Chapter 486: Dakang's Little Run

Gao Yuliang's words put Wang Fuzhen's mind at ease, but her eyelids kept twitching, so she immediately called Qi Tongwei and Chen Hai again.

"Mother, don't worry. Secretary Li Dakang acts with discretion; I believe he won't do anything reckless. I'll ask about the situation in a moment."

"Alright, alright, alright."

Qi Tongwei hung up the phone helplessly and sighed in his heart; yesterday's words had been spoken in vain.

"Ring-a-ling, ring-a-ling."

"Tongwei, the union chairman of Dafeng Factory just said there is a twenty-ton gasoline depot inside their Dafeng Factory. You must tell Li Dakang quickly that he cannot force the demolition, otherwise the consequences will be unimaginable."

After hearing this, cold sweat broke out on Qi Tongwei. If this twenty tons of gasoline were truly detonated because of a forced demolition, both he and Li Dakang would be implicated.

"Alright, alright, Father. It must be very chaotic there right now; don't go over there."

"I cannot just watch the workers break the law. I am confident I can persuade them."

"But..."

"Beep, beep, beep..."

"This old man..."

Qi Tongwei was helpless and could only call Li Dakang while walking.

"Secretary Li Dakang, there is an urgent matter. There is a twenty-ton gasoline depot inside Dafeng Factory. Stop the demolition for now; wait until the oil is transferred before proceeding."

"What? Alright, alright, I will notify them immediately."

Li Dakang was also badly frightened; twenty tons of gasoline could level the entire Dafeng Factory.

"Sun Liancheng, have everyone in the demolition team stand by where they are. Wait until I arrive before doing anything else."

"Oh, alright."

Sun Liancheng did not understand why, but hearing Li Dakang's stern tone, he feared something major had happened.

"Everyone stand by where you are and wait for Secretary Li's instructions."

"District Mayor Sun, what happened?"

"I don't know either. Secretary Li just notified me that everything should wait until he arrives."

However, at this moment, the demolition team was not far from Dafeng Factory. The Dafeng Factory workers had piled up sandbags at the factory gate, holding torches in their hands, with barrels of gasoline right beside them. The two sides were in a standoff.

Twenty minutes later, Chen Yanshi, Li Dakang, and Qi Tongwei arrived almost one after the other.

As soon as Chen Yanshi got out of the car, he picked up a megaphone and started shouting.

"Everyone, listen to me. I am Chen Yanshi. You should all recognize me, like Zheng, Ma, and Ding."

"I have been to every workshop in this factory and visited every corner, because I personally oversaw the restructuring of this factory back in the day."

"I know your equity is gone now; that was your life's hard work, and your whole family was counting on it. After the demolition, you will also face unemployment and lose your livelihood."

"I feel very distressed hearing this, but we still need to be rational. Originally, this was a reasonable and legal matter, but if you cause a scene like this, you turn what is right into what is wrong."

"Now everyone must trust the Shizhengfu; they will certainly handle it well. I will also keep supervising them, so please rest assured."

"Everyone heard what Chen Lao said, right? Everyone take a step back and put down the torches. It won't be good if anyone gets hurt."

"Yes, I am Jingzhou Municipal Party Secretary Li Dakang. I guarantee here that the demolition will definitely be carried out on the premise of ensuring everyone's rights are not damaged."

"Furthermore, today's events end here; no one will be held responsible."

The leaders' successive statements put the workers in Dafeng Factory slightly at ease. Most of them were ignorant of the law, and since a figure like Li Dakang had given them his word, what else did they have to worry about?

Immediately, they extinguished their torches and cleared away the sandbags, and official vehicles entered to pump out the gasoline.

"Whew~"

Although the people had been persuaded and the gasoline had been hauled away, Li Dakang still had a dark face. This kind of open defiance against the Shizhengfu was practically a provocation against him.

"Hey, little Jin, it's fine now, it's fine now. The matter has been temporarily resolved, thanks to Li Dakang and Qi Tongwei arriving in time."

"Oh? As long as it's fine. Uncle Chen, let Li Dakang take the phone."

