Chapter Eleven: The Letter of Recommendation

  Wen Jiabao studied economics at university and has a deep understanding of the gains and losses from 30 years of reform, especially in terms of state-owned enterprise (SOE) reform. Compared to most people of this era, his understanding is more profound and forward-thinking. He clearly remembers the "Suggestions on Formulating the Ninth Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development and the Long-Range Goals for the Year 2010" adopted at the Fifth Plenary Session of the Fourteenth Central Committee in September 1995. This document has stuck with Wen Jiabao because it proposed a new approach to SOE reform, playing a crucial role in the 30-year process of state-owned enterprise reform. It is no exaggeration to say that this document directly led the direction of SOE development and reform for the next 20 years.

  The reform of state-owned enterprises has roughly gone through three stages. The first stage was from 1978 to 1986, when the central government relaxed its control over enterprise decision-making power. The second stage was from 1987 to 1992, during which the operating rights were transferred to ownership. Since 1993, the focus has been on promoting the reform of establishing a modern corporate system, and this reform is still in progress even after Wen Jiabao took office. Qingzhou Chemical Plant was founded in 1968 and is one of the 22 key chlor-alkali production enterprises in the country's chemical industry, as well as the largest chlor-alkali production enterprise in Jiangsu Province. As a traditional pillar industry in Qingzhou, it occupies an extremely important position in the city's economic life. At its peak, the plant had fixed assets of nearly 300 million yuan and total assets exceeding 700 million yuan, with annual sales of over 800 million yuan. Whenever old Qingzhou residents mention Qinghua Factory, they always speak with pride and arrogance.

  However, as a large-scale enterprise, with the strong promotion of market economy and the gradual deepening of reform, the original operating mechanism and management model established in the planned economic era have brought the enterprise into a difficult situation. By 1993, it had already accumulated debts of 250 million yuan, seriously insolvent, relying on government subsidies and assistance every year, becoming a major headache for the Qingzhou Municipal Committee and Government. Therefore, whether from the overall trend or the current situation, vigorously promoting the reorganization and restructuring of Qinghua Factory is an inevitable thing that conforms to the historical trend. However, Zhou Yutian intends to use administrative means to forcibly cut off this heavy burden, not only with simple and rough methods but also will definitely hurt the feelings of the people of Qingzhou, let alone the employees of Qinghua Factory, who would not be satisfied even if they scolded their mothers for 30 years.

  Regardless of whether Zhou Yuanting's move was to establish his authority as a new official or to boldly reform, Wen Ze didn't think it would work out well. More importantly, he clearly remembered the spectacular scene in 1996 when hundreds of workers from Qinghua Factory went to the municipal government to protest after the factory went bankrupt, becoming the most talked-about topic in Qingzhou that year. Although the matter was eventually suppressed, Zhou Yuanting not only failed to advance further in Qingzhou three years later but was also transferred to Fengcheng, the provincial capital, to become a vice mayor who wasn't even a member of the Standing Committee, which couldn't be unrelated to the Qinghua Factory incident.

  So, Wenhe combined the experience and lessons of his past life over the past few days, taking the basic points of "The Central Committee's Suggestions on Formulating the 'Ninth Five-Year Plan' for National Economic and Social Development and the 2010 Long-term Goals" as theoretical basis, wrote a lengthy article titled "Feasibility Study on Qinghua Factory's Restructuring and Reform and Future Directions for State-owned Enterprise Reform". He was convinced that once this article was submitted, at the opening of the September Fifth Plenary Session, it would cause a great stir in the official circles of Qingzhou, and Wen Huaiming's name would be firmly remembered by Xu Fuyan and Zhou Yuanting, and might even attract attention from higher-level leaders. What he needed to consider now was how to persuade Wen Huaiming to thoroughly defect to Xu Fuyan's side and adopt the article in his hands.

  The consequence of trying to sit on the fence in official circles is only one, that is, to freeze to death right on the wall.

  But considering the ending of Wen Huai Ming's previous life, Wen Ze knew that his father was definitely being wishy-washy, not wanting to offend either side. As a result, Zhou Yuan Ting looked down on him, and Xu Fu Yan also didn't take a liking to him, leaving him stuck between a rock and a hard place.

  At the moment when Wen Chai was sitting in the living room scratching his ears and cheeks, Wen Huaiming finally finished writing the last word in the study, closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair without a word. Tomorrow, he would have to submit it to Secretary Xu for review, and his heart was extremely uneasy. According to procedure, such topics should be discussed by the policy research team, opinions should be collected, and then one or two deputy directors should lead the way, taking their subordinates out to conduct research, collecting and organizing materials for a month or two, writing an outline for leadership approval, and finally forming a written document. But this time, everyone knew what was going on, and no one came to stir up trouble. Meng Shanshui, the deputy secretary-general of the municipal party committee and director of the policy research office, said that everything would be handled by Old Wen, trying to come up with a conclusion within three days. What else could Wen Huaiming do? Meng Shanshui's meaning was very clear: Old Wen, you should find a way to save face for Secretary Xu in the shortest possible time, and don't offend Mayor Zhou on the other side, so that everyone can continue to get along happily. As for the potential consequences this might have for Wen Huaiming, Director Meng didn't even bother to consider them - after all, you were already standing at the edge of the team, and things couldn't get any worse than that.

