Chapter 444: Chapter 421: Disruption
The meeting continued fifteen minutes later, with Hua Muyun leisurely sipping tea. Tasting fine tea doesn’t necessarily require a specific occasion, time, or atmosphere to reach its highest level of enjoyment. At this moment, he felt a sense of pleasure, dropping his eyes to enjoy the fear and trepidation of those beyond the scope.
Within a day, Liger City in the Western Suburb was uprooted without anyone knowing, without deploying a single soldier, without any guns or artillery. All actions began quietly and ended quietly.
Hua Muyun was very satisfied with this, smoothly deploying Sharp Sword to finish up, publicly revealing all the evidence of the Liger Gang’s operations in the shadows, and sealing all underground operations under its banner, simplified without any casualties.
The projection screen replayed scenes not covered in the news reports, peeling apart all hidden content in detail.
Secretary Luo stood before the projection screen, explaining the occurrence of the situation, the layout, and the formation of all plans in concise and thorough language, carrying a bit of an "after-the-fact" flavor. Such an approach naturally aroused dissatisfaction among many, yet their expressions were naturally taken in by Hua Muyun.
"Because of the gravity of the matter, this operation was confidential and could not be disclosed. I hope the leaders can understand this," Secretary Luo apologized to those present with extreme respect, putting away his pointer. "We must know that the Western Suburb has always adopted a dismissive attitude towards government policies, making it difficult for our municipal committee’s work in that area. Minister Wang’s consistent persuasion efforts were also to no avail. Recently, we received a report from the City Police Department that the Western Suburb had contacted assassin organizations in private to harm good citizens, participated in international smuggling, and allegedly engaged in money laundering for foreign countries. To ensure the safety of over a hundred thousand ordinary citizens in the Western Suburb and prevent information leakage, we had no choice but to adopt this approach. Now, the most important thing is how to rectify the Western Suburb."
As Secretary Luo’s voice fell, the murmurs below also subsided. The conference room fell silent, and Hua Muyun glanced at Wang Zhanting, the sound of the lid closing crisp and loud.
"The Western Suburb’s annual tax revenue to the Ministry of Finance accounts for thirty percent of Yanjing’s total. This amount is not insignificant among all regions!" Hua Muyun took a glance at the data with a prolonged tone, "As municipal committee cadres, we must ensure not only the safety of the people’s lives but also their interests and welfare, don’t you all agree?"
Some were nodding, some were agreeing, some remained silent, with all kinds of reactions but no dissenting opinions.
"However, most of the thirty percent profit from the Western Suburb comes from its underground industries. Currently, with the Lion gone, the commercial world is still operating normally, but I worry that the Western Suburb, accustomed to a single leader, might collapse due to the Lion’s death. Therefore, this meeting mainly seeks your input to see if there’s a better plan for the future development prospects of the Western Suburb. Minister Wang, do you have any good suggestions?" Hua Muyun shifted the focus directly to Wang Zhanting, who coughed twice, adjusted his sitting position, and raised his teacup.
"Secretary Hua’s concerns are also mine. Given the current situation, I think we need to find someone to take the Lion’s place. A pattern has already been formed, and trying to dismantle it from scratch not only requires considerable effort and financial resources but also takes a lot of time to maintain. Instead, it would be more direct and reliable to find an appropriate person to replace the current pace, of course, this person must be recognized and trusted by the municipal committee, with considerable ability and strength."
"According to Minister Wang’s analysis, the only suitable people could be from Yanjing’s four major families."
Liu Kunan put down the pen in his hand. He could be considered the most diligent note-taker at every meeting. From his perspective, as the mayor, he must strictly and earnestly implement each directive and policy from the municipal committee, improve the living standards of Yanjing’s people, and generate economic benefits; thus, the disbandment of the Liger Gang in the Western Suburb is the most applauded move for him.
Hua Muyun smiled at Liu Kunan, "Each of the four major families has its own territory, the newly appointed successors are still in the immature stage, and it might be inappropriate for them to take charge. Minister Wang, what do you think? However, the Wang Family’s heir is quite remarkable, with business acumen much sharper than us old fellows. I heard they’re planning to acquire a United States cosmetics company soon."
"You’re too kind, Secretary Hua," Wang Zhanting didn’t continue on Hua Muyun’s remarks but passed over the topic of successors with a detached attitude.
"I think there’s no need to rush this matter,"
Qin Weiguo pondered for a moment, as someone parachuted into Yanjing, maintaining a non-questioning attitude, strictly adhering to his own scope, not for selfish gain, nor for self-preservation. Adopting a wait-and-see approach is a prudent and enduring rule of the political arena, one of the basic rules.
