The crackdown on organized crime began with the arrest of the mother-in-law.

Chapter 793 Of course I'll give you face, Minister Zhang!

After drinking half a jin of liquor, everyone started chatting. Seeing Vice Minister Zhang and Qin Chuan whispering to each other, the others tactfully refrained from joining in, instead toasting one another. This created a relatively private space for Qin Chuan and Vice Minister Zhang.

Actually, when Vice Minister Zhang invited everyone over, he didn't say anything specific, just that it was to get to know each other. But since Vice Minister Zhang hosted the dinner and placed Qin Chuan in the seat of honor, everyone knew that Vice Minister Zhang must have something he needed Qin Chuan's help with.

Otherwise, although this Deputy Minister Zhang holds a deputy position in the Organization Department, he is the Executive Deputy Minister, and his rank is equivalent to that of a full-fledged division chief. Moreover, the Organization Department's prestige is undeniable; other departments are generally inferior to it, with the Municipal Public Security Bureau being an exception, of course.

Compared to other departments, the Municipal Public Security Bureau is, to some extent, under the leadership of the Provincial Public Security Department. Generally speaking, the appointment of the director of the Municipal Public Security Bureau is done through nomination by the Provincial Public Security Department, with the approval of the Municipal Party Committee. In most cases, it is a lateral transfer within the public security system, such as promotion from political commissars or deputy directors of other cities, or a lateral transfer; all sorts of situations exist.

As for appointments within the Municipal Public Security Bureau, due to the specialized nature of the job, it's rare for people from other departments to cross professional boundaries and serve as deputy directors. Therefore, the Public Security Bureau is relatively closed off. While it may consult the Organization Department on some appointments, it generally doesn't object and the decisions are ultimately made by the Public Security Bureau itself.

Of course, this doesn't mean that there's no room for promotion after becoming the head of the Public Security Bureau. Comparatively, if one also serves as a member of the Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee, there's a possibility of further promotion to a leadership position at the local level. In other words, from a professional standpoint, or in terms of career advancement, the head of the Public Security Bureau can be promoted from their current position to become a leader in charge of a region. However, local leaders generally don't take up positions in the Public Security Bureau.

This could be considered an advantage for promotions within the Municipal Public Security Bureau. Of course, very few people can be promoted outside the Public Security Bureau system; they are extremely rare, only one or two at most. The vast majority of people, once they put on a police uniform, will spend their entire lives in the Public Security system.

Back when Qin Chuan was in the ministry, if he had agreed to his future mother-in-law's wishes, he would have basically worked there for two or three years before being demoted to a deputy director-general level, which would have been his limit. At most, he could have become a director-general, and if he wanted to move up further, it would only be within the public security system, because he lacked grassroots administrative management experience.

At best, he could become a deputy director in a province, accumulate experience, transfer to two different places, and then become the director of the provincial public security bureau. If the city behind him could help him, he might be able to return to the ministry as a deputy, but that would be the limit. That's his ceiling.

However, Qin Chuan's current position as a local official, and as the director of the Nanchuan Public Security Bureau, provides him with a broader scope and platform for future promotions. The deputy director-general level seems attainable for Qin Chuan; if he performs well in Nanchuan, he could very well be promoted locally, or he might be transferred to another location.

However, in any case, serving as a bureau chief in Nanchuan City is clearly better for Qin Chuan than serving as a deputy division-level division chief in a ministry.

"Brother Zhang, you're being too polite. If there's anything you need, we'll do it right away if we can help."

"Haha! Brother, I'm relieved to hear that. It's really nothing serious. He's a junior who's a nice person and quite capable. He just likes to play games, that's what young people are like."

Vice Minister Zhang poured Qin Chuan another glass of wine and picked up the glass.

"Arrested for gambling?"

Qin Chuan clinked glasses with him: "It's just a small matter, brother, you can settle it with a phone call. I thought it was something serious, turns out you got caught gambling. Tell me which branch you're in, and I'll call their branch chief right now."

"How could I refuse to give you, Minister Zhang, face? I absolutely must!"

Vice Minister Zhang beamed with joy.

That makes me feel much better.

What is the purpose of becoming an official? If it's only for money, then it's better not to be an official at all.

For example, if you get caught gambling, do you think paying a fine is all it takes? It's not that simple; sometimes money isn't enough.

"It happened last night. The Chengbei branch said they raided a place and arrested the guy. It was organized by the Chengbei District government. I didn't want to get involved, but the young man has a bright future. I don't think it's worth ruining his future over something like this."

North of the city?

Qin Chuan feigned surprise.

"You mean the group of people arrested by the Chengbei branch yesterday? No, that's not right! The Chengbei branch did raid a place last night, and they called me this morning to report that the place was a bit special, involving a very large sum of money, but they only recorded the names of the people and let them go. They didn't arrest anyone."

"This list is the key!"

Vice Minister Zhang revealed the truth.

“My junior is just one of them. I don’t know if they have reported the names on that list to you. There are quite a few important figures under the Chengbei District Government on it. After I learned about this this morning, the relevant leaders also talked to me and specifically asked me to report to you. This list must not be leaked.”

Qin Chuan responded with an "oh".

"Don't worry, brother, the list is with me. I'll burn it when I get back. I really don't know what happened. They were more cautious yesterday and discovered something, which is why they didn't bring all these people back. But that casino is acting too arrogantly, and I heard that this casino is a bit special."

Vice Minister Zhang nodded: "That's right. Let's have a drink about this. To be honest with you, this casino might be involved in some matters concerning the Sihai Group. So I'm wondering if we can resolve this by making a big issue into a small one and a small one into nothing?"

"Sihai Group?"

Qin Chuan was taken aback: "Brother, how is this casino connected to the Sihai Group?"

"I'm not entirely clear on this matter, but I do know a bit about that place. Someone called me last night asking me to look after it. Before I could even find out the details, my junior called me. So I did some research and found out that the casino was run by the eldest son of the Sihai Group. I heard that Tang Zhentian's eldest and second sons don't get along and some unpleasant things happened."

"Family infighting?"