Sure enough, hearing that the police were beating people, the uninformed crowd immediately became chaotic. Shovels, hoes, picks, mattocks, iron rods, brooms, stones, and various other tools were all directed at the people on the opposite side. They didn't care if the people opposite were police or not; at this moment, anger occupied the high ground of their brains, and their fear of the police had long been burned away by fury.
Moreover, these people had always believed that the law does not punish a crowd. There were precedents in Baihe Village; several cases of resisting law enforcement eventually ended without resolution, and they did not suffer any punishment. This gave them confidence.
Besides, even if the police settled accounts later, they couldn't possibly arrest over a thousand people.
Zheng Jingming, the District Party Secretary, felt a thump in his heart. What he feared had come to pass. This time, it really might be a game for Mu Ou!
The hat of ineffective handling of a mass incident was now going to be welded to his head. He just hoped the consequences wouldn't be too severe.
Don't die too ugly!
The other district and town leaders also changed their expressions drastically, frantically dodging, afraid of being affected.
"Pengfei, stand here and don't move!"
Jiang Yonghui instructed Zhang Pengfei, hesitated for a moment, drew the pistol from his belt, chambered a round, and pulled the trigger directly into the sky.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
Three deafening gunshots startled the fighting crowd, who all seemed to have been paused, frozen in place.
The previously chaotic scene fell silent for a moment.
Seizing this opportunity, Jiang Yonghui, gun in his right hand, strode towards the point where the conflict erupted. People along the way, intimidated by the lingering power of his recent gunshots, dared not block him and involuntarily cleared a path.
Jiang Yonghui walked towards the center of the conflict, the very heart of the crowd, under their astonished gazes.
If conflict were to erupt again, given the consequences of the conflict in his previous life, this journey could be said to be extremely dangerous, with nowhere to escape.
But Yonghui had no time to think about these things now. As he walked, he cursed loudly: "Bai Meng, you son of a bitch, what are you doing? Damn it, hurry up and get over here!"
Jiang Yonghui had been in the village for nearly three years and knew how to talk to villagers most effectively.
Especially now, with so many people watching, his imposing manner had to be strong.
If you talk nicely to these rough, burly ruffians, they're guaranteed not to pay you any mind. You have to use swear words—two words—to seem approachable!
Of course, it depends on the person.
When Bai Meng heard someone cursing him, he couldn't stand it. His eyes immediately widened in anger, veins bulging. He was already being unreasonable, and now he stuck out his neck and rushed forward, ready to fight the person to the death.
No one had ever dared to curse him like that, not even Bai Liushiyi dared to tell him to 'get over here' or 'get out'!
He wanted to see who had the guts to do it.
At this moment, his anger level surged, reaching the maximum of 100 points.
Daring to curse him, and in the territory of Baihe Village no less, was simply asking for death!
With his anger maxed out, Bai Meng had already decided to unleash a combo on the newcomer, to teach this reckless fellow a lesson.
But when the person who cursed him walked in front of him, he was completely stunned.
If anyone else had cursed him like that, he would have fought them to the death, even if it meant sacrificing his own life!
But, wasn't this Xiao Jiang, the police officer? This...
Being cursed by Xiao Jiang, the police officer, wasn't shameful. Uh, let him curse, it's not like he hadn't been cursed before...
No other reason: who told Xiao Jiang, the police officer, that he had saved his precious son's life?
He remembered last time, to save his drowning son, Xiao Jiang, the police officer, who couldn't swim, almost lost his life. He came up cursing him just like this. He remembered it was something like: "Bai Meng, you bastard, what are you doing? Damn it, how could you watch the child?"
Therefore, even though he didn't submit to anyone else, he would always heed Xiao Jiang, the police officer's, words.
If it weren't for Xiao Jiang, the police officer, he wouldn't have his precious son. Without his precious son, his father would have flayed him alive. His family had been single-heir for three generations; that was his family's only seedling.
He was stubborn and reckless, but not foolish. From then on, Xiao Jiang, the police officer, was the only person he truly respected.
Bai Meng's previously furious face instantly squeezed out an awkward smile, which, coupled with his flushed face, looked both terrifying and comical.
"Xiao Jiang, police officer, why are you here?"
