After hanging up the phone, Zhang Hao became more and more reluctant to think about it.
In the end, he couldn't hold it back, so he picked up his cell phone and called Chief of Staff Xia Congwen. The public opinion was not important. He wanted to hear the political circles' evaluation of him.
As long as his colleagues choose to be on his side, there is no need to worry about his unstable position. As for his posthumous reputation, there will be plenty of opportunities to make up for it in the future.
After the call was connected, Zhang Hao did not go straight to the topic as soon as he got up, which seemed too superficial.
"Lao Xia, I just saw the news about superconductivity. What's going on at Shuguang Company?"
Xia Congwen expressed his speculation: "Consul, isn't the matter obvious? If nothing else, they are cashing out maliciously.
According to the information I got, the two companies have cashed out a total of 400 billion, and when you add in the 120 billion from your side, it already exceeds 500 billion, which is quite a big deal."
"Don't get involved with me, I had absolutely no knowledge in advance."
Zhang Hao quickly clarified.
"That shows that you have accurate vision."
Xia Congwen laughed, obviously not believing it.
Zhang Hao didn't explain much and asked casually: "What was the reaction from Lao Fan? Did the investors protest?"
"It's useless to protest. Investors can only choose to endure it silently. As for Dean Fan, of course he hides as far away as possible and doesn't want to get involved at all."
Xia Congwen replied.
"The impact of this incident is quite bad and has seriously damaged the official credibility. Don't Dean Fan and others have any remedial measures?"
Zhang Hao asked further.
Xia Congwen said angrily: "How can we make up for such a huge sum of money? In my opinion, the most we can do is give Shuguang Company more preferential policies to make investors feel better, and that's pretty much it."
"Sigh, I don't know if it's worth it?" Zhang Hao couldn't help but sigh.
Although 400 billion seems to be a lot, compared with the official credibility, it seems to be killing the goose that lays the egg.
"Of course it's worth it. The financial gap has been getting bigger and bigger in the past two years, and we can no longer care about anything else. After all, if this continues, the wages of official employees will almost not be paid, and there will definitely be big problems by then."
Xia Congwen sighed.
Zhang Hao immediately frowned: "Isn't Lao Fan's state-owned enterprise reform very impressive? Why is the financial gap getting bigger and bigger?"
"Executor, since the last economic crisis, the federal economy has been in a slump, and the unemployment rate has hit record highs.
In order to reduce the unemployment rate, especially to solve the employment problem of young people, the government has been vigorously expanding the number of official employees in recent years, and the financial pressure has naturally increased."
Xia Congwen explained in detail.
"Expansion? This can only cure the symptoms, not the root cause. The key is to activate the economy." Zhang Hao is a businessman himself and feels deeply about this.
Xia Congwen quickly agreed: "The former governor, Mr. Clinton, once said a famous campaign slogan, \u0027 Idiot, the problem is the economy\u0027, which coincides with your views as the governor.
But having said that, some things are easy to say but too difficult to do. Dean Fan is not a fool. Of course he knows the importance of the economy, but it’s a pity..."
"What's the pity?"
"It's a pity that he is not a professional and may not be very good at economic issues. In this difficult time, I think you, the consul, should take the initiative to take the lead." Xia Congwen took the opportunity to confuse.
To stir up the main force means to seize power in an all-round way.
"Lao Xia, you praise me too much. Running a country and doing business are definitely not the same thing. To be honest, I am confident that I can manage a company, or even a dozen companies, but for the federation as big as this..."
Zhang Hao shook his head subconsciously.
Although he is rather arrogant, he still has a relatively clear understanding of his abilities. Without the apocalypse in his dream, he would be almost the same as ordinary people.
Xia Congwen hurriedly advised: "Consul, as we all know, you are a very successful businessman and you must have deeper insights into the economy.
What I mean is, use your business thinking and let’s re-adjust the economic structure. What Dean Fan and the others did, there are really too many problems.”
"I think it's better to do this!" Zhang Hao paused and said casually: "Let's talk in detail when I come back!"
With his current ability, he does not want to blindly intervene in economic issues. He cannot afford this responsibility.
Ultimately, I still lack confidence.
"That's fine. Anyway, this kind of thing can't be rushed."
Xia Congwen did not continue to persuade.
