Chen Hongzhi's Coal Hotel, the headquarters of Lexus Group is located here.The pictures in this article are all pictures of The Paper reporter Zhuang An
Chen Hongzhi, the boss of Lexus Group, had an accident.In just a few days, the news that the richest man in Liulin was arrested for being involved in gangsters spread throughout Liulin County, Luliang City, Shanxi Province.
Witnesses said that on the evening of July 21, hundreds of policemen blocked all the roads near the coal building in Liulin County, where the Lexus Group headquarters is located, and dozens of people were taken away one after another.The arrest operation that night lasted for more than 2 hours.
On July 24, the public security agency issued an announcement stating that it had decided to open a case for investigation against Chen Hongzhi's criminal group, urging those involved to voluntarily surrender within a time limit, encouraging cadres and workers to report and expose clues to the group's crimes and actively cooperate with the investigation work of the special case team.Subsequently, a detention certificate for the suspect Chen Hongzhi was also circulated on the Internet, which showed that the crimes involved by Chen were organizing, leading, and participating in a gangster-like organization.
On August 8, the Lvliang Police WeChat public account Lvliang Public Security reported that Chen Hongzhi's suspected case of an organized criminal group was a criminal case of extremely bad nature, particularly serious circumstances, and huge impact.
A person familiar with the matter told The Paper that Chen Hongzhi was a soldier in his early years, and the first time he returned to his hometown from the army was very desolate. He worked as a shoe shiner in a bathing center. Around 1999, he opened a stone factory.The contracted coal mines made a fortune.
According to a former employee of Lexus Group, Chen Hongzhi has four large coal mines, several coal washing plants, a printing factory, a five-star hotel and a shopping mall in Liulin County. There are about 6,000 employees, including about 300 security guards.At first, the security guards were mainly composed of a group of social idlers, who played a role in the competition for coal mine interests.
The above-mentioned former employees said that Chen Hongzhi attached great importance to the security team, and the security team was also his biggest reliance. If someone wounded someone and went to prison, he would be paid as usual, and he could still return to work at Lexus Group after he was released from prison.Once there is an "emergency task", the security guards of the various mines will quickly gather, and hundreds of people will be dispatched together. There is no one in Liulin who is not afraid of them.
On August 3, the relevant person in charge of the Changzhi Public Security Bureau confirmed to The Paper that the case was investigated by the bureau in a different place. At present, the special case team is still investigating the case.
Injured people, destroyed bridges, demolished, accused of gangsters
The Mu Sanhui can still recall the horrific scene that happened on September 16, 2017.According to his account, that night, more than 300 people rushed into Mujiapo Village, Mengmen Town, Liulin County. They held weapons and blocked every intersection in the village, forming at least two lines of defense;After taking out the control from the home, the excavator drove over. Immediately afterwards, all the houses they had just built were torn down, and the furniture that could not be moved out was also buried in the ruins.
More than 50 houses in Mujiapo Village were forcibly demolished overnight by more than 300 people, leaving only ruins.
That night, more than 50 houses in Mujiapo Village were destroyed, and excavators roared in the village for about two hours.Mu Sanhui said that the visitor didn’t say anything, and dragged him out when he entered the house. During this time, the villagers at the foot of the mountain heard the news and came, but they all stopped at the intersection. We took out our mobile phones to record a video and report the incident.In the end, the mobile phone was also taken away, and someone who wanted to resist was knocked unconscious on the spot.
On the night of the incident, Mu Sanhui and his neighbors were terrified by the horrific situation. They stood dumbfounded in the crowd, watching their houses being torn down, without daring to say a word.When asked about the origins of these demolishers, several villagers said that they recognized one of them as the head of the security department under Chen Hongzhi. Because there was a coal mine below our village, they forced us to move out.
Chen Hongzhi is the chairman of Lexus Group in Liulin County, Shanxi Province. In the past ten years, almost everyone in Liulin County has known his name.In this small mountain city surrounded by mountains, there used to be dozens of coal mines, large and small. Around 2009, Shanxi Province shut down all coal mines with an annual output of less than 300,000 tons according to the plan.Consolidation of small and medium coal mines.A local person said that during the integration process, the interest competition among coal bosses has also intensified. Those who can be integrated will compete for acquisitions.
