Chapter 416: Understanding the Situation

"Director Tang, you're here too."

"Come on, Xiao Lu, Captain Lei and I are just talking about you."

Lu Cheng thought the conversation must be about something bad, guessing that Captain Lei had exposed his impersonation of a minister.

But with Captain Lei present, Lu Cheng wasn't afraid of criticism, though he still needed to keep his attitude.

"Hehe, Director Tang, I must first admit my mistake to you…"

Tang Qiusheng smiled and tapped his fingers, saying to Lei Zhan'ge, "See, this kid is sharper than that monkey; he guessed what we were discussing and, before I could criticize him, he already admitted his error."

Lei Zhan'ge's complexion had been somewhat haggard lately; Lu Cheng asked concernedly several times, even offering to take the old man to a hospital, but Lei Zhan'ge refused each time.

He only said that he knew about his health, that nothing serious was happening, so there was no need to worry.

Following Tang Qiusheng's words, Lei Zhan'ge laughed, "He just likes to play a little cleverness, but doesn't apply it in the right place."

Tang Qiusheng disagreed: "Hey, that's not how it is. Like the first two Educated Youth incidents, Comrade Xiao Lu handled them quite well; his cleverness was used in the right place."

Hearing Tang Qiusheng's praise instead of a rebuke gave Lu Cheng confidence.

"Director Tang, thank you for your support."

Director Tang waved his hand: "I'm not really supporting you; if everyone impersonated leaders as casually as you do, that would be outrageous! But…"

"Since you solved the problem and succeeded without flaunting false leadership or committing murder or arson, I won't take organizational action."

With the matter laid out, Lu Cheng quickly corrected his attitude: "Leader, rest assured, there will definitely be no next time."

Director Tang nodded: "The first two times you managed to gloss over it, but this time it's not that easy. The local Ministry of Public Security arrested people, sparking discontent among other Educated Youth. How do you think this should be handled?"

Indeed, the matter is hard to handle; the Educated Youth collective is not to be underestimated, and a mishandling could easily trigger a riot.

Lu Cheng first asked for specifics: "Director Tang, where is the group of Educated Youth planning the disturbance now?"

"Hm? According to Frontline reports, they're moving along the Railway line and should exit Shanhai Pass in less than three days."

Leaving Shanhai Pass means leaving the Northeast jurisdiction; they will soon enter He Province, and then the Capital City won't be far away.

Lu Cheng said, "Time is indeed pressing."

"Exactly, the situation is extremely urgent and the matter is serious, so we must stop this group of Educated Youth at all costs; they absolutely cannot reach the Capital City, otherwise the entire National Day will be affected."

Lu Cheng understood that although National Day is nationwide, its importance and impact vary by region.

For example, National Day events in a Commune cannot be compared with those in the Capital City.

As the capital, not only do national leaders attend and speak at the events, but journalists from home and abroad are also present.

At this critical moment, if Educated Youth cause trouble in the Capital City, the news could spread abroad and be sensationalized.

Other countries might exploit it to smear us.

Lu Cheng also recognized the seriousness, but the local Ministry of Public Security's arrest of some Educated Youth led to the current loss of control.

They should have first pacified them, at least delaying until after National Day.

Now it's too late for words; the incident has erupted and must be resolved.

Lu Cheng asked again: "What does the General Bureau mean?"

Director Tang glanced at Lei Zhan'ge: "The General Bureau's intention is simple—prepare to dispatch railway police for suppression, and if necessary, deploy Railway Troops."

Even the Railway Troops are being called up, showing the General Bureau is also desperate.

Lu Cheng shook his head: "Director Tang, I think this is inappropriate, especially the word 'suppression'—it must never be uttered. They aren't bandits; although their actions are a bit extreme, they haven't damaged the Railway so far."

Director Tang nodded, understanding Lu Cheng's point.

These Educated Youth are cultured and excel at writing articles; using the word 'suppression' would be turned into a piece that spreads rapidly nationwide.

Sometimes the pen is more influential than the gun; if the Educated Youth nationwide unite, these hot‑blooded youths will be hard to control.

Director Tang scratched his head a bit; Lu Cheng was right—the General Bureau cannot think only of the immediate situation without considering the later nationwide impact.

Hehe, no wonder Captain Lei said to let you keep handling this. I was actually quite worried, fearing your rashness, almost wishing to arrest all those Educated Youth.

I didn't expect you to be so calm and consider everything so comprehensively. Not bad, not bad—Captain Lei, you didn't pick the wrong person.

Lei Zhan'ge took over: "Xiao Lu, Director Tang praised you, but don't become arrogant. Time is pressing; only solving the problem is true skill."

Lei Zhan'ge has always focused on results; seeing Lu Cheng reject the General Bureau's approach, he surely had his own ideas.

"Now that Director Tang is here, the General Bureau will provide any assistance without conditions. If you have any ideas, feel free to speak up."

With Lei Zhan'ge's words, Lu Cheng felt confident.

"Alright, I do have some thoughts, but before I speak, I'd like to ask Director Tang: the Educated Youth have been causing trouble for a while; what is the higher‑up's stance now?"

Director Tang actually knew some inside details: "I've heard discussions in the department; the higher authorities take the Educated Youth's request to return to the city seriously, and expect relevant policy to appear at the third plenary session at year‑end."

It matched Lu Cheng's earlier prediction, showing his memory was correct.

"Director Tang, given that, my idea remains the same as before—delay as much as possible."

Director Tang was somewhat skeptical: "You could have brushed it off before and bought some time, but now you know that after some Educated Youth were arrested, the others are getting agitated."

Lu Cheng had known this situation before arriving.

"It's okay, Director Tang. If you trust me, I still want to give it a try."

Director Tang nodded; if it could be resolved peacefully through pacification, that would be best, since they're all compatriots and no one wants to resort to force.

Lei Zhan'ge said, "Since you want to try, I'll hand you full authority to handle it."

Lu Cheng glanced at Captain Lei; the words 'full authority' carried weight, signifying Captain Lei's trust and his ability to mobilize any usable forces.

With those words, Lu Cheng represented the General Bureau, and all Railway Divisions along the line must cooperate unconditionally.