Chapter 996: with translation of chapter title

Zhang Jiangbo said, "I just remembered, this project was proposed by him, and the previous road‑construction projects were also proposed by him, but the county‑wide main road repair, widening, hardening, and street‑light replacement projects were not tendered, right? He directly hired people to do the work, is that so?"

Zhao Nanxing said, "Exactly, at that time he was said to be the primary person in charge of this project, and all subsequent work was completely handed over to him to manage; I really overlooked the tendering issue."

"Anyway, I only know that he handed this project directly to Zhou Yanru and Hou Junlai; those two hired their own relatives, or rather used a construction company they set up behind the scenes."

Zhang Jiangbo said, "At this point, if Comrade Qi Guohui were here, he would be very pleased, wouldn't he, since we have never been able to catch Hou Junlai's leverage? Wouldn't this kind of back‑room operation, this kind of money‑for‑power deal, this kind of collusion between officials and businessmen count?"

Zhao Nanxing said, "Of course it counts; normally projects of this scale must go through the regular tendering process. Su Yang was indeed reckless at that time—he presided over all county work, and every matter in the county was decided by him. To win over Zhou Yanru and Hou Junlai, he actually gave this road project to those two to handle."

"He really took all the benefits; there's nothing in the world that cheap."

"But letting this matter ferment now—maybe it's not the right time yet?"

Zhang Jiangbo said, "Of course, trying to bring him down solely on this one issue is almost impossible, because several members of the municipal Standing Committee are backing him."

"Simply publicizing this in our county, or submitting it to the Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee for disciplinary action, has virtually no chance of being approved."

"But later, combine these matters with the Yingbin Dadao project and broadcast them all."

"Moreover, I can tell you that then we will bypass provincial media and let National Level media start reporting; besides the National Level media, even the media over in Hong Kong will report simultaneously."

"We will also arrange for the reporting media to come into the county to interview some people, letting them voice opinions on the project; of course, those opinions must be that it burdens the people financially, that a poor county like ours can't afford such a scheme, and that ultimately the Common People will foot the bill, and so on."

Zhao Nanxing couldn't help but clap and cheer, and also felt a slight admiration for Zhang Jiangbo's tactics and ability.

"After all, he's from Jingcheng; someone like him, even if he were to handle this, would at most enlist a few not‑well‑known provincial media, which couldn't really make a splash."

"But the scions from Jingcheng are another story; with authoritative National Level media reporting and Hong Kong media doing so simultaneously."

"Even if Su Yang has some backing, can he sway the authoritative National Level media? Can he make the Hong Kong reports be withdrawn?"

"Obviously, that's impossible; then Su Yang will just have to brace for a storm."

"But what he didn't anticipate is that Zhang Jiangbo hadn't even finished; this was only one of his big moves."

"His second big move is that, when the time comes, he'll definitely lure Su Yang into fully exposing the sand‑extraction affair, causing the entire profit chain's interest groups to crash."

"He knows exactly who is on that line; once these matters surface, the related media reports, public opinion offensive, even posts on forums and tie‑ba will all be counted, and no one will hold him accountable for the bill."

"Because causing that many officials to fall at once, Su Yang will not only be labeled a political assassin, but also become a thorn in the side of many."

"In the eyes of the Higher Organization Department, such a person is useless; even though the Zhou Family has some connections and resources, the repeated occurrence of such incidents cannot be ignored by senior leadership."

"Of course, besides these, he has other tricks, but he really doesn't need to tell Zhao Nanxing; in his view, a Division-level cadre like Zhao Nanxing is nothing. If he cooperates this time, everything will be fine; if not, there will be entertainment later."

Zhao Nanxing, still immersed in joy, said, "Secretary Zhang is still superior; Secretary Zhang's vision, wisdom, and perspective are beyond my reach. I must continue to learn more from Secretary Zhang."

Zhang Jiangbo thoroughly enjoyed this wave of flattery; in his position, if a lower‑level township cadre were to suck up, he would find it disgusting, since he feels his rank is already high and others can't reach him.

But Zhao Nanxing is different; he is a proper Division‑level cadre, a comrade working in the same team. If Zhao Nanxing is this sincerely pleased, his future work will be much easier.

He said, "'No, no, we all work in our county; comrades in the same team don't talk about who learns from whom. We discuss together and progress together.'"

"'The important thing is to get our county's economy going, shed the poverty label, and earn the Common People's trust.'"

"'Furthermore, regarding investment attraction, we cannot rely solely on Su Yang; you, I, and every cadre in the county must attract investment for these two projects.'"

"'Otherwise, even if Su Yang later falls out, where will this Industrial Park be? The Common People will still speak of his merits, and you will merely be passersby.'"

"'Oh, by the way, this reminds me of something; I heard he's quite familiar with the old boss of Harvard Pharma at that Industrial Park.'"

"'When he was developing the Xiushui Mountain Scenic Management Area in Xiushui Xiang, there seemed to be a shadow of Harvard Pharma's Mr. Xie, and that Mr. Xie's daughter is now the director of our admissions office, right?'"

Zhao Nanxing said, "Yes, I was planning to report this to you when the time was right; I didn't expect you already knew."

Zhang Jiangbo said, "Could there be any money‑for‑power deals in there? For example, in taxation, in land, or other policies. I've never believed that this businessman would invest everywhere alongside a deputy Division‑level cadre whose prospects don't seem that promising."

"'I know Harvard Pharma; not only in our city but even at the National Level they're somewhat famous. They came here to invest and even signed directly with Su Yang—why? Moreover, this Industrial Park is visibly likely to lose money; the best operating outcome would just be break‑even.'"

"'Even if highway projects can truly be implemented and the roads built, that's at least three to five years away; can a company afford such a long timeframe?'"

"'Therefore, I think we need to observe this aspect more and not let Su Yang use the County Party Committee and County Government banner to funnel benefits to certain people.'"

Zhao Nanxing nodded repeatedly and said, "'Yes, yes, I really hadn't thought much about these aspects before. When Secretary Zhang mentioned it, I suddenly realized my work perspective was relatively narrow; I must now keep up with Secretary Zhang's pace.'"

However, Zhang Jiangbo didn't continue the topic; he suddenly asked an off‑topic question: "What do you think of the female comrade Ma Su that your government handles?"