Chapter 1318: Starting to Turn the Tide!

Han Zhengyi saw the negative news about Yechuan online, felt extremely bad, and dialed Tang Ye's phone number.

"County Magistrate Tang, the problems with the Old City Renovation Project were dragged out by me and dumped on you, leaving you to clean up the mess. I truly feel terrible about it."

Tang Ye secretly thought that Han Zhengyi lived up to his name and was indeed a man with a sense of justice.

"Secretary Han, the Old City Renovation Project is indeed quite complex and belongs to historical legacy issues. I understand your difficulties."

Pushing forward the Old City Renovation Project was a plan formulated by Han Zhengyi's predecessor.

As a result, the project encountered great obstacles during its advancement.

In 2001, someone forcibly demolished a house in the middle of the night, triggering a dispute and even causing a homicide case, after which the project was shelved.

After Han Zhengyi became the County Party Committee Secretary, he had always wanted to restart the Old City Renovation, but he did not dare to be too radical, so he could only push it forward slowly.

"The news has caused a very bad influence. I have already done my best to delete the negative public opinion online. The public's attention is only temporary; once the matter passes, they will naturally and gradually forget about it."

Tang Ye said sincerely: "Thank you for your concern, Secretary Han. The public will indeed forget about this matter, but we cannot ignore it. I suspect that someone behind the scenes is deliberately provoking and fanning the flames."

Han Zhengyi's eyes sharpened: "What do you mean!"

Tang Ye said: "We discovered several people at the scene who were deliberately stirring up trouble. We found out that they are local hoodlums from Wenyang."

Han Zhengyi was surprised and puzzled: "Why would people from Wenyang come to Yechuan to cause trouble?"

Tang Ye analyzed: "Wenyang and Yechuan have recently been competing for an agricultural scientific research project base. This base has an investment amount of 30 million, and later on, it can be used to apply for provincial and national support funds. If Yechuan has problems, then this base will be diverted to Wenyang City."

Although Han Zhengyi had been transferred to a leadership position in the city, he had not yet completely moved out of the role of Yechuan County Party Committee Secretary.

"You mean that someone in Wenyang City is deliberately creating chaos within Yechuan in order to compete for the project?"

Tang Ye said hesitantly: "Currently, there is no evidence; everything is just speculation."

Han Zhengyi said coldly: "I am very clear about the style of conduct of that group in Wenyang. To achieve their goals, they stop at nothing. You must absolutely pay attention to your personal safety."

Tang Ye said: "Thank you for the reminder."

Hanging up the phone with Han Zhengyi, Tang Ye took a deep breath.

He had been in contact with Tan Zonghe several times. Tan Zonghe was a capable cadre, but he had been having a smooth run these past few years, and it was inevitable that he would be somewhat arrogant deep down.

Tan Zonghe held great power in Wenyang, and even the Municipal Party Secretary was quite tolerant of him.

The sudden appearance of such an opponent made Tang Ye very surprised.

However, he also understood the reason for Tan Zonghe's grudge.

Regarding the Jinhua Century City project, he had criticized the project when accepting an interview with a reporter, which made Tan Zonghe harbor resentment.

The other party was holding back a breath, wanting to regain his face.

However, the way Tan Zonghe chose to regain his face was very problematic.

He actually chose to use a Hidden Plot and collude with black-hearted evil forces!

Looking at it from another angle, the other party had also revealed a flaw...

The next morning, Tang Ye received a call from Lianhua Town Party Committee Secretary Xia Xiang.

"County Magistrate Tang, I have a matter to report to you."

"Please speak!"

Xia Xiang's tone was full of helplessness and unwillingness: "Boss Wu just contacted me—they don't intend to invest in the Resort Project anymore."

Tang Ye was somewhat surprised: "Wasn't that project already almost negotiated?"

Xia Xiang gave a bitter smile: "It is mainly because the current public opinion is unfavorable to Yechuan County. Boss Wu is worried about losing everything."

