Volume 2: Phoenix Nirvana Chapter 14: The Powerful Backer

  Han Qin said sincerely: "Xiao is a journalist in the propaganda system, there should be some inside information."

  Xiao Yuxin looked at Han Qin and said: "I didn't get any insider information at this level, but I've heard a lot of rumors. I saw you were very focused during the inspection this afternoon, and I feel that you also want to make a difference in Fenghuang Township. However, this public election is not fair for an outsider like you."

  "In a few days, it's your policy speech, and the judges include the heads of various county bureaus. I heard that those who are participating in the election are all active these days, and the homes of these county bureau leaders have been visited by people who can be said to be rubbing shoulders and kissing up. If you don't have a solid relationship with the main leaders of the county party committee, it's likely you won't even pass this hurdle."

  After listening to Xiao Yuxin, Han Qin suddenly realized that he had been too simple-minded. One of the highlights of this public recommendation and election is that the final candidate for the township party committee secretary will not be decided by the county party committee, but will be elected by party member representatives, and approved in writing by the municipal and county party committees.

  I always thought my governance plan wouldn't have any problems, the difficulty was only in the final party member representative vote, but I neglected the risk of the governance speech. Among the six candidates, choosing two to enter the finals requires going through the county committee standing committee. After all, this is also a process of eliminating four candidates. The county committee standing committee may not be able to decide who will ultimately be elected, but at least it can give you an opportunity.

  According to the public promotion and selection program and personnel management authority, the municipal party committee organization department takes the lead, and the county and city party committees are responsible. In the governance speech link, the judges consist of three parts: one is the municipal party committee's public promotion and selection leadership group, two is the main leaders of the county bureau, and three is the county party committee standing committee. The main decision-making power lies with the county party committee standing committee, after all, this is just a selection of section-level cadres, and the municipal party committee does not need to intervene, other opinions are for reference

  I have no relationship with the county committee members of Xiping, why do they appreciate me just because my governance plan is unique? The plan is just a paper talk, it can't reflect a person's real level at all. I believe that the things brought out by other candidates must also be very moving.

  If we can't even pass this level, what's the use of a good governance plan? Han Qin nodded and said sincerely: "Xiao journalist, thank you. If it weren't for your reminder, I might have really become a companion to read books with the prince."

  Xiao Yuxin thought for a moment and said: "This afternoon at the welcoming party, County Committee Secretary Li Chenfeng specially praised you. Are you very close to him?"

  Xiao Yuxin's reminder made Han Qin feel strange too. He and Secretary Li didn't have any relationship, not even a single penny's worth. Before participating in this public election, he didn't even know who the county party secretary of Xiping was. Could it be that someone had informed Secretary Li without telling him? And doing good deeds without leaving a name?

  Han Qin thought about it and felt that it wasn't right. Even if he really had a relationship with the county party secretary, according to common sense, he wouldn't openly show off in that kind of setting. He's probably not even aware of it himself. If they really did have a relationship, it would be normal for him to pretend not to recognize him when they met. Even Zhang Bin, just a local official, knew about the road, so the county party secretary should understand too.

  Han Qin expressed his thoughts and Xiao Yuxin nodded in agreement. Secretary Li was so showy, it didn't seem like he had any close relationship with Han Qin, which didn't conform to the usual practices of officialdom.

  After chatting with Xiao Yuxin for a while, the two parted ways. Han Qin felt a sense of urgency in his heart. After the on-site inspection was over, there were only three days left to write the governance plan. If he couldn't get the key members of the Xiping County Party Committee to cooperate within these three days, or more directly, if he couldn't get Li Chenfeng to lend a hand, this trip to Xiping would be in vain.

  Back at the hotel, Han Qin began to consider where to start with Zhang Tiancheng. As the deputy secretary in charge of party affairs and politics in Xiping County, he had a lot of say in personnel matters. As long as his relationship with the county party secretary was not too awkward, there would be no obstacles in nominating a candidate for township party committee secretary. In other words, Zhang Tiancheng's entry into the final round should have been a foregone conclusion, which explained why he was so confident.

  Other candidates also have their own paths at the grassroots level in towns and villages, and it's not easy to become a town head from among many deputy department-level cadres. There's also that deputy director of the county government office, whose abilities shouldn't be underestimated, maybe he has the backing of the organization department minister

  Thinking of this, Han Qin couldn't help but shake his head and sigh. This was a situation where there was no room for personal matters. Resources were limited, and the official hat was only one top, so competition was naturally fierce. One had to come up with a move to defeat their enemies in order to succeed.

