Chapter 2879 Open Provocation

Qin Feng didn't mind being suddenly interrupted by Shao Hongli. He glanced at Shao Hongli, nodded, and gestured for Shao Hongli to continue.

Those who could sit in this conference room were at least at the division level, and were also heads of various departments and relevant districts and counties. They were all highly politically astute, and Shao Hongli sensed something unusual from the moment he interrupted Qin Feng's speech.

"The mayor gave a speech earlier, mentioning the importance of ensuring the smooth and orderly resumption of production for these projects as soon as possible. There is no doubt that these projects are key projects for our Shazhou, projects that concern people's livelihoods, and people's livelihoods are politics..." Shao Hongli began to talk at length, of course, he was just talking official jargon and empty rhetoric.

"But there's one point I think is worth emphasizing: do we prioritize ensuring the smooth and orderly resumption of work and production for these projects, or do we prioritize protecting Huayang Group?" After saying this, Shao Hongli looked directly at Qin Feng, his eyes filled with provocation.

As soon as Shao Hongli finished speaking, everyone gaped in astonishment, because what he said was too explosive.

Everyone knows that Huayang Group was specifically brought in by Qin Feng. Although Qin Feng has never been involved in the day-to-day operations of Huayang Group, everyone knows this. Wasn't Shao Hongli's statement a blatant provocation against Qin Feng?

Hearing this, Qin Feng smiled slightly. He roughly understood what Shao Hongli was up to.

"Shao Hongli, what do you mean by that?" Sun Yuanwei coldly questioned Shao Hongli.

"Ensuring the resumption of work and production for these projects as soon as possible is beyond doubt, but that doesn't mean we should support Huayang Group in launching these projects as soon as possible. I have a question now: Did this Huayang Group, which suddenly appeared, follow the correct procedures when it took over these five projects? Are there any illegal or irregular activities involved?" Shao Hongli sternly pounded the table with his hand.

Everyone was shocked. Shao Hongli's words became increasingly harsh. This was no longer a provocation, but a blatant attempt to overturn Qin Feng's position.

“Several contractors did indeed cause serious problems. Not only did they have various illegal and irregular construction issues for a long time, but they also dared to threaten the government’s investigation by stopping work. Their actions were extremely egregious. I believe that Comrade Ding Wenbo, who was in charge of this work, was seriously derelict in his duties and should be held accountable.”

"The government's measures to forcibly clear these projects, while somewhat barbaric, are legal and compliant, and essentially without any problems. However, they also raise suspicions of disregarding the overall situation. Forcing the contractors of five major projects to withdraw at once has brought five key projects in Shazhou to a complete standstill. This is simply absurd."

"The biggest problem, in my opinion, is that a completely unknown outside company was allowed to take over five projects without going through any legal and compliant procedures. This is handing over the livelihood and future of our Shazhou to a company whose background we don't even know. I just want to ask, who can take responsibility if problems arise?"

“Besides the risks and procedural irregularities, I would like to ask one more question: Is there any corruption involved? Is there any transfer of benefits involved…” Shao Hongli went on and on, and the more he talked, the more outrageous he became.

Shao Hongli said all this with only one purpose: to specifically point out that there were procedural problems in Huayang Group's handling of the five projects, and also to imply that there was corruption involved. He was pointing the finger at Sun Yuanwei and Qin Feng, and was practically saying outright that Qin Feng and Sun Yuanwei were the ones who embezzled money.

Shao Hongli's actions today were indeed excessive. Generally speaking, internal conflicts between leaders only arise in internal meetings, such as the Standing Committee meeting or the Mayor's meeting, which are internal discussion and decision-making meetings. However, meetings like today's are arranged in advance and are attended by "outsiders." Not only would they not undermine each other at such meetings, but they would also follow the rules and not say anything out of line. After all, this is not only about the dignity of the municipal government but also about personal dignity. This is a red line that everyone tacitly abides by, and no one will cross it.

But today, Shao Hongli completely "shamelessly" interrupted Qin Feng and attacked him in front of so many cadres. This behavior is extremely bad.

Shao Hongli became more and more enthusiastic as he spoke, while Sun Yuanwei's face turned red. He tried to interrupt Shao Hongli several times, but Qin Feng stopped him with a look each time.

Qin Feng did not stop Shao Hongli, but instead calmly lit a cigarette and smoked it.

This meeting was not a public meeting, and there were no news media present, so Qin Feng could smoke openly.

While smoking, Qin Feng analyzed why Shao Hongli had suddenly pulled this stunt today, without listening to a word Shao Hongli said.

Qin Feng analyzed that Shao Hongli's sudden appearance today was because he believed that Ding Wenbo had already escaped Ganliang, and that the investigation of these projects had been taken over by the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection. Therefore, he no longer needed to worry about Qin Feng using the investigation of the projects to control him. He believed that he had completely passed the test and that Qin Feng could not do anything to him.

Secondly, he had been suppressed by Qin Feng for a long time, and his prestige and influence in the entire municipal government had almost disappeared. Now, not only is he no longer worried about being implicated by those projects, but he also has the support of the Yang family and Jiang Longjun. Of course, he should start to build momentum for himself again and slowly take back influence and control from Qin Feng.

Today, Shao Hongli's "attack" on Qin Feng at this meeting and his renewed attempt to oppose Qin Feng is a great opportunity. This is a way of telling everyone that Shao Hongli has come back to life. To put it more bluntly, Shao Hongli is ready to reclaim his territory, raise his banner, and become the king again.

The reason why Shao Hongli would do such a red-line-crossing thing without any scruples was that he believed Ding Wenbo was gone and he was completely safe.

Shao Hongli's behavior today was disgusting, because Qin Feng couldn't do anything about it. The fact that Huayang Group took over these projects was indeed irregular, and the time was too tight. If they followed the procedures step by step, it would take at least half a year to complete the process.

It was precisely because of the problem with the procedure that Jiang Longjun used it to threaten Qin Feng and Shao Hongli to attack him today.

Shao Hongli finally finished speaking, and then looked at Qin Feng triumphantly.

"Comrade Hongli just said a lot, including whether there were any irregularities in the procedures for Huayang Group's takeover and whether there was any corruption. I think these two points do need our attention."

"Regarding the issue of procedural irregularities, Comrade Yuanwei, you must arrange for a comprehensive investigation. If any procedural problems are found, they must be rectified as soon as possible. At the same time, the relevant responsible comrades should also be criticized and educated. Although Huayang Group's emergency takeover of this matter is due to special circumstances, matters of principle are not open to discussion. Therefore, the procedures and formalities must be reviewed again to identify and rectify any omissions." Qin Feng directly instructed Sun Yuanwei.

Qin Feng's words were deliberately meant for everyone present to hear, serving as a response to Shao Hongli's earlier accusations. However, Qin Feng's response was understated, casually labeling the "serious problem" that Shao Hongli had mentioned earlier as trivial.

This isn't to say that Qin Feng is particularly capable, but rather because Qin Feng is the mayor, which is an advantage of power.

"As for the question of whether there is corruption or embezzlement that Comrade Hongli mentioned..." Qin Feng paused here.