Dong Xuebin's Resolve!

Monday.

South Willow Lane Alley.

Early in the morning, Dong Xuebin arrived with people from the Street Office, looking aggressive.

The black Passat pulled up at the entrance to the alley. Dong Xuebin, Zhou Yanru, and several department directors got out, while several clerks and staff members responsible for persuasion work got out of the white Jinbei Car behind them. Two police cars from Guangming Police Station followed after that. Fearing an unexpected incident, Peng Gang had brought three police officers, though none carried guns. No matter how badly a residential forced-demolition dispute escalated, firearms were not permitted. Finally, several comrades from the Nanshan District Urban Management Enforcement Team arrived in an enforcement vehicle and an excavator.

Rumble, rumble. The sound of the excavator alerted the residents in the alley.

"It's Urban Management!"

"Everybody come out! The excavator's here!"

"The Street Office is going to force a demolition! Call people! Get people here! Fight them!"

"Block them! Don't let them in!"

The clatter of pots and bowls came in bursts, and in the crush, many were knocked to the ground.

What made Dong Xuebin's face darken was that despite having been warned yesterday, these people were still doing business today. Breakfast vendors were selling breakfast, stalls were set up everywhere, and the place was a complete mess. Even the illegal construction at the far end of the alley, which Xue Gui had recently hired people to build, was still under construction. The two workers acted as though they had not seen Dong Xuebin and the others, laying bricks and shoveling dirt as they pleased, steadily building the illegal house without treating the Street Office or Urban Management as anything worth noticing. Xue Gui and several Yellow Hair and Red Hair punks stood nearby, coldly watching them.

They were being far too arrogant, weren't they?

Dong Xuebin immediately turned his head. "Everybody get out there. Go to every illegal business and do persuasion work. Tell them this is the final ultimatum!"

The clerks and staff went first. Yu Rongfeng, Guo Mingfeng, Meng Senguo, and the others followed suit.

Dong Xuebin looked at Peng Gang. "Director Peng, have the officers go with them too. Don't let anything happen."

"I understand." Peng Gang quietly said something to the three uniformed officers behind him, and the three quickly walked into the alley.

The Urban Management Enforcement Team members did not move. The entire Nanshan District was conducting an illegal construction cleanup campaign this time, and the enforcement team was nearly drained of manpower. They were badly short-staffed, and no senior leaders had come with them. The person leading the team was only Director Lei, a clerk. According to instructions from the district and bureau, the Street Offices were taking the lead in this cleanup, while they were only responsible for assisting and following orders. So they remained outside and did not go in.

Just as Zhou Yanru and Wang Yuling were about to go in and help with the persuasion work, Dong Xuebin stopped Wang Yuling. "Director Wang, you don't need to go."

Zhou Yanru took one look and entered the alley by herself.

Wang Yuling had not wanted to waste breath arguing with those unreasonable shop owners anyway. She smiled when she heard that, but still said, "Director, I'm fine."

Dong Xuebin waved a hand. "Stay here. Those shop owners are getting emotional. Don't put yourself in danger."

Wang Yuling gave an mm and took a few steps back, remaining behind Dong Xuebin.

All the other department directors had gone in; only Wang Yuling had not. It looked like Dong Xuebin was playing favorites, but everyone in the Street Office understood that if they had been in charge, they would not have let Wang Yuling go either. First, it was for her safety. They knew who Wang Yuling's uncle was, but those red-eyed shop owners did not. If anything happened, there would be no explaining it to the district Party secretary. Second, and more importantly, Wang Yuling had too much of a temper. Aside from Dong Xuebin, no one in the Street Office seemed able to keep her in check. If she got into a conflict with the shop owners, who knew whether Wang Yuling would start cursing? If that ignited the public's emotions, there would be no way to contain the situation.

Dong Xuebin had initially considered having Wang Yuling dampen Xue Gui's arrogance, but it appeared that Wang Yuling and Xue Gui were not actually familiar with each other. They seemed not to know one another at all, so there was no way around it. If Xue Gui truly gave face to Wang Yuling, the district Party secretary's niece, he would not have sent people to block the Street Office compound yesterday. Sending Wang Yuling in probably would not help. Faced with profit, Xue Gui's eyes had already turned red. Expecting to reason with a red-eyed scoundrel was unrealistic.

Intimidate them!

Before setting out this time, Dong Xuebin had instructed everyone that they were going to intimidate them!

They had to put on the appearance of a government determined to forcibly demolish illegal construction, without leaving even the slightest room for negotiation. They had to shock them, make them understand the consequences, and then take advantage of the momentum.

Since there had already been a failed forced demolition before, if their attitude was not tough enough this time, the result would be the same as before. If those shop owners saw the Street Office wavering, they would only become more arrogant and might even resort to violence. How could the demolition proceed then? Would they clash with residents? Cause more casualties? If that happened, Dong Xuebin could forget about remaining Street Office Director, and the other Street Office cadres might as well pack up and go home too. Intimidate them. No bloodshed could be allowed, no matter what. That was Dong Xuebin's instruction.