"Hmph! You still have the nerve to ask me? I ask you, what are you doing? What do you intend to do by gathering so many people? Huh? You tell me, are you trying to rebel? Don't you know that gathering a crowd to cause trouble is illegal? And you ask me? Huh? Do you want to spend a few days inside?"
Jiang Yonghui was genuinely angry at this moment. It was because of this scoundrel Bai Meng, who led the instigation of trouble and caused a massive brawl, leading to the severe consequences of 11 deaths and 136 injuries, resulting in the sacrifice of 4 police officers, including police officer Zhang Yongli, auxiliary police officers Zhang Pengfei and Huang Yong, and Yao Shunli, the deaths of 5 Relocation Team members, 2 villagers, and several people suffering permanent disabilities.
If it weren't for the current situation, he would have really wanted to slap this grandson a few times.
"Uh, this... that..."
Bai Meng stammered, unable to articulate anything. He didn't want to lie to Jiang Yonghui, but he also couldn't tell the truth: that he was deliberately causing trouble at someone's instigation.
"What 'this and that'? Take your people and disperse quickly!"
Jiang Yonghui stared at Bai Meng, speaking in an unfriendly tone.
"Why? Why do you police officers hit people?"
"Can we ordinary people be bullied arbitrarily?"
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"Yes, we cannot be bullied!"
"Resist the black-hearted developers, defend Baihe Village to the death!"
Several voices came from different directions in the crowd, still deliberately stirring up conflict. The effect was obvious; the crowd, which had just quieted down, became agitated again after hearing them and began to question loudly.
Suddenly, the atmosphere became tense again. If it wasn't stopped in time, conflict would inevitably erupt again.
"Bai Jiang, Bai Mingguang, Bai Xiong, Wang Li, come out!"
Jiang Yonghui shouted loudly in the direction where the few people were hiding.
"I see you, come on, come on, don't hide anymore, I'm talking about you, come, you come here and speak, come, I'll give you a chance, what kind of hero is it to hide your head and show your tail, dare to speak but not admit it? All of you, come out!" Jiang Yonghui, using his height advantage, pointed at the few people who had just fanned the flames but now wanted to hide behind the villagers.
"Come on, you four, what, do I need to come over and invite you?"
Looking at the restless crowd, he now had to pull all these bad apples out of the crowd, otherwise, delays would lead to changes, and the scene would become uncontrollable, just like in his previous life.
Seeing that they couldn't hide from Jiang Yonghui's gaze, the named individuals reluctantly came out with their heads bowed.
"Officer Jiang, I..." The few looked at Yonghui's angry expression, standing awkwardly to the side, unsure how to speak. They had never seen Xiao Jiang, the police officer, angry before.
Xiao Jiang, the police officer, had always been smiling, with a very good personality, and got along very well with the villagers. He hadn't expected him to be so terrifying when angry.
He was a warm-hearted person, and in the three years he had been responsible for the village, he had helped the villagers a lot.
He was either helping the uncles see a doctor or helping the aunts buy medicine.
He was either helping the uncles find sheep or helping the young aunties recharge their phone bills.
He was either helping the older girls grind grain or helping the young widows fetch water...
Plus, he helped with childcare, tutoring, online shopping, and picking up goods. In short, as Aunt Baiyun said, not only was he handsome and dashing, but he was also a truly good person.
Bai Jiang and the others saw it with their own eyes and were all direct beneficiaries, so they naturally respected Jiang Yonghui very much.
In terms of Jiang Yonghui's current prestige in Baihe Village, it had already reached a level of respect bordering on reverence.
"All of you, shut up and go stand aside. I'll deal with you later," Jiang Yonghui glared fiercely at the approaching individuals, put his pistol back into its holster, and turned to face the crowd.
He didn't have time to deal with Bai Meng and Bai Jiang right now. The immediate priority was to disperse the restless crowd again, resolve this major crisis, and prevent the tragedy of his previous life from happening again.
Jiang Yonghui cleared his throat and said loudly: "Grandpas, grandmas, uncles, aunties, big brothers, big sisters, young ladies, and young aunties, don't get agitated. Listen to me first. If what I say isn't right, it's not too late to refute me."
