Forged in the fires of war: The Qi family's generals rewrite the fate of eastern Hebei.

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After doing all this, Ma Kui finally spoke.

"We've done everything you asked, but we also want to hear what we want to hear. If you try anything funny later, don't blame us for turning our backs on you."

"Don't worry! I'm a very pragmatic person." Zhou Chaobin chuckled and then slowly revealed what he knew.

“When the Xujia Kiln Coal Mine was bidding, Yuan Kangde, the chairman of Tianhua Coal Mine, who is also Secretary Qiao’s brother-in-law, approached me and asked me to take some people to persuade those coal mining companies.”

"Try to persuade them? How would you persuade them?"

"What other way can we persuade them? We can just go to their house and threaten them! Secretary Qiao is the Party Secretary of Lincheng. In this small town of Lincheng, who dares to offend him?"

"go on."

"Among these coal mining companies, apart from Zuo Wenxiang, the others are all cowards. However, Zuo Wenxiang is not afraid of threats and still wants to go against us. If it weren't for Secretary Qiao dealing with him in the tax department, he would definitely still be dissatisfied."

At this point, Zhou Chaobin took a drag of his cigarette and continued.

"However, after the bidding meeting ended, it seems that Zuo Wenxiang continued to report to higher authorities, but it was basically suppressed."

How was the bidding process conducted at Xujia Kiln?

"What else could they do? Without the competition from those coal mining companies, Yuan Kangde set up two shell companies and simply rigged the bidding."

What about Zuo Wenxiang's death?

"Zuo Wenxiang kept reporting this, which made Secretary Qiao very unhappy. So he instructed me to drag one of Zuo Wenxiang's friends into this mess and set a trap for Zuo Wenxiang at a gambling den to bankrupt him."

"go on."

"During that period, Zuo Wenxiang's cash flow ran into problems, and he was short of money, so he turned to gambling in hopes of making a quick buck and turning his life around."

Zhou Chaobin chuckled as he spoke.

"But gambling is a game where you're bound to lose if you keep gambling, and nine out of ten gambles are rigged. Zuo Wenxiang fell into the trap, lost all the money he had, and ended up with a mountain of high-interest loans. In the end, the kid could only jump off a building, thinking that death would wipe out his debts."

Zhou Chaobin has said so much, basically revealing everything that happened before. Except for Zuo Wenxiang's death, everything else matches up with the information Zuo Wenxiang reported.

Wang Xin and Ma Kui exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of surprise in each other's eyes.

In any case, this matter involves a department-level official, and moreover, the municipal party secretary.

The impact of this matter has already been significant.

Some things are beyond the control of the two police officers; there will definitely be some struggles among the provincial leaders.

After all, this involves the position of the Party Secretary of Lincheng City. There are only 13 prefecture-level cities in Handong Province, so you can imagine how important this position is in Handong Province.

"I have another piece of information. Do you want to hear it?"

"You're not being honest! You're not speaking clearly?"

“You didn’t ask me anything just now; you only asked me to talk about the Xujia Kiln bidding meeting and Zuo Wenxiang’s death.”

"Alright! Then go on and tell me, I'd like to hear what other juicy gossip you have to share."

"Ever since Yuan Kangde took over the Xujia Kiln coal mine, he's been mining non-stop, like a madman. Before the Xujia Kiln coal mine collapsed, someone had already told him that there were bad omens, but..."

"But what?"

"But this kid was obsessed with money and ignored all these words, continuing to mine and excavate, which eventually led to the collapse of the coal mine."

After finishing his cigarette, Zhou Chaobin threw it on the ground and continued speaking to Wang Xin.

"By the way, Duan Xiaolan, the main host of Lincheng TV station, is Secretary Qiao's mistress. Perhaps you can get some crucial evidence from her home."

After figuring things out, Wang Xin and Ma Kui left the interrogation room.

Wang Xin spoke up.

"Master, please stay here and keep an eye on Zhou Chaobin. I'll go contact Director Qin and Secretary Qi."

"Go ahead! I and a few others will be watching over things here, there won't be any problems."

Wang Xin nodded, then drove directly to the home-style restaurant where they had met earlier.

This home-style restaurant has now become their secret base.