Due to excessive coal mining, the foundation of Dengjiawa Village has sunk seriously, and the village has been cracked and dilapidated everywhere.
According to villagers, since 2009, several villages, including Dengjiawa Village and Majialiang Village in Chengjiazhuang Town, Liulin County, have suffered ground subsidence, causing serious damage to roads, houses and cemeteries, and most of the villagers were forced to move out.On August 2, The Paper saw in Dengjiawa Village that in this small village of about 200 households, the village road was covered with cracks, and the houses of about 40 villagers had become dilapidated, and many villagers had been forced to move out..
Villager Deng Sanhe introduced that the Dengjiawa Coal Mine of Lexus Group is just below the village. Chen Hongzhi contracted the coal mine in 2007, and the problem of ground subsidence appeared after that. He promised to compensate each family with 3 tons of coal every year.It was low-quality coal mined from other coal mines. The villagers disagreed and reported it to the government. However, the villagers who filed the complaint were beaten by dozens of people on the day they returned to the village, and their hands and feet were broken, resulting in 8 fractures.
Deng Sanhe said that under such violent suppression, the villagers dared not speak out against the Lexus Group. Today, Dengjiawa Village has become devastated due to the subsidence of the foundation.
The Paper visited in recent days and learned that the alleged violent behavior of Lexus Group not only targeted villagers, but also occurred in its resource grabbing.In the winter of 2016, Lexus Group's attempt to acquire the Xipo Coal Mine near Wangjiagou was rejected, and then they dug up the nearby Wangjiagou Bridge to prevent the other party's trucks from transporting coal.The villagers said that after the bridge was dug, it also affected the travel of nearby villagers. It has not been repaired for more than a year. He is "dominating" in Liulin, and the villagers have nothing to do with him.
From a shoe shiner to a coal boss, a security team of 100 people was gradually established
In fact, since Chen Hongzhi started his business, his deeds in Liulin have been circulating.A person familiar with the matter said that Chen Hongzhi and his Lexus Group have been well-known in Liulin for a long time, and his security team with as many as 200 to 300 people has made the local people change their faces.He said that Chen Hongzhi served in the army around 1998, but he left the army and returned to his hometown Liulin in 1999 before his military service was completed. At that time, his family arranged for him to work in a state-owned enterprise, so he returned early.There was an accident, the work was not arranged in place, and after a while, he became a social idler.
The insider told The Paper that when Chen Hongzhi returned to Liulin from the army, he was in a state of desperation, and eating was a problem. He even polished the shoes of the guests in the sauna center.Once his brother-in-law lost dozens of yuan in his wallet, and his sister suspected that he stole it. This incident made him feel very useless at the time, and it also became an incentive for him to decide to start a business.
At the end of 1999, Chen Hongzhi founded the Xinghuo Stone Factory in Caijiapo Village, Liulin County. One of his former employees, Liu Jiang, told The Paper how the Xinghuo Stone Factory was developed in the first place, and where did Chen Hongzhi raise money to start a business?Few people know that he often tells his entrepreneurial stories at the all-hands meeting on the 8th of every month, such as being wronged for stealing money, shoe shine, etc.He finds these deeds inspiring.But he has never been superficial about his family history,Without going into details, everyone only knows that he started from this stone factory. Chen Hongzhi really became a celebrity in Liulin County after he became a coal boss.
In 2003, Chen Hongzhi started to get involved in coal mines. Liu Jiang said that in that year, Chen Hongzhi successively contracted Chengjiazhuang Coal Mine and Xingjiagou Coal Mine. It was also from that year that his security team gradually became notorious in Liulin County.The team was initially composed of idlers, some of whom even had criminal records. This was not uncommon at the time. Any coal mine would not be able to gain a foothold without such a group of people. This was not initiated by Chen Hongzhi.It is very important that these people not only play a role in the interests of the coal mines, but also rely on them to escort the villagers when they encounter troubles.
From 2003 to 2007, the number of coal mines under Chen Hongzhi rapidly expanded to eight.According to public information, Chen Hongzhi registered Liulin Liaoyuan Trading Co., Ltd. in 2003, and later integrated it with its main coal mines and coal washing plants to form Shanxi Lingzhi Energy Investment Group Co., Ltd.
