Chapter 6: Qinghe Formation
"Qinghe Town's number one, Party Secretary Qi Xiaonan, is a representative of the young leadership faction. In Qinghe Town, he belongs to the category of 'transferred cadres'. Within two years, he rose from deputy secretary to secretary and has been in this position for almost two years now. Therefore, he basically won't get involved in the town's power struggles, only focusing on doing things that will bring him political achievements, as long as they benefit him, regardless of whether they harm others or not. Other matters are none of his concern; let other town mayors and secretaries deal with their own troubles." Li Jiangtao first introduced Chen Gong to the top leader of Qinghe Town.
"That is to say, Secretary Qi basically has no conflicts with the world, and will leave at any time?" Chen Gong closely followed Li Jiangtao's train of thought.
"Yes, he has a tight grip on the police station and finance department, but other departments are just business relationships. Qinghe Town Mayor Guo Kesheng was originally in charge of party building as deputy secretary, after I left he took over, he's an old cadre who is about to retire, can be considered my elder brother, he will also be adjusted soon, what will happen to us after you're gone?" Li Fenghua said, picking up his cup and drinking it all at once. "Dad, don't think about these things anymore."
"I don't want to, I don't want to," Li Jiangtao continued to introduce Xiaochen. He also downed the white wine in his cup.
"Uncle Li, drink a little less, your body is important." Chen Gong also advised.
"Alright, you young people, I'm not drinking anymore. I'll focus on class with you all, and Windflower will perk up her ears too." Li Jiangtao covered his empty wine cup and picked up a peanut from the table.
"There is still a deputy secretary and three deputy town mayors in the town now, except for Deputy Mayor Wang Guoqiang, the other three are all local people from Qinghe...". Li Jiangtao kept introducing to Chen Gong.
Chen Gong asked Li Jiangtao about the one thing that concerned him most, Wang Guoqiang. As his only backing in the south, what were the chances of Wang Guoqiang being able to mix with the town mayor? How much exactly?
According to Li Jiangtao's analysis, Wang Guoqiang has a high possibility because he has the background of the district and other leaders are all from Qinghe, compared with others.
Chen Gong asked, "Uncle Li, I'm currently close to Deputy Mayor Wang Guoqiang. Do you think it's beneficial for my future development to follow him closely, or should I wait and choose temporarily?"
Li Jiangtao thought for a moment, "Because I and Guo Zhenchang have been colleagues for decades, Fenghua has received some care. If Guo Kesheng retires, Fenghua will definitely need to find another backer to move forward. You follow Wang Guoqiang, it's no problem to mix with the director, but Wang Guoqiang's talent is ordinary, and because of his connections in the district, he is very arrogant outside, offending many people. Maybe being the head or deputy head of a town will be his last stop."
"Ah, Uncle Li, what can I do? Wang Guoqiang now considers me his confidant, and we're definitely inseparable." Chen Gong had already hinted that he was Wang Guoqiang's man, how could Li Jiangtao not understand the implication.
"Don't worry, now follow Wang Guoqiang, first to the director's position, and then look for another backer."
"Uncle Li, didn't you just say there can only be one leader behind our backs?"
"Yes, it depends on which stage you are at. Now you're just an ordinary civil servant, before you sit in the director's position, your background can only be Wang Guoqiang. Others won't accept you now. Once you become a director, you can find another background, and it must be higher than Wang Guoqiang's level. In short, you should treat Wang Guoqiang as a stepping stone."
Alas, Chen Gong was getting more and more confused. Being an official isn't that easy to get into. If everyone can find a backer to get in, then who will do the work? Chen Gong asked what kind of learning is involved in finding a backer.
"There are many ways to find a backstage, the most common one is to meet a leader who appreciates you, and you work hard for him; there's also the kind that relies on tactics to bring people in, using various channels to make them share secrets with you that can't be revealed; finally, there's another way, which is relying on luck to know the leader or his family members, and then directly connect with the leader." Li Jiangtao explained patiently to Chen Gong.
"Uncle Li, I think the second one you mentioned doesn't quite suit me, and the third one is unlikely. I'll just keep working hard and hope to encounter the first one." Chen Gong smiled slightly.
"Yes, you young people now have much more competition than we did back then. After enjoying a better life, you'll face even greater challenges. Life is indeed wonderful." Li Jiangtao was lost in thought when he noticed that Li Fenghua's attention was elsewhere.
"Yes, Dad, what's wrong." Li Fenghua came back to his senses.
"Remember this, before your Uncle Guo (Guo Kesheng) retires, you must at least get me to the position of Deputy Director back here, or else don't come back."
Chen Gong thought, yes, Li Fenghua is now relying on Guo Kesheng's relationship. Before Guo Zhenzhang retires, as long as he pulls him with all his might, he will definitely rise up. But himself, who can help himself? Can Wang Guoqiang be relied upon?
Over the weekend, Li Fenghua took Chen Gong to Xin Qiao district and they had a wild time, really need to adjust and relax outside of work.