When they arrived at the restaurant, Qi Tongwei and Qin Siyuan were already waiting there.

Upon seeing the two, Wang Xin immediately spoke.

“Zhou Chaobin has been arrested, and he has confessed everything.”

Then Wang Xin recounted everything.

After hearing this news, Qin Siyuan and Qi Tongwei exchanged a glance, both of them seeing a hint of surprise in each other's eyes.

"Director Qin, what should we do next?"

After listening to Wang Xin's words, Qin Siyuan did not rush to make a decision. Instead, he first looked at Qi Tongwei.

After all, this secretary of the provincial party secretary is currently representing Secretary Gong of the provincial party committee.

"Tongwei, what do you think?"

"I think we should keep Zhou Chaobin under control and then immediately report to Secretary Gong so that he can give us further instructions."

"I think so too. How about we go back to the Party School guesthouse?"

Qi Tongwei nodded, while Qin Siyuan spoke to Wang Xin.

"Captain Wang, please continue to keep an eye on Zhou Chaobin. We will report to Secretary Gong immediately."

"Okay, with us here, there will definitely be no problems."

Qi Tongwei and Qin Siyuan acted very quickly. They left the home-style restaurant immediately, and Qin Siyuan even drove back to the Party School Guesthouse himself.

Upon arriving at the guesthouse, they went straight to the second floor and arrived at Secretary Gong's room. After knocking on the door and receiving Secretary Gong's permission, the two entered the room.

He told Secretary Gong everything that Zhou Chaobin had revealed.

The two then fell silent, awaiting Secretary Gong's next instructions.

Secretary Gong sighed deeply, then picked up the guesthouse phone and dialed a number.

The phone lines at the Party School's guesthouse are all internal; no one dares to eavesdrop on a provincial Party secretary.

After the call was connected, Qi Tongwei and Qin Siyuan realized who the call was for.

"Hello! This is Secretary Gangfeng."

The owner of this number can only be one person: Yan Gangfeng, member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, and Secretary of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection.

Chapter 163 Qiao Ning's Downfall

In the office of the Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission of the Provincial Party Committee Building in Handong.

After receiving Gong Kaichen's call, Yan Gangfeng, who was usually serious, couldn't help but smile.

"Secretary Gong, aren't you in Lincheng right now? How come you have time to call me?"

"Secretary Gangfeng, I've encountered some issues in Lincheng, so I need to enlist your help, the Divine Sword of Handong. Some people have forgotten their origins and their beliefs. I hope you, the Divine Sword, can be drawn to sweep away the demons and monsters!"

Secretary Gong's words, though seemingly a joke, actually concealed a very serious truth.

Secretary Yan, who had been smiling slightly, immediately stopped smiling and became serious again after hearing these words.

If some people saw this seriousness, they would really tremble with fear.

This secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission had a nickname in the officialdom of Handong: "King of Hell in the Officialdom".

"Secretary Gong, please speak! I'm listening!"

"Regarding the Xujia Kiln coal mine collapse, I sent people to investigate and discovered that there may be collusion between officials and businessmen, as well as corruption among officials. Therefore, I hope that the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection can set up an investigation team and rush to Lincheng immediately."

"Secretary Gong, is the situation true?"

Whether it's true or not, we'll have to wait until the disciplinary committee finishes their investigation to determine that.

The nature of the work of the Discipline Inspection Commission has a major characteristic: it does not need to comply with the law; it investigates first and then judges the situation.

Moreover, the disciplinary committee maintains a high degree of confidentiality in its investigations, even when investigating you, ensuring you hear nothing. By the time you finally get wind of it, that's when you'll be brought down.

Terms like procedural justice and legal dignity are suitable for judicial organs, but not for disciplinary inspection organs, because disciplinary inspection departments are essentially political organs.

"Secretary Gong, I understand. The Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection will immediately establish a relevant investigation team, and I will personally serve as the team leader. We will select the best personnel from the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection to go to Lincheng to investigate."

"Great! I'm relieved to have you handle this. But to avoid alerting them, I'll be leaving Lincheng City for Jinshan County. How to proceed with the investigation is up to you, the Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission."

