Chapter 1032: How Long Do You Plan to Keep This Lid Closed?

The caller was Executive Vice Governor Huang Dacheng, which clearly shows that the matter has already been brought up to the provincial level.

Su Yang took a deep breath and promptly answered the phone: "Hello, Governor Huang."

Huang Dacheng's voice, tinged with authority, came through: "Su Yang, what's happening in your county? How long has this been going on? Another death has occurred; how many people died this time? How do you normally carry out your work?"

Su Yang replied: "I was just about to report this to you. I've known for a while about the illegal sand extraction from Sha He in the county; the last time it even went before the Standing Committee, and we arrested those villagers who were illegally mining."

He said they were villagers, but in fact they have become corporatized; ordinary villagers receive only a small share of the profits—some get as little as two bags of rice a year—while the bulk of the gains are siphoned off by an organized group.

Moreover, this involves several of the county's top leaders, over 80% of the local officials, as well as the cadres of the village committees and some villagers. Because so many people are implicated and the scope is wide, even if I argue on principle, in the end they only let a town mayor, a deputy secretary, and a deputy town mayor take the blame and account for the incident.

This time the accident occurred because illegal mining caused soil erosion; a large section of the road along the Sha He bank collapsed, leading a sand‑transport truck to collide with a farm three‑wheeler.

The precise cause is under investigation, but one thing is certain: the driver of the sand‑car was drunk. The county isn't trying to hide this; at the on‑site meeting just now I already proposed reporting directly to the Municipal Party Committee and immediately forming an investigation team to look into it. Moreover…

He glanced at Chen Bo at that point and continued: "I also have a ledger and roster of this interest group, though it's from six months ago; I haven't updated it for the past half‑year. Should I hand it to you directly, or give it to the investigation team set up by the Municipal Party Committee?"

Huang Dacheng replied: "Make two copies—one for the municipal investigation team, the other for me. Your county keeps repeating the same offenses; it's truly intolerable. You just said the county's top leaders are all involved—who exactly are they?"

Su Yang said: "Aside from County Party Committee Secretary Zhang Jiangbo, Municipal Department Head Chen Bo, and United Front Work Department Head Yang Kang, anyone else could be involved."

When Su Yang said that, even Chen Bo standing nearby widened his eyes. As for Zhao Nanxing and the others' participation, she believes it.

Based on their behavior, they have indeed formed an interest group. Even if Zhou Yanru is involved, she isn't surprised; Zhou's recent conduct inevitably raises such doubts. But even Hou Junlai is implicated, which makes him feel a bit uneasy.

Huang Dacheng's anger boiled over: "How could the county's Party Committee and government team be this rotten? Why didn't you report this earlier?"

Su Yang replied: "This matter is tangled and involves too many people; without absolute certainty, it would be a futile effort and could even drag innocent people into it."

Furthermore, I think it isn't just these county officials; before County Chief Zhao took office, the former County Magistrate Tong Guohua was pulling the strings behind the scenes. I also have a selfish side—if I had forcibly lifted this lid back then, I would have become an enemy of the entire Yeshan County bureaucracy, and even the municipal leaders would have viewed me differently.

Thus, my reputation as a 'political assassin' would be cemented. Especially after the Geng Miao incident, I fear they might resort to desperate measures.

After listening, Huang Dacheng said: "If I hadn't called to ask, would you have kept waiting on this? It might affect you, but is keeping the lid shut a solution? So now the province will lead the formation of an investigation team, and whatever ledger or roster you mentioned will be treated as an anonymous submission."

Huang Dacheng wasn't unaware of Su Yang's notorious reputation; if this time Su Yang clashes head‑on with the Yeshan County bureaucracy and a majority of the county's Standing Committee members end up imprisoned, Su Yang's future prospects would indeed be bleak.

After hanging up, Su Yang spread his hands to Chen Bo: "I didn't mean to conceal this from you; honestly, if I had told you, it would weigh on your mind and might later involve you."

"I guess you're also shocked, but that's the reality; I've already met the former County Magistrate twice about this, hoping he would voluntarily turn himself in and completely resolve the matter."

"He not only refused, but haggled with me, relying on the many people in their interest chain to confront me head‑on. What I didn't expect was that Zhao Nanxing and Jiang Tao were pulled into the mess so quickly."

"You might not believe it, but the core figure of this massive interest chain is Ma Su, who coordinates everything from the town to the county and even the city. Previously the public face was Town Party Committee Secretary Yao Daya of Guantan Gou Town; now he's the one handling all the connections."

Chen Bo was still so astonished his mouth couldn't close; it could easily fit at least two large quail eggs.

She said: "I never imagined this would involve so many people; was the previous Geng Miao case also the former County Magistrate persistently reporting?"

"I always thought he was a role model for us cadres, and I was planning to visit him for Mid‑Autumn Festival. As for Secretary Hou, he's always been helping you; without Secretary Hou, Geng Miao probably wouldn't have been toppled."

Su Yang said: "I don't really believe it either, but the facts are right in front of us; his name appears on the ledger I just mentioned."

At that moment, Chen Bo suddenly realized a problem: "You didn't mention County Chief Li among those people; could she also be involved?"

Su Yang replied: "Her name is there too, but she isn't deeply entangled—only a few ten‑thousands of yuan, and she withdrew after the Geng Miao incident."

"Probably someone behind her realized some issue and instructed her to act that way; otherwise even she would struggle to explain herself this time. As for Secretary Hou, they were shrewd—using the downfall of Geng Miao to earn my full trust, enabling them to turn against me at any moment."

"Do you remember those two construction incidents earlier? I gave those two men some favors, yet they were inexplicably branded as profit‑shuttling; those two rustic foremen are absolute confidants of Secretary Hou and Secretary Zhou."

"Think about it—if those two hadn't given their nod, how could they have reported me for taking bribes?"

"Actually I've always had this doubt, but at the time I couldn't find a suitable reason. Now, I truly can't find any reason to keep trusting them."

"Especially Secretary Hou—he even knows some of my background, yet he's still strapped to the same war‑chariot as the former County Magistrate and his cohort. The accounts I have show he's received dividends totaling four million yuan over the past few years."

"Besides that, Yao Daya gave me a USB drive at the time; he handed it over in front of Secretary Hou. It contains records of Ma Su's efforts to win over these people and the county, townships, and himself."

"But after I looked at it, guess what? Both of our hypocritical comrades are inside; think about it, it truly breaks my heart."