Chapter 785: Gaining Allies from the Political and Legal Line!

Just as work was ending, Tang Ye received a call from Xing Zhijun.

"County Magistrate Tang, are you free this evening?"

Tang Ye asked curiously, "Brother Zhijun, is something the matter?"

Xing Zhijun laughed, "Someone from my hometown came to the city and brought some fresh mountain goods; I'd like to invite you for a simple meal."

Tang Ye asked, "Besides me, is anyone else coming?"

Xing Zhijun said, "Just the two of us, no one else."

Tang Ye knew Xing Zhijun was inviting him specifically, so he smiled and agreed, "Alright, then let's have a good chat tonight."

Xing Zhijun said, "I'll come pick you up later."

When it was time to get off work, Tang Ye called for Ma Ran, "You don't need to work overtime tonight; I'll be leaving a bit early today."

Ma Ran replied with a smile, "I don't have anything to do when I go back anyway, so I might as well stay in the office and process some materials."

Tang Ye pondered to himself that Ma Ran had indeed changed quite a bit since breaking up with Huo Xiaowen.

He put almost all of his energy into his work.

Many enthusiastic female colleagues in the County Party Committee Compound had offered to introduce Ma Ran to someone, but he had politely declined them all.

Tang Ye knew clearly in his heart that while Ma Ran appeared to have made a clean break with the past,

in reality, he hadn't let go of Huo Xiaowen at all, which was why he deliberately filled all his time with work to avoid giving himself a chance to reminisce about the past.

After Tang Ye left, Ma Ran walked into his office, wanting to help clean up.

In reality, there wasn't much to tidy up.

Tang Ye was an extremely disciplined person.

His office was always kept in perfect order.

It is no exaggeration to say that even the pens in the pen holder had fixed positions and angles; even moving them slightly could catch his attention.

Tang Ye stood in the compound for a moment, and Xing Zhijun walked over.

The two chatted as they walked toward a white sedan.

This car belonged to the Public Security Bureau and was usually used by Xing Zhijun.

They soon arrived at Xing Zhijun's residence.

Before they even entered the door, they could smell a rich aroma of food.

Xing Zhijun's wife, Yao Lan, heard the movement outside the door and came out wearing an apron, greeting Tang Ye warmly, "County Magistrate Tang, hello!"

Xing Zhijun introduced her to Tang Ye, "This is my wife, Yao Lan."

Tang Ye nodded with a smile, "Hello, sister-in-law!"

Yao Lan said with a smile, "You two sit in the living room and chat for a while; dinner will be ready in half an hour."

Xing Zhijun poured a cup of tea for Tang Ye.

Tang Ye observed Xing Zhijun's home.

The apartment wasn't very large—three bedrooms and one living room—but it was kept clean and tidy, with a sense of warmth everywhere.

At this moment, the door was gently pushed open, and a young girl of thirteen or fourteen walked in.

Xing Zhijun beckoned to her, "Meimei, hurry up and greet your Uncle Tang."

Xing Meimei took a careful look at Tang Ye and said in a low voice, "Hello, Uncle."

Xing Zhijun couldn't help but tease, "You child, why is your voice so quiet today?"

Xing Meimei felt a bit embarrassed and quickly ran into her room.

She didn't come out until dinner, and during the meal, she would sneak glances at Tang Ye from time to time.

Yao Lan's cooking was indeed excellent, and with the fresh ingredients, every dish was a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate.

As he ate, Tang Ye praised, "Sister-in-law, your cooking skills are truly amazing. You could totally open a restaurant; if you're willing to open one, I'd be the first to want to join as a partner!"

Yao Lan was amused and laughed out loud, "County Magistrate Tang, please don't make fun of me. My skills are hit-or-miss; today was just an exceptional performance."

After the meal, Tang Ye followed Xing Zhijun into the study.

Xing Zhijun took out an internal publication and handed it to Tang Ye.

"This time, our Dayu County has rooted out Li Zhongling, this 'big tiger,' and it has received high recognition from provincial and municipal leaders. Take a look at this article."

Tang Ye picked up the internal reference and read it with great interest.

"From an impoverished farm boy to a sand and gravel hegemon monopolizing a region, and finally to the construction of a black empire intertwined with power and violence, leading ultimately to his downfall.