In order to mislead Qiao Ning and keep him calm, Secretary Gong decided to go to Jinshan County to continue his research.

As soon as he leaves, Qiao Ning will inevitably lower her guard, because people are prone to wishful thinking, and the higher the rank of an official, the more likely they are to have this kind of wishful thinking.

Yan Gangfeng was naturally pleased that Secretary Gong was so supportive of the Discipline Inspection Commission's work.

"Secretary Gong, the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection will definitely give the provincial leaders a satisfactory result."

"Haha, I trust Secretary Gangfeng completely!"

Gong Kaichen ended his call with Yan Gangfeng and then looked at Qi Tongwei and Qin Siyuan.

He spoke to Qin Siyuan first.

"Xiao Qin! As the head of the anti-corruption bureau, you will stay in Lincheng for now. Once Secretary Gang Feng arrives, you will need to closely cooperate with his work."

"Yes, Secretary."

"In addition, Comrade Wang Xin from Yantai and the others will also remain in Lincheng to await Secretary Gangfeng's instructions. Your next task is to try every means to uncover the facts of Qiao Ning's crimes."

"Please rest assured, Secretary Gong, I will explain things to Comrade Wang Xin and the others."

"Tongwei, go and tell the secretary-general that we need to leave Lincheng and head to Jinshan County."

"Yes, Secretary."

Secretary Gong left, and he left very quickly.

For Qiao Ning, the moment Secretary Gong left, a huge weight was lifted from his heart.

With Secretary Gong staying in Lincheng City, Qiao Ning was under immense pressure.

With Secretary Gong gone, he had more time to deal with one thing: investigate Zhou Chaobin's whereabouts.

Yuan Kangde sent assassins to kill Zhou Chaobin, but they failed. This infuriated Qiao Ning, who then berated Yuan Kangde severely.

But Yuan Kangde was not only his brother-in-law, but they were also essentially in the same boat, so they couldn't be separated.

Therefore, Qiao Ning instructed Yuan Kangde to immediately send his men to search for Zhou Chaobin's whereabouts throughout Lincheng.

It was at this time that the provincial discipline inspection commission's investigation team secretly entered Lincheng City.

Based on the intelligence provided by Zhou Chaobin, they retrieved business registration information and bank transfer details, thus confirming the relationship between Yuan Kangde and Qiao Ning.

They immediately went to Duan Xiaolan's residence, where the disciplinary committee investigation team found a large amount of cash.

Duan Xiaolan had no way to explain the cash. Facing the staff of the Discipline Inspection Commission, she completely broke down and then revealed the truth.

She recounted her relationship with Qiao Ning and how Qiao Ning had entrusted the money to her.

At this point, the evidence against Qiao Ning can be said to be completely conclusive.

Next, all we need to do is capture Yuan Kangde.

Instead of sending people from the Lincheng City Public Security Bureau to arrest Yuan Kangde, Yan Gangfeng instructed Wang Xin and others to go directly to Tianhua Coal Mine to make the arrest.

This was just one route; the other route was to head to the Lincheng Municipal Party Committee to announce the measures taken against Qiao Ning.

This measure involves initiating an investigation into Qiao Ning, which requires him to provide explanations regarding the issues involved in the case at a specified time and place; this is commonly known as "double regulation."

The team members from the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection arrived at the Lincheng Municipal Party Committee, where Qiao Ning was holding a routine work meeting.

The investigation team members pushed open the meeting room door, which aroused the unanimous dissatisfaction of all the leaders of the Lincheng Municipal Party Committee.

Qiao Ning turned around and shouted loudly.

"Who are you? Don't you know this is a routine meeting of the Municipal Party Committee? Who let you in? You have no manners."

Qiao Ning has always been arrogant and domineering. The staff of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection have seen countless leaders like her.

But no matter how arrogant they are, they still become like kittens in front of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection.

The staff member from the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection said expressionlessly.

"Secretary Qiao, we are from the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection's investigation team. Now, in accordance with the regulations on case investigation by discipline inspection organs, we are announcing the measures taken against you by the Handong Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection."

"You will be coming with us to the Municipal Party School Guesthouse today to explain the collapse of the Xujia Kiln Coal Mine and the Tianhua Coal Mine incident."