Chapter 248: Chapter 237: I Know What to Do Now
Qin Weiguo walked together with Lu Yihang and Liao Lijia. Tonight, they wouldn’t get any rest. It’s only two in the morning; after mobilizing the troops, it would be at most three. It’s the perfect time to dismantle the various halls of the Poison Dragon Gang. Plus, this decision has already been unanimously passed at the Standing Committee meeting. Even if the Wang Family or Liu Kunnan had sky-high skills, they wouldn’t dare to obstruct anything at this time.
"Secretary Wei Guo, how many troops need to be mobilized?" Lu Yihang, being straightforward, asked. After all, Hua Muyun had personally instructed him to cooperate with Qin Weiguo’s actions. More importantly, this matter was led by Xiao Lin. Although outsiders didn’t know, how could Lu Yihang not be aware of the Dragon Soul Military Doctor Xiao Lin? If it weren’t for Xiao Lin’s call, he wouldn’t have agreed to Hua Muyun’s request, no matter how significant the issue was tonight. Even if he agreed, he wouldn’t personally mobilize the troops, let alone directly discuss it with Qin Weiguo.
Local officials might know of Dragon Soul’s existence, but they would never imagine Dragon Soul’s influence. All retired Dragon Soul members were talented commanders in their own right. Moreover, more than thirty percent of the bigwigs in the Military Commission were from Dragon Soul. The team maintained around twenty to thirty members, but among those who retired safely, one out of ten left with minor injuries, three with serious injuries, and the remaining six were either killed in action or severely injured. This indicates the tremendous influence Dragon Soul had on the military.
In the military, there’s a saying that Dragon Soul is like a miniature Military Commission. What Dragon Soul does is enviable to regular soldiers. The power they possess is well-deserved. Therefore, once Huaxia soldiers reach a certain level and know about Dragon Soul, they hold them in high esteem. Many tasks considered impossible become as simple as eating and sleeping for a member of Dragon Soul. With that power comes deserved respect.
Qin Weiguo parachuted into the capital region. For the past few years, he hadn’t achieved much because upon arriving in Yanjing, he found the local forces too strong. Even a political powerhouse family like the Qu Family didn’t have much influence in Yanjing through Qu Yongbo. Without mentioning the top family, the Hua Family, even the weakest Wang Family’s influence in Yanjing wasn’t something an outsider like him could shake.
So, after serving in this position for over four years, Qin Weiguo could only label himself as mediocre. He hadn’t made any mistakes, but he hadn’t achieved anything significant either. The circumstances he encountered while in this position couldn’t be accessed by regular officials. The materials he had weren’t due to a lack of effort but a lack of capability to execute them.
Just before the meeting began, Hua Muyun gave him a call, simply saying he needed core information on the Poison Dragon Gang. Just that phrase was enough. The Hua Family is Yanjing’s top family, not to be ignored. Qin Weiguo said nothing and brought out all the collected data on the Poison Dragon Gang, which was far more extensive than Lin Zhifang’s information.
Finally, an opportunity to showcase his skills arose, and Qin Weiguo naturally wouldn’t let it slip away. This was an opportunity awaited for over four years, finally arriving as his term was about to end!
Although Qin Weiguo held the prestigious position of Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee, overseeing powerful departments like the police and judicial system, his authority was largely overshadowed by a few deputy secretaries. His influence was even less than the Deputy Director of the General Bureau, Lin Zhifang. This wasn’t due to incompetence but because the native powers in Yanjing were overwhelmingly strong. Hua Muyun was well aware of Qin Weiguo’s predicament, so in this operation, he ensured Lu Yihang would cooperate with Qin Weiguo, with Liao Lijia assisting from the sidelines.
"This depends on how we strike the Poison Dragon Gang. However, at a minimum estimate, two to three thousand troops would be needed to swiftly dissolve the Poison Dragon Gang!" Qin Weiguo was straightforward with Lu Yihang. The Poison Dragon Gang has tens of thousands of members, and it’s impossible to catch them all. Moreover, the real Poison Dragon Gang members number around seven thousand or so, distributed across Yanjing’s five districts and eight counties. The members remaining in Yanjing City number around three thousand, and catching them all isn’t feasible. According to Qin Weiguo’s plan, the goal is to capture as many of the Poison Dragon Gang’s middle-level leaders and henchmen as possible. The remaining gang members and some minor thugs affiliated with the Poison Dragon Gang, along with ordinary citizens, aren’t included in this operation.
"Two thousand, an hour later in the old city!" Lu Yihang replied more directly. Two thousand is approximately the limit he could mobilize without needing to report to higher-ups. Clearly, now isn’t the time to file reports. With two thousand troops under his autonomous command, any more would mean facing a military court.
"That’s enough, thank you, Commander Lu!" Qin Weiguo hadn’t expected Lu Yihang to be so straightforward. According to his estimates, considering the combat capacity of the Yanjing Military Region, fifteen hundred would be enough to support this operation. Of course, Qin Weiguo wouldn’t be foolish enough to refuse more troops. The more forces, the steadier the job gets done.