Li Zhongling's life trajectory was filled with greed and madness.

Li Zhongling was born in Yaokou Village, Zhangping County, into a poor family. He spent over a decade eating nothing but salted vegetables stir-fried in an iron pot, and it was precisely because of this that his desire for money was more intense than that of ordinary people.

In the 1990s, the speed of urban expansion was rapid, and the demand for stone materials for infrastructure projects surged, leading to a shortage in the sand and gravel market.

Li Zhongling seized the opportunity to establish an engineering company, ostensibly under the banner of 'building roads and bridges,' but in reality, he had his eyes on a faster path to wealth—monopolizing sand and gravel resources.

Externally, they used intimidation and bribery to annex small quarries, forcing sales and purchases;

internally, if any villager dared to oppose them, they would cut off their water and electricity, or even gather people to block roads and smash property.

The villagers had nowhere to turn for help and could only swallow their anger in silence.

In the late 1990s, Li Zhongling donned the legal cloak of 'Party Branch Secretary,' which made him even more unscrupulous in his actions.

He seized policy loopholes to apply for mining permits for the village in the name of 'leading villagers to prosperity,' and then used the power in his hands to completely eliminate the remaining scattered quarry owners.

During his years as Party Branch Secretary, Li Zhongling almost squeezed the village's resources dry.

By the time he was investigated, he had as many as 63 affiliated companies under his name, with businesses covering sand and gravel mining, construction, and cargo transport, forming a 'one-stop' monopoly chain that firmly held most of the local engineering work and projects in his own hands.

According to investigation data, the amount involved in Li Zhongling's gang's cases reached as high as 1 billion yuan, which would weigh about ten tons if converted into cash.

Looking at economic gains alone, he brought in an average of 150 million yuan per year.

This amount is even more than the annual fiscal revenue of many counties.

In order to expand the mine, he had no bottom line and directly razed hundreds of ancestral graves of the villagers.

When the elderly stepped forward to stop them, they were pushed to the ground by his hired thugs; the screams of the elderly and the wailing of their families churned together in the mountain wind, heartbreaking..."

Next, the tone of the writing took a sharp turn!

"The downfall of the Li Zhongling gang began with a vicious assault incident.

That day, Dayu County Magistrate Jiang Anbang and Executive Deputy County Magistrate Tang Ye were conducting an unannounced inspection in the county seat to understand the local economic development situation.

A group of unidentified people suddenly rushed out and launched a sneak attack on the two officials.

Although they eventually repelled the mob, Jiang Anbang's leg was broken in the collision, and Tang Ye's arm was also fractured.

After the incident, Dayu County immediately launched a special operation to crack down on organized crime.

Deputy County Magistrate Xing Zhijun, who was in charge of the public security system, was appointed in a time of crisis; he led his team to peel back the layers and gradually uncovered the truth behind the incident.

All of this actually involved a commercial game involving a project worth billions..."

This article used appropriate artistic exaggeration regarding this operation.

It focused heavily on Jiang Anbang and Xing Zhijun.

It also mentioned Tang Ye.

Although Li Zhongling had investment plans in Dayu County, his "base of operations" was actually in the neighboring county.

Therefore, this investigation operation was undoubtedly a significant storm for the officialdom of the neighboring county.

Tang Ye closed the internal publication.

"It's written very realistically; the author has a good command of the pen."

Xing Zhijun smiled and remarked: "I think the author wrote too little about you. Being able to achieve such results is all thanks to you, County Magistrate Tang. If it weren't for your rational response and overall coordination at the time, how could we have eradicated this great malignancy that is Li Zhongling?"

Tang Ye waved his hand: "Deputy County Magistrate Xing, you are too polite. My value is insignificant. This is the result of everyone's joint efforts."

"County Magistrate Tang, in the future, no matter what you need my side to cooperate with, just give the order, and I will do my best."

"Brother Zhijun, if there is anything I need your help with, I won't stand on ceremony with you."

Xing Zhijun's favorability +100!

The "Secure an Ally on the Public Security, Procuratorate, and Judiciary Front" mission has been successfully completed!

Tang Ye thought to himself, this was an unexpected gain!