Chapter 815: Seeking Cui Chengshan to Understand the Situation

The next day, everyone went off to tend to their own business.

Cui Chengshan also came back from Zaocheng to see me.

We met in the hotel's conference room,

Upon seeing me, Cui Chengshan felt a bit embarrassed,

He voluntarily took out a cigarette and handed it to me,

"Zhao Ge, you've come."

"Cui Chengshan, where have you been these past few days?" I took the cigarette.

"Yang Tao came back from Huaihai and invited me to eat together." After saying that, Cui Chengshan yawned.

I nodded,

"You and Yang Tao haven't broken up."

"Zhao Ge, well, us, sigh, how to put it? It doesn't affect anything anyway." Cui Chengshan said in an indifferent tone.

"Cui Chengshan, it seems you think this isn't anything at all."

Actually, do you know? A man's most basic integrity is to be faithful to his wife and not betray her, yet you couldn't care less.

As a husband, you're unqualified.

As the magistrate of Xue County, you ought to be competent,

As a result, you're fishing three days and drying nets two days, not working in Xue County.

How can everyone find you to report work? It's inappropriate for leaders not to do so.

Moreover, your father has sacrificed so much for you, yet you have failed to repay his kindness in raising you.

Cui Chengshan, in that light, you are a person lacking loyalty, filial piety, and respect.

"Do you know what kind of person someone like that is?" I sternly criticized Cui Chengshan.

Seeing my stern expression,

Cui Chengshan's sweat poured down,

"Mr. Zhao, I know I was wrong."

Please forgive me.

I was wrong.

Back then, I heard you guys had run into trouble, and it even involved Tian Shi,

The people investigating Tian Shi were summoned to the province.

So I became disheartened.

If you guys ever ran into trouble, I wouldn't last long in this position either.

I thought I might as well just give up on myself completely.

"Mr. Zhao, I'm not human."

I'm not a thing.

This time Yang Tao came back to let me know that you might be all right.

That's why I returned to Xue County.

"Now, Mr. Zhao, tell me what we should do; I'll follow your lead." Cui Chengshan said pitifully before me.

As for someone like Cui Chengshan, I really have nothing in common with him.

He surely has his own ideas.

I'd guess these days he's been gathering information,

or looking for a new backer.

That's quite normal.

I glanced at Cui Chengshan,

"Cui Chengshan, enough; we're adults. I've said what needed to be said, and I've also said what shouldn't have been said."

Do as you see fit.

Regarding our matter, I only want to tell you,

We're fine,

Tian Shi went to the province for training and will be back in a week.

We'll continue with what we haven't done yet.

Your return is timely.

I've already had Xixi go to Gucheng Qiang to reinvestigate.

Cui Chengshan, what was the situation before?

"What's everyone's attitude? Tell me." I said, looking at Cui Chengshan.

At that moment, Cui Chengshan respectfully took out a cigarette and handed it to me, then took out a lighter and lit it for me.

"Mr. Zhao, the situation is as follows,"

The preliminary work was carried out by me, Li Jia, and Xixi together.

That plot of land you've seen before was a wasteland, and it had all kinds of trees planted.

But we couldn't treat it as ownerless land.

So we had people check each village to see whose land it was.

The land around Gucheng Qiang belonged to no one.

It used to be called Tugaizi, a place where bodies were buried haphazardly.

The soil there is all compacted earth; even crops won't grow.

It had been left desolate, and an old shepherd there planted poplar trees.

The old man later sold the poplar trees and made quite a bit of money.

When others saw that planting trees could make money, they all hastily seized the land.

This land around the earthen wall belongs to no one or any village," Cui Chengshan said.

I took a puff of cigarette,

"Have you had contact with the leaders of those villages?"

"I have, but they don't do any real work.

They just want to make a little money there, so they stir up the villagers to cause trouble.

Back then those villagers demanded compensation, and I got angry.

Originally idle dirt slopes, once we moved, they demanded money—what's that about?

We ended up in a standoff with them. So when our people went to develop and measure the land, clashes occurred with the villagers.

Later, after you went to Huaihai, I lost the mood to ask about this matter.

Mr. Zhao, I'm calling a meeting now and having the village cadres come over.

If it really doesn't work, I'll just have them all removed.

"Chengshan, do you think this approach is feasible?" I asked Cui Chengshan.

"Why not? It's just a matter of one sentence,

they won't even dare to do anything.

as long as we deal with those village cadres, our resistance will be much less." Cui Chengshan said, patting his chest.

"Chengshan, have you considered that rural areas are basically clans of the same surname, and letting others take office still depends on those few people in the village.

If you sideline those few people, they won't gain any benefit and will cause even bigger trouble.

Our development costs will be higher.

We cannot exacerbate the conflict,

if exacerbating the conflict brings us a hundred harms and no benefit,

we can't have the city's public security team stationed there all the time.

Besides, our preliminary work was just measuring the ancient city wall.

Next step possibly we will have to demolish those villages entirely and build the ancient city.

Now if we exacerbate the conflict with them, how will we demolish later?" I took a puff of cigarette.

"Mr. Zhao, what do you suggest we do?

To deal with those troublesome villagers, I think only hard-handed measures will work.

Anyway, we cannot negotiate with them.

If we talk with them, they will surely open their lion's mouth wide demanding money.

Hum, I, Cui Chengshan, am a county leader; I can't let those villagers extort me." Cui Chengshan still insisted on using hard-handed measures.

This Cui Chengshan clearly didn't grow up in the countryside; he's a typical young master.

Actually, getting along with rural people is simple: as long as you hear their demands and can negotiate with them, all problems can be solved.

Rather than using brute force to solve problems.

Many people just like to use hard-handed methods, with the result that the conflict keeps escalating.

On the contrary, the costs will be higher.

If we don't handle relations well with them, on their turf the future losses will be greater.

"Like this, Chengshan, I'll wait for Xixi's investigation results before saying more.

When you have time, make an appointment with that village's leaders; I'll meet and talk with them.

Next step I'll go inspect those villages myself." I said.

"What, what are you chatting with that village leader about? Mr. Zhao, what rank are you, an honored guest of Tian Shi, to chat with those ignorant villagers?

This matter, let the town leaders handle it." Cui Chengshan said.

"Chengshan, I see you working in Xue County, and that's not suitable either; you don't even bother to understand the basic situation.

You just go for suppressive resolution.

This is fundamentally not a way to settle matters.

I'll call Secretary Qin shortly to have you temporarily return to the city for study, and send others to take charge of Xue County's work." I said angrily.

Hearing me say that, Cui Chengshan froze for a moment,

then he actually plopped down onto his knees on the ground,

"Mr. Zhao, don't do this, I was wrong,

I'll go right now to find those village leaders, talk with them personally, and ask what's going on.

Please don't contact Secretary Qin.

After saying that, he wanted to slap his own mouth.

This Cui Chengshan's legs are too weak.

Without scaring him a little, how can it be?

If he handles this matter poorly,

I will completely abandon him.

Anyway, there are plenty of people who want to come to Xue County to take charge of work.

I don't want there to be a dissenting person here obstructing my work.

As for Xue County, I still have the authority to dispose of it.