Chapter 64 Fanning the Flames

Lu Hao had also anticipated this possibility, but instead of panicking, he said with absolute sincerity, "Since you and Aunt Hongxia are from the same village, I hope you can trust me. Whether it concerns the compensation for the pneumoconiosis patients or this fatal incident, I will definitely do everything in my power to resolve the chemical plant's issues. If I cannot settle this, I will step down from my post and resign."

Lu Hao actually used his official career as a guarantee, which immediately stunned many of the villagers.

Right after that, Lu Hao continued, "Uncles, aunts, sisters, your sons and husbands suffered enough during their lifetimes. Now that they are gone, you cannot leave them exposed to the elements here. You must let them return to the earth in peace and find eternal rest."

"As for the living, we can discuss the matter further. Staying here is just a waste of time and will solve nothing. Even if the leaders were to force the chemical plant into promising you one and a half million, it would merely be a perfunctory gesture, and the money would never actually arrive. Once you leave, they could easily stall and refuse to pay. So please listen to my advice: take the deceased back first to hold the funeral arrangements, and leave the compensation matter to me and Mayor Hong."

The relatives of the deceased looked at each other, their resolve visibly shaken, while other villagers nodded in agreement, feeling that Lu Hao made complete sense.

None of their families could bear the thought of leaving their murdered loved ones exposed under the glaring sun.

Moreover, the police were present, and the chemical plant was a local tyrant in Fangshui Township; dragging the matter out would yield no benefits. Just as Lu Hao pointed out, getting the money immediately was impossible.

"My mother runs a bakery in the county town, and Aunt Hongxia knows me as well. Are you still afraid you won't be able to find me?" Seeing a glimmer of hope, Lu Hao pressed on with his persuasion.

"I know Mayor Lu. Back then, some impoverished households in our village qualified for subsidies but never received them. Later, after Mayor Lu took charge of poverty alleviation, many eligible families finally got theirs, while those who faked eligibility were all weeded out. Mayor Lu has indeed done some solid, practical work for our Fangshui Township."

"Right, during the mountain fires a while back, he rallied villagers from several villages to fight the fire. He's a firefighting hero, and I even saw his video online."

"Mayor Hong has been in our township for quite a few years too. I think these two can be trusted."

Some villagers began to change their stance, recalling Lu Hao's past good deeds.

Now that both Hong Haifeng and Lu Hao had made commitments, perhaps they truly could be trusted.

Besides, they all knew what kind of business Lu Hao's family ran, so they weren't afraid of him going back on his word.

The efforts of Hong Haifeng and Lu Hao were about to bear fruit.

However, Wang Shaojie sneaked over at some unknown moment. Seeing that Lu Hao was on the verge of success, he immediately turned around and hurried toward Zhang Donglai's location.

"County Magistrate Zhang, Secretary Li, Mayor Hong and the others have said a lot, but the villagers simply won't listen. They've only lowered their compensation demand from two million to one and a million and a half, while still insisting that the money must be paid in full today." Far from reporting the actual situation, Wang Shaojie distorted the facts and added fuel to the fire.

Given that Li Haoetian had told him earlier to keep an eye on Lu Hao, he certainly didn't want Lu Hao to successfully persuade the villagers, as that would only draw even more appreciation from the leadership.

Wang Shaojie had no fear that the leaders would verify the situation because he knew that Vice Magistrate Zhang Donglai would not go out to the front lines. Whatever the situation was there depended entirely on whatever he chose to report, and the leaders would only hear what he told them.

"County Magistrate Zhang, I anticipated from the start that Mayor Hong and the others wouldn't succeed. Many villagers in Fangshui Township are stubborn troublemakers. You can't reason with unruly people like them; you have to use force. That's the only language they understand," Li Haoetian seized the opportunity to fan the flames.

During his arrival that morning, he had already communicated with Liang Kun to first mobilize the police force to disperse the crowd, at least making the county leaders believe the matter had quieted down.

As for the compensation, they could continue to stall indefinitely. After all, these stubborn locals had spent their lives in the impoverished Fangshui Township and were used to hardship; they could never stir up any real trouble.

"Secretary Li, if we use the police force, how soon can you clear this up?" Seeing that the villagers were still noisy and bickering while Lu Hao and Hong Haifeng continued trying to communicate with them, Zhang Donglai completely lost his patience.

"Half an hour—no, fifteen minutes. I will ensure not a single villager is in sight at the chemical plant, leaving only the workers continuing their labor," Li Haoetian scanned the distance and guaranteed solemnly.

This was the outcome he wanted to see. If Hong Haifeng and Lu Hao actually managed to sway the minds of these troublemakers, it would implicitly prove that his own approach had been wrong.

Li Haoetian would never allow such a thing to happen.