"Li Dakang, Secretary Sha wants to speak with you." Chen Yanshi used the megaphone to call out to Li Dakang, who was still on the scaffolding.

"Oh, alright."

Li Dakang had heard Chen Yanshi call out "little Jin" just now, and now that he mentioned Secretary Sha, Li Dakang felt as if a stormy sea were raging in his heart.

His previously dark face turned from overcast to clear. He jumped down from the scaffolding and ran over in two or three steps.

"Hello, Secretary Sha, I am Li Dakang."

"Comrade Dakang, this matter must be resolved properly. I have already seen a lot of negative information online."

"There are all sorts of rumors, which has a great impact on the credibility of our Shizhengfu. You must minimize the negative impact."

"Yes, Secretary Sha, I will definitely give you a satisfactory answer."

"It's not for me, it's for the common people. Alright, give the phone to Comrade Chen Yanshi."

"Alright, alright, alright."

Li Dakang handed the phone to Chen Yanshi, but his mind was racing. He did not know the background of Sha Ruijin, but now he was his direct superior regardless.

But if Dafeng Factory was not resolved, the Oriental Group would not take over the mess that was the Guangming Peak Project. It seemed Qi Tongwei's godfather had long known about the relationship between Sha Ruijin and Chen Yanshi.

"What is to be done now?"

Li Dakang kept frowning and thinking, but he had no clue. Now that the Oriental Group had already agreed to come over in the afternoon to discuss, Dafeng Factory was stuck here again.

"Secretary Li Dakang, this matter is actually very simple..."

Qi Tongwei directly repeated what Zhang Ping'an had said. Li Dakang knew this was the logic, but now with Sha Ruijin standing in the way, he certainly could not force the demolition.

"Thank you, Provincial Governor Qi. I will arrange for people to investigate thoroughly."

Li Dakang was now in a bit of a dilemma. If Sha Ruijin had appeared earlier, he would not have gone to the Oriental Group.

But now that the Oriental Group had already entered the fray, perhaps they wouldn't care if he refused them now, but he dared not gamble.

Moreover, the key was that he had lowered his own face to ask Qi Tongwei for help. Now that the man had brought people over, he himself wanted to quit halfway—what kind of behavior was that? He now had to make a choice between the two...

"I'm having such a hard time..."

In the afternoon, Li Dakang met with Xu Zhou, the person in charge of the Jingzhou Oriental Group.

"Secretary Li, we have all seen the matter regarding the Dafeng Factory on the internet, and our group..."

"General Manager Xu, rest assured, the matter of the Dafeng Factory will be resolved very soon. Please be sure to convey this to General Manager Zhang. As for the specific details, let us wait until after the Dafeng Factory demolition to discuss them."

"Very well."

Xu Zhou was stunned; he had been thinking about how to refuse Li Dakang, never expecting Li Dakang to be so reasonable.

Xu Zhou was a talent recruited locally and did not know Zhang Ping'an's background; otherwise, he would not have thought that way.

Next, Li Dakang had people carefully investigate the relationship between the Shanshui Group and the Dafeng Factory, as well as the internal problems of the Dafeng Factory and the demands of all the employees.

In fact, it was already clear and explicit from the interrogations of Ding Yizhen, Xiao Gangyu, and several others; now, as long as the Dafeng Factory repaid the money to the Shanshui Group, they could take back their shares.

However, the Shanshui Group was now involved in the case, and with no one in charge, it was already in a state of semi-paralysis.

Shanshui Manor had been sealed off, and some of its assets had been mortgaged to suppliers; now, only the Textile Factory and the internet cafes remained active.

"Secretary Li, it is just as you said; most of the employees still hope to receive their compensation and resume work as soon as possible."

"The reason they also joined the ranks of those resisting the demolition team is because Cai Chenggong has not paid their wages for several months."

"Hmm, since the matter is now clear and explicit, then use the Dafeng Factory's demolition funds as collateral for a bank loan to them. After they repay the Shanshui Group's funds, they can then repay the bank, and they can distribute the remaining demolition funds themselves."

"Sun Liancheng, remember, things must be done quickly, lest more trouble arise."

"Very well, Secretary Li."