Qiu Xiao and Fan Dongqiang both felt a jolt.
They knew perfectly well that Zhang Hao, firmly established as the kingpin of Changning City's underworld, had every right to make such an arrogant claim.
In September 1998, Tang Yisheng, deputy township head of Jingshan Township in Qingliang County, Changning City, got into an argument while eating at a restaurant. He was stabbed repeatedly and died of his wounds. The killer was sentenced to seven years in prison.
In February 2000, Song Yongxiang, then Public Security Director of Qingliang County, Changning City, was shot dead in his home. His killer had never been caught.
In May 2004, Su Jixing, then Deputy Director of the Changning Municipal Public Security Bureau, was hit by a truck on his way home and seriously injured. Timely emergency treatment saved his life, but he was left bedridden and paralyzed. The truck driver was sentenced to two years in prison for causing a traffic accident.
In 2005, also in drug-ridden Qingliang County, the serving County Magistrate, Ge Ming, "refused the easy way and chose the hard way." Less than three months after taking office, he was placed under Shuanggui by the Changning Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection for "soliciting bribes from local business owners" and "coercing a female subordinate into sexual relations." He ultimately lost his post and was wrongfully imprisoned.
Every one of these bloodstained incidents was connected to Zhang Hao.
An example that stood in contrast to the three men above was Yang Zhiyuan, who had been promoted to Vice Mayor of Wenzhu City the previous month.
When he first arrived in Changning, he too had been a man of unbending integrity. But after Zhang Hao tried courtesy first and threats afterward, mixing persuasion with intimidation, he finally bowed his proud head and became a