He could tell that the consul was not mentally prepared to seize power in an all-round way and might need two or three years of buffering time.
Maybe it’s more appropriate to put your hope in the next session.
Next, Zhang Hao changed the subject and finally got to the point: "Lao Xia, what is our internal reaction to the incident in Rockhampton?"
"Consul, you did nothing wrong this time. Most people think you did a good job, and they also made great changes in your governing style.
It can be said that this matter will definitely bring more benefits than harm to you, the consul."
Xia Congwen replied with a smile.
Seriously speaking, it was precisely because of this incident that he finally became determined to seize power.
Throughout history, a qualified consul may be temporarily incapable, but he must never be without courage.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Hao breathed a sigh of relief.
Then he hung up the phone happily.
…
The next day, the inspection team was preparing to leave Sydney and head to Melbourne, the next stop.
As a result, just before departure, Zhang Hao received unexpected news that the former president of the miners' branch, Baron, was attacked by a "gangster" at home.
Eventually he died.
After hearing the news, Zhang Hao immediately changed his itinerary, took Liu Jun back to Rockhampton with a simple car, and planned to attend the funeral of President Baron.
To put it bluntly, President Barron's death is irrelevant, but the official attitude is very important.
After arriving in Rockhampton, the group disembarked without any delay and went straight to the funeral parlor.
On the way, Shen Xiuwen briefly introduced what happened.
This matter is actually not complicated to say.
After the clearing was completed, President Baron did not have the face to face other people, so he returned home directly.
As a result, in the afternoon of that day, a miner's representative came to visit and brought a list of casualties from the strike. President Baron was not vigilant and led the person directly into the study.
After the visitor left alone, Mrs. Barron went to the study to clean up and found President Barron lying in a pool of blood with a dagger stuck in his chest.
Then he was sent to the hospital urgently, but it was too late. He was gone before he even got to the hospital.
The above is the entire incident.
After listening to the introduction, Zhang Hao keenly discovered a key question: "Mayor Shen, was President Baron stabbed to death or committed suicide?"
"According to the suspect's confession, he did not commit murder, but President Baron's family insists that it was a homicide."
Shen Xiuwen did not answer directly.
Liu Jun couldn't help but interjected: "It shouldn't be difficult to judge, right? Just look at the fingerprints on the dagger, right?"
"Chairman Liu, the fingerprints on the murder weapon belong to President Baron himself, but this doesn't prove anything. Maybe it was a suicide scene deliberately faked by the suspect."
Shen Xiuwen shrugged his shoulders.
"Did you find a suicide note? If it was suicide, President Baron should have left a suicide note."
Liu Jun followed closely and asked.
"No suicide note was found at the scene." Shen Xiuwen shook his head, and then changed the topic: "Of course, the suicide note may have been deliberately hidden by President Baron's family. They had only one purpose in doing so, and that was to The suspect is in jail."
"Why?" Liu Jun expressed confusion.
"Maybe it has something to do with the list of casualties brought by the criminal suspect. Maybe President Baron couldn't bear the condemnation of his conscience and finally chose to commit suicide."
Shen Xiuwen expressed his guess.
Upon seeing this, Zhang Hao asked directly: "What did the police say? Is there any result?"
"There is no conclusion yet, but I asked about the situation privately, and the possibility of suicide is higher."
Shen Xiuwen let out a long sigh.
Zhang Hao suddenly frowned: "Then why are there rumors in the outside world that President Baron was stabbed to death?"
"Consul, I deliberately let people release the news. If President Baron commits suicide, it is definitely not a good thing for us."
Shen Xiuwen hinted softly.
Zhang Hao lowered his head and thought about it, and quickly understood the trick. If it was really suicide, then the miners would definitely sympathize with President Baron, and what's more, both parties might choose to reconcile.
Australians will once again share the same hatred.
If this is the case, then all their plans will be in vain, and it is no wonder that Mayor Shen would intervene.
"Is the matter reliable? Will President Baron's family change their minds temporarily?"
Shen Xiuwen shook his head: "I think it's unlikely. After all, they deliberately concealed evidence. This is 100% illegal and will result in jail time."
Zhang Hao nodded and soon became hesitant: "What are you going to do with the criminal suspect? It seems a bit unethical to unjustly accuse people."
