Chapter 906: This is a Setup!

Tang Ye hung up the phone with "Big Brother of the Leaderboard" Qiao Wansen.

The door was suddenly knocked upon.

Tang Ye called out, "Please come in."

Ma Ran poked his head in and said with a smile, "Zhao Hui is downstairs!"

Tang Ye nodded slightly: "Go and lead him up!"

Not long after, Zhao Hui walked in under Ma Ran's guidance.

Ma Ran had prepared a cup of Hanzhou Green for Zhao Hui in advance.

Zhao Hui had no interest in drinking tea; with a serious expression, he took a pile of documents out of a file bag.

"This is the result of the investigation I arranged for people to conduct at Heiniu Mountain. Please take a look."

Tang Ye picked up the documents and studied them carefully, a cold look gradually appearing in his eyes.

Zhao Hui explained: "The temporary construction site over there contains coal gangue waste, which has already seriously polluted the environment. Every night, vehicles take action to dump large amounts of coal gangue into the mountain forests, then cover it with yellow soil taken from leveling the slopes."

Tang Ye frowned: "Jinshan Township has no coal enterprises; how could such a situation occur?"

Coal gangue contains combustible materials such as residual coal, carbonaceous mudstone, and waste wood; the carbon and sulfur elements within it can form the material basis for the spontaneous combustion of coal gangue.

The emission of harmful gases will not only worsen the surrounding air quality and affect the physical health of residents, but also destroy the surrounding ecological environment, leading to slow tree growth, increased pests and diseases, and reduced crop yields or even death.

This is undoubtedly a serious act of pollution.

Jinshan Township Township Head Guo Yi appeared at the scene that day, clearly aware of this matter.

As a government cadre, he must have known this was an illegal act, yet he did not stop it immediately, choosing instead to cooperate.

Zhao Hui said softly: "It is truly baffling that the local Township Government would do such a thing."

Tang Ye rubbed his chin: "President Zhao, thank you for helping to clarify this matter."

A complex expression appeared on Zhao Hui's face: "Secretary Tang, I didn't expect the situation at Heiniu Mountain to be more complicated than imagined. To be honest, I was originally full of confidence in the investment, but now I really have no bottom in my heart."

Tang Ye said: "President Zhao, I will definitely get to the bottom of this matter and will absolutely give everyone a satisfactory answer."

Zhao Hui nodded slightly: "Alright, you get busy first, I'll be going."

After Zhao Hui left, Tang Ye opened his address book and dialed the phone number of Jinshan Township Township Head Guo Yi.

"Township Head Guo, this is Tang Ye!"

"Secretary Tang, hello, may I ask what your instructions are?"

"Come to my office!"

"Alright."

Guo Yi helplessly put down the landline.

About an hour later, Tang Ye met Guo Yi in his office.

Guo Yi had not been sleeping soundly these past few days; ever since he crossed paths with Tang Ye last time, he knew this matter would not be settled easily.

Tang Ye had Ma Ran pour a cup of tea for Guo Yi.

"Township Head Guo, you haven't been sleeping soundly these past few days, have you?"

Guo Yi put down his teacup, a bitter smile appearing at the corner of his mouth: "Secretary Tang, you are right; I have indeed been unable to eat or sleep well these past few days. I have done something that violates discipline, but I can pat my chest and guarantee that regarding the renting of our village's plot to dump coal gangue, I have not put a single cent into my own pocket. All related funds can absolutely withstand an audit."

Tang Ye was silent for a few seconds: "Township Head Guo, setting aside the economic issues, do you know how much damage this reckless behavior will cause to the development of Jinshan Township?"

Guo Yi was stunned, looking at Tang Ye with a face full of surprise: "Secretary Tang, I never thought about harming the development of Jinshan Township. I just wanted to secure some funds for the government; these funds were all used to subsidize the treasury, absolutely not for my personal gain."

It was unclear whether Guo Yi was playing dumb or was truly muddled.