Qinghe Town Demolition and Relocation Office, Director Wang Zhiyuan is a middle-aged man with eight sides, Deputy Director Ning Wenjing is a strong woman, there are four staff members, Xiao Li, Xiao Wu, Xiao Lai, and Old Jiang.
Xiao Li picked up the phone, "Hello? Oh, okay, I'll go to your office right away. Alright, goodbye."
Xiao Li hung up the phone and stood up, "Director, Mayor Li wants you to go to his office immediately, it's an urgent matter."
"Uh-huh, got it." Wang Zhiyuan nodded.
Li Aimin, the first deputy mayor of Qinghe Town, is in charge of construction and rural work. He has some ability, but his style is not very good, and he likes to make small moves.
Deputy Mayor's Office.
"Director Wang, please take a seat first. Today's main topic is about the demolition and relocation of Qinghe Village."
"Report to Director Li, Qinghe Village Primary School is small, all the village primaries in the town were merged or withdrawn, and only four are left. Qinghe Village Primary School is a relatively large village primary school with 7 teachers and nearly 80 students, covering an area of about 7 or 8 mu." Wang Zhiyuan is indeed a pillar of grassroots work, familiar with business and understanding the town's situation.
"Uh, Director Wang is very familiar with the business, Haitian Real Estate has acquired a 80-acre land in our Qinghe Town, you know that, this 80 acres has been demolished and relocated. The Qinghe Village School is adjacent to the auctioned land block, and its location is next to two roads, the entrance is quite good. Haitian Real Estate has discussed this matter with the leaders above, roughly speaking, they want us to demolish the village school first, let the project start together, and then perfect the procedures for Haitian Real Estate's few acres of land later." Li Town Mayor said while tapping his pen on the office desk.
"Director Li, I am a native of Qinghe Town. There are some things that are not easy to handle in this small village. Currently, the income of village teachers is around 700 yuan per month, which can only solve the problem of hunger. Moreover, the 700 yuan received by each teacher does not come from our town's finance department, but is collected from the families of dozens of students, with each student's family contributing 60-70 yuan per month. Even many uniforms and sports equipment are purchased through collective fundraising. The district finance allocates 10,000 yuan per month for village teachers' salaries, which is over 1,000 yuan per teacher, plus 3,000 yuan for office expenses. However, the teachers and students in the village are unaware of this money. I worry that if we proceed with the demolition of the village school, all these problems will be exposed and become unmanageable." Wang Zhiyuan's analysis is very thorough.
In the past two or three years when Li Zhen was in charge, Wang Zhongyuan was also considered one of Li Zhen's trusted followers and right-hand man.
Li Zhenzhang tossed a cigarette to Wang Zhongyuan, "Director Wang, you've been here longer than I have. Which link is blocking the village's special funds?"
"Director Li, some things are better left untouched. Those who dare to move this money are all leaders." Wang Zhiyuan deliberately stood beside Director Li and reminded him cautiously.
Li Zhenzhang leaned back in his leather chair, deep in thought. "It's not like I'm the one who ate this sum of money. The Hai Tian Real Estate project must go ahead, and the village school must be demolished. If the demolition is delayed, I'll have to move to a different location." This was the final order from Zhang Hongwen, the deputy head of the district.
"Director Wang, let me tell you something. Today I'll also be frank with you, this village primary school is a must-win arranged by the district leaders."
Wang Zhiyuan hesitated for a moment and said in a low voice, "Mayor Li, I didn't keep it either. This village's special fund was intercepted by Secretary Qi when he was the deputy secretary."
Li Aimin heard that it was Qi Xiaonan, and he was also weighing in his mind. This Qi Xiaonan not only had connections in the district but also had some connections in the city. Some of his commendation documents were directly issued from the municipal government.
Li Aimin didn't know the specific background of Qi Xiaonan, but he knew that Secretary Qi was young and held a high position, so he must be someone not to be trifled with. However, the village school had to be demolished, and Li Aimin hesitated.
"Director Wang, arrange someone to communicate with the teacher representatives of Village Xiao first. Money is not a problem as long as the demolition work can be completed smoothly. There's one thing, I'll have you handle it personally." Li Aimin thought deeply for a moment.
"You arrange, I'll lead." Wang Zhiyuan stood up straight.
"Write a letter to Wang Guoqiang, who is in charge of education and culture, about the corrupt activities of Qi Secretary, such as embezzling village funds for personal gain. Don't let anyone in the village know about it, or they won't be so eager to relocate. Once the village is relocated, I don't care if they eat the special funds or not, everything will be exposed. These two are both from higher-ups, let them fight it out and I'll reap the benefits."
This is indeed a difficult situation, Wang Guoqiang dares to move Qixiao Nan, and will fight to the death if he doesn't make a move, then Wang Guoqiang would be derelict of duty, and Li Aimin would also find someone to expose him, anyway it's about letting others go down and himself going up, Li Aimin has made a good calculation.
Wang Zhiyuan broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this, these people were not ones he could afford to offend, if any one of them found out, the first person to go down would likely be himself. Wang Zhiyuan noticed Li Aimin staring at him, as if demanding that he make a statement.