Liu Jiang said that Chen Hongzhi's 8 coal mines were consolidated, leaving only four coal mines: Wangjiazhuang, Liujiazhuang, Chengjiazhuang and Xingjiagou. Although the number decreased, the company's profits increased rather than decreased.During this period, his security team quickly grew to hundreds of people.The years when Chen Hongzhi acquired and merged the coal mine were also the years when his security team was the most active in the local area. In order to rob resources and quell villagers' disturbances, they often dispatched dozens or even hundreds of people together, and sometimes even beat people to multiple fractures.Over time, people's hatred of Chen Hongzhi's security team has also turned into fear.
Liu Jiang said that in the first few years, Chen Hongzhi led his security team to cause at least a dozen influential incidents of beating, wounding, and detention.The power of Liulin County.
Management strictly withholds wages, employees want to resign but can't leave
Kou Xiaojun used to be a member of Chen Hongzhi’s security team. He told The Paper that the Lexus Group’s security guards had nearly 300 people at most.The salary is high, so it is relatively easy for Lexus to recruit security guards, and the development speed is also fast.
Kou Xiaojun told The Paper that Chen Hongzhi's security team is distributed in various coal mines under the Lexus Group. If there is an emergency mission, the security guards at all the coal mines will quickly gather, and hundreds of people will be dispatched together. It has been successful for many years. Chen Hongzhi also has his own tricks to buy people's hearts, if someone goes to jail because of lsquo;mission rsquo;, his monthly salary will be paid as usual. After he is released from prison, he can still continue to work in the Lexus Group. This is one of the reasons why many people are willing to lsquo;work for him rsquo;one.
Kou Xiaojun said that the director of the Lexus Group’s security department was once Chen Hongzhi’s comrade-in-arms Mu. Before that, Mu was responsible for all the work of the security team. This position also made him famous in Liulin. You can still find reports on the Internet.A post about a security guard beating someone up.
Mu was once one of Chen Hongzhi's most trusted people, but according to people familiar with the matter, the two eventually fell out because of loyalty issues, and the director of the Lexus Group's security department also changed hands.The security guard who was imprisoned was released after serving his sentence. At that time, the company happened to have a management post vacant. This person had gone to Chen Hongzhi's office to be an "important official", but Chen Hongzhi thought he was not qualified for the job. The two had a conflict., but did not step forward to stop it, which made Chen Hongzhi very dissatisfied, thinking that Mu had failed to do his duty, and doubting his "loyalty".Later, Mu was fired and left Lexus Group.
Kou Xiaojun said that in the eyes of Chen Hongzhi, the security team is not only used to maintain the order of the company, but also his personal guard. We rarely see Chen Hongzhi in the company, but whenever he goes out, there are always more than ten people around him.Some of them are responsible for keeping him safe, while others are responsible for serving tea and water.
Kou Xiaojun recalled to The Paper that he had worked in the security team of Lexus Group for three years. At the beginning, he went there for high wages. Although their reputation in the outside world is not very good, I heard that Chen Hongzhi's employees were treated very well.
The Paper learned from recent visits that coal mining companies in Liulin County mainly include Lend Lease Group, HSBC Group, Xinfei Group, and Chen Hongzhi’s Lexus Group, among which Lexus Group is famous for its good wages and benefits.
A local person said that Chen Hongzhi is very generous to his employees, and the wages of almost all types of jobs are higher than those of other companies.The monthly salary of a senior executive of Lexus Group is about 15,000 yuan or more, which is ridiculously high in a county.
Kou Xiaojun said that he only found out after joining the Lexus Group that the salaries of the employees were not as good as rumored by the outside world. Chen Hongzhi withheld each employee's salary for about 4 months to force them to stay.You cannot resign voluntarily, otherwise the wages owed will be lost.Employees also dare not take vacations. The two people who take the most vacations in each department will be deducted half of their salary for the month.
Kou Xiaojun said that during the years of working in Lexus Group, he always felt very tired, and the notoriety of the security team in the local area made him feel quite pressured. He finally chose to resign, and I don’t want the money owed to me.There are many people who are tied to the company by this money and want to leave but cannot.