"Consul, please don't worry about this. We just need to confirm that it is a homicide. As for the criminal suspect, when the trial comes, the judge will give him as light a sentence as possible. Maybe he won't even have to go to jail."
Shen Xiuwen told everything about his plan.
"Okay, just do as you say!"
Although Zhang Hao feels a little uncomfortable, he also knows that this is the best way at present. There is no absolute fairness in the world, and the adult world only distinguishes pros and cons.
Half an hour later, the funeral home arrived.
Shen Xiuwen acted very quickly. President Baron's body had already been collected from the police station, and preparations for the memorial service had been completed.
As soon as the memorial service is over, cremation will be arranged immediately. This is also to prevent future troubles.
Through the car window, Zhang Hao found that many people had come to the scene, and the funeral parlor was completely surrounded.
After getting out of the car, he immediately put on a sad look of infinite regret, and then under Shen Xiuwen's introduction, he stepped forward and held Mrs. Baron's hand tightly.
"Madam, please express your condolences. President Barron's death is a misfortune for the Federation and a loss for all of us. He will always live in our hearts."
"Thank you, Archon. Balon is devoted to his life and has never been selfish. I never expected that he would encounter this..." Mrs. Balon choked up.
Zhang Hao lamented: "We did not do our job well. On behalf of the central government, I would like to apologize to you."
At the same time, President Baron’s only daughter Linna stood up and shouted loudly:
"Consul, our family has only one wish, that the murderer must be punished as he deserves. Only in this way can my father rest in peace in heaven."
"This is for sure. We have a famous saying in the East, which is called "The legal network is wide open, and no omissions are missed." I assure you that no one can escape the sanction of the law."
Zhang Hao looked at President Baron's daughter and couldn't help but frown. The person in front of him was full of cruelty and unscrupulousness. At first glance, he was not a kind person.
Moreover, there was no sadness at all on the other person's face, only full of anger, which made people feel uncomfortable.
If there is really a false accusation, then no need to ask, it must be this person's idea.
"Thank you so much, Archon!"
Although Linna is usually domineering, her emotional intelligence is not low.
After the memorial service, the group did not slack off, and based on the principle of coming as they came, they took the time to go to the hospital to visit the injured in the strike.
If looks could kill, Zhang Hao and others would have died hundreds of times.
The very next day, Zhang Hao participated in the grand funeral of President Baron and personally held the coffin to see him off on his last journey.
After the funeral, he took the opportunity to deliver a "sincere" performance. The theme of his speech was:
Let go of hatred and embrace a new life.
The manuscript was written by someone from the Secretariat. It was full of nonsense and clichés, and everyone present was completely unfazed.
After the speech, Zhang Hao and others couldn't wait to leave Rockhampton and continue their journey.
…
Half a month later, Zhang Hao, who was in New Zealand, received a call from Shen Xiuwen.
It turns out that the criminal suspect who "assassinated" President Baron had just been sentenced by the court.
Although the evidence was insufficient, under the unanimous verdict of the jury, the other party was still found guilty in court and was eventually sentenced to thirty-five years in prison.
This is almost equivalent to a life sentence.
Zhang Hao couldn't help but said in astonishment: "Didn't we agree to give a light sentence? Why is the sentence so harsh?"
"Consul, public opinion has developed too fast. Everyone regards the criminal suspect as a hero, and the union has almost become a street rat. In order to reverse the situation and avoid the situation from aggravating, the only choice is to impose a heavy sentence."
President Baron explained helplessly.
"Really? Has the investigation report been released? Has this person been wrongly accused?"
"The investigation report has come out. After investigation, it was found that the dagger belongs to President Baron, so the conclusion is obvious. This man was indeed wrongly accused."
Shen Xiuwen couldn't help but sigh.
Zhang Hao sighed deeply: "Since the verdict has been pronounced, let's do it! Don't bother anymore!"
"Consul, we will compensate..."
Shen Xiuwen wanted to save a little bit of his personal image.
Zhang Hao interrupted impatiently: "It's not convenient for me to interfere in this matter, you can just handle it yourself!"
"Ok, I see."
Shen Xiuwen felt a little uneasy.
It's not that I have a hard conscience, but I'm just worried about my future career.