  Han Qin already has two trump cards in his hand. Song Guangjun, the head of the municipal party committee's organization department, is one of them. If Song Wenfei were here, even if it weren't through the head of the organization department himself, as long as Song Wenfei showed her face, this energy would be enough. For a county party secretary who wants to advance further, the face of the head of the organization department must be given. However, now that Song Wenfei is far away in America, it's beyond reach.

  There is another trump card, naturally it's the municipal party committee secretary Zheng Tongxin. In Dongfang City, there isn't a bigger card than this one. But how to use this nuclear weapon well is a big headache. Don't mention a small section-level cadre candidate, even a deputy department-level official, as long as Zheng Tongxin says a word, who dares to block? The key is how to release this energy.

  Last time when grading, he didn't dare to use this trump card, but used a little trickery. This time it seems that it must be used. Han Qin took out his mobile phone and found Zheng Shuji's number, thinking about how to tell him about this matter. Since Zheng Tongxin gave Han Qin his mobile phone number, Han Qin had never used it once.

  Han Qin held his mobile phone and walked around the room in a circle. He remembered that when he saw Secretary Zheng last week, he told him about signing up for the public election, and Secretary Zheng was very supportive, saying that if there were any problems, just let Little Wu know and he would help solve them.

  Thinking of this, Han Qin smiled self-deprecatingly. After all, he still lacked experience in official circles. Things like finding someone to make contact with, Secretary Zheng would definitely not show up for, and ultimately had to be left to his secretary to handle. Rather than going around in such a big circle, it was better to directly contact Wu Xiaofan, which seemed more natural.

  Hàn Qín found Wú Xiǎo Fán's number and dialed it on his phone. The call connected, but a robotic female voice came on: "The person you are trying to reach is currently unavailable, please try again later." Hán Qín smiled wryly to himself - if Wú Xiǎo Fán wasn't busy with something important, he would have picked up immediately. Looks like Secretary Wú was pretty busy too.

  The secretary of the municipal party committee is a wise and discerning person. Through some details of Han Qin and Zheng's conversation, Wu Xiaofan discovered that the relationship between Zheng and Han Qin was very subtle. As Zheng's special secretary, who had followed him for more than three years, he was naturally considered to be the leader's confidant. Han Qin was able to enter Zheng's inner circle, of course, which made him a confidant as well. Moreover, the relationship between Han Qin and Zheng seemed natural, with a hint of friendship beyond their superior-subordinate relationship.

  After about five minutes, Wu Xiaofan returned the call. Wu Xiaofan explained: "Han Qin brother, sorry, I had something important to attend to just now and kept you waiting."

  Han Qin smiled and said: "Brother Wu, you're too polite. As the municipal party committee secretary, your work is naturally busy, I don't have anything else to do, just want to hang out with Brother Wu. Are you free tomorrow night?"

  After thinking about the work arrangement for a moment, Wu Xiaofan said on the phone: "Okay, tomorrow night is just right, no social engagements. Han Qin brothers, what are you busy with now?"

  Han Qin smiled and said, "Isn't there a pilot project in the city to publicly elect the township party secretary? I've also signed up for it. Now I'm conducting on-site inspections in Xiping County. The inspection will last one more day, and I can return tomorrow afternoon. There's something that's not quite right, so I'd like to discuss it with Brother Wu."

  Hearing Han Qin say this, Wu Xiaofan laughed and said: "Younger brother, your words are getting more and more sophisticated. I know you participated in the public push, did something go wrong? Whatever it is, just say it directly, don't be polite. Younger brother's affairs are my Wu Xiaofan's affairs."

  Han Qin smiled and said: "Then thank you very much, Wu Ge. Let's decide on the location tomorrow when I get back, and I'll give you a call then."

  Wu Xiaofan and Han Qin exchanged a few more pleasantries before hanging up the phone. Han Qin took a deep breath, it's really hard to ask for help from others. He and Zheng Tongxin should have said that their relationship is not shallow, and even talking to his secretary requires caution. When will he have the energy to be himself? No wonder so many people are eager to become officials, even a small town party committee secretary is worth fighting for. Only when sitting in that position can one experience the thrill of success without asking for help from others.

  Lying in bed, Han Qin carefully considered it again. With Wu Xiaofan's energy, as long as he didn't make any unnecessary moves, breaking through the Xiping County Committee should be no problem. However, he had never dealt with this Wu Xiaofan before and didn't know if this guy was someone who said one thing but did another.

