Binjiang Police Affairs

"What kind of indirect relationship?"

"I'm a police officer at the Changhang Bureau, and your brother-in-law works for the Port Authority. If they clash, wouldn't it be awkward for both of us as a couple? Besides, it's not just about belonging to two different units; one is your sister, and the other is your brother-in-law. It wouldn't hurt to stay away from the center of the storm at this time."

Han Yu couldn't believe his ears and asked in amazement, "Sister, are you saying that Secretary Miao is going to pick on our bureau?"

While Han Ning was pondering where to start, Han Xiangning sighed softly, "I guess it's not just Secretary Miao."

Han Yu was stunned for a moment, then realized: "The Port Authority has grievances against Director He. They couldn't say much before, but after the fire on No.3 Pier yesterday, Fang Guoya actually led the Port Authority's enterprise fire brigade out to fight someone else's fire. Now, the Port Authority finally has an excuse to settle scores with Director He?"

"Pretty much."

Han Ning leaned over to glance at Little Han Han, who was soundly asleep, and said helplessly, "I went to the bureau this morning to deliver some documents, and I could hear Director Liu upstairs in the conference room, arguing with Political Commissioner Jiang. From the tone of it, it seems they're not only calculating Fang Guoya's failures in minding the house but also revisiting old scores. It looks like they're intent on settling both new and old accounts together."

"What old scores?"

"Tens of tons of steel were stolen from Number Four Pier, and the case remains unsolved to this day. Several bicycles were taken from the residential area and haven't been found yet. There are more than twenty unresolved major and minor cases from last year alone, and the leaders of the Port Authority have them all in mind."

There were unsolved cases not only from last year but also from the year before and the one before that.

The leaders of the Port Authority were looking for trouble now for reasons that had nothing to do with their immediate concerns.

The focus of the conflict wasn't last night's fire or the unsolved cases from last year, but the contradictions brought about by the sweeping reforms Director He has implemented since taking office.

For example, in promoting the rejuvenation of the team and forcing so many veteran comrades to retire early, those who received less pension than their salaries were bound not to be happy.

These people were once cadres of the Port Authority, and they all knew the leaders of the Port Authority and even had good relationships with them. They would naturally complain in front of the Port Authority leaders.

Or, for instance, since Director He took office, he has only been asking for money from the Port Authority and not showing the leaders the same respect as Director Zhang did, especially when it comes to personnel matters; Director He is even less inclined to consider their opinions, which undoubtedly angers them.

Especially at the end of last year, Director He, in the bid to secure the funds for building new ships, used his connections with Hanwu to include the enhancement of water and port district firefighting equipment into the scope of improvement.

From the perspective of the Port Authority's leadership, Director He's actions were excessive.

You eat, wear, and use what's mine, and it's bad enough if you're not grateful, but to stab me in the back, to drag the superior authorities over to press me, that's intolerable!

In short, in the eyes of the Port Authority leadership, the "internal security" cultivated for so many years was about to revolt. Given the chance, they were certainly going to strike.

The more Han Yu thought about it, the more uneasy he felt, worrying, "I'm the one who proposed linking with the 119 Command Center wireless command frequency and participating in the firefighting readiness duty. As for the new ships, it was I who insisted on their construction."

Han Xiangning could understand her junior's feelings and consoled him, "Don't think too highly of yourself; conflicts would arise even without these issues."

Han Ning, who had always worked at the Binjiang Port Police Station, was all too aware of the tension between the bureau and the Port Authority. He nodded with a wry smile, "Ningning is right; it's not that much about you. In the end, it comes down to money. Actually, even before Director Zhang was transferred, the Port Authority had complaints, believing that since the split, we should be completely independent, just like the Port Supervision Bureau."

Zhang Jiangkun felt deeply and looked up, "It's not just the leadership that has issues with you, the staff has issues with you, too. Since you are no longer part of the Binjiang Port Police Bureau and not under the governance of the Port Authority, you should not continue asking the Port Authority for money."

When the Port Authority was doing well before, having a few idle people around wasn't a big deal.

The performance of the Port Authority is actually not bad now, but the original dock berths can't keep up with the times. To compete with Zhangjia Port and Liuhe Port across the river, the Port Authority must increase infrastructure investment, which tightens the budget.

Additionally, subsidiaries like the Sailor Club are not performing well, with some closing down and others contracting out. Although workers' wages seem to have risen over the years, they can't keep up with inflation, and the living standard has actually worsened, naturally leading to people starting to look for reasons.

Binjiang Port Police Bureau has become a subsidiary of the Changhang Bureau, which is neither managed by the Port Authority nor contributes to its performance. Yet, it takes salaries from the Port Authority, which is essentially idleness, so of course the employees of the Port Authority have opinions.

Thinking of these, Han Yu couldn't help frowning, "This is a tough situation for Director He."

"The dock fire was such a serious matter, and he hasn't come back yet. It's difficult to say whether the Port Authority will use this against us."

"Director He's family is in Hanwu, even if he comes back, he won't be able to get to the office until tomorrow at the earliest."

"We understand, but others may not."

Han Ning paused before continuing, "Some are complaining on your behalf, saying that the fire yesterday waited over an hour before officially being put out, which has a lot to do with Director He's rash reforms. They say how good it was when the Water Firefighting Team was under unified management, and question why it was necessary to divide it into three squads and integrate them into three police stations."

Han Yu said in a low voice, "It's not really a division; there's a reason for Director He's reorganization. Firstly, the three squads are far apart, and unified management is impractical. Secondly, the police stations are short on police force; it's also unrealistic to have firefighting police only train and not do anything else."

"But firefighting depends on swift action, and a firefighting team is exactly an entity that prepares for a long time for a moment of need. No one says anything when nothing happens, but they will once there is an incident."

Han Ning originally thought the new director was too aggressive, but now feels that the new director is someone who gets things done, and is worried about whether the new director will manage the upcoming challenges.

Han Xiangning, however, doesn't think it's a big deal and looks up with a smile, saying, "The Port Authority being dissatisfied with your bureau is understandable, but it's not like Director He is deliberately stirring up trouble. He's only following the directives of the superiors to work towards standardization. If the superiors ask him to demand money from the Port Authority, he has no choice but to comply."

"Ningning, it's not as simple as you say."

"Sister, it's not as complicated as you make it out to be either. The Port Authority may be dissatisfied with your bureau, but can only express their dissatisfaction. The Port Authority doesn't want to pay your salaries? Whether they want to or not, they still have to pay you monthly."

You have to admit, there is some truth to what the senior says.

It's not Director He demanding money from the Port Authority, it's the Ministry of Transport requiring the Port Authority to cover the salaries of the Changhang Bureau officers.

Although the Port Authority is now under the city's jurisdiction, it still has to follow the leadership of the Ministry of Transport, and it primarily answers to the Ministry of Transport.

The city and Secretary Miao wouldn't dare to withhold the salaries of the Changhang Bureau; their superiors would definitely confront the city and Secretary Miao. In fact, this is the confidence behind Director He's bold reforms.

Only, I did not expect to find myself unwittingly caught in the dispute between the two and to become the focal point of the conflict.

After a moment of silence, Han Yu said with a wry smile, "Sister, brother-in-law, the leaders care about you and transferred you to Bailong Port. Ningning and I were already at Bailong Port. With this, Bailong Port is quickly becoming our 'family business.'"

Han Xiangning giggled, "Family business it is then; family businesses are quite good."