Tang Ye had no time to beat around the bush with Guo Yi and tapped his finger on the desk twice.

"Comrade Guo Yi, do you know why I went to Heiniu Mountain that day? Did you really think I went for a tour?"

Guo Yi looked at Tang Ye with a complex expression: "I know, it was the villagers of Heiniu Village who called the newspaper's tip-off hotline. Actually, I had considered that once the second batch of funds arrived, I would take the bulk of it to compensate the villagers of Heiniu Village."

Tang Ye shook his head in disappointment: "Those who went with me that day, besides the reporter from the Yanzhou Evening News, included the boss of the Zhao Group. They were originally particularly interested in the natural resources of Heiniu Mountain and had planned to invest in building a tourist scenic area. But with you all doing this now, you have directly left an extremely poor impression on the investors; this loss is not just a little bit."

Hearing this, Guo Yi could not help but open his mouth wide, his eyes full of disappointment and annoyance.

Tang Ye had been observing Guo Yi's reaction.

He needed to figure out whether Guo Yi was merely acting as a protective umbrella for that sum of money, or if there was some other scheme involved.

After a period of silent observation and analysis, Tang Ye had his answer: Guo Yi truly had no bad intentions, just a single-minded desire to secure some funds for the strapped Township Government.

Dayu County was already poor, and the townships below were even more stretched for resources; when encountering such a "business" delivered to their doorstep, it was indeed hard to refuse heartlessly.

Guo Yi's eyes could not hide his annoyance at this moment: "I'm sorry, Secretary Tang, I was too short-sighted. At the time, I only thought that it was just renting a piece of land to bury industrial waste; although it would bring some inconvenience to the villagers, at least it could provide a sum of income to subsidize the treasury. I never imagined it would cause such big trouble and even delay the township's development. This matter is entirely my responsibility; I will accept whatever punishment you deem necessary."

Guo Yi actually had quite a sense of responsibility!

Tang Ye waved his hand: "This matter is not that simple. There are plenty of places that can bury coal gangue; why did the other party specifically choose Heiniu Village?"

Guo Yi was stunned for a moment and said in a low voice: "This plot of land is relatively flat, and the roads up and down the mountain are smooth, making it more convenient for vehicles to pass."

Tang Ye stood up, took an administrative map from the drawer, and with a "swish" sound, unfolded it and laid it flat in front of Guo Yi.

"This plot is No. 32 Plot. In the overall planning of the county, it belongs to commercial land. Now that you have buried coal gangue here, causing serious pollution, the subsequent environmental assessment will definitely not pass; the score will be very low, and the value of this land will shrink significantly. It will be difficult to develop in the future!"

Hearing this, Guo Yi finally understood why Tang Ye was so angry. His behavior was simply devoid of any foresight; it appeared to have temporarily secured a sum of money for the Township Government, but in reality, it had cut off the path for long-term development, no different from a spoiled second-generation heir squandering his ancestors' savings.

Guo Yi smiled bitterly: "Secretary Tang, I have been too incompetent as a Township Head; please remove me from my post!"

Tang Ye saw Guo Yi's intention to repent: "Your attitude of taking the initiative to admit your mistake makes me very gratified. Moreover, you did not commit the error intentionally; if nothing goes wrong, you have been set up by someone."

Guo Yi looked at Tang Ye in surprise: "Set up?"

Tang Ye nodded slightly: "That's right, the other party is definitely not just wanting to bury industrial waste. He wants to obtain much more. Now is not the time for regret, but to find a way to break the trap."

Guo Yi sighed heavily, his eyes gradually becoming firm: "Alright, Secretary Tang, whatever you need me to do, just give the order; I will definitely cooperate fully."

Tang Ye patted Guo Yi on the shoulder: "The other party is using a hidden plot, but we must use an upright method to strike back. After you go back, be careful with your words; make sure not to let the other party realize that we are already alert, so as not to startle the snake."

Guo Yi nodded slightly: "Alright! I will listen to you and negotiate well with the other party!"