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

Chapter 176 The Persuader Xia Qing

Perhaps starting with the legality of the exclusive franchise itself is not a good approach.

Judging from the strong resistance from the Luzhou side, it is difficult to deny the rationality of signing this authority back then.

Xia Qing thought about it carefully and realized that it made sense. If the authority to sign was denied, it would be equivalent to denying the achievements of the Luzhou leadership team back then, and might even involve accountability.

The Luzhou authorities certainly won't accept this.

The deputy mayor's performance at the meeting was likely discussed internally within the Luzhou leadership team.

If the province intends to hold those responsible accountable for the issue of operating rights.

Then let this deputy mayor, with the determination to never turn back, make his stance clear.

If the province insists on pursuing the matter, then he should take responsibility; at most, it's just a regulatory issue.

However, Luzhou will never concede on the legality of the operating rights, and even seems poised to confront the province head-on.

Given the current situation, with the provincial party secretary still suspended, what the province needs to do is not to push away Luzhou City, a partner, but to work together to find a way to allow Sha Ruijin to return to his post smoothly and avoid punishment.

We must never use our provincial authority to exert pressure; instead, we should strive for cooperation and mutual benefit.

At this point, Governor Liu added:

"As far as I know, there are two people in the Luzhou Municipal Party Committee who are under Secretary Sha's command. However, in this investigation into the management rights, they have shown resistance and inaction."

Xia Qingdao:

"Secretary Sha's people? Oh, I understand what you mean. Their behavior is easy to understand. If they're investigating people according to Tian Guofu's approach, they're happy to cooperate; but if they're looking for unreasonable aspects in the signing of management rights, that directly relates to their own careers, so it's normal for them not to cooperate."

Governor Liu then discussed other aspects of signing the exclusive franchise agreement with Xia Qing.

The final conclusion is:

The approach of denying the legitimacy and rationality of exclusive franchise rights is not feasible.

If we investigate further, it will only provoke resistance from the Luzhou side.

This is extremely unfavorable at present.

But if we don't take this approach, how can we get rid of the debt tied to Crescent Lake?

Governor Liu was in a dilemma.

Xia Qing thought it over carefully and said:

"Governor, I'll make a trip to Luzhou City. Only with my involvement as the Organization Minister can their resistance be eased."

Governor Liu felt this was inappropriate and said:

"The investigation team gave me a suggestion. Start by investigating this vice mayor who's being touted as a hero. If he has any dealings with Huilong Group, take him down immediately. This will send a strong message to Luzhou and pave the way for further investigation. What do you think? Is this feasible?"

"Absolutely not. Things are already getting tense. Our province must back down now and show Luzhou our stance, instead of escalating the conflict," Xia Qing said very seriously.

"If a conflict arises between the prefecture-level city/state and the provincial government while we are in charge, our leadership team's ability to lead will be scored zero. The consequences are unimaginable."

Governor Liu thought about it carefully and agreed with Xia Qing's idea.

Therefore, Xia Qing also rushed to Luzhou City that day.

On the way, Xia Qing instructed Jiang Shulan, who was in contact with Luzhou, to ask the Luzhou Municipal Standing Committee to hold a symposium, without speeches or reports, and to get straight to the point.

Upon arrival, Xia Qing went straight to the Standing Committee meeting room in the Luzhou Municipal Party Committee compound.

Led by Luo Jian, the Party Secretary of Lüzhou City, the Standing Committee members were already waiting.

When they saw that Xia Qingzhen had come in for the meeting alone, they couldn't help but look surprised.

When Xia Qing sat down, he first affirmed the achievements of the Luzhou Standing Committee over the years, especially the food city project that was approved back then. Xia Qing characterized it as "a project that did provide a large number of jobs and tax revenue, but had loopholes in environmental protection."

After these words were spoken, the emotions of the people in Luzhou stabilized considerably, and their attitude softened considerably.

Xia Qing seized the opportunity and continued to speak sincerely about the severity of the current situation. Although she did not reveal the inside story that Sha Ruijin had been suspended from his post, she successfully conveyed the sense of impending tension.

"Everyone, I'm about to say a few words from the bottom of my heart."

Upon hearing Xia Qing's words, all the members of the Standing Committee of Luzhou City understood and put down their pens and closed their notebooks.

"We see and remember the difficulties faced by Luzhou. I know you have all devoted yourselves to the development of Luzhou and have never considered your personal interests. To suspect you of seeking personal gain would be an insult to you, and I, Xia Qing, would be the first to object!"

Xia Qing spoke in a high-pitched, impassioned tone:

"I came here today specifically to tell you that you did the right thing, and the Handong Provincial Party Committee wants to thank you for your efforts! Yesterday, a vice mayor spoke his mind at the meeting, right? Yes, it was you. Don't worry, I think what you said was excellent. Such voices are rarely heard at the provincial level, and this is also an opportunity for us to truly understand the difficulties at the grassroots level."

Xia Qing's expression grew increasingly serious as she praised him:

"I listened to your words over and over again, more than a dozen times, and they deeply moved me. Then, I called the Environmental Protection Bureau that very night to learn about your situation back then. I was shocked to learn that the environmental problems at Crescent Lake were truly appalling. They were on record at both the central and provincial levels at the time, and were only removed from the list after the food city was built. This heavy burden fell on your shoulders, but through your own efforts, you successfully prevented Luzhou City and the province from losing points in the central environmental inspection. On behalf of the Handong Provincial Party Committee, thank you!"

As Xia Qing finished speaking, she actually stood up and bowed deeply in the direction of the deputy mayor.

The vice mayor was flattered and quickly stood up to bow three times in return. The other standing committee members looked at each other, and then, led by Secretary Luo Jian, they all applauded.

Xia Qing understood that the ice had finally melted.

He successfully gained the trust of the Luzhou authorities.

After sitting down, the deputy mayor asked somewhat nervously:

"Minister Xia, will you... handle this matter?"

"Deal with you? No way!" Xia Qing laughed.

"Not only that, but you'll also be commended for your contributions. By the way, after the food court is demolished, Huilong Group probably won't continue paying you the special funds for the environmental remediation of Crescent Lake, right?"

Luo Jian took over the conversation and said heavily:

"Yes, although Zhao Ruilong left behind an environmental protection fund, it's just a drop in the ocean for Crescent Lake... But Minister Xia, rest assured, with your care for us, Luzhou City will do everything in its power to ensure that Crescent Lake's environmental protection remains intact."

Xia Qing frowned and said:

"How can that be? Here's what we'll do: I'll personally negotiate with the province to increase the budget and allocate it to you annually as a special fund for the environmental management of Crescent Lake!"

It was hard for people to believe that Xia Qing, the provincial party committee's organization minister, would go to such lengths.

Everyone was deeply moved.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Xia Qing said:

"So, your difficulties are pretty much resolved. Then, if the province faces any problems, you'll help, right?"