  Wen Huaiming smiled wryly, just as everyone had guessed, he still chose not to offend either side, hoping that Secretary Xu would take pity on the difficulties of being a low-ranking official and Mayor Zhou wouldn't bother to quarrel with him. He stood up, put the documents in his briefcase, turned off the desk lamp, and walked out of the study, so preoccupied that he didn't even notice Wen Can sitting in the living room.

  Even if Wen Ze has a quick wit, he can't think of a feasible way to persuade Wen Huiming to adopt his own writing. In desperation, he can only take a risk. When Wen Huiming enters the bedroom, he sneaks into the study, opens the briefcase and takes out the draft for a rough look. As expected, it's full of nonsense, with flattering words that don't distinguish between high and low. Dad, you're so confused!

  Wen Qian took a deep breath, gritted his teeth and put the papers he had written into it. He and Wen Huiming practiced Liu's style, which was originally very different, but Wen Qian had thirty years of foundation in the future, so at first glance, it was almost indistinguishable from the real thing. Nevertheless, tomorrow they would still have to gamble on each other's character. If Wen Huiming didn't notice and handed it over directly, then everything would be fine; if he discovered the switch, he would tell the truth and destroy his manuscript, as for what happened afterwards, whether he was beaten half to death or became brain-dead, that would be considered later.

  Wen Jie was still familiar with some of Wen Huaiming's habits. When writing, he would be meticulous and revise the draft several times, but once the final version was set, he generally wouldn't review it again. Everything is done by man, but the outcome is determined by heaven!

  The next day when they went out, Wen Huiming was pulled by Wen Chan. His son's rare serious face: "Dad, no matter what happens today, don't panic, if you have any questions, come back and we'll discuss it, be patient!"

  Wen Huaiming couldn't have imagined that his son would say such a thing, and he felt a pang in his heart. After struggling in the officialdom for many years, not only had he achieved nothing, but he had also made his usually timid son worry about him. He suppressed the bitterness in his heart, reached out to mess up Wen Rong's hair, and laughed: "It's nothing, don't worry."

  This was the first time Wen Jian heard Wen Huiming swear, and he couldn't help but laugh. As father and son, they were connected by blood, sharing life and death together, so what difficulties or dangers could they be afraid of?

  As soon as he entered the municipal party committee, Meng Shanshui rushed over and said: "Secretary Xu is waiting for you in his office, hurry up." He immediately took two steps forward, then turned around and asked: "Old Wen, is there any problem with the manuscript?"

  Wen Huaiming understood his eyes and said quietly: "I understand, no problem!"

  Meng Shanshui didn't mind Wen Huaiming daring to show him attitude, after all, he had been pushed to this point and couldn't be expected not to have some emotions. When they arrived at the secretary's office, Meng Shanshui briefly explained two sentences before turning around and leaving. Wen Huaiming knocked on the door with restraint, and Secretary Yang Fan came out to open it. Upon seeing Wen Huaiming, he hastily said: "Director Wen has arrived, Secretary Xu has been holding off several groups of guests, waiting just for you."

  The leader's power can be seen from the number of people waiting at the door early in the morning. Next to the secretary, there were only a few people sitting sparsely in the reception room, which was a stark contrast to the scene when Zuo Jing was in charge.

  Xu Fuyan continued to bow his head and look at the file, seeing Wen Huaming come in without raising his head. Yang Fan brought him to sit on the opposite sofa and quietly left. The whole process did not make a sound. This was not Wen Huaming's first time seeing Xu Fuyan. Usually when he met Xu Fuyan, he would smile and greet him, even cracking a few jokes. But looking at today's atmosphere, Wen Huaming knew that it was either the gentle rain of kindness or the thunderous anger, depending on whether his conclusion matched Secretary Xu's intention.

  "Ah, Director Wen has arrived," After a while, Xu Fuyan finished reading the file, and there was no expression on his face. "Lao Meng said that you are fully responsible for the Qinghua Factory matter, have you come to a conclusion?"

  Wen Huiming immediately stood up, opened his briefcase and took out the documents, handed them over with both hands, and smiled appropriately on his face, saying: "The conclusion has been reached. This is a detailed argument. Please review it, Secretary Xu."