"We’re all here to serve the people, so let’s skip the formalities!" Lu Yihang said seriously, "I’ll head out first. The commanding officer will contact you later, Secretary Qin. Is it convenient to leave a number?"
Lu Yihang left first, leaving only Qin Weiguo and Liao Lijia. Liao Lijia looked at Qin Weiguo with a bit of envy and said, "Lao Qin, you’re luckier than me!"
Among the three, Liao Lijia had the toughest task in this operation, not only because he was a native cadre but also because he was in charge of the Disciplinary Committee, which oversaw internal cadre discipline — a department with great power but easily offending others. Naturally, he knew which places in Yanjing couldn’t be moved, and which people couldn’t be touched. Most importantly, at the meeting, it was evident that Hua Muyun had no intention of targeting the Wang Family, while in the old city, more than half are officials allied with the Wang Family. This was Liao Lijia’s most challenging dilemma.
If he went easy, Hua Muyun might undermine him, threatening his future; if too severe, even the slightest mishandling could give the Wang Family a chance to attack relentlessly. With the re-election approaching and the recent Jiangling incident, which is still under initial investigation and already causing fear among many officials, Jiangling’s situation is tense. If this operation in the old city goes too far and the higher-ups disapprove, it wouldn’t be good for either the Yanjing Municipal Committee’s team or Hua Muyun.
Qin Weiguo understood Liao Lijia’s concerns. Although they didn’t have personal ties, given that the Disciplinary Committee and the Political and Legal Affairs Committee weren’t part of the same system, their operations often intersected. They had quite a bit of professional overlap. Qin Weiguo thought for a moment and said, "Actually, from a congenital perspective, I’m a lot worse off than you. Just make sure not to make mistakes; maintaining stability is crucial!"
Liao Lijia couldn’t come up with any good solutions, but with Qin Weiguo’s reassurance, it was a relief regarding the stance of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee. The two didn’t have much personal rapport, so getting such a promise from Qin Weiguo was already commendable. Liao Lijia nodded and said, "I not only want to avoid mistakes, but I also aim to do my best!"
Qin Weiguo gave Liao Lijia a surprised look and, after a moment’s silence, said, "Ba De Street, Dongcheng District Fengshan Street, Xicheng District Zhongshan Street, and North Mountain District!"
"Thanks!" Liao Lijia blurted out, surprised that Qin Weiguo really revealed it. With these locations, Liao Lijia could make early arrangements to screen officials in these areas, striving to balance with the Political and Legal Affairs Committee, but not enough to provoke a backlash from the interest group led by the Wang Family. Once the Poison Dragon Gang is eradicated, a shake-up in Yanjing’s political scene is inevitable. But this shake-up must be within a controllable range, unlike Jiangling, where in just a few days, six County Standing Committee members have been taken down. This is already a significant event shocking Huaxia’s political circles. Although the upper echelons haven’t expressed any disagreement with the Yanjing Municipal Committee’s team, if the dismantling of the Poison Dragon Gang results in any uncontrollable situations, any mishap, and Hua Muyun’s political career would also come to a halt.
And if Hua Muyun’s political career ends, Liao Lijia’s fate wouldn’t be any better.
"It’s all for the service of the people!" Qin Weiguo softly sighed. Having been here for over four years, he finally accomplished something he wanted to do but couldn’t before. Sometimes, even in high positions, one cannot act entirely on their original intention; one must wait. Fortunately, he had waited long enough.
Compared to Qin Weiguo, Liao Lijia, and Lu Yihang walking out of the Standing Committee together discussing matters, Liu Kunnan and Wang Zhanting, along with Duan Weiming, weren’t as happy, especially Duan Weiming. At today’s Standing Committee, the information provided by Qin Weiguo, though not naming Duan Weiming as the backer of the Poison Dragon Gang explicitly, Duan Weiming knew there were traces of his involvement in several allegations held against the Poison Dragon Gang.
Duan Weiming wanted to slow down and confer with Wang Zhanting about what to do next. However, at that moment, Wang Zhanting walked out of the Municipal Committee as if he didn’t know Duan Weiming, striding ahead without greeting anyone and driving away directly.
Duan Weiming stood by his car in a state of depression, clearly seeing that Wang Zhanting intended to distance himself. A wave of sadness welled up within him, only snapping out of it when the driver rolled down the window to remind him. Sitting bitterly in the car, at that moment, Duan Weiming’s phone suddenly rang. It was a private call, the caller ID indicating it was Wang Zhanting.
"Do nothing, just watch and destroy unnecessary documents!" Wang Zhanting’s voice came over the phone, cold and decisive. After speaking, he hung up without waiting for Duan Weiming’s response.
Duan Weiming felt slightly relieved, knowing what to do. At this point, as long as the Wang Family didn’t fall, even if he ended up in jail, he wouldn’t suffer much. If he actually carried out his earlier thought of dragging the Wang Family down in his downfall, he would likely end up in the worst position. Once removed from the Wang Family’s protection, he was nothing. Even if he turned against them, the most he could do was bring down Fatty Wang.
"I know what to do!" (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian () to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)