Dozens of executives were arrested overnight, and the coal empire collapsed due to gang involvement
Another employee of Lexus Group confirmed to The Paper that half of the wages will be withheld for vacations.On the office building of a coal mine under the Lexus Group, the slogan of heavy rewards and heavy punishments also illustrates this situation.A local person said that Chen Hongzhi left a lot of infamy in Liulin because of the various evil deeds of the security forces during the ten years of power expansion and interest competition.
In Lijiata Village, Mengmen Town, the new community called the Chen Family Courtyard has the words “Fu Er Si Yuan” written on it.
And in Lijiata Village, Mengmen Town, Liulin County, Chen Hongzhi's hometown, outside the gate of a community covering an area of about 10 mu, the words "Fu Er Si Yuan" explain the origin of this community to a certain extent.A local villager said that the original villagers of Lijiata Village lived in this community. It was Chen Hongzhi who built the community and moved all the villagers here.Some people also call it "Chen Family Courtyard".
The villager said that besides the Chen family compound, Chen Hongzhi still has other resettlement projects under construction in several nearby villages.
The Chengjiazhuang Demonstration Junior High School invested and built by Chen Hongzhi is known as a famous local school.
In Chengjiazhuang Town, about five or six kilometers away from Mengmen Town, Chen Hongzhi built a middle school here ten years ago, and now it has become a famous local school.A staff member of the school said that he (Chen Hongzhi) would come to inspect regularly.
At about 10 o'clock in the evening on July 21, about 300 policemen surrounded the headquarters building of Lexus Group in the Coal Hotel, and several nearby roads were also blocked.Witnesses said that the arrest operation lasted at least two hours that night, and dozens of people were taken away from the building one after another. A few days after this incident, discussions about Chen Hongzhi continued throughout the county. Liulin CountyThere has never been such a scene in these years.
On August 3, in the Coal Building of Lexus Group headquarters, a staff member said that since July 21, Lexus Group has no leadership.The Paper noticed that shortly after the arrest operation ended, on July 24, the Chen Hongzhi Criminal Group Case Working Group issued an announcement saying that the public security organs had decided to investigate the Chen Hongzhi Criminal Group case, urged those involved in the case to voluntarily surrender within a time limit, and encouraged cadres and workersThe report revealed clues to the group's crimes.
onePeople familiar with the matter said that because of Chen Hongzhi's complicated local connections in Liulin, the case was investigated by the Changzhi City Public Security Bureau in a different location. The police wanted to eliminate all interference and completely smash his "black" coal empire.
The Paper noticed that the Changzhi City Public Security Bureau issued a circular on July 26, which to a certain extent reflected the situation of Chen Hongzhi's personal connections.According to the report, since the bureau investigated Chen Hongzhi's suspected organized crime, the general public has actively reported it and played a major role in helping the public security organs destroy the criminal group.The notification also listed three fugitives involved in the case, including a court cadre and an employee of the Post Office.
Propaganda slogans like "sweeping gangsters and evil" are hung everywhere in Liulin County.
It is worth noting that the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervision Commission issued a notice on the second day after the police arrested the people involved in the Lexus Group, which showed that the 15th Central Inspection Team reported the inspection situation to the Shanxi Provincial Party Committee that day.Said that during the inspection, it was found that cadres and the masses reported some problems, including not being effective enough to fight crime and evil.
On August 3, the relevant person in charge of the Changzhi City Public Security Bureau told The Paper that at present, the special case team is still investigating the case in Luliang City and Liulin County.
On August 8, the Luliang Public Security WeChat account notified Chen Hongzhi of the progress of the investigation of the organized crime case, saying that several village cadres had been criminally detained in connection with the case.The report also stated that the case was a criminal case involving extremely bad nature, particularly serious circumstances, and huge impact.
On the same day, the Changzhi City Public Security Bureau notified the progress of Chen Hongzhi's suspected organized crime group case through the WeChat public account, saying that Li Jianzhong, vice president of Lexus Group, Chen Jie, instructor of the Criminal Police Brigade of Liulin County Public Security Bureau, Bai Yangping, director of the security department of Lexus Group, and more than a dozen suspectsAt the same time, the report appealed to the general public to continue to report and expose the illegal clues of the criminal group.
(All characters in the article are pseudonyms except Chen Hongzhi)
