Later on, the Economic Reform Commission was established, and together with Plan Commission and Economic Commission, they were known as the "three big engines" of macroeconomic control.

It is said that until the year '89, regardless of how well state-owned enterprises performed, they had very little autonomy. From updating machinery and workshop renovations to government investment approvals at all levels, everything had to be reported and approved by the Plan Commission, even down to building a bathroom in a factory.

In summary, in the government departments of prefecture-level cities and above, the Plan Commission was undoubtedly ranked as one of the most important.

Director Qin, who had been serving as the head of the Binjiang City Planning Commission for many years, has now been promoted to Vice Mayor. Han Yu felt sincerely pleased, hurriedly took a bath, changed clothes, and borrowed a car from the newly relocated Linghai Port Engineering Command to head straight to Sanhe.

The jurisdiction of the branch is large, and there is a tight demand for vehicles.

Before participating in the "Eel Catching Battle", he had already sent the car to the branch, and now he could only borrow one from others.

Upon reaching the Management Committee, Xiao Xiao from the Party and Government Office said that Secretary Ye, Mayor Qian, and Deputy Mayor Shen were accompanying Vice Mayor Qin on an inspection outside. Considering how they might react to his appearance, Han Yu simply decided to return to the branch first.

If Reporter Wang is a "Crownless King," then Shi Shengyong is the "Crownless Director" of the Development Zone Branch. Indeed, this also aligns with the positioning by the City Committee and the branch Party Committee for him.

As expected, he went with Deputy Mayor Shen and Director Miao to accompany the leaders, given that he is both the Instructor of the branch and the Deputy Director of the Development Zone Management Committee.

Deputy Instructor Tian Gui was at home and, seeing the Director return, treated him as a "rare guest," promptly asking the police registrar Yu Youqiang to come out and greet.

"What's all this, Old Yu? The public is waiting for service; you go on with your tasks."

"Director Yu, should I go back then?"

"Go ahead, don't let it affect your work."

After sending Yu Youqiang away, Han Yu took out his keys, opened the door, and stepped into his office, which he hadn't seen in nearly a month.

Director Tian Gui also had a key to the office. He followed inside and smiled, "Director Yu, although you haven't had time to come back, the office is very clean. I arrange for it to be cleaned every three days."

"It doesn't matter if it isn't cleaned, Uncle Tian. How busy has the office been during this time?"

"Not particularly busy, but also not idle."

Tian Gui pulled out a notebook, sat across from Han Yu, and hurriedly reported, "Recently, the main task of the branch has been assisting the Management Committee with land acquisition and demolition. Agriculture isn't profitable, and it's even running at a loss, otherwise there wouldn't be so many people buying household registrations. Initially, everyone was looking forward to the land acquisition and demolition, and we thought it would be easy.

But when the actual collection began, problems arose. Numerous residents demanded extra compensation with a multitude of conditions. The situation was at a standstill with everyone keeping a close watch. The city leaders were infuriated and proceeded with legal measures to enforce the collection, finally managing to smoothly carry out the work after administratively detaining six individuals who led the protests."

"Six were detained!"

"Actually, it should be seventeen."

It's not good for the reputation to have detained so many people while assisting with the land acquisition and demolition.

Han Yu was taken aback and urgently asked, "What about the other eleven?"

Tian Gui quickly explained, "These were due to neighbor disputes triggered by the land acquisition and demolition. Normally, people are considered simple and honest, but when it comes to tangible benefits, it's not the case anymore. Previously, when lands were allocated, they were just measured and marked with wooden stakes buried in the ground.

Over the years, the buried wooden stakes have rotted away, and now only field ridges and ditches serve as boundaries. Now compensation is based on the actual area collected, and not all land from every household will be acquired. Neighbors who usually get along well might end up in verbal disputes or even fights over a few inches of land ownership. In such cases, we have no choice but to detain them."

Han Yu slightly relaxed and followed up, "What else?"

Tian Gui bitterly smiled, "There's also sibling or even parent-child relationships turning hostile, mainly centered around demolition compensations. For instance, some families, although divided, had not really separated residences. Now when houses are being demolished and there's compensation, there arises the question of how to distribute the money."

"Siblings fighting fiercely?"