  Xu Fuyan nodded slightly, took the document without a word, and gestured for Wen Huiming to sit back down. He began to flip through it on his own. Wen Huiming sat with half of his buttocks against the sofa, his hands flat on his legs, his body straight as a pen, and his eyes fixed intently on Xu Fuyan's expression. Unfortunately, the difference between being a deputy and a director was not just about the position, but also about the depth of one's tactics.

  He couldn't see any emotion on Xu Fuyan's face, as if it were a granite that had been weathered for thousands of years, unmoving no matter how much wind or rain hit it.

  It was unclear how much time had passed, but Wen Huaming's palms were almost soaked with sweat. Xu Fuyan slowly put down the manuscript and leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers on the smooth, shiny red wood desk a few times. Wen Huaming's heart sank, and the faint sound of those taps was like thunder exploding in his ears - he was almost certain that he was done for!

  "Not bad!"

  "Huh?" Wen Huaiming's mind was a mess, he hadn't heard clearly, and subconsciously raised his head, with a puzzled expression on his face. Only after speaking did he realize it wasn't right, and hastily stood up, stuttering to explain: "Secretary Xu, I...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."

  Xu Fuyan's face finally showed an expression, and he said with a mixture of laughter and tears: "Sit down, you're also an old man from the municipal party committee, no need to be so tense. Hmm, Old Wen, you go ahead and busy yourself, and bring Secretary Meng over at the same time."

  After walking out of the office, Wen Huaming broke into a cold sweat, but he was still somewhat bewildered. Is that it? Whether it's good or bad, at least give me a word! He didn't quite catch what Xu Fuyan said, and even less noticed that when he first came in, Xu Fuyan called him Director Wen, referring to Meng Shanshui as Old Meng, while on the way out, the two had completely switched roles.

  Until he entered the office, his heart was still nervous and uneasy. The Policy Research Office had one chief and three deputy directors, Meng Shanshui was the Deputy Secretary-General of the Municipal Party Committee, and his office was on the same floor as the Secretary's office. The other two deputy directors' offices were next door, only Wen Huaiming's office and the Policy Research Office were adjacent to each other. So when he entered the room, the people who were speaking immediately fell silent, secretly sizing up his expression, but what they saw was no different from usual. Wen Huaiming walked into the inner room, a gloomy cold smile floating at the corner of his mouth: Do you think you can guess my thoughts?

  Needless to say, there is also a gap between clerks and deputy directors.

  "It's hopeless, this is a dead end, whoever can solve it will be a god." The one speaking was Mao Zhengyong, still just a minor clerk in his early thirties, with a mouth that annoyed everyone he met.

  "It's not me saying this, but if we put this matter on Director Meng's shoulders, it might just work out. Director Wen... Ha." Li Quan had only joined the municipal party committee last year and wasn't clear about the relationships between people, but he always spoke with a big tone. In the policy research office, apart from Meng Shanshui, he seemed to be the most capable, and he especially looked down on Wen Huiming - a honest guy who would often scold him for no reason, and coincidentally, Wen Huiming wasn't in charge of the office, so Li Quan had no way to deal with him.

  "Li Quan, shut up! You can't just talk about the leader's business. Director Wen is a good person, definitely a lucky charm... humph." Bai Wei, who had a ponytail, slammed her hand on the table and glared at Li Quan with puffed cheeks. Li Quan, who was intimidated by only one person in the office - Bai Wei, muttered sulkily: "He's not capable himself, but won't let others talk..."

  Listening to the chaotic discussions outside, Wen Huaiming heard them in his ears, but he didn't have the heart to bother with them. In government circles, if you want to get ahead, don't bother with these things, and petty people will naturally come to fawn on you; if you're unlucky, bothering with them is just humiliating yourself. He used his index finger to press against his brow bone, back and forth, but his mind was still a complete blank.

  At this time, Meng Shanshui was sweating profusely while flipping through Wen Huaiming's manuscript. After a while, he stuttered and said: "Permit... Secretary Xu, I... I haven't read this manuscript yet..."

  "Hmm, you people from the policy research office all have a problem today, stuttering and stammering, how can you work like this?"

  "Yes, Secretary Xu criticized that! This matter has been handled by Director Wen all along. After he finished the draft, I didn't even have time to read it, and today it was directly sent to the leadership. This is my work mistake, I will reflect on it."

  Meng Shanshui has been intimidated by Wen Huaiming's bold remarks. The resentment in his heart, you want to die but don't drag everyone down with you? I really didn't expect that Wen Huaiming would dare to provoke Mayor Zhou like this...

  Xu Fuyan's intention in finding him was naturally to ask for his attitude, but Meng Shanshui had made up his mind and resolutely refused to get involved in this muddy water. No matter what Xu Fuyan's attitude was, he wanted to avoid the heavy responsibility and first save himself - Wen Huaiming would definitely take the blame.