"Does Secretary Qin have any good suggestions?" Gong Shenglong chose this moment to speak up, which made Hua Muyun somewhat unsure, but this did push the meeting to a climax.
"The fact that the Liger Gang in the Western Suburb has been eliminated is clear. Economically, it won’t fall to a deplorable state in a short period, after all, the Western Suburb has a population of over a hundred thousand, forming a scale. Therefore, it will maintain a stable business economy trend, with only the illegal profits reduced."
"Secretary Qin’s analysis is reasonable." Hua Muyun nodded, indicating for him to continue.
"If we hastily decide who to replace the Lion’s position, should we ask if it’s to replace his continuation of illegal power, or to replace the operation of business planning?" Qin Weiguo glanced at Gong Shenglong, then at Wang Zhanting: "Personally, I think, with the Liger Gang as a previous example, the municipal committee might consider other ways to incorporate the Western Suburb into their jurisdiction, letting the district chief act as temporary agent. Until a suitable candidate is found, or someone with enough funds to buy out the industries under Liger City appears, there’s another possibility to divide its assets through bidding, and then..."
"I think this method is inadvisable!"
Gong Shenglong interrupted Qin Weiguo’s proposal, taking a sip of water: "Letting the district chief act as temporary agent is a good suggestion, but dividing the industries, I think is unreasonable and has drawbacks."
Wang Zhanting glanced at Hua Muyun: "Secretary Qin’s meaning is that the municipal committee appoints someone to act on behalf of Liger City, turning privatization into nationalization, with an individual contracting the commercial district, is that what you mean?"
"Yes, this way, even with a contractor, it would not be outside the jurisdiction of the municipal committee." Qin Weiguo nodded, quite confident in his suggestion.
"Are there any other suggestions?" Hua Muyun sat up straight, asking the others present: If not, this matter will be settled for now. Secretary Qin, draft up a plan, and we will hold a special meeting to discuss the plan again,"
"No problem." After Qin Weiguo replied, he leaned back in his chair, sitting with a blueprint of his grand ideals and ambitions.
"Next, I want to talk about a violent incident." After concluding the previous topic, Hua Muyun immediately lowered his voice, his stern expression making those who had relaxed wary again.
"Secretary Luo!"
"Yes!" Secretary Luo switched the projection screen to the computer at Hua Muyun’s instruction, transferring the image from the mainframe to the screens in front of everyone present through a converter.
"These photos were collected after we entered the Liger Tower as evidence. Please take a look." Secretary Luo used a pointer to circle the uniform on the male corpse: "These corpses are clearly not members of the Liger Gang; they are wearing uniforms used exclusively by the military, with the badge of the Sharp Sword Special Forces on their collar tabs." As soon as Secretary Luo finished speaking, instead of silent embarrassment, it was replaced by a chorus of criticism and discussion.
"Who dares to be so bold as to kill members of the Sharp Sword?" The first to express objection was Commander Lu Yixing of the Yanjing Military Region, whose thunderous voice drowned out the noise in the meeting room, his eyes like a tiger’s as he glared. This was a provocation and challenge to his military authority: "Secretary Hua, I believe the municipal committee must seriously investigate this matter. The Sharp Sword Team are well-trained soldiers, who could so easily shoot them down in Liger Tower?"
"Commander Lu’s concern is also mine. For such an elite team to be sniped on site with a long-distance sniper rifle in an instant is a provocation to us, a retaliatory action." Hua Muyun spoke with a pained expression about his affection for these soldiers. "The state invests heavily in training these people, and it’s not easy."
"Secretary Hua, I’d like to personally investigate this matter." Lao Lu spoke.
"Commander Lu, I’m afraid that’s not in line with judicial procedures!" Liao Lijia, as one of the few women present, hesitated for a long time: "This matter hasn’t involved military discussions yet, procedurally, it should first be a criminal investigation, with military involvement if necessary, to avoid attracting criticism."
Liao Lijia’s words gained agreement from others; a woman’s thoughtfulness is often sharper than the average person’s. She continued: "Currently, the citizens are still in fear from several major incidents recently. If the military intervenes now, it may have adverse effects on the upcoming internal political elections." Liao Lijia intentionally or unintentionally glanced at Qin Weiguo with her beautiful eyes.
"Indeed, Xiao Liao is very thoughtful. If it causes more panic, it will be hard to clean up the mess. Commander Lu, I understand your pain for your subordinates. As defenders of the nation and its people, we share the same deep sorrow." Lu Yixing snorted heavily without replying: "I was just thinking, if we could use the people from Dragon Soul to investigate this matter thoroughly, perhaps they would be the most suitable choice."
(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit to vote for it and give monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)