In stark contrast to the shop owners in the alley, many ordinary people watching outside applauded and cheered.

"Are they finally demolishing it?"

"They should've torn it down long ago! How many years has this been dragged out?"

"Exactly! They've blocked the roads and don't care about sanitation. We've had enough of them!"

Dong Xuebin suddenly spotted a familiar figure among the crowd behind him. It was the elderly woman with bad legs who had clashed with Wang Yuling in the Street Office lobby.

Dong Xuebin smiled and walked over. "Ma'am, do you live around here too?"

The old woman leaned shakily on her cane. "Yes. I've lived here for sixty years and waited five or six years for this. Leaders, you have to solve this for us this time."

Dong Xuebin supported her arm. "Don't worry. We came here this time to solve the problem."

The old woman sighed emotionally. "That's wonderful. Ever since I was knocked down here once, I haven't walked through this alley in years. Every time I go home, I have to take a long detour. The alley was already narrow to begin with, and after they made it like this, is there even any room left for people to walk? It should've been demolished long ago."

"That's right. I ate at one of the restaurants here once and found a fly in my food. It was disgusting. And what happened? Not only did the restaurant refuse to compensate me, they cursed me out too. Those bastards!"

"They're all operating illegally. Do you think they'd care about sanitation?"

"And that Xue Gui, he's no good. Look at him, he's still building a house!"

"Demolishing it is exactly right. This is what people have been waiting for. This place has been a mess for years."

Aside from the small number of shop owners and residents in Headline Hutong who benefited from it, the ordinary people in the other five or six alleys had long hoped these illegal constructions would be demolished. Hearing the angry voices of the public, everyone from the Street Office felt deeply affected, and Dong Xuebin's determination to forcibly demolish them grew even firmer. These shop owners harmed the interests of the great majority of ordinary people for the sake of their own small profits. This kind of cancer could not be allowed to remain for even one more day. If they let it continue, if there was still no resolution this time, the people would point at the government's back and curse them!

Over there, the persuasion work with the shop owners was underway.

Song Qing, secretary and director of the Willow Lane Community Neighborhood Committee, was shouting at the entrance to the alley, trying to mobilize them. "Everyone, listen carefully. The government is firmly committed to removing illegal construction this time. It must be demolished, and it will be demolished today. Everyone should move your belongings out as quickly as possible." She was a young Neighborhood Committee leader, not yet thirty, but there was not much force in her tone.

Xue Gui said darkly, "Who are you trying to scare? Get lost!"

One Yellow Hair shouted, "Get the hell out of here! We're not moving! What can you do about it?"

One Red Hair punk said, "Grab your weapons! If that excavator dares come in, we'll fight them!"

Led by Xue Gui, many shop owners took rolling pins, Iron Rods, and other weapons out of their stores. They united as one and began shouting threats.

"Who's afraid of who?"

"If you've got the guts, come over here and try!"

Zhou Yanru, who was working on the owner of the Tailor Shop, became angry. "Xue Gui! Are you done yet or not?"

Xue Gui sneered. "Director Zhou, it's not that I won't give you face, but if you do this, how are we supposed to make a living? You're cutting off my way out!"

Several Street Office cadres mobilizing the shop owners in the alley did not fare well either. They were cursed out by several shop owners, and one young clerk was shoved to the ground, nearly cracking his head.

"Damn it!" Yu Rongfeng's face darkened as he immediately walked over. "How are you?"

The clerk on the ground clutched his neck in pain. "I'm fine. Hiss, just bumped it."

The one who had pushed him was one of Xue Gui's punks, and he wore a continual sneer.

Seeing one of their own nearly get hurt, everyone from the Street Office was enraged!

Dong Xuebin was furious too. Damn it, these bastards refused a toast only to drink a forfeit. He reached over and took the Loudspeaker from someone beside him, then shouted, "Some of you may know me, and some may not, so let me introduce myself. I'm Dong Xuebin, Street Office Director and the person in charge of this Willow Lane Community illegal construction cleanup. Fine, now that you know who I am, let me make one thing clear. Today, whether you agree or not, these illegal constructions must be removed!

Not one more day!"

The shop owners all began shouting!

Ignoring them completely, Dong Xuebin raised the loudspeaker and said, "Let me make this clear to you. This forced demolition operation is ordered by the district. You don't get to decide! Anyone who continues obstructing our law enforcement, fine! We have people specially recording everything. Whoever curses today, whoever hits someone today, whoever obstructs our work today, I will remember every single one of you! We'll settle accounts later! Not only will your illegal construction be demolished completely, I guarantee that you will be held criminally responsible! Every one of you counts! If there is one, that's one! If there are a hundred, that's a hundred! Nanshan District has plenty of prisons! One more of you makes no difference! One less of you makes no difference! Operating without a license! Illegal renting! Damaging the environment! Undermining public order! Aren't you making trouble? Fine! I'll settle every last account with you! I don't get to decide how many years you'll be sentenced to! The Police Station doesn't get to decide either! But the court does! If you don't believe me, try it! See whether I'm just talking!"