Chapter 363: Tang Ye Stabbed by Thugs!

"County Magistrate Tang, you've gotten a taste of how tough Suiyuan is on your first day, haven't you?" Wan Ming, not afraid of making a scene, joked with Tang Ye.

"Why didn't you give me a heads-up so I could have some mental preparation?"

Wan Ming sighed helplessly, "Who could have predicted they would take such a desperate risk? The Government has cut off Runsheng's retreat, and this group is now determined to drag everyone down with them."

Tang Ye was silent for a moment, "Has the situation with Runsheng truly reached the point where shutting them down is the only option?"

Wan Ming's tone grew heavy, "In terms of pollution, Runsheng is only a minor player among the big factories. But right now, we need to 'kill the chicken to scare the monkey,' and we have to pick a soft persimmon to squeeze—enterprises without backing naturally bear the brunt."

Tang Ye understood Wan Ming's meaning well.

Those suppressed the most severely are often those with the least backing.

"Which enterprises are currently the most heavily polluting?"

"Guangtai Storage Battery," Wan Ming blurted out. "They are a major taxpayer in the county. Secretary Han has summoned them several times to demand they upgrade their environmental processes, but they simply don't buy it. For an enterprise of that scale, building a factory in a place where they can 'trade the environment for political achievements' is far more cost-effective than upgrading their sewage systems."

Tang Ye's heart sank: "The poisoning of the children in Fugu Village was covered up by someone, likely to provide cover for Guangtai, right?"

Hearing this, Wan Ming was stunned, then sighed deeply: "You have been to Fugu Village; you should know that those who could move away have long since left. The people who remain don't even dare to drink the tap water, walking several miles every day to fetch water from other villages. The cancer rate in recent years is terrifyingly high..."

People's right to even drink water has become a luxury.

Such a pursuit of economic development has become ironic.

Tang Ye clenched his fists and took a deep breath, "This model of development is simply absurd!"

Wan Ming suddenly lowered his voice: "How about I find an opportunity to deal with that group? As far as I know, they aren't good birds; they gather to play cards whenever they have nothing to do, and they play for high stakes."

Tang Ye shook his head: "That treats the symptoms but not the root cause. The top priority is to solve the livelihood issues in Fugu Village."

Wan Ming wanted to say more but stopped.

Han Guangyao had been pondering this for nearly a year without a solution; how could it be solved just by saying so?

As they were talking, Wan Ming suddenly remembered something, his expression serious: "There is news that people from Runsheng will come to block the entrance of the County Government tomorrow, and they might deliberately create a conflict. You need to be careful."

Tang Ye asked in surprise, "What do you mean?"

Wan Ming sighed, "You are the new Deputy County Magistrate, so everyone wants to test your strength. Someone is definitely fanning the flames with Runsheng, trying to stir up trouble."

Tang Ye was thoughtful, "Then you need to make good security arrangements."

Wan Ming patted his chest in assurance, "Don't worry, I will protect your safety."

Tang Ye shook his head, "You must protect the safety of the masses. You must not have physical conflicts with the masses; that would be exploited by those with ulterior motives. Only when the masses are safe can we be safe."

Wan Ming subconsciously gave a thumbs up, "Your awareness is truly high! However, you must protect yourself; someone is definitely coming for you. After all, you are still quite famous in Suiyuan County."

Tang Ye knew what Wan Ming meant; the outside world knew that Wang Xingjian was brought down by Du Chengfeng, and he was his son-in-law.

This is what they call the city gate catching fire, and the fish in the moat suffering.

The next morning, sure enough, several hundred people arrived at the entrance of the County Government, holding white banners.

The banners read:

"Give us back our livelihood! The Suiyuan County Government is slaughtering the donkey after the millstone is used!"

"The Environmental Protection Bureau is abusing its power to suppress private enterprises!"

Tang Ye entered the government through the side door and had just arrived at his office.

Han Guangyao called and instructed Tang Ye with extreme seriousness, "Comrade Tang Ye, according to the decision of the County Party Committee, you are responsible for handling this disturbance. How do you plan to respond?"

Tang Ye said in a deep voice, "I have already communicated with Comrade Wan Ming. He will maintain order, and I am prepared to go down and meet their representatives to understand their demands."

"You must stabilize the situation," Han Guangyao paused, "For those who are deliberately causing trouble, identify them and detain them without exception."

Tang Ye nodded, "Understood!"

Just after hanging up the phone, Cheng Lin chased after him from the office, her eyes filled with concern: "I will go with you."

Tang Ye did not refuse.

As soon as the two reached the entrance, clamor suddenly erupted in the crowd: "The official is finally willing to show his face! If we don't get an explanation today, we're charging in!"

Tang Ye scanned the source of the sound alertly, only to see a man with a crew cut pushing through the crowd while shouting, followed by two burly men. One of them was squeezing toward Cheng Lin, and a metallic glint flashed faintly under his sleeve.

A cold light flashed, and a dagger grazed his shoulder.

If not for this block, the tip of the knife might have pierced Cheng Lin's abdomen.

Tang Ye immediately raised his leg and kicked the assailant, who fell to the ground with a scream.

Wan Ming, a few steps away, reacted, rushed up, pinned the knife-wielder down, and cuffed him.

The other two accomplices were subdued on the ground before they could escape.

The crowd instantly exploded into chaos.

Cheng Lin's face turned pale, but she still stood steadily by Tang Ye's side.

These three people had been instigated to try to escalate the matter and then hide in the chaotic crowd.

They had been looking for a female official, thinking it would be easy to strike.

But they underestimated Tang Ye's alertness and skill.

"Tang Ye, you're hurt!" Cheng Lin looked toward Tang Ye's arm.

The blade had cut a gash, and fresh blood stained his sleeve.

"I'm fine, it's just a superficial wound. Are you okay?" Tang Ye looked at Cheng Lin.

Cheng Lin's eyes reddened, and she tried her best to keep her tears from spilling over.

Tang Ye was still that same man who would throw himself in front of her without hesitation at a critical moment.

Tang Ye did not know the story in Cheng Lin's heart.

He was calculating in his mind how to deal with what was to come.

Although he knew someone was trying to muddy the waters, it had still deviated from his expectations.

Sure enough, he had still underestimated the complexity of Suiyuan County.

Tang Ye ignored the sharp pain and picked up the megaphone, "Fellow workers, I am Deputy County Magistrate Tang Ye. We just captured three people. They are not from your Runsheng, but criminals drifting in from out of town. They have committed theft, robbery, and other cases in our Suiyuan. We have been tracking them for a long time and could never find an opportunity. Today, they were bought off by someone to pretend to be workers and cause trouble. We saw through their scheme and took them all down!"

Someone questioned, "Are you deliberately fabricating evidence of a crime?"

Tang Ye frowned, "This is very simple, who recognizes them?"

There was a silence among the fellow workers; these three people were clearly unfamiliar faces.

Moreover, they were armed and injured people; wouldn't getting involved with them make one an accomplice?

"I didn't expect people with ulterior motives to have mixed in among us. We cannot be used by them!"

"They fear nothing but chaos in the world and want to destroy our relationship with the Government; in the end, the ones who lose the most will still be us."

Tang Ye held a megaphone and said loudly, "Please rest assured, we will deal with these three troublemakers according to the law. In addition, regarding the issue of Runsheng, the County Party Committee already discussed it yesterday and will certainly make proper arrangements. Please appoint representatives, and we will discuss a solution together with the enterprise heads and worker representatives."