cicada

Chapter 1239 Win-win cooperation

Shancheng Yiyuan Hotel.

This hotel was built in the 20s with investment from a famous warlord and industrialist. It is located in the most prosperous area of ​​​​Shancheng City. It is famous for its luxurious facilities and high-end services and is known as the "No. Hotel in the Southwest."

Its interior decoration is exquisite, and it has luxurious guest rooms, Chinese and Western restaurants, a ballroom, a coffee shop, etc. It is the first choice for all kinds of politicians, businessmen and celebrities.

A few days after the intelligence leak case was over, Zuo Zhong, Gu Qi, together with the main leaders of the First and Second Departments and He Yijun were invited to the Yiyuan Hotel to attend a dinner organized by Police Chief Bai Wenzhi and Deputy Minister of the Interior Yang.

"Commissioner Zuo, I am so sorry for not welcoming you in person."

Deputy Minister Yang, who had just been promoted and was in the prime of his life, stood in front of the Yiyuan Hotel, holding Zuo Zhong's right hand tightly with both hands and shaking it hard, saying polite words.

His title also has its own meaning. Between the deputy director of the Military Control Commission and the alternate member of the Central Executive Committee, of course the latter has a higher status.

Zuo Zhong's face darkened when he heard this. If you didn't mention this, we would still be good friends. This is a compliment, you are clearly cursing me. In a few years, every one of the members of the Central Intelligence Agency will be a first-class war criminal.

He let go of the other person's hand with a fake smile and turned to look at Gu Qi: "Old Gu, look, it's different now that you've been promoted. Even Yiyuan dares to come. We have to kill this guy today."

While shaking hands with Vice Minister Yang, Gu Qi joked, "Yes, yes. Every time we paid the bill, Vice Minister Yang either had a stomachache and went to the toilet, or he didn't bring his wallet. It's really not easy to eat with him once."

"Hey, hey, stop joking, please come in, please come in."

Deputy Minister Yang blushed and quickly invited the two men as well as Wu Chunyang and others into the hotel.

Zuo Chong and his companions laughed and followed each other to the private room. There were three people sitting in the room. Except Bai Wen, the other two were not strangers.

"Old Bai, Old Yang, this is not a good banquet." Zuo Zhong looked at Mr. Zhong and Mr. Xiang who were standing there with an apologetic smile, then looked at Bai and Yang and said suggestively.

In the Jinlan Society case, the final outcome was that Sima Linglong committed suicide, the staff were shot, and the members not involved in the case were released.

As for Sima Linglong's real subordinates, they all died "accidentally" the day after the case was closed. Some fell to death from buildings, some were buried in fire, and some choked to death from drinking water. It was simply the god of death.

How to sentence members who were deceived into joining the spy organization, such as Zhong Xiao and Xiang Fang, is still under study.

After all, the moles that could be developed by Sima Linglong all had complicated backgrounds, involving many senior party and government officials. Dai Chunfeng didn't want to be the bad guy.

But we have to do nothing about it. Although their joining the underground party was fake, they were still connected with dissidents.

So the matter is at a standstill here, and these people are still detained in the Military Control Commission’s detention center, awaiting the final decision.

Bai Wenzhi was the most shameless. After hearing what Zuo Chong said, he laughed out loud, breaking the heavy atmosphere. He then pulled Zuo Chong to sit down and started making jokes.

"Hey, Mr. Zhong and Mr. Xiang are not outsiders. We are all friends. Please take a seat."

Gu Qi and the others did not move. They all looked at Zuo Zhong. Seeing him nod imperceptibly, they sat down one by one. Father Zhong and Father Xiang breathed a sigh of relief and immediately asked the waiter to serve the dishes.

At the big round table, Zuo Chong sat in the main seat, with He Yijun sitting on his left, Gui Youguang sitting on his right, and Gu Qi, Wu Chunyang, Song Minghao, and Wu Jingzhong sitting on both sides.

Having Gucci sit so far away is not in line with official etiquette, but today is a private banquet, so there is no need to be so particular.

Moreover, in a sense, Gui Youguang is also a party involved. Xiang's father has secretly observed the bald man several times, and his face has a complicated expression of meeting his prospective son-in-law for the first time. I don't know who he is doing this for.

Those present were all experienced in socializing and knew that this was not the time to discuss serious matters, so they only talked about romantic matters and kept silent about the real purpose.

After three rounds of wine and five dishes, Bai Wenzhi wiped the corner of his mouth with a handkerchief, glanced at Zuo Zhong opposite him, thought for a moment and said thoughtfully.

"Executive Committee Member Zuo, we have been friends for many years. If I have anything to say, I will just say it. Mr. Zhong and Mr. Xiang asked me to ask you to show some mercy and let Miss Zhong and Miss Xiang go.

Don't worry, they know the rules and will not let you down. Here is the cash deposit certificate from the Mercantile Bank (Standard Chartered Bank), please accept it."

As he spoke, Bai Wenzhi placed a thick stack of deposit certificates on the turntable, and gently turned it with his hand, bringing it to Zuo Zhong.

Gu Qi frowned. Lao Bai was too ignorant. How could such things be discussed openly? He kicked Song Minghao under the table. Song Minghao immediately stood up and walked out of the private room to guard the door.

As the protagonist, Zuo Chong said nothing. He took the hot towel handed to him by He Yijun and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He glanced at the number on the deposit slip and let out an exaggerated exclamation.

