municipal Public Security Bureau this time. It's not just about investigating Yu Fugui's tobacco smuggling problem, but also uncovering all his crimes in the village. However, this matter must be kept confidential and a breakthrough should be achieved as soon as possible. Today is Friday, and I estimate that Yu Fugui will go sell tobacco on Saturday afternoon or evening, which is when he is most vulnerable. The evidence in the village can be easily obtained, and the villagers of Huaguan Village are still simple-minded. I think that with one day's time on Sunday, we can obtain sufficient evidence, and by then, the evidence will be overwhelming, and Liu Zhihua won't have any way out."

  "Haha, Little Xu, your arrangement is not bad, thinking so thoroughly. Alright, I support you. Time is tight, I'll finalize it now. Tonight, you guys work out the specific plan. This time, you must achieve results."

  Xu Shaojie and Yang Chen arrived at room 508 of the Huaiyang Hotel. Soon, six police officers from the Municipal Public Security Bureau's Criminal Investigation Brigade, led by Captain Sun, entered the room. Two hours later, all the police officers left, and a few minutes later, Xu Shaojie and Yang Chen also left the room, heading directly to Yudu District. As they entered the district, Xu Shaojie glanced at his watch, it was already past 4 am. This night was destined to be a sleepless one for him.

  This time's action, in Yudu District, only Xu Shaojie and Yang Chen know.