Chapter 1051: Zhang Jiangbo Breaks Out in Cold Sweat

Zhang Jiangbo's expression instantly turned sour. He didn't do this, and he doesn't have enough power to steer a national‑level media mouthpiece to a small county town.

But the matter does involve him, and faced with everyone's almost angry stares, he truly lacked the courage to confront them, so he could only stammer:

"Regarding this matter, I was also shocked. Although I also came from Jingcheng, Jingcheng has so many ministries and key units; to be honest, I may know three or five of them, but actually wanting to get acquainted with such heavyweight media—and then have them come here for interviews and reports—is impossible."

"And if this matter were truly investigated, I might end up being held responsible; I couldn't possibly have done something like this, could I?"

At that point, his heart suddenly lurched. Earlier, he had followed Jia Guolong in devising every possible scheme to plot against Su Yang—whether it was the Yingbin Dadao project or using the Sha He illegal mining incident as a pretext to bring Zhao Nanxing and others down—these were ultimate measures that could doom Su Yang forever.

Earlier, he had single‑mindedly thought about how to put Su Yang to death, to sweetly avenge his son's slap.

Being questioned so harshly just now, he suddenly realized: Jia Guolong had even plotted him into the scheme.

Because bringing down Zhao Nanxing and the others is no small matter. If it were only the County Magistrate, perhaps it could be excused, and Su Yang would just bear the reputation of a political assassin.

But if the County Magistrate, the Executive Vice County Magistrate, the County Party Committee Deputy Secretary, the County Discipline Inspection Commission Secretary, and the Political and Legal Affairs Commission Secretary were all removed, then as the County Party Committee Secretary— the proper team leader and the secretary in charge of the whole county's personnel—does he have no responsibility? No, he not only has responsibility, but a huge one.

He kept thinking that Su Yang might not be able to get away unscathed, recalling that Su Yang had for the third time dragged the standing committee around him into the pot, yet he himself could not retreat unscathed, because while he was targeting others, others might also be watching him.

Especially this time, various incidents, spurred by schemers, exploded like a bomb, and Su Yang found himself unable to escape unscathed. When that moment comes, can this participant still salvage anything?

Even taking a step back, although the Yingbin Dadao project's certifications, documents, and funds were all handled and brought in by Su Yang, the primary person truly responsible should be him, and the secondary responsible person is Zhao Nanxing.

Although they now, guided by media direction, have shifted all the problems onto Su Yang, the grassroots don't understand this; does that mean the higher‑ups don't understand either? In any case, the matter will have to be sorted out, and no matter what responsibility Su Yang bears, his own responsibility cannot be escaped.

He hadn't expected that after all the scheming, he would end up being plotted into it himself.

In an instant, he felt a chill run down his spine. He had always thought Jia Guolong treated him as a brother and a friend.

At that moment, he suddenly realized he was merely a cog in someone's political game. Rather than having him snipe Su Yang, it would be better to have him, when necessary, embrace Su Yang and go down together.

How vicious! When they first transferred him from Jingcheng to the provinces to serve as Municipal Party Committee Deputy Secretary, he was grateful for a long time. At least given their family's capability, pushing him straight to a local deputy secretary position was very difficult, and he wasn't even old.

If he truly seizes this opportunity, his official career will be more than just gilded; later, by plucking these "fruits" of Su Yang and taking a couple of steps upward, there should be no problem.

Back then he mocked Tian Xiaofei as a good‑for‑nothing who came to oppose Su Yang, only to be beaten black‑and‑blue, then slunk back to Jingcheng, becoming a laughingstock. Yet now he realizes that although Tian Xiaofei returned in disgrace, he suffered no real loss, whereas he may have lost the only chance of his life.

But Zhaikai's fury still burns. He naturally knows that Zhang Jiangbo is a scion of a Jingcheng aristocratic family, yet he also heard some things about Su Yang here.

Anyone who could sit in his position must have considerable political acumen; this kind of god‑like power struggle has already entangled him, and staying out of it is impossible. Given that, it might as well be more aggressive.

"Secretary Zhang, whether it's the Sha He illegal mining incident in your county, the Yingbin Dadao project, or the former County Magistrate's suicide, each of these happened under your administration."

"Although the Investigation Team has only summoned Comrade Su Yang and related cadres for questioning, and hasn't summoned you, I think you need to provide a written explanation to the Jinzhou Municipal Party Committee leadership."

"Moreover, for any subsequent public opinion or consequences stemming from these incidents, you are the primary responsible person and must bear them; I hope you prepare yourself mentally in advance."

When those words fell, Zhang Jiangbo's face turned pale. How severe! He is at least a third‑in‑command, yet now they give him no face at all and intend to crush him to death.

In the past he wanted to flaunt his status and position; now he only wishes to make himself invisible here, becoming a transparent third‑number figure.

What frightens him even more is that this time, almost every cadre in the whole county was summoned for talks or taken away, yet he remains completely untouched, with no one even looking for him.

At first he thought it was because of his special status that others dared not offend him, or that Jia Guolong had already set things up behind the scenes, leaving him comfortably perched on a fishing platform. But now he realizes that in this vast scheme, he too is just a corner piece that has been plotted in.

Everyone was summoned for questioning except him; isn't that obvious that his position differs from others? Isn't that clearly pushing him straight to the opposite side? The more he thinks, the more terrified he becomes; if he could, he'd even want to grab a train and run away.

They say that Within the System is rife with deceit and intrigue, yet absolute power can pierce all the flashy tricks. He, however, lacks absolute authority; in an instant, cold sweat drenched his clothes, and even his breathing felt heavy.

At that moment, Wang Huaizhong coldly added beside him: "Secretary Zhang, is Secretary Zhaikai speaking to you? Did you not hear, or what's going on?"