Chapter 1307: Century City Project Blows Up!

Tan Zonghe received Fan Shaoqun and his delegation at the Wenyang Municipal Government.

Fan Shaoqun shook hands with Tan Zonghe, walked into the conference room with a smile, sat down, and said happily, "Mayor Tan, the project funds for Jinhua Century City have been approved by the board of directors. I hope local land acquisition and demolition can be accelerated."

Tan Zonghe said with a smile, "Chairman Fan, please rest assured. We will definitely complete the task within the stipulated scope."

Subsequently, the government and the enterprise discussed the construction plan for the Jinhua Century City project.

After the meeting ended, Tan Zonghe hosted a banquet for them at the hotel.

Gao Qidong rushed over to attend the banquet.

Gao Qidong shook hands with Fan Shaoqun, "Chairman Fan, we have reached this point, which has not been easy. I hope we can continue to build on our success."

Fan Shaoqun laughed, "Mayor Gao, please rest assured. Our group will focus on this project and will definitely build it into a high-quality product."

After the banquet, Gao Qidong and Tan Zonghe went to the hot spring hotel to bathe.

After bathing, the two went to the third floor for a massage.

Tan Zonghe observed Gao Qidong's physique and thought to himself that although Mayor Gao was nearly fifty years old, his body was well-maintained with toned muscles, while he himself looked like a pale, fat pig.

"Mayor Gao, do you exercise often?"

Gao Qidong smiled faintly, "I like playing tennis. Tennis is a sport that requires physical stamina, so I go running every day."

Tan Zonghe sighed with emotion, "Mayor Gao, your lifestyle is truly healthy. I should learn from you."

Gao Qidong closed his eyes, feeling the pressure from the masseur, and said softly, "You must do a good job with the Jinhua Century City project. Gong is paying close attention to it."

Tan Zonghe said confidently, "Mayor Gao, you can put your heart at ease! I will absolutely not drop the ball."

Tan Zonghe knew that the Municipal Party Secretary and the Mayor were fighting each other through the project.

Jinhua Century City was a project brought in by Gong Weimin.

And the Hongxing Production Base was a project brought in by Jiang Jing.

The telephone rang suddenly.

Tan Zonghe answered the phone, "What? A death occurred? How did you handle things!"

Seeing that Tan Zonghe's tone was off, Gao Qidong became alert.

After Tan Zonghe hung up the phone, he asked sternly, "Did something happen?"

Tan Zonghe nodded, "There is a problem with the land acquisition and demolition for Jinhua Century City!"

Gao Qidong sat up in one motion, "What are you still stunned for? Hurry up and handle it!"

……

In Wenyang City, the demolition team encountered great resistance after entering the site.

During the first entry, they encountered dozens of elderly people standing in front of the excavators, refusing to allow work to begin.

The two sides quarreled, and the elderly people lay directly in front of the excavators, with the attitude that if they wanted to demolish, they would have to run over them first.

The workers were also at a loss because young people were watching from not far away, so they could only end it hastily.

During the second entry, with the intervention of local government departments, the machines were started, but they were soon surrounded. In the ensuing scuffle, cadres from local departments were beaten by the villagers.

During the third entry, the government arranged for dozens of police officers, but the villagers heard the news and came, gathering in increasing numbers.

Tan Zonghe, who was in charge of on-site command, saw the situation taking a sharp turn for the worse and hurriedly ordered a retreat.

The fourth time, overnight, engineering machinery such as bulldozers and excavators suddenly entered.

Hundreds of police officers formed a human wall, and dozens of police cars formed a barrier.

The villagers turned out in full force and clashed fiercely with the police; more than twenty villagers were injured and hospitalized, and one elderly person died of a sudden heart attack.

Several police officers were also injured.

Subsequently, several villagers were detained.

This incident was posted on a national forum, and after being exposed, it caused a huge uproar.