"Not just siblings, even fathers and sons are fighting fiercely, even to the point of bleeding."

Tian Gui sighed lightly and continued, "There are also people who run businesses or work outside and dislike farming as it doesn't make much money. Thus, they let their neighbors or relatives cultivate their land. Those people then have to bear the corresponding agricultural taxes and obligations.

Now, the Management Committee wants to acquire the land and compensation needs to be provided. He believes the land is his and thus compensation should go to him. Meanwhile, the others believe they have farmed it for several years and paid taxes, even the crops in the field are theirs, so they should receive the compensation. Each argues their own case, and it ends up in a big fight."

Grassroots work is challenging, especially when it comes to land acquisition and demolition.

Han Yu doesn't think that he, at the branch, can handle things any better than his senior predecessors and decisively changes the topic: "Besides land acquisition and demolition, were there any other security cases?"

"Over the past month, twenty-eight security incidents were dealt with including public disturbances by drunkards, student fights, and gambling among delinquents— all trivial matters."

"And criminal cases?"

"Criminal cases numbered six, mainly occurring at various large construction sites. Director Wang, while investigating migrant workers during road construction, identified a fugitive who has since been handed over to the police department where the crime occurred. A theft occurred in the finance office of Yongda Machinery Company site; over twenty thousand yuan intended for material procurement was stolen. Director Xu visited the scene and determined it was an inside job, quickly identifying the thief. The person has been captured, and the stolen funds have been recovered..."

Out of six criminal cases, five were solved, and there's a lead on the sole remaining unsolved case.

Elder Brother isn't just an old criminal investigator but also served several years as the head of a major case team. To him, these are all minor cases.

Reflecting on Shi Shengyong, Wang Chuanwei, Jiang Shifu, and the present Deputy Instructor, all with their abundant police work experience, Han Yu realizes that his position as the head of the Development Zone Branch doesn't really matter.

However, on second thought, the city and police headquarters transferring him from Changhang Bureau wasn't for dealing with Development Zone security but rather for focusing on developing the Port District economy.

As for appointing him as the branch chief, it was entirely because they knew he couldn't really leave the police force, or rather, he couldn't neglect matters relating to Binjiang.

Just as Han Yu was contemplating this arrangement, Tian Gui shifts the topic: "Director Yu, Li Guangming has resigned. Someone saw him in Binjiang; they said his hair has turned white."

"Is that so?"

"His wife's building materials market was repossessed by the city, which just sold it to a big boss from Zhehai for over six million yuan, including the land."

Tian Gui chuckled, then continued, "They say his wife, in order to bail him out, handed over every single cent mentioned by the Disciplinary Committee related to bribery and misappropriation."

Han Yu asked in a low voice, "How much did she hand over?"

"Over eight hundred thousand."

"That much!"

"He's got connections. Without them, someone like him could easily get sentenced to ten or eight years. Being able to spend money to avoid disaster and get off scot-free is indeed a big break for him."

"Are there people in the city who disagree with this handling?"

"Yes, mainly the old cadres."

Han Yu paused for a moment, then sighed, "City leaders also have their difficulties. Secretary Ye is the top man in our Linghai, but in the eyes of higher leadership, he's just a Director. It's not easy for Secretary Ye to handle Li Guangming this way and get this far."

Tian Gui nodded, "At first, we didn't understand and thought Secretary Ye was too soft. Now, it seems he is actually quite formidable. If it were Secretary Xie, he probably wouldn't even dare to touch Li Guangming."

It's all about comparison.

When Secretary Xie was in Linghai, everyone thought highly of him, and his reputation would have been even higher had he not insisted on initiating the [city's] hygiene campaign. After Secretary Ye took over, everyone realized Secretary Xie was just a mediocre official, who, despite being a leader in Linghai for ten years, hardly achieved anything significant.

And then there's Director Yang. Everyone used to think Director Yang was a good person.

After Zhou Huixin arrived, however, everyone felt that Zhou Huixin was capable and decisive, while Director Yang was like a nice guy who, despite having served as the Police Chief for many years, merely went through the motions without any significant accomplishments.

Han Yu, touching the corner of his mouth, couldn't help but wonder how people would assess him as the chief of the Development Zone Branch. Would they see him as ineffective like Director Yang, merely a puppet?

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