The next morning, Gu Baishun came to the administrative building under strict protection and met with Li Mingsheng first.
"Xiao Gu is here." Li Mingsheng stood up and nodded at Gu Baishun.
"Hello, leader." Gu Baishun stepped forward, and the two shook hands and exchanged brief greetings.
"Come, sit down and talk first."
Li Mingsheng called Gu Baishun and sat on the sofa beside him. Then he said in a very serious tone: "I have thought about it for a long time. You will represent the Longcheng Administrative Office to hold the press conference this time. Explain everything you have done recently, why you did it, and why you did it. Make it as transparent as possible to the public. "
Hearing Li Mingsheng's words, Gu Baishun was silent for a moment, but immediately replied with a smile: "No problem, thank you for relieving my stress."
Li Mingsheng reached out his hand and gently patted Gu Baishun on the shoulder: "I know it's hard for you... But it's hard right now, let's get through this together."
Gu Baishun nodded: "Yes, leader."
Li Mingsheng then stood up again: "Let's go, let's go to the venue together."
"good."
The two stood up and, accompanied by Li Yuan, left the office and walked towards the conference venue to prepare for the press conference.
On the way, Gu Baishun was relatively silent, but he was very active. He knew that Lao Li was under unprecedented pressure, and the reason for holding this press conference was that the municipal government could no longer withstand the public's doubts.
Even more, letting oneself represent the administrative office might just mean pushing oneself to the front to block the attack.
At this moment, Gu Baishun still had a lot of thoughts in his mind.
…
A few minutes later, everyone arrived at the press conference.
The entire press conference was held at the reception area of the administrative hall, and the scene had been set up. Gu Baishun and his group walked to the main stage and sat down one by one.
As the main representative, Gu Baishun sat in the middle, facing the press box. As the secretary general of the municipal party committee, Li Yuan sat next to him to accompany him.
Li Mingsheng sat in the audience and listened.
Many reporters also arrived, setting up various professional equipment, pointing their cameras at them, waiting to shoot first-hand news.
After waiting for a few more minutes, everyone had arrived, the reporters turned on their cameras, and the press conference officially began.
Li Yuan turned on the microphone and said seriously, "Thank you all for coming today. First, let's have a speech. I would like to invite Gu Baishun, the deputy director of the General Statistics Bureau, to give a speech."
The whole place was very quiet, no one applauded, and no one responded. The reporters just turned their heads and looked at Gu Baishun very quietly.
Gu Baishun adjusted his microphone and looked at the audience who were in a state of silence. He was not angry, but smiled and said, "I know that not only people outside hate me, but many of the journalists here today also hate me. They think that I have handled many things too radically and made Dragon City a mess. Let me tell you my opinion on this matter..."
There was still no response from the audience. Everyone was silent, with only the camera lights flickering.
Gu Baishun paused for a moment and continued, "I will make three points... First, not all the suspects arrested in Longcheng participated in the planning of this reactionary mass incident. However, the staff of the National Bureau of Investigation and Statistics are not gods, and we also need to gradually identify the participants, so so many people were arrested. The purpose is to stabilize the internal situation. Here, I want to say that only those who have something to hide will be afraid of the arrest operations in recent days!"
At this point, Gu Baishun also made a joke: "Besides, the environment we have prepared for everyone is quite good. There are separate dormitories, customized meals, and groups of guards to protect their safety 24 hours a day."
Hearing this, several reporters at the scene smiled, but most people remained unmoved.
Gu Baishun looked calm and continued, "The second point is about everyone's doubts. I think many people are wondering what the internal situation of Longcheng is like now. Here, I can assure you that the main forces in Longcheng that were instigated by the enemy have almost been eliminated. The situation in the city will be stabilized as soon as possible. All production, operations, and social order will be restored in an orderly manner. When the city is completely stable, our National Bureau of Investigation will also announce to the outside world the detailed testimonies of every arrested person, as well as the process and details of how the reactionary incident was planned."
The reporters below finally couldn't sit still anymore and burst into an uproar.
For the military and political system, it takes courage to make such things public. Usually these files are sealed and often will not be declassified until decades or even a hundred years later.
Gu Baishun pressed his hands down, and after everyone regained silence, he spoke again: "Third, why do we have to fight this war? I don't know about this, after all, I am not the decision maker. But as a citizen of Longcheng, I want to express my opinion. In the past twenty years, the situation in Longcheng has been stable development under prosperity... But behind this, it is you, me, and the thousands of Chinese living overseas who are driving the entire social economy. We have to pay taxes to fill the stomachs of capital groups, such as the previous inland mining development, etc. We also have to listen to the political orders of District 1 and execute them unconditionally. We cannot complain or ask why. Even so, the other party set up a special department, which is the predecessor of the Tsing Yi Bureau—the Regulatory Bureau, to control and supervise us."
Gu Baishun suddenly changed the subject and said forcefully, "Even so, as long as we can live a stable life, there is no problem. For ordinary people, food, clothing, housing and transportation are enough. But let's look at what has happened in recent years! Labor incidents, miners incidents, and the War of Independence... Many of us have lost our families and been separated from our spouses and children in this process! Whether fairness and freedom exist, the people of Longcheng have the most say. Port trade is the foundation of our survival, creating hundreds of billions of wealth every year, but after this money is handed over to the tax department of District 1, only a few tens of billions of yuan, less than one-tenth, flows back to Longcheng every year. The municipal government wants to change the living environment of the returning workers, but after five years of advancement, only four relief office communities have been built. These are what I saw, what you saw for yourself, and you can recall them for yourself. Finally, we have to make one thing clear! The key point of the war is not how obedient you are, but as long as you are a threat, it will definitely happen! We have tens of millions of overseas Chinese, and we need to make our own voices and defend our rights! Therefore, today's situation is an inevitable result. Look through the so-called peace talks given by District 1 in recent years, from military and political appropriations, to tax increases, to the reorganization of the Tsing Yi Bureau, to the rebels pulling us... Our rights have been repeatedly exploited, and we have retreated many times, but now, we have no way to retreat. Even if all of us overseas Chinese kneel down, District 1 will not withdraw. What I want to say is, because we want to live here, we will be buried here after we die! So, we must resist! That's it! "
After saying that, Gu Baishun stood up and bowed deeply to the reporters in the audience.
The reporters in the audience were finally moved, and some of them couldn't help but applaud.
Li Yuan suddenly pulled Gu Baishun who was about to leave, and the latter was stunned for a moment.
At this time, Li Yuan stood up and said to the reporters in the audience: "Director Gu has finished speaking. There will be a defense session later. Now, I am here on behalf of the Longcheng Administrative Office to announce a resolution."
As he spoke, Li Yuan took out a letter of appointment and handed it to Gu Baishun, saying loudly: "From today on, Gu Baishun is appointed as the deputy mayor of Longcheng and concurrently the deputy director of the General Administration Bureau."
At this point, everyone was stunned.
Gu Baishun also stayed where he was, looking at Li Yuan in disbelief.