Li Dakang's Plea!

At 3 p.m., Gao Yuliang arrived at Xuanwu Lake in Jingzhou City as invited. Li Dakang had been waiting for a long time and immediately came to greet him when he saw Gao Yuliang's car.

Holding his thermos, Gao Yuliang saw Li Dakang, the Party Secretary of Jingzhou City, who was being unusually attentive, and joked, "The sun must have risen in the west today! Secretary Dakang actually invited me to dinner. I'm flattered!"

Li Dakang smiled broadly, "Don't mention it. I've been wanting to invite Secretary Yuliang to dinner for a long time, but I just haven't had the chance."

The two walked along the rocky path by Xuanwu Lake. The willows drooped along the embankment, their green leaves replaced by the withered yellow of fallen leaves, a far cry from the green of spring.

An autumn breeze brought a touch of coolness. Seeing that Gao Yuliang remained silent, Li Dakang broke the silence first, saying, "Secretary Yuliang, it's been more than ten years since we last ate together, hasn't it? I remember when we sat down to eat together, it was..."

Seeing Li Dakang deep in thought, Gao Yuliang reminded him, "It's been more than ten years, since 98, when we went abroad to study together."

"Yes, yes, yes." Li Dakang suddenly realized and said with a nostalgic look, "Secretary Yuliang, I remember when you were abroad, you couldn't get used to Western fast food, so you bought a rice cooker and cooked rice for yourself."

"You bought a huge bag of rice back then, and I was the one carrying it. You were standing there talking without any sense of the hardship, laughing at me, saying that a bag of rice was really that tiring?"

"Yes!" Gao Yuliang said with a sigh, as if he had returned to his youthful days. He murmured to himself, "Back then, I wasn't the Party Secretary of Luzhou City, and you weren't the Mayor of Luzhou City either. I remember you weren't the secretary of the former Provincial Party Secretary Zhao Lichun yet."

"Back in '98, I was just a lowly deputy district head, while Secretary Yuliang, you, who came from being a professor at a university, were already the deputy mayor." Li Dakang naturally understood what Gao Yuliang meant by mentioning Luzhou City.

This brings us to an old story. Many years ago, Gao Yuliang served as the Party Secretary of Luzhou City, while I served as the Mayor of Luzhou City. Because of my domineering and uncompromising style of doing things, I openly contradicted Gao Yuliang on many occasions and even overturned Gao Yuliang's urban planning and plans.

Although Zhao Lichun later transferred him away, the feud between the two was still established, and they remain at odds to this day.

However, Li Dakang had already prepared his words and said to Gao Yuliang, "Secretary Yuliang, regarding what happened in Luzhou City, you can say that I was young and impetuous, domineering, and autocratic. But consider this: if I hadn't acted that way, would you have ended up like this?"

"If we had always gotten along well and had a very harmonious relationship, do you think the former provincial party secretary, Zhao Lichun, would have let both of us enter the provincial party committee standing committee?"

"I used to be the secretary of the former provincial party secretary, Zhao Lichun. If only one of us can get into the provincial party committee standing committee, then Secretary Yuliang, who do you think has a better chance of getting in?"

Li Dakang frowned and reminded him, "For example, right now, if we have a very good relationship and cooperate sincerely, how do you think the provincial party secretary can carry out his work? Would he allow it?"

Gao Yuliang unscrewed the cap, took a sip of water, and smiled. "Secretary Dakang, what are you trying to say? That you did it for my own good back then? To protect my political future? Or to show that you did the right thing?"

In fact, Gao Yuliang knew very well that Li Dakang was right. If the Han University faction, led by himself, and the secretary faction, led by Li Dakang, were to merge into one, the current provincial party secretary would find it impossible to move an inch!

However, one thing cannot be denied: over the years, whether openly or secretly, Li Dakang has done his fair share of tripping him up, and he doesn't just do superficial things; he truly doesn't let go of any opportunity to target him.

"Secretary Yuliang, we don't have that much of a grudge, it's just that our positions make it impossible for us to be friends. Otherwise, how could the provincial party secretary sleep soundly?" Li Dakang said anxiously, raising his voice to defend himself, "Besides, my feelings for you..."

"Alright, Secretary Dakang, I understand what you mean."

Gao Yuliang interrupted Li Dakang's explanation, "To be honest, I have never held a grudge against you. On the contrary, I admire Secretary Dakang very much. Whether it is his ability or his ability to remain aloof in the officialdom, these are all very rare qualities."

"So, Secretary Dakang, please speak freely."

Now that things had come to this point, Li Dakang stopped hiding his feelings. He realized that talking about emotions with an old fox like Gao Yuliang was a complete waste of time; it was better to get straight to the point and discuss the exchange of benefits.

"Secretary Yuliang, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection's inspection team will arrive in two days. The Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection are preparing to hand over your materials to the inspection team. What are you going to do?"

Gao Yuliang stopped and turned to look at Li Dakang, asking, "Secretary Dakang, what do you think I should do?"

Li Dakang also stopped and met Gao Yuliang's gaze.

He admitted that although he disliked Gao Yuliang, he didn't want to see Gao Yuliang end up in jail, so he advised, "Secretary Yuliang, listen to my advice, don't be so stubborn. Secretary Sha represents the will of those above; if you don't bow your head, you'll only end up getting hurt!"

"If you bow your head, how can you ever hold it up again?" Gao Yuliang turned to look at Xuanwu Lake and suddenly said, "Secretary Dakang, you're a smart man. You should understand what it means that Provincial Party Secretary Sha Ruijin arranged for Yi Xuexi to serve as the Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission of Jingzhou City."

"From the escape of Ding Yizhen, the deputy mayor of Jingzhou, to the corruption of your ex-wife Ouyang Jing, coupled with your style of handling affairs, would Provincial Party Secretary Sha Ruijin recommend you for the position of governor?"

Gao Yuliang's eyes were deep as he murmured to himself, "In the end, it was all just a fleeting dream..."

"Hehe..." Upon hearing this, Li Dakang deflated like a punctured balloon, all his energy drained away. He said dejectedly, "Secretary Yuliang, do you think I don't know? But you can't fight city hall. It's an inevitable trend, and neither you nor I can change it."

"It's all up to people, Secretary Dakang," Gao Yuliang retorted. "People always have to try to know if they can do it. I, Gao Yuliang, can't give up before the battle even begins."

"Lowering your head and kneeling to speak might allow you to prolong your life, but what's the difference between living like that and facing trial and going to Qincheng Prison?"

Li Dakang looked at Gao Yuliang with a complex expression, his heart filled with mixed feelings, but he didn't forget his mission for the day and said, "Secretary Yuliang, now that you've made your decision, may I ask you for a favor?"

Gao Yuliang glanced at him, knowing exactly what he wanted to say, and chuckled, "Are you asking me not to say anything inappropriate or implicate you during the investigation by the Organization Department of the Central Committee and the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection?"

"That's right!" Li Dakang frowned. "Secretary Yuliang, even if you drag me into this, it won't affect your investigation results in any way, so it's completely unnecessary."

"Furthermore, if you grant my request, as long as I am in Handong, I will do my utmost to protect all the teachers and students from Handong University of Political Science and Law who have entered officialdom!"

Gao Yuliang chuckled dismissively, scoffing, "Secretary Dakang, I'm already under investigation, do you think I have the energy to care about these things?"

Li Dakang understood Gao Yuliang's meaning. The fact that he hadn't directly refused meant there was still a chance. He gritted his teeth and said, "Secretary Yuliang, I can find a way to get Qi Tongwei promoted to vice governor!"