Nominal: The pinnacle of power began in the sixth province of Handong.

Chapter 175 Heartfelt Words

Under the direction of Governor Liu and the planning of Xia Qing.

In Handong, another investigation team was dispatched directly to Lüzhou City.

Not for resort projects, not for environmental issues.

They came specifically for the exclusive franchise rights that were secretly signed separately when Luzhou City and Zhao Ruilong signed the food city contract back then.

This action is equivalent to telling the outside world.

At the Handong level, an offensive was launched directly against the legality of the exclusive franchise rights.

Meanwhile, Sha Ruijin, who was closely monitoring the situation in Handong from the capital, learned that a new investigation team had been dispatched to Luzhou to investigate the exclusive franchise rights.

He, who was initially exasperated by Yi Xuexi's foolishness, was now greatly encouraged and praised those involved in making the decision.

When he learned from Governor Liu that Xia Qing had given his full support to this matter.

Sha Ruijin was immediately filled with emotion.

In any case, they are now finally on the same side.

We will do everything we can to help Sha Ruijin avoid slander and return to work smoothly.

Perhaps this is politics: there are no permanent friends or enemies, only temporary shared goals.

And this elite investigation team did not disappoint the province's expectations.

It only took two days to find out the origin of the franchise agreement.

Back then, the development and environmental protection of the Crescent Lake area was always the biggest concern for the Lüzhou Municipal Party Committee and Government.

Due to insufficient financial resources, environmental protection in the Crescent Lake area can only rely on the local environmental protection bureau to maintain it voluntarily, or on asking residents near Crescent Lake for help with meager compensation.

In the long run, the results are not optimistic.

Just then, Zhao Ruilong and Huilong Group came to Luzhou to discuss the food court project.

Zhao Ruilong's offer was that a food court be built on Crescent Lake, and Huilong Group would be responsible for the environmental management of Crescent Lake and the surrounding area.

This was a godsend for Luzhou, which was facing a severe cash shortage.

In addition, the food court project can provide employment opportunities and tax revenue.

The Luzhou Municipal Party Committee, with Gao Yuliang at its core, is willing to accept this proposal.

However, the Luzhou municipal government, led by Li Dakang, did not accept this.

The two sides had serious disagreements over the food court project.

In the end, the food court project was finally implemented.

Li Dakang was transferred from Lüzhou, and Gao Yuliang approved and signed the transfer.

The franchise rights, in addition to granting Zhao Ruilong a monopoly on the development rights of the Crescent Lake area, also granted him the right to operate the business.

It also aims to enable Huilong Group to better protect the ecological environment of Crescent Lake.

Even though food courts can cause some pollution.

But compared to more serious pollution, this is much better.

This is why the exclusive franchise agreement was signed.

The investigation team could not deliver a satisfactory result.

The investigation team then located the individuals who had assessed whether the franchise was worth signing back then.

Without exception, the responses received were all that there was no problem.

The records in each ledger are also very detailed.

This is to be expected, since Gao Yuliang was involved in the whole process. Leaving enough evidence to avoid getting himself into trouble is Gao Yuliang's style.

The investigation team located a vice mayor who was involved in the entire process back then and is still a member of the Standing Committee of Lüzhou City.

However, the other party was not so cooperative.

They even expressed dissatisfaction with the arrival of the franchise investigation team.

The deputy mayor bluntly stated that, apart from giving misguided instructions, the province had not provided any human, financial, or material support to Lüzhou City.

Environmental protection at Crescent Lake is of paramount importance. Environmental inspections at all levels are conducted annually, and those responsible are held accountable for even the slightest problem. Despite knowing that Luzhou City and the Development Zone are facing financial difficulties, not a single penny has been allocated for the environmental protection of Crescent Lake.

Luzhou was then forced to sign a contract with Huilong Group for the food court project and franchise rights.

In this way, with the financial support of Huilong Group, Luzhou City was able to successfully pass the annual environmental inspections.

Now, the province has sent another investigation team to bring up the old issue again.

The same goes for the food court project; they didn't mention it when it was being built, and then they pressured us to demolish it later.

Not satisfied with the demolition, they started an eco-resort project.

The entire city of Lüzhou was busy working on the resort project, only to have it collapse in the end. The province immediately turned its back on it, sending an investigation team to investigate and find out what went wrong.

With such a system in place, who has the energy or the courage to offer suggestions for the development of Lüzhou?

How can a sub-provincial-level city develop if it keeps going through all this trouble?

After saying this, the deputy mayor then publicly asked at the meeting, in front of the municipal party secretary and the acting mayor:

"Excuse me, gentlemen, may I have a cigarette in this meeting?"

After receiving a positive reply, the deputy mayor lit a cigarette, took a satisfied puff, and then poured out all the grievances he had accumulated over the years:

"Leaders, you don't understand the actual situation in Lüzhou City. Tight fiscal revenue and a lack of key projects are the main obstacles to our development. Do you know how many places I've visited and how many people I've begged to get help to promote economic development and protect the ecology of Crescent Lake? I have to report and coordinate with various departments to secure funding and projects, and I also have to report and coordinate with environmental inspectors. As a vice mayor, I'm practically a deputy provincial-level official, right? I've gone to national ministries and provincial offices, only to be ridiculed, mocked, given the cold shoulder, and turned away by those section chiefs and department heads! Even when things get a little complicated, they point fingers and berate me!"

The deputy mayor paused, took another deep drag on his cigarette, and his eyes sharpened considerably. He stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and patted his chest, saying:

"When things were going well, the province ignored us completely. We had to fight for everything ourselves and take all the responsibility ourselves! Now that problems have arisen, what have you done besides coming down to investigate and demand people back, and punishing another batch of officials? I would like to ask the leaders of the investigation team, if one day the province has problems and higher-ups send people, will you, like me, be smoking at a large meeting and expressing your dissatisfaction?"

These words immediately caused a great commotion in the audience.

No one expected that when the provincial investigation team arrived, this deputy mayor would say so many disrespectful, yet brutally honest, things to their face.

Now, no one can save face.

Fortunately, the head of the franchise investigation team was personally appointed by Governor Liu, and the Secretary-General of the Handong Provincial Government personally led the team.

Faced with this situation, the experienced man immediately spoke up to calm the situation and requested that the meeting be suspended so that the deputy mayor of Luzhou could go back and rest.

Then, the Secretary-General of the Provincial Government quickly reported the situation to Governor Liu.

After receiving the report, Governor Liu immediately sought out Xia Qing to discuss the matter.

Watching the video recording of the meeting, Xia Qing's expression was solemn, but she showed no dissatisfaction whatsoever.

He knew that the deputy mayor was speaking the truth, and it was from the bottom of his heart.

This is precisely the common problem faced by every grassroots cadre.

If this is not properly resolved, how can we face these good cadres who get things done?