Chapter 1811

Chapter 1811: Chapter 1811

Zhou Zheng contacted each Party committee member individually, intending to set the stage before the committee meeting.

After leaving the City Committee, Wang Jinming appeared somewhat helpless.

It had only been about a month since the park pollution incident, and Wu Qiangwei was stirring up trouble again.

Indeed, in his view, Wu Qiangwei’s actions were just causing trouble.

He looked at his phone, predicting that Wu Qiangwei would contact him for votes.

But after some time, he never received a call from Wu Qiangwei.

Wang Jinming felt surprised and couldn’t quite understand.

Meanwhile, in Gaoshui County.

Cao Xiaolou was very angry.

He had been backstabbed by Director Bai!

This damn fool agreed with him wholeheartedly but then turned around and sold him out.

Although angry, he did not confront Director Bai.

Secretary Zhou advised waiting until after Wednesday’s committee meeting, to keep a low profile and avoid trouble before then.

The days flew by and it was Monday.

Wu Qiangwei received a call from Zhou Zheng early on: "Mayor Wu, come over for a small group meeting. Let’s discuss County Magistrate Cao’s situation first."

Wu Qiangwei replied, "I don’t think it’s necessary. Let’s discuss it directly at the meeting."

Small group meetings before committee meetings were customary, and he never expected Wu Qiangwei to decline.

After hanging up, Zhou Zheng felt uneasy.

Over the past two days, he met with all City Committee members.

Aside from Commander Wang from the Military District, the other eight members stood with him.

Without boasting, he was certain of those eight votes without any chance of issues arising.

But Wu Qiangwei’s attitude made him question everything.

Refusing to join the small group meeting and insisting on a direct committee meeting seemed confident.

Where did she get this confidence from?

He held a cigarette, frowned, and pondered, as the names of City Committee members flashed in his mind one by one.

Wu Qiangwei could definitely secure Commander Wang’s vote.

But as for other members, he could not figure out anyone else.

He decided to make another round of contacts to confirm everything to ensure no errors.

The next afternoon, he started contacting them again.

While inquiring, he would unconsciously ask if Wu Qiangwei had contacted them, observing their responses.

All of their answers were no, and their expressions didn’t suggest they were lying.

Zhou Zheng felt slightly reassured, but reflecting on Wu Qiangwei’s tone from the phone call yesterday made him curious.

It was truly strange.

If she wanted to dismiss Cao Xiaolou during the committee meeting, she would certainly need to contact the other members for votes.

But she didn’t do this, why?

Could it be that she had already given up?

Zhou Zheng thought of many possibilities but couldn’t find a correct answer.

...

On the other side, Wang Jinming was equally puzzled.

The meeting was to be held tomorrow, yet Wu Qiangwei hadn’t contacted him.

He truly couldn’t understand her.

However, this was quite good.

If Wu Qiangwei really came to him, refusing wouldn’t be easy, and agreeing wouldn’t be good.

Wednesday arrived.

Early in the morning, Song Guanchao prepared the necessary documents, ensuring nothing was missing, and brought his briefcase to Wu Qiangwei’s office.

Shortly thereafter, Wu Qiangwei walked out of the office and saw that he had arrived, she nodded: "Let’s go."

At half-past nine, they entered the City Committee and arrived at the large conference room.

They arrived relatively early, with a few members yet to arrive.

The members already at the venue greeted Wu Qiangwei with smiles.

At ten to ten, everyone arrived.

Besides Song Guanchao, Liang Jianfeng also attended the meeting.

At ten o’clock sharp, the meeting started.

Zhou Zheng didn’t plan to bury the issue of Gaoshui County; instead, he decided to take the initiative.

"Last week, Mayor Wu went to investigate Gaoshui County and found some issues. I’ll outline them briefly."

"Gaoshui County’s educational subsidies were misappropriated as transfers..."

"Let me correct Secretary Zhou’s wording," Wu Qiangwei interrupted rudely: "It’s not transfer, it’s misuse."

Zhou Zheng paused for a few seconds and said, "Before the committee meeting, I met and discussed with colleagues. Everyone knows what’s happening, so let’s skip these steps."

"Mayor Wu, are you sure you want a vote to dismiss County Magistrate Cao?"

"There are many ways to solve this issue; I truly don’t want an 8:2 voting record on your resume—this would negatively impact your future promotions."

Zhou Zheng spoke in a serious tone, appearing to consider her situation.

His words were filled with confidence.

8:2, this clearly told her that except for her and Commander Wang, the other eight members wouldn’t vote in favor.

This was an absolute control over the City Committee and Municipal Government, a declaration of his absolute authority as the head of Jiangzhou City.

And everything Wu Qiangwei did was just a hopeless struggle, in his view.

"Secretary Zhou has misunderstood something." At this moment, Song Guanchao suddenly spoke, which drew everyone’s attention to him, looking displeased.

In a committee meeting, he had no place to share opinions.

However, considering Song Guanchao’s temper, they refrained from reprimanding him, lest he caught a slip of the tongue and accused them.

Song Guanchao placed the prepared materials on the table: "County Magistrate Cao misused public funds and deployed police to illegally arrest the whistleblower; the evidence is solid."

"Today’s meeting, I didn’t plan on an 8:2 against approval. I planned on a 10:0 unanimous vote to dismiss Cao Xiaolou."

His words were met with laughter, as if hearing something ridiculous.

Not mentioning that he was merely an office director without voting rights.

Even if he were a committee member, such words were excessively absurd.

Song Guanchao ignored the gazes and expressions of the others and said: "A county magistrate who misuses public funds for personal gain should be immediately dismissed! As the office director of the City Government, I can’t allow Gaoshui County to be held by such a scoundrel!"

"Today, I’ll not only dismiss Cao Xiaolou but also pursue his criminal responsibility, ensuring he pays for his actions!"

"If the dismissal isn’t passed, I’ll submit my resignation to the People’s Congress. I’ll immediately head to the Provincial Government to report my resignation reasons to Governor Lu."

"I’ll step out now, awaiting everyone’s decision."

With that, Song Guanchao stood, pushed the door open, leaving only a heavy "bang" as it closed, leaving the room in silence.

The meeting room fell into dead silence.

Zhou Zheng’s face turned grim.

It was his first encounter with forced abdication, especially one where Song Guanchao bet his political future to force the issue.

He knew he couldn’t protect Cao Xiaolou anymore.

"Let’s vote on the dismissal of Cao Xiaolou."

Wu Qiangwei’s voice broke the silence.

She was the first to raise her hand: "I agree."

Immediately after, Commander Wang raised his right hand: "I agree."

Wang Jinming’s expression was calm, overshadowed by a trace of surprise and admiration.

Putting aside other things, he admired Song Guanchao.

Displaying such courage as a deputy rank in front of so many committee members was rare in the bureaucratic arena.

But admiration aside, Song Guanchao’s approach was inimitable.

By choosing this path, he was destined to offend everyone, leading to a future existence in a tight spot.

His only hope rested on Wu Qiangwei completely controlling Jiangzhou City’s situation in the future.

Only then could everything he did today convert into value.

Everyone looked at Zhou Zheng, waiting for him to make a decision.

Zhou Zheng’s expression changed several times, finally shaping into a forcibly squeezed smile: "Gaoshui County’s atmosphere must be rectified."

With that said, he slowly raised his right hand.