Chapter 264: Understanding Only When in the Position

On December 10, 2014, the central government announced that Tao Niansheng, the Chief of Staff of the Lingnan Military District, was suspected of illegal activities. The central government decided to expel him from the party, and the Military Committee decided to remove him from his military position and revoke his general rank.

Military officials stated that investigations revealed Tao Niansheng used his official position to facilitate promotions for others, accepted bribes directly and through his family, with the amounts being extraordinarily large. He leveraged his position to benefit others and engaged in corruption involving significant sums.

The case of Tao Niansheng reflects the central government's and the Military Committee's strict stance on party discipline and military conduct. It demonstrates the party's resolute opposition to corruption and its firm determination to punish it with zero tolerance, garnering strong support from military personnel. Other implicated individuals will be dealt with according to legal evidence, and a thorough investigation will be conducted without leniency.

This announcement, made nationwide on June 3rd, was received by Zhou Ming in the car with a smile. The accusations of bribery and corruption were merely a public facade. The reality of the situation was far more complicated. It would be disastrous to openly label Tao Niansheng as a parasite within the military engaged in smuggling, so attributing corruption and bribery as the cause was a more manageable narrative.

Thinking about this, Zhou Ming shook his head with a wry smile. Cao Jianning, noticing Zhou Ming's reaction, curiously asked what was wrong. Zhou Ming replied, "Before I had any dealings with such matters, I never imagined the true reasons behind the central government's handling of a high-ranking official."

Cao Jianning explained, "That's unavoidable. One only understands certain matters when they are in the right position. Many things in this world are not transparent."

Zhou Ming understood this well. Many issues are impossible to fully grasp without direct involvement. Reflecting on the high-ranking officials who fell from grace due to corruption, it was unclear how many cases were genuinely corrupt and how many were simply labeled as such.

Suddenly, Zhou Ming asked, "It's said that one only understands things from their position. Cao, as the son of General Cao, are there things you don't know about?"

Cao Jianning responded, "There are plenty. I'm not a know-it-all. Even though I was by my father's side ten years ago, I still didn't understand what exactly was happening at the central level. I only knew the next day the military controlled the entire capital and broadcast the news of crushing the counter-revolutionaries nationwide. Even now, despite doing so much, I still don't know where my father's connections end."

Seeing Cao Jianning's melancholic expression, Zhou Ming chose not to press further.

Today, Zhou Ming and Cao Jianning were headed to a special dinner gathering. Due to Tao Niansheng's downfall, the Cao family's influence had suffered, which pointed the way for previous onlookers. Thus, Cao Jianning had this dinner arranged, and given Zhou Ming's importance in the matter, Cao Jianning felt it necessary to include him.

The dinner was held at a private club in Baiyun City. During this era, private clubs were still a novel concept, more like a non-public gathering place built collectively by a group of people, lacking the extensive development of later private or corporate clubs.

Upon entering the club, Zhou Ming noticed its antique decor. Since the staff knew Cao Jianning, they were quickly escorted to a private room on the third floor.

Although called a private room, it was more like a small banquet hall, spacious and elegantly decorated.

After bypassing the screen at the entrance, Zhou Ming was surprised to see the Baiyun City Party Secretary, several high-ranking Lingnan Military District officials, and leaders from major state-owned enterprises in the province all gathered around a table. This assembly reflected the Cao family's substantial power from one side.

However, Zhou Ming was truly astonished to see Chen Yunfei, the Party Secretary of Nanjing City, among them. Zhou Ming had remembered Chen Yunfei as a student of President Du Zhongyuan, so seeing him here was unexpected.

Zhou Ming's surprise quickly faded without being voiced. After all, he had never been involved in politics and had only recently been exposed to powerful families. Understanding complex issues would take time. Chen Yunfei's presence in Nanjing and his dual role as the executive vice-governor and Party Secretary was likely due to Cao family support.

This suggested that the military-police conflict at the Nanjing nightclub might be related.

Chen Yunfei looked surprised to see Zhou Ming but quickly accepted it, knowing that Zhou Ming wasn't a troublemaker. Political matters aren't always straightforward, and Zhou Ming would understand this nuance.

Zhou Ming sat down with Cao Jianning and introduced himself, "Hello, leaders. I am Zhou Ming."

The Baiyun City Party Secretary spoke first, "So you are Zhou Ming. Thank you for helping to dismantle the smuggling ring. I, as the Party Secretary, failed to address it for years, and I feel quite ashamed."

"You needn't blame yourself, Secretary. The smuggling operations were hidden and protected by the military. It wasn't easy to eliminate them," Zhou Ming replied.

"Indeed! It's infuriating that someone like Tao Niansheng could exploit military privileges for smuggling. It's outrageous!" a military officer exclaimed.

"Well, it's in the past now. The central government has made its decision, removed his general rank, and handed the case over to military prosecutors for further investigation. Legal proceedings and sentencing will follow soon," another officer added.

Chen Yunfei then remarked, "But I believe the most important figure in this matter is Zhou Ming! An ordinary person daring to challenge a general and force him out of his position is truly remarkable!"

Chen Yunfei's praise was quickly echoed by others, who unanimously agreed, praising Zhou Ming's courage and determination.

Zhou Ming felt a bit embarrassed, "If this were yesterday, I might have taken pride in such praise, but now, seeing all of you leaders here, I feel uncomfortable. Without your help, I would have achieved nothing and would likely have been eliminated by General Tao."

Everyone reassured Zhou Ming that he was being too modest and that his decision was extraordinary.

After the compliments, the discussion moved to the main topic. Chen Yunfei, the highest-ranking person present, said, "Although there were some coincidences in the previous events, they demonstrate that such practices are unacceptable. Lingnan needs to retain certain policy powers, but what can't be kept should be returned to the central government for unified management. Insisting on retaining everything will only harm ourselves."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Zhou Ming, initially not intending to speak, was urged by Cao Jianning to share his views. Reluctantly, Zhou Ming said, "I'm just a young person, and many of my previous actions were impulsive. My views may not be as mature as those of the leaders here. I believe that whether now or in the future, it's best not to have distinctions between central and local authorities. One should not seize what isn't theirs, or else disaster will follow."

Chen Yunfei applauded, "Zhou Ming's remarks are excellent. One must stay within their role; crossing boundaries will lead to trouble!"

The Baiyun City Party Secretary then asked, "So, Zhou Ming, what do you think about the future development of Lingnan?"

Zhou Ming replied, "The essence is not about outward display but self-improvement and development. Focus on reform, opening up, and economic development. Leverage regional advantages, national policies, and low-cost labor to attract foreign investment. Continue to build and perfect the capital market, making Lingnan a model base for national politics and economics. This will naturally bring everything into place."

His simple yet profound statement left everyone deeply impressed. Indeed, if Lingnan were developed well, the central government would naturally pay attention, and local power and business status would follow.

This straightforward logic, which even a child could grasp, was often overlooked by those blinded by power, who sought to monopolize it and ignored such simple truths.

Realizing this, everyone looked at Zhou Ming with respect. What had begun as mere courtesy now reflected genuine admiration for Zhou Ming's insights.