  The second day's inspection ended in the morning. The main focus was on rural construction and grassroots party building. Han Qin only took a cursory look around. In the case of Fenghuang Township, the economy has not reached a new level, there is no platform for sustainable development, farmers' income cannot be significantly increased, everything is just empty talk.

  Han Qin's mind was not on the examination, for him, the most important thing now is to get the opportunity to enter the final and sit in the position of the county party committee secretary, no matter how good the idea is, it is all empty talk.

  After lunch in Fenghuang Township, everyone returned to the Xiping County Committee and held a brief summary meeting. County Party Secretary Li Chenfeng went to the city for a meeting and did not attend. Vice Secretary Wang Youmin presided over the meeting. The municipal party's public selection and supervision group personnel announced that next Monday, the six candidates who participated in the on-site inspection will come to the Xiping County Committee to make a governance speech.

  Han Qin carefully observed the other candidates, each of whom appeared calm on the surface but had tired eyes that revealed their immense pressure. They were all busy making connections, finding influential people to write impressive policy proposals, and putting in a lot of effort.

  That strongest Zhang Tiancheng, although still looks easy-going and natural, actually has the heaviest mental burden. The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment will be. If others are not selected, it's just a matter of strength. But if Zhang Tiancheng is not selected, it would be like the sky and earth turning upside down, and his future career path can't even be imagined.

  When saying goodbye to Xiao Yuxin, the beauty smiled and said: "Director Han, I wish you success" and proactively stretched out her slender jade hand. Han Qin gently shook Xiao Yuxin's white fingertips and smiled: "Thank you, Reporter Xiao also wishes Reporter a successful career, becoming a super celebrity soon."

  It wasn't until six o'clock in the evening that Han Qin rushed back to Dongfang City. Seeing Han Qin return from participating in the election, Zhang Juan asked with concern: "Han Qin, how's the situation?" Han Yuchun looked at his son with anticipation. The couple, Han Yuchun and his wife, now felt as sweet as honey in their hearts that this son was also making them proud, having graduated from university and passed the civil service exam to become a junior official. If he could be elected as the Party Secretary, he would truly be an official.

  "It's hard to say for now, there's hope and difficulty, let's work hard to strive for it. I'll tell you more about it later, I have a friend coming over for dinner to discuss this matter, almost time now."

  Han Qin booked a private room at the Yanbin Building, which is relatively close to the Huaqing Pool. After dinner, it's convenient to go for a bath and settle down. Han Qin then called Wu Xiaofan: "Brother Wu, I'm back from Xiping, I've booked the 308 VIP hall at the Yanbin Building, I'll be waiting for you here."

  Wu Xiaofan smiled and said: "Han Qin brothers, I have already pushed away several scenes today, just waiting for this dinner"

  Looking at the spacious room, Han Qin felt that something was missing. Having dinner with Wu Xiaofan alone would definitely make the atmosphere dull. Moreover, this was his first time dealing with him, and as a municipal party committee secretary, he had to put on an official air, which would be annoying. He also needed to give Wu Xiaofan some pressure to let him know that he was just a tool, and without this secretary, things would still go on as usual.

  After some thought, Han Qin dialed Zheng Danyan's phone: "Teacher Zheng, I'm at the Yanbin Building now. I'd like to invite you out for a meal. It's been a long time since we've had a good drink together, just the three of us - me, Wu Xiaofan, and Secretary Wu. No outsiders."

  Zheng Danyan's wife had gone to their daughter's place, and Zheng was just about to cook some instant noodles for dinner when Han Qin invited him out for a drink. The old poet was overjoyed at the prospect of someone else's wine and dinner party, something he normally had no interest in and was too lazy to attend. But being asked by Han Qin to go drinking was a delightful exception - with good company, even a thousand cups were not enough.

  Less than ten minutes later, Zheng Danyan rushed over. Han Qin couldn't help but laugh when he saw Zheng Danyan's outfit. The power of love is indeed great. When Han Qin first met Zheng Danyan, the old poet had a messy beard, was unkempt, and wore clothes without any taste, his whole person was limp and spiritless.

  At this time, Zheng Danyan was flushed with excitement, his hair was neatly combed and spotless, and he wore a high-end casual outfit, giving off an air of mystery.

  Zheng Danyan smiled and said: "Little Han, why is it just us two? Where's Little Wu?"

  Han Qin smiled and said: "I've already called him, he'll be here soon."

  Two people were talking, and the waiter led Wu Xiaofan in. Seeing Zheng Danyan also there, Wu Xiaofan was really surprised that he could invite Old Zheng, this Han Qin's ability is indeed not small.