  Xu Fuyan still smiled, but a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes: "Hmm, I think Comrade Wen Huiming is quite good, with a solid theoretical foundation. He has a good grasp on policy interpretation and corporate management, especially his suggestions for the Qinghua Factory are very practical and feasible. My suggestion is that you all go back and organize this draft into a formal document, and distribute it to each unit directly under the city government, so that everyone can discuss the issues with the Qinghua Factory together. After all, 'listening to many opinions makes one wise, while believing only one side leads to darkness' - it's always good to listen to more opinions!"

  Meng Shanshui suppressed the urge to raise objections, if it were to be issued in written form, it would thoroughly expose the contradictions between the party committee and the government, which is politically immature. However, he didn't think that Xu Fuyan was able to suppress Fang Mingdao after Lao Jing left, and snatched the position of first-in-command in Qingzhou, how could this be simple? In fact, Xu Fuyan also had his own difficulties, the official culture in Qingzhou is very rough, everyone seems to be too lazy to scheme and calculate, as soon as something happens, they immediately go all out, Zhou Yuanting was pressing him hard, even if he were a Buddha, he would have been provoked into anger, if he didn't counterattack, he would completely lose the possibility of further controlling Qingzhou, which is entirely not in line with the overall interests of his backing clique.

  So, the original plan to slowly infiltrate and gradually erode to establish one's influence is no longer feasible. Wen Huaiming was just a cannonball, and the purpose was to say that Xu Fuyan had pulled out all the stops. For those who are dissatisfied with Zhou Yuanting, have grudges, and haven't found a backer yet, the door is wide open here. He was worried that Wen Huaiming would be too soft, but he had already thought of a countermeasure. Unexpectedly, this cannonball was well-informed and tactful, not only on the right track but also with ample ammunition. Xu Fuyan was very satisfied with Wen Huaiming, and this declaration of war was awe-inspiring, with no room for retreat. From now on, Wen Huaiming's head would be forever marked with a "Xu" character. To put it another way, if things hadn't reached this point, you, a small deputy director, wanting to carve your mark onto someone else's brand, would still have to see if the other person is willing!

  Meng Shanshui walked into the office with a manuscript, casually tossing it onto the desk and said: "Get this organized and printed out by this afternoon. Send it to all municipal units for study under the red letterhead. Where is Director Wen?"

  Wen Huaming emerged from the inner room, Meng Shanshui's face overflowing with warm smiles, grasped Wen Huaming's hand and said: "Old Wen, I didn't expect you to be so surprising! The manuscript is great, your writing is getting better and better, haha. However, you must communicate this matter clearly with Secretary Xu, I won't interfere..."

  Wen Huaiming was in a daze, when Li Quan suddenly let out an exclamation, staring at the thing in his hand, and his dark face turned pale in an instant. Mao Zhengyong scolded him: "The leader is here, what's with the shouting!" He took the manuscript from his hand, looked at the beginning, and was stunned on the spot, his eyes full of incredulity, looking at Wen Huaiming as if he had seen a Slark.

  "What's this?" Wen Huaiming had already seen that it was his own manuscript, and with a puzzled expression, he took it over and looked at the beginning, taking a small shock: The topic is not right! He quickly looked down, and in just a few lines, he saw a sentence: "The abolition of Qinghua Factory is absolutely unacceptable!" Suddenly, everything before him went black, and his body swayed slightly.

  Who is pushing me to death?!

  Although the situation is not good, everyone knows what's going on and neither side will hold too much of a grudge against themselves. The days ahead won't be easy to get through, but at least they can still muddle along. But this way, it would mean that Zhou Yuanting has been deeply offended, and with his current absolute dominance in Qingzhou, his fate is predictable.

  Wen Huiming's first thought was that someone wanted to harm him, and the handwriting was imitated so similarly. Now it would be said that this wasn't written by himself, and no one would believe it. But thinking again, from home to the municipal party committee, he hadn't even entered the office directly to see Xu Fuyan, let alone swap packages, which was absolutely impossible.

  Then it can only be at home, but who would... Wen Huaiming suddenly remembered the words Wen Ze said when he went out: No matter what happens today, don't panic... If you have any questions, come back and we'll discuss them... You must keep a level head.

  Wen Huaiming forced a faint smile and said: "Secretary Meng, I suddenly have something to attend to, may I take my leave?"

  Meng Shanshui hesitated for a moment before saying: "Alright! However, I'll have to rush over this afternoon. I'm afraid Secretary Xu will still want to ask you some questions..."

  "Yes, I definitely won't be late."

  Wen Huiming suppressed his footsteps and walked out of the office as slowly as usual, but as soon as he went downstairs, he ran out quickly.

  He wanted to ask Wen Qian who had given him this file and who exactly was trying to get him killed!

  (5500-word long chapter, seeking recommendations and collections)