Nominal: The pinnacle of power began in the sixth province of Handong.

Chapter 271 Adjusting the Special Task Force

The following day, Sha Ruijin convened a meeting of the Party Secretary's office.

At the meeting, Sha Ruijin emphasized the issue of the legality of the political and legal teams in handling cases.

It was pointed out sternly.

If the leading body handling the case is suspected of violating the law, the case will have no credibility whatsoever.

This is not called independent case handling, but rather being independent of the supervision of the Party and the people.

Sha Ruijin's words were extremely sharp and harsh.

This made everyone present feel uneasy.

Sha Ruijin's point was clear: the courts and procuratorates were in a stable period recently, and there wasn't much of a situation on the provincial public security bureau's side either.

So these words were meant for Luo Jian and his Political and Legal Affairs Commission.

Everyone's gaze seemed to drift towards Luo Jian.

Even someone as strong-willed as him began to have doubts at this moment.

But we cannot remain silent.

Having made up his mind, Luo Jian immediately launched into a set of laws, procedures, and regulations.

He then gave a self-criticism, stating that the joint task force was indeed prone to misunderstandings in some aspects, and that he would strengthen leadership oversight in the future.

Finally, he took the opportunity to report on the progress of the case again, and as always, he pointed the finger at Bai Jingwen.

After Luo Jian finished speaking, he looked around at everyone with a hint of smugness.

But they saw that Li Dakang looked very unpleasant and was casually fiddling with the pen in his hand.

When Li Dakang noticed Luo Jian's gaze meeting his, he subconsciously turned his head away, letting out a barely perceptible sigh.

Luo Jian felt a little unwell.

What does Li Dakang's expression mean?

Do you think what I said was terrible?

Before Luo Jian could figure out Li Dakang's intentions, Sha Ruijin sneered and spoke as if he had been prepared:

"Since Comrade Luo Jian has said so, I have to point out three things, and I ask all comrades to take note."

Upon hearing Sha Ruijin's words, everyone closed their notebooks, put down their pens, and looked at Sha Ruijin.

Sha Ruijin cleared his throat and continued speaking.

First, the recent investigation by the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection revealed that the claim of a two million yuan bribe received by Bai Jingwen's distant relatives from the Guangmingfeng project was entirely fabricated.

The truth is that Zhao Ruilong orchestrated this whole thing in Beijing through some means. He used a company he controlled to transfer the money out of the country. The money went through the Guangmingfeng project's fund pool once, and then was transferred to another company he controlled that had been disguised as a distant relative of Bai Jingwen.

Upon hearing this, everyone was secretly surprised.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Ruilong's shadow reappeared in Bai Jingwen's case; he's like a persistent ghost.

Meanwhile, several quick-thinking Standing Committee members also realized this.

Zhao Ruilong so easily put his money into the Guangmingfeng project and went through a round of financing.

This shows that the Zhao family's control over Guangming District has not completely disappeared.

To be precise, the Zhao family's control is still not to be underestimated.

So, could Li Dakang be connected to Zhao Ruilong in some way?

No one dared to think any further.

But one could see that Li Dakang's face grew increasingly gloomy.

Sha Ruijin then pointed out the second point.

During its preliminary investigation, the Public Security Bureau clearly identified Wu Tianliang's problems.

During the subsequent review, it was confirmed once again that Wu Tianliang was a prime suspect.

Why didn't the joint task force investigate further, but instead secretly detained Wu Tianliang?

Luo Jian once again brought up the same set of policies he had used before to explain.

But this time, Sha Ruijin didn't buy it and was extremely blunt:

"Don't talk about that. What legal procedures and compliant processes? Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. Even if the Public Security Bureau's methods were somewhat excessive, failing to investigate leads they already had is dereliction of duty! Comrade Luo Jian, I need you to give me a deadline. The task force has Wu Tianliang under control. When exactly will the investigation begin?"

Luo Jian was taken aback. Sha Ruijin had come with great force today, and he knew he couldn't just deal with him casually anymore, so he said:

"We are investigating as quickly as possible, but I cannot disclose any information until we have a clear result. If Secretary Sha would like to know more about the situation, I can report to you privately after this meeting..."

"Oh? So, Comrade Luo Jian is very disciplined and follows the rules?" Sha Ruijin raised an eyebrow.

"Of course. As the head of the political and legal system in Handong, how can I command respect if I don't follow the rules and regulations?" Luo Jian smiled smugly, but inadvertently caught a glimpse of Li Dakang's helpless expression.

Luo Jian sensed something was wrong.

But it was too late.

Sha Ruijin had been waiting for this statement, and immediately dropped the third killer blow:

A secret investigation has now confirmed that a core member of the joint task force has leaked information!

These words caused another huge uproar.

Luo Jian was completely humiliated and said angrily:

"Secretary Sha, where did you get this information? Please explain."

Sha Ruijin stated bluntly:

"The task force members have gone to meet with the suspects with the evidence. Do I need to continue?"

The tide of the meeting turned completely in favor of Sha Ruijin.

Everyone turned to look at Luo Jian, hoping to find the answer on his face.

Luo Jian was startled. Could it be that Sha Ruijin had evidence that he had sent someone to tip off Zhou Wentong of Changlong Group?

If that's the case, then it'll be troublesome.

Young Master Zhou instructed that he could provide assistance, but he must not be implicated.

If something serious goes wrong, not only will he lose his position as a member of the Standing Committee, but his political career for the rest of his life will probably be over.

Thinking of this, Luo Jian looked at Li Dakang again.

Li Dakang nodded heavily.

Luo Jian then gritted his teeth, stood up, and made a self-criticism to Sha Ruijin and the other members of the Standing Committee in an extremely humble and serious manner.

He also expressed his willingness to accept all guidance and adjustments made by the Provincial Party Committee to the special task force.

This is exactly the attitude that Sha Ruijin wanted from Luo Jian.

He immediately demanded that the joint task force strengthen its leadership and accept supervision, and that additional personnel from the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and the Provincial Procuratorate be added to the task force to jointly handle the case.

Luo Jian was extremely unwilling, but he had no choice but to bite the bullet and agree.

It is conceivable that when the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and the Procuratorate joined the special investigation team...

To what extent will Luo Jian's power, and the power of his confidants, be diluted?

But since things have come to this, there is no other way.

Finally, Sha Ruijin said to Luo Jian earnestly:

"Comrade Luo Jian, political and legal work must be politically sound, and this politics refers to the interests of the Party and the people. I want to solemnly remind you that no work can deviate from this track. If there is even the slightest deviation, the Provincial Party Committee will not let you off the hook, and the Party and the people will certainly not let you off the hook either."

These words, which were both highly warning and extremely humiliating, made Luo Jian's face turn red as soon as they entered his ears.

But since it was a meeting of the Party Secretary's office, even if Sha Ruijin pointed his finger at him and cursed him, he had to smile and accept it all.

Following the meeting, the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and the Provincial Procuratorate made swift arrangements.

On the provincial discipline inspection commission side, the deputy secretary led a team to join the special investigation team.

On the provincial procuratorate side, the newly appointed anti-corruption bureau chief, Lü Liang, led the team to join.

After returning to his office, Luo Jian dismissed everyone and used a special cell phone to make a call:

"Young Master Zhou, things have gone wrong. Those bastards in Handong have obtained evidence against my trusted men and your secretary..."