Everyone saw that it was Jiang Yonghui speaking, and they gradually quieted down. Xiao Jiang, the police officer, was still very trustworthy.
Seeing the crowd quiet down, Jiang Yonghui continued: "What happened today, you are confused! Have you ever thought about the consequences? Have you ever thought that this is a group brawl? If you win, you go to jail. If you lose, at best you're injured or disabled, at worst, people will die!"
"If you go to jail, or even die, have you thought about what will happen to your beautiful wives? What about your crying infants? Do you really want your beloved wives to be raised by others? Your children to serve others? Only then will you be happy?"
"I have been in charge of Baihe Village for almost three years, and I have had a very pleasant time with everyone. I have deep feelings for the village. I don't want to see you all end up like this. I hope everyone stays safe and sound."
"Xiao Jiang, what you said is very true, but if we don't resist, our homes will be gone today, torn down by these bastards. We are forced into this, we have no other choice!"
A man over sixty with a weathered face said to Jiang Yonghui.
The speaker was Bai Wuxing, an old party member, upright, dared to speak the truth, had ideas, and enjoyed high prestige in the village. He was the former Party Secretary, but Bai Liushiyi had him voted out through coercion and inducement of voters, replacing him with a more compliant person.
"If these problems exist, you can report them to the government. I believe the Yangcheng City Party Committee and Municipal Government, the Lushui District Party Committee and District Government, and our Wuyuan Town will all stand up for you. Please trust the government."
After Jiang Yonghui finished speaking, he glanced at the side with his peripheral vision, thinking: "Lao Lu, it's your turn to come on stage. I've laid all the groundwork for you. The final decision is up to you now. I hope we can have a perfect collaboration like before."
"Good, this young comrade is absolutely right. The Yangcheng City Party Committee and Municipal Government will definitely stand up for everyone!"
A man with a distinguished demeanor walked over from Jiang Yonghui's side, patting his arm with a somewhat friendly gesture.
He had been there for a few minutes and had just witnessed the entire process of Jiang Yonghui handling the mass incident. Although he knew that Jiang Yonghui's three years in the village had given him a boost in prestige, he couldn't deny his ability to handle emergencies. The outcome was perfect, wasn't it!
Such a thorny problem, if he were to handle it, aside from the added buff of his mayor title, he really wouldn't have any good solutions. This was clearly evident from the helpless expressions of the Lushui District leaders following behind him.
The newcomer nodded to Jiang Yonghui and addressed the general public: "I am Lu Wanchao, the Mayor of Yangcheng City. You can report any problems to me. As long as it is reasonable and fair, I will stand up for you!"
"No matter who you are, if you let the Relocation Team withdraw first, we will believe you!"
A villager shouted loudly.
"Okay, it's a deal! Give me a moment."
"Zheng Jingming, within 3 minutes, have all the Relocation Team members withdraw! The Public Security and Urban Management also withdraw, and drive away all the machinery!"
Lu Wanchao turned to Zheng Jingming behind him and ordered in a deep voice. He was dissatisfied with the Lushui District leadership's response measures this time, and he questioned Zheng Jingming's governance ability and his ability to handle emergencies, as the District Party Secretary was helpless.
"Yes, Mayor Lu, I'll go take care of it now." District Party Secretary Zheng Jingming, seeing Mayor Lu's unfriendly tone, personally jogged off to handle it.
Jiang Yonghui observed the man standing in the center of the crowd, imposing without anger. He had a full forehead, a square jaw, prominent eyebrows and nose, and bulging eyes. The current Lao Lu was even younger and more incisive than when he saw him in his previous life. His aura made people notice him at a glance in a crowd.
Even though he was close to fifty, he didn't look old; the marks of time had instead added a unique charm to him.
While Jiang Yonghui was observing Lu Wanchao, Lu Wanchao was also observing this young police officer in front of him.
Tall and handsome was the first impression the other party gave him. Especially wearing this police uniform, it was simply perfect, very fitting. That unique temperament easily made people remember him and leave a good impression.
And combining that with his decisive handling of the emergency just now, this young man has something. He has good looks, he has ability, and, the more he observed, the more he felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity and closeness. What was going on?
"Should I... Hmm, let's understand more first."
Lu Wanchao silently suppressed this thought that had suddenly popped into his mind.
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