Houwenliang, a political and economic reporter for the well-known national newspaper *China Industrial and Commercial News*, keenly discovered the heat of this incident and came to Xiyang City for an undercover investigation.

After organizing the materials, he unexpectedly discovered that this project was originally intended to be located in Yechuan County.

But because the Yechuan County Government did not agree, another location was chosen.

Houwenliang felt that there was a hidden story behind this.

Based on public government information, he called the Yechuan County Government.

He tried with a "let's see" attitude, but he did not expect to get a reply so easily.

"Hello, Reporter Hou, my name is Ma Ran, and I am the Liaison Officer for County Magistrate Tang. If it is convenient for you, you can come to the County Government now, and County Magistrate Tang can chat with you for a while."

Houwenliang breathed a sigh of relief, "Okay, Director Ma, I will arrive at the County Government in about half an hour."

Tang Ye met Houwenliang in his office.

Houwenliang was wearing a denim jacket and had long, messy hair, but his eyes were very bright.

"County Magistrate Tang, I didn't expect you to be willing to see me."

Tang Ye said, "Reporter Hou, I am your loyal fan. I was deeply impressed by your reports on gutter oil a few years ago. You won the first prize for that news back then; you are a well-deserved uncrowned king!"

Houwenliang thought to himself that Tang Ye really knew how to chat and had won his favor immediately.

"County Magistrate Tang, regarding the investment from Jinhua Group, why did you hold an opposing opinion at the time? Did you foresee the current situation?"

Tang Ye frowned, "We rejected the Jinhua Group project at the time mainly because we felt the requirements they proposed were too harsh."

Houwenliang asked curiously, "Are the harsh conditions the reason for the current situation?"

"I haven't seen the investment terms between Jinhua Group and Wenyang, but I can see the clues. Jinhua Group shifted the costs that should have been borne by the enterprise onto the local area. And local finances are tight. They could only shift it onto the local villagers, which led to today's situation."

Houwenliang raised a sharp question, "I have a doubt. Anyone with a certain amount of administrative experience should be able to foresee this situation. Why did Wenyang City accept such harsh conditions?"

Tang Ye thought to himself that Houwenliang was really cunning; he did not step into the trap, "Reporter Hou, some things must be discussed according to the situation. I only understand the situation in Yechuan. Political achievements are very important to leading cadres. However, I feel that urban development should cast aside the utilitarian nature of political achievements."

Houwenliang continued to ask, "I visited and learned that Han Zhengyi, the Yechuan County Party Secretary, was transferred to the Municipal Party Committee Propaganda Department. Is this the city's punishment for Yechuan's collective opposition at the time? Is this true?"

Tang Ye's expression was serious, "This is a normal job transfer. As a Party member, everyone must unconditionally obey the organization's arrangements."

Houwenliang discovered that although Tang Ye was young, his speech was very seasoned; he picked up his notebook and fountain pen, "In the Jinhua Century City project in Wenyang, I have discovered that the Government has seriously violated relevant procedures."

The land contracted by villagers was requisitioned and forcibly leveled; apart from a government notice, no agreements were signed before the land was leveled.

The Provincial Development and Reform Commission has not issued an approval for the project's initiation; currently, from beginning to end, Wenyang City is operating illegally."

Tang Ye said, "Although I do not approve of Wenyang's methods, they adopted the strategy of entering the site while simultaneously processing the paperwork in order to retain Jinhua Group; this is a common strategy for increasing efficiency."

After hearing Tang Ye's conclusion, Houwenliang laughed, "County Magistrate Tang, you clearly oppose the unequal treaties of Jinhua Group, yet upon hearing me attack the loopholes in Wenyang's investment promotion, you still involuntarily defend them."

Tang Ye spread his hands and said, "The economic success of Huaguo is often built on the foundation of breaking the rules. If a region follows the rules of the game too strictly, it often means losing the initiative; grassroots cadres bearing risks to attract foreign investment are also doing so to promote the development of a region."