"So the leader of this inspection team is actually Young Master Xu?"
Upon hearing this news, Zhang Tianlai was overjoyed.
The local officials are most worried about the inspection team coming down, but if they have acquaintances on the inspection team, then they naturally have nothing to fear.
Although he didn't know Xu Liang, Xu Dong was his confidant, and with this relationship, things would be easier!
Otherwise, if you don't know the other person's capabilities and they don't know yours, and you don't know each other, they might not dare to accept gifts if you rashly offer them!
Thinking of this, Zhang Tianlai said with a smile, "Xu Dong, we're in the same boat. You'd better help me out on this matter. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing about your promotion!"
Xu Dong naturally understood Zhang Tianlai's meaning, and raised his eyebrows. "It's settled, leader. Don't worry, I will report to Team Leader Xu truthfully with a good leader like you!"
Seeing that he was so cooperative, Zhang Tianlai nodded in satisfaction. Then, as if remembering something, he said, "Oh right, I have a painting by Zheng Banqiao at home. I'm not really into these things, but why don't you take it back and study it carefully!"
Xu Dong's eyes lit up slightly. He had heard that Zhang Tianlai had once acquired an authentic work by Zheng Banqiao, worth tens of millions, but he never expected that Zhang would be willing to part with it now. He was really going all out to protect his official position.
However, he also knew that the painting was not for him; it was clearly intended to be a gift to Xu Liang through him.
So he said with a smile, "I'm just a roughneck, how would I know anything about calligraphy and painting? But our second young master comes from a prestigious family and has been proficient in all the arts since childhood. I'll ask him to take a look later, and we can all improve together!"
Zhang Tianlai nodded in satisfaction. This kid is really easy to use. It seems that getting rid of Wang Renfeng as soon as possible was indeed a wise choice.
...
A moment later, Zhang Tianlai began to issue notices and convene a team meeting as planned.
At the same time, the disciplinary department was instructed to mobilize personnel to raid Zhao Jianguo's company.
When the big boss holds a meeting, the level of authority is undeniable; within an hour, all the team members had arrived.
Zhao Guangcai sat to the left of Zhang Tianlai, and asked curiously, "Mayor Zhang, why did you call us here in such a hurry?"
Zhang Tianlai waved his hand, "Recently, I received a report that there is corruption in our team. There is a thorough investigation by the Discipline Inspection Department today, and we need everyone's cooperation!"
As he spoke, he looked at Xu Dong, who sat directly below Wang Renfeng, the head of the police station, and said, "Xu Dong, you're in charge of collecting everyone's cell phones!"
The atmosphere on the scene immediately became tense. Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. What was going on? There hadn't been any prior warning!
Xu Dong quickly collected all the phones.
Zhao Guangcai couldn't help but speak first, "Mayor Zhang, how could you not inform us beforehand about such a big matter? You've put our comrades in a very passive position, which is not good for unity!"
These words drew expressions of dissatisfaction from the others. Even though you're the top leader, you can't act like this; it's reckless.
"Inform them beforehand?" Xu Dong sneered, glancing at Zhao Guangcai. "What if the bad guys escape or erase the evidence if we inform them beforehand?"
Zhao Guangcai frowned. "Mayor Zhang, explain yourself clearly. Who is the bad guy?"
At that moment, he finally realized that the other party might be targeting him.
However, Old Zhao has been in officialdom for decades, and with a clear conscience, he has nothing to fear.
Zhang Tianlai sneered, "Don't you know who the bad guys are? Old Zhao, your son's company has made a fortune over the years thanks to your help, hasn't it?"
Zhao Guangcai was slightly taken aback, then said, "Mayor Zhang, you can't just say things like that. My son has indeed secured quite a few projects over the years, but I haven't abused my power for personal gain! Don't make baseless accusations!"
"I'm just making baseless accusations?" Zhang Tianlai's sneer deepened. "Without your 'favor,' how did he win those city investment projects?"
Snap!
As he spoke, he threw a stack of envelopes on the table. “Take a good look at these. These are joint complaint letters from several business owners, accusing you of flirting with a new company and engaging in corrupt dealings in the Blue Book project! They also accuse you of giving your son special favors and engaging in illicit transactions in the previous urban investment project! Do you dare say your hands are clean? Do you dare say that you didn’t have any selfish motives or violate any regulations during the bidding process for these projects?”
Upon seeing these envelopes, Zhao Guangcai's old eyes trembled involuntarily.
He would never have given his son special treatment, but he did give him some business insights and guidance.
What's the most important thing in business competition? It's information asymmetry!
The business world and the officialdom have been inseparable since ancient times. Some people with access to inside information channels profit by exploiting information asymmetry. To put it bluntly, this is what ordinary people call "collusion between officials and businessmen."
What is the purpose of becoming an official?
Every person in a position of power naturally has the desire to benefit the people and achieve great things.
But those in positions of power also have families, and some are even heads of households, shouldering heavy responsibilities for their families.
If you can do your duty and also seek some benefits for your family, it doesn't seem like you're asking for too much, right?
How many of you here haven't used your power to make things easier for your family members?
In fact, this is an unspoken understanding in officialdom. If we really want to nitpick, whose hands are clean?
He just hadn't expected Zhang Tianlai to bring this matter to the forefront and attack him. It seemed something serious had happened up above; maybe they wanted to drag him, their second-in-command, out to take the blame, and were determined to get rid of him!
“Mayor Zhang, if you insist on nitpicking, I don’t want to say anything more, but if we investigate according to your standards, it seems like none of us are clean. I remember that your uncle’s company probably received the most reports, right?”
After Zhao Guangcai finished speaking, he couldn't help but sneer, and the others nodded in agreement. Experience truly matters.
Everyone knows the relationship between Zhang Tianlai and Zhang Wanlin, and Zhang Wanlin's methods are common knowledge.
Moreover, unlike Zhao Guangcai, Zhang Wanlin was genuinely taken care of by Zhang Tianlai. If this were to be investigated, the matter would be far more serious than that of Zhao Jianguo!
In truth, everyone was more inclined to support Zhao Guangcai. After all, Zhang Tianlai's performance at today's meeting was indeed unpopular. If Zhao Guangcai fell, it would mean that they, too, were standing on the edge of a cliff.
The officialdom is a community of shared interests. There are certain rules that everyone knows but don't agree with. Even if you're the top leader, you can't break them at will!
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