Tang Ye knew how much energy and effort it took for the towns below to negotiate a project.

"Do you need me to contact Boss Wu?"

Xia Xiang said helplessly: "They have already signed an Investment Agreement with another town. It is meaningless to contact Boss Wu now."

Tang Ye comforted him: "Don't be dejected. The conditions in Lianhua Town are very good. Without Boss Wu, there are still Boss Sun and Boss Li."

Xia Xiang mocked himself: "Yes, we can only wait quietly for other destined people!"

Tang Ye could understand that Xia Xiang felt aggrieved.

This project was something he had run around to secure.

It was one thing that the county hadn't helped, but now they were even holding him back...

In the afternoon, Tang Ye arranged for personnel to go specifically to Qiongjin Airport to welcome Zhao Hui and his party.

In the evening, at a restaurant near the County Government, Tang Ye hosted a banquet for Zhao Hui.

Having not seen Zhao Hui for over a year, his changes were quite significant; his face had become rounder, he had gained quite a bit of weight, and his attire was much more mature and steady.

Tang Ye pulled Zhao Hui to sit down: "President Zhao, welcome!"

Zhao Hui said with a smile: "County Magistrate Tang, I really missed you so much. I didn't expect you to have no changes at all; you are still as dashing and handsome as ever."

Tang Ye patted Zhao Hui on the shoulder: "You really know how to tease me."

Seeing the waiter start to serve the dishes, Tang Ye said to Zhao Hui with a smile: "Today, you need to follow the local customs and taste our Yechuan delicacies. If it doesn't suit your taste, please bear with it."

Zhao Hui waved his hand: "I can see that County Magistrate Tang has put a lot of heart into this."

Tang Ye pointed to the eel in the plate and smiled: "President Zhao, please try this Soft-Wrapped Eel; it is the signature dish of our Huai cuisine.

Back when Emperor Qianlong went south of the Yangtze River, local officials offered this dish as a tribute, and Qianlong praised it endlessly after tasting it.

Because the eel's spine is soft and tender, it bends slightly when picked up with chopsticks, resembling the soft measuring tape in old cloth shops, so the locals named it 'Soft-Wrapped Eel'.

There is even a saying among the folk: 'When the Soft-Wrapped Eel is fresh during the Minor Heat of summer, even a god descending to the mortal world would linger...'"

Zhao Hui secretly thought that Tang Ye was truly eloquent. A dish that looked plain and unremarkable seemed to have its grade elevated significantly after Tang Ye finished telling the story, and it even tasted more layered when entering the mouth.

Compared to the dishes of Huai Province, the dishes of Shaanxi did not have so many stories.

The next morning, a press conference was held in the hotel banquet hall next to the Municipal Government.

The city took the lead in inviting numerous media outlets to attend.

Before the press conference began, Tang Ye chatted with Zhao Hui in the lounge.

"How did you sleep yesterday?"

"I drank too much. However, after sobering up, my head didn't hurt at all. The grain liquor we drank yesterday was very good; although the alcohol content was high, it went down smoothly, and the key is that it didn't go to my head."

Tang Ye smiled and said, "What we drank yesterday was Yechuan Daqu, one of the five famous liquors of Huai Province. Although it is not as famous as Moutai or Wuliangye, its brewing technique has been passed down for a thousand years; it just lacks good promotion, so people outside don't know about it."

Zhao Hui nodded: "It's a pity that such good liquor is buried."

Tang Ye said: "The city has already planned to include Yechuan Daqu as a key featured product for promotion. President Zhao, if you like drinking it, I will have someone mail you some later."

Zhao Hui laughed easily: "County Magistrate Tang, you are too generous. I have thick skin, so I will gratefully accept!"

At this moment, Ma Ran walked to Tang Ye's side and whispered a reminder: "County Magistrate Tang, the press conference is about to begin, and the reporters have all arrived."

Tang Ye stood up and said to Zhao Hui with a smile: "President Zhao, please!"

Next, he would have to start turning the tide...