"Wow, what a big deal, 1000 pounds per ticket, there must be tens of thousands of dollars here."

The purchasing power of the pound is very strong. The average weekly salary of a factory worker in the UK is only 5 to 10 pounds. Tens of thousands of pounds converted into dollars or government currency can buy dozens of houses in a mountain city.

Bai Wenzhi thought that the matter was settled, but unexpectedly Zuo Zhong suddenly raised his hand and threw the towel on the deposit slip. His expression gradually turned cold and he said lightly.

"But Old Bai, you must have drunk too much. How can you release a spy suspect just like that? Yijun, why don't you return the things to Director Bai?" He Yijun understood and immediately transferred the deposit slip back. Bai Wenzhi, Zhong's father, and Xiang's father looked embarrassed and didn't know what to say.

When it comes to gift-giving, it depends on Deputy Minister Yang. He immediately thought of the reason why Zuo Zhong refused, reached out to take back the deposit certificate and said with a smile.

"Old Bai, you really have drunk too much. Everyone knows that Executive Committee Member Zuo and Deputy Director Gu are incorruptible and hate evil. You are making things difficult for the two officers by doing this.

By the way, I heard that Mr. Zhong and Mr. Xiang own several grain stores. Alas, the price of grain changes every day, and people are having a hard time. "

Deputy Minister Yang demonstrated his concern for the country and the people to the fullest, and the eyes of Mr. Zhong and Mr. Xiang lit up. After they looked at each other, Mr. Zhong came forward and made a new offer.

“Commissioner Zuo, the Zhong and Xiang families have a backlog of rice and flour, and we have been considering how to deal with them. We also know that food is in short supply right now, and people are having a hard time.

I heard that the government plans to build a relief granary. We are willing to donate all of this grain. First, we can help the government relieve its worries, and second, we can do something practical for the people in the mountain city. "

After listening to this, Zuo Chong nodded slightly, a reserved smile appeared on his face, he raised the wine glass with his right hand, and spoke skillfully in an official tone.

“Thank you for your generous donation. The relief of granaries does require participation from all sectors of society. However, this is a large project that requires proper management and transparent operation.”

Father Xiang immediately responded: "Commissioner Zuo, I fully understand and will fully cooperate with the government's actions to ensure that this batch of grain enters the relief granary as soon as possible."

Gu Qi had been listening quietly, and now he also raised his glass: "If this is really possible, it is indeed a great thing for the benefit of the people. Come, Gu, I will toast you two."

Deputy Minister Yang added: "Thank you Mr. Zhong and Mr. Xiang for your kindness. The Ministry of the Interior will do its best to coordinate all parties to make this go smoothly. Cheers, everyone."

"Cheers~~~~"

Everyone raised their glasses and drank it all, and began to toast again.

Zuo Zhong and Gu Qi were naturally very satisfied with getting a large amount of rice and flour, and the purpose of Zhong's and Xiang's father's trip was also achieved.

Only a fool would believe what was said just now. During wartime, food is hard currency, so there is no backlog. They are just giving away benefits in a different way.

What's the benefit?

The grain was indeed donated, but it didn’t matter whether the food that the Military Control Commission transferred to the relief granary was rice, flour, buckwheat, or sweet potatoes.

The current price of rice in the mountain city is about 40 yuan per dou (15 to jin), and the price of sweet potatoes is about yuan per dou. The price difference here is not a small amount, and more importantly, this is "clean money."

By doing this, the Zhong and Xiang families not only saved people, but also gained a good reputation.

Zuo Zhong and others who were responsible for making this happen, Bai Wenzhi, and Deputy Minister Yang also made contributions, and everyone was very happy.

Even ordinary people, after being exploited by government officials from top to bottom, could also gain certain benefits and spend fewer days hungry.

Therefore, no matter when, if you only know how to gain benefits for yourself, it will not last long. Win-win cooperation is the right way.

After the drinking party, Jun Yi and his group got into the car drunk and returned to Luojia Bay. Zuo Zhong sat in the back seat, rubbed his temples, and whispered instructions to Gu Qi.

"Old Gu, let's release him in a few days. Tell the public that we are giving the young man a chance to reform."

"Okay, I'll arrange it."

Gu Qi agreed happily, saying that they were just a few students who knew nothing and could not cause much trouble. It was up to them to decide whether to release them or not.

The two men were chatting and laughing. Just as the convoy was about to enter the Military Control Commission compound, two people suddenly jumped out from the dark and blocked the front of the lead car.

For safety reasons, the Military Control Commission's vehicles always kept a distance from each other. Faced with this emergency, no collision occurred. The young agents in charge of guarding immediately got off the vehicle and formed a warning formation.

The two men who had stopped the convoy saw the car stop, knelt on the ground with a thud and shouted loudly: "Please, sir, help us!"

Zuo Chong was stunned. What was going on? Was this the legendary roadblock and cry out for injustice?

But they are spies, spies who kill without blinking an eye, and they are not Bao Qingtian who sits in court to try cases. The other party might be worshipping Guanyin in the Guandi Temple - they have found the wrong door.

The guards didn't care about the purpose of the visitors. They rushed forward, restrained the two men and began to search them to see if they were carrying any dangerous goods. The rest of the people also dispersed to check the surrounding buildings to prevent ambushes.

Seeing that the risk was eliminated, Zuo Chong became interested and called Gu Qi: "Let's go down and take a look."

After a while, the two came to the front of the people who blocked their way. In front of them appeared a middle-aged man and a woman, who looked like a couple.