Chapter 69: Planting Money
Du Hongbing received a notice asking him to go to the Organization Department of the County Party Committee for a talk. Long Hongge also called him just now, and so did Du Lin.
Du Hongbing was like an old monk in meditation. Long Hongge said he would come over right away. One person's plan is short, two people's plan is long. Besides, Hongge always had good ideas.
Things on the mountain are difficult to deal with.
Long Hongge opened his door. It only took an hour and a half to get here from Wangshan Township.
"Brother, what do you think? Do you want to go to the county?"
Du Hongbing blinked his right eye repeatedly, his dark and thin face full of sorrow. "Can we not go? We have no choice but to go. It's a grand transfer. Now we are worried about the mountain and the road."
Long Hongge was still wearing a neat Zhongshan suit, the attire of an old intellectual. "We must stop on the mountain, and everyone must leave immediately. No one can be left behind."
Du Hongbing narrowed his eyes, "Will they be obedient?"
Long Hongge sighed, "I didn't expect that this young Secretary Hu is so experienced. If he hadn't sold people out before, would the people in the mountains dare to disobey? Hongwei said that now the county party committee and government are so powerful that not even a drop of water can get in. After Qiu Mingqian and Zou Kaigui were promoted, they became Hu Jiao's followers. They suffered a lot in the past, and this time they are really turning over. Brother, listen to Hongwei, let's go. He has already helped us get the formalities done, and with that money, it will last for ten lifetimes."
Du Hongbing stood up, walked to Long Hongge, and put his hand on his shoulder. "Hongge, there is something I haven't told you."
"What's up?"
“That money was not deposited abroad.”
Long Hongge looked at him stupidly. Du Hongbing looked like an old farmer with a bad harvest. "I don't trust Fang Fang, and I don't trust those foreigners even more."
Long Hongge was really dumbfounded. He and Du Hongbing had divided the work, one was in charge of personnel and the other was in charge of money. Long Haofang was his son. After graduating from Oriental University, he first worked in someone else's foreign trade company and later set up a small company of his own.
"Brother...how do you handle so much money?"
Du Hongbing pointed to the fields not far away and said, "In the fields, I treat the money as crops. What I earn every month is planted in the fields."
Looking at Du Hongbing dressed like an old farmer, Long Hongge couldn't blame him. He could understand his brother's deep attachment to the land. Perhaps he had never thought about it when his son proposed to transfer funds abroad.
Long Hongge could only smile bitterly, "Brother, now is the time to reap the rewards."
Du Hongbing shook his head. "Things haven't come to that point yet. We haven't done anything illegal that has fallen into the hands of the government. What I want is to let Lao Geda, Du Lin, and Huang Erdi take responsibility for the matter on the mountain, and then transfer the people on the mountain to the mine registered in Changshun, and compensate them according to the average income here before. When our replacement arrives, we will slowly do the work and give them more crops. We are all mortals, how can we not eat grains ?"
Long Hongge thought about it carefully and felt that this was true. It seemed that he was seeing enemies everywhere. Each of the new successors would be given one or two million yuan. He would spend money on women, jewelry, fine wines and cigarettes, and everything else. Wasn't it the same as before?
"It's just that, brother, have you ever thought about someone like Sun Lao Er?"
Du Hongbing smiled, "On the contrary, I am least worried about these hoes. Even if socialism has helped them to rise up, the rules and habits of thousands of years cannot be changed in a few decades. There were turmoil in those years, but now, hoes are still hoes. Every one of them depends on the crops in my field. Do you really want to live?"
Long Hongge thought so too. If they wanted to rebel or resist, why would they wait until now? Can the food in Wangshan and Changling support people?
If it weren't for us brothers, these people would have starved to death long ago.
Back then, we took them to engage in illegal mining, starting with the smuggling of minerals. Now, with the reform and opening up, these hoe men are all smart people. These two places have been opened up long ago.
Long Hongge had already agreed with his brother's suggestion. "Then I'll go talk to Lao Geda and the others and ask them how much compensation each of them should get?"
Du Hongbing raised a finger and said, "Three people, one hill. The old man got an extra share. It should be clear that their crops cannot be touched or kept privately. The government must confiscate them."
One acre is one million, one hectare is ten million, what about a hill?
That's one hundred million.
Long Hongge didn't even frown. "Okay, we'll be back in two years at most. Just think of it as us donating money to the government for relief. Our ancestors occasionally built bridges and roads, so we can't abandon their rules."
Du Hongbing continued to respond to the expression of the withered monk, "Explain it to them clearly and thoroughly. They stole minerals and evaded taxes. If their three families' assets are handed over to the government, most of their crimes can be offset. We also need to use our connections to eat free meals for three to five years at most. We don't have to do anything in there, and we can just make more money for free. Go ahead and do the official procedures well. This is your duty."
After Long Hongge left, Du Hongbing sat for a while and walked out of the office. People greeted him along the way.
When he got home, Du Hongbing's wife had just come back from cutting grass for the pigs. Seeing her husband coming home, she greeted him and prepared to feed the pigs.
Du Hongbing didn't say a word. He carried a hoe and went to the field to weed and work slowly along the edge of the field.
At this time, Du Hongbing's face was flushed, and traces of sweat were faintly visible on his dark and dry skin. The winter wheat in the field was growing well.
Under the gray sky, the distant peaks are connected in a string, and the smoky mountain fog covers the slowly extending winter wheat.
Du Hongbing stopped, held the hoe, looked up and looked into the distance. This was his land, and the land was full of crops that belonged to him. These crops were his wealth. His children and brothers, except Hongge, no one understood his feelings for the land and crops.
He is neither a poet nor a politician. He does not have the romantic sentiments to recite "I deeply love my land ; nor does he have the realistic calculations to exchange these lands and crops for greater capital.
A person should fulfill his duty.
Looking at these crops, he couldn't help but think of Lao Geda. After his parents starved to death, he had been relying on him for support, and helped him grow up, get married, and have children. He was also given an official name, Yang Zhifu. Lao Geda said that he wanted to take his surname Du, but he couldn't do that. People should not forget their roots, and even more so, they should not abandon their ancestors.
At this time, the old man nodded and bowed, his face flushed. He heard that for a hilltop, he could get an extra compensation, which was more refreshing than just fucking a young girl.
Over the years, since he got married and entered the core of the Du family, he has been able to get a lot of crops every year. Unfortunately, Yang Zhi loves gambling and prostitution, and spends money without restraint. As long as the bitch is coquettish, he will fall for her.
How many gold necklaces have been given away?
Lao Geda couldn't figure it out. Anyway, the family had a house, a set of home appliances, and hundreds of thousands of savings, so there was nothing to regret.
After three to five years in prison, there is a mountain of gold chains and young girls on the mountain.
Three days later, Du Hongbing went to the county peacefully and reported to the Organization Department. The minister received him personally and comforted him. He said that he had done revolutionary work all his life and now that he was old, he should come back to recuperate in the government compound. The medical conditions in the county were good, it was lively and convenient, and he could also guide the younger students.
Du Hongbing sincerely thanked the organization for its care, the party for its concern, and the leadership for its concern, and said he would resolutely obey the organization's decision...
Chen Yongzheng was puzzled. He couldn't see anything extraordinary about an old farmer, an honest and good man, a party member and cadre who had done basic work all his life.
Long Hongge arrived a day later and stayed at Long Hongwei's house.
After talking with Chen Yongzheng in the Organization Department, I was deeply impressed by him. He was an old party member, an old cadre, principled, and party-minded. He was also an old intellectual with profound knowledge.
After hearing Chen Yongzheng's comments, Hu Jiao did not comment.
He didn't meet the new successor either. After completing the procedures, he went straight down to start working. This was made public.
Secretly, Long Youqing once again sent out his capable men, and the news that came back in just one week was earth-shattering!
There are eleven medium-sized mines in Changling Township, Wangshan Township and Kaochuan Township, including four coal mines, four lead and zinc mines, one quartz sand mine, one iron mine and one silver mine. The remaining small mines are unevenly distributed, totaling thirty-three.
After investigation, it was found that these minerals belonged to three people, Huang Erdi from Wangshan Township, Yang Zhifu from Changling Township, and Du Lin, the former head of Kaochuan Township and current director of the County Family Planning Commission.
Hu Jiao instructed to capture the three people as soon as possible, and at the same time keep their eyes on Du Hongbing and Long Hongge.
He would never believe that these two people had no idea about the mine right under their noses!
Having been rooted in the local area for so many years and holding various leadership positions, how could they not know? Either they were bribed by these three mine owners, or they directly invested in the company.
We need to find out the situation as soon as possible to find out how many years these private mines have been in production, how they operate, and why the entire Sanmei is unaware of it?
The joint investigation team is divided into two groups, one group is mainly composed of the Discipline Inspection Commission, Public Security Bureau, Supervision Bureau, and Anti-Corruption Bureau, and the other group is mainly composed of the Audit Bureau, Economic and Trade Commission, Land and Resources Bureau, Industry and Commerce, Taxation and other departments.
Three days later, the real story was finally revealed, mainly about the tunnel road in Changling Township. Huang Erdi and three others also confessed the situation.
The corruption case that occurred in Sanmei before was finally closed as the three main bribers were arrested.
Just when Hu Jiao thought the real secret had been revealed, the man nicknamed Lao Geda suddenly demanded to expose and report Du Hongbing and Long Hongge.
Because the assets seized from Lao Geda's home were in huge discrepancies with the mineral resources under his name, and he could not explain where the funds went, this constituted illegal appropriation of state-owned resources, massive tax evasion, including bribery and other concurrent crimes.
What awaits him is not three to five years, but most likely life imprisonment.
On February 2, 1999, Hu Jiao followed Long Youqing and a large number of public security and armed police officers, as well as a powerful group of financial personnel from the Municipal People's Bank, when the farmer named Sun Laoer, one hoe after another, continued to dig deeper in the wheat field, and finally dug up the soil, revealing more than a meter of banknotes underneath.
Even several city leaders, including Zhang Shaoyu, were completely shocked.
This is not just the ground, it's even scarier than a bank vault!
A total of 949 million RMB was dug out from the connected land of more than eight acres!
We used a ten-ton truck and loaded three large trucks.
Even if the regulations are followed, Sanmei County’s finances will receive more than 200 million yuan.
A flash of light suddenly flashed through Hu Jiao's mind. Why did his uncle and father want him to go to Sanmei County?
Why did Wu Hao come to Sanmei before?
Upon investigation, it was found that Du Hongbing's family was completely unaware that a huge amount of money was planted on their own land!
I also don’t know that Du Hongbing is the real controller of the private mine on the mountain.
Long Hongge was arrested and Long Hongwei was placed under double supervision.
After Hu Jiao arranged the follow-up procedures, he hurried back to Nanhu. He had to answer his last question.
The provincial party committee instructed that publicity and reporting on this matter was prohibited, and everything was handled in a low-key manner under official control. Only a few articles were published in inconspicuous places in the newspapers about Sanmei County expanding its anti-corruption efforts and catching several corrupt officials again.
No pain, no itching.
The provincial, municipal and county party committees acted in unison and kept a low profile. Those who participated in the action that day avoided many people after they discovered that money was planted in the fields, and their superiors issued a gag order.
That's the end of the matter.
Hu Jiao waited at home until 11 o'clock in the evening before Hu Jianguo entered the house.
The father and son had a tacit understanding. They quietly entered the study without disturbing the family. Hu Jianguo did not need to remain serious in front of his son. He looked at his son with pride in his eyes. "Not bad! Very good! In less than half a year, you have dug out a gold mine. Your uncle is very happy today."
Hu Jiao felt that his whole body was bitter and there was a bitter taste in his mouth. From beginning to end, he was just a pawn, a puppet, being manipulated at will by others, without any opinions or thoughts of his own.
My uncle is the provincial party secretary, my father is the organization minister, and my father-in-law is the secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission.
Are they planning every step of yours, writing the script, and then observing your performance abilities?
Hu Jiao looked calm on the surface. "Dad, how long do you estimate it will take?"
Hu Jianguo noticed his son's abnormality, but he didn't take it to heart. "Two years. Wu Hao spent nearly three years and failed to accomplish it, but you only took four months. You are worthy of being my son, Hu Jianguo!"
"Dad, when did you find out about the situation?"
Hu Jianguo thought for a moment, "When you went to Tong County, your uncle's classmate at the Central Party School, the deputy secretary of the Changshun Provincial Party Committee and now the governor, his secretary was the secretary of Wufeng County in Changling, and reported to him about the Changling mineral resources. So, during a casual chat, he mentioned this county party secretary to your uncle and asked your uncle to send technical backbones to support the mineral development there."
Hu Jiao secretly mocked in his heart, but you remained silent, quietly explored the situation, and suppressed the momentum. You treat this as a treasure pot and leave it to your children and nephews to create political achievements?
Have you, the leaders who are always calling for reducing the burden on farmers, never considered those farmers who are struggling on the poverty line and on the line between life and death?
The more Hu Jiao thought about it, the more discouraged he became, like a ball punctured by a needle.
Hu Jianguo looked at his son. "The county magistrate at that time was Wu Hao. If it wasn't for Governor Changshun who reminded your uncle, have you ever thought about the consequences? He knew it earlier than your uncle, but why didn't he say anything? It wasn't until the entire Sanmei team was rotten that your uncle intervened. Of course, he could have intervened in advance, but if that happened, how difficult would his job as the top leader be, do you know?"
Revolution is not about treating people to a meal, or painting or embroidering. The same is true for politics. When it comes to compromise and struggle, you must not be soft-handed. It is okay to sacrifice the temporary interests of a small number of people for this. You must understand that this will bring benefits to more people.
For example, the mine and cash that were sealed off this time, not to mention the increase in the finances of Sanmei County brought by the mine, that amount of money alone is enough to easily solve Sanmei’s long-standing traffic problems.
Finally, with your recent development in Nanzhao, no one dares to deal with you like Tongxian did and kill you! If your uncle hadn't compromised before, do you really think you can have smooth sailing in Sanmei?"
Hu Jianguo became angrier and angrier as he spoke, and he stood up and prepared to leave. "Think about it carefully, and take some time to thank the landlord who is growing money in the field!"
Hu Jianguo left because he believed in his son, but at the same time he couldn't bear to uproot the roots of his son's kindness and honesty.
However, he had to do so. Since Hu Jiao was Hu Jianguo's son and had chosen this path, he had to become a true and qualified leading cadre.
No one can protect you forever!
No one is willing to order you around!
Hu Jiao sat down and looked quietly at the night outside the window. Spring was coming.
