Chapter 314

Starting August 19, the townships of Ganshui County faced a major test; the County Party Committee Office notified that, beginning today, it would arrange for township Party secretaries and town mayors to report on their work, focusing on industrial development planning and implementation details, as well as routine unit management.

At nine in the morning, in the small meeting room of the County Party Committee, County Party Secretary Lu Fan sat in the center, with County Mayor Wang Baoguo, Deputy County Party Secretary Wang Zhikun, County Discipline Inspection Committee Secretary Zhang Qianyuan, Executive Deputy County Mayor Yang Chengyu, and Organization Department Head Guo Tongyu seated on either side.

The first to arrive were Lao Shan Township Party Secretary Wang Shuxian and Town Mayor Geng Kai, both looking slightly nervous. They had thought they would be giving a solo report to Secretary Lu, but they hadn't expected such a grand setup.

After taking their seats, the township Party secretary began his report, summarizing as follows: vigorously develop goat breeding and facility-based chicken farming, fully support the development of Lao Shan chicken industry, smart farms, and coffin processing factories.

After the other leaders had offered some pleasantries, Lu Fan commented: 'Lao Shan Township can be said to be the most resource-rich township in our Ganshui County. After hearing your report, I think the development direction is not bad, but it lacks concrete measures and targets. What you said—strengthening infrastructure construction, promoting industrial upgrading, increasing farmers' incomes—are all 'empty mountain, no one in sight'! I can't hear exactly what you should do, or to what extent. In short, there's too much empty talk and platitudes; it's all very vague!'

After hearing the secretary's words, the two leaders of Lao Shan Township felt ashamed and embarrassed, heads down, not knowing what to say, thinking they had already done their best!

Lu Fan continued: 'I hope you will quickly formulate a detailed work plan, clearly assigning responsibility, timetable, roadmap, and expected targets for each task, ensuring every item is implemented. Only then can Lao Shan Township's economy develop rapidly and the people live better lives. If you cannot do this, step aside and make way for the capable; the organization will assign you suitable posts! One week from now, come to my office for an individual report.'

The two repeatedly apologized and left the meeting room feeling uneasy. Only then did the several leaders realize that the secretary was about to get serious; they immediately became earnest and heightened their attention to this concentrated reporting work.

The second report came from Gao Po Township Party Secretary Peng Cheng and Town Mayor Zhao Zhengjun, whose development idea was singular: fully develop the greenhouse industry. They had formulated a three-year development plan and devised preferential measures to support and encourage greenhouse cultivation, offering a subsidy of 5000 yuan per greenhouse to growers, and fully assisting vegetable farmers with production roads and so on.

Lu Fan, after listening, said: 'The targets are set, the measures are feasible, I personally approve. The pledge has been made; I hope you will do what you say, and I will check your results every quarter. Moreover, I remind you: developing the greenhouse industry, you must certainly resolve the supporting infrastructure for water, electricity, and roads; you must solve the technical problems of vegetable farmers; most importantly, you must solve the sales problem.'

After the two left, Lu Fan and County Mayor Wang Baoguo exchanged a few words, indicating that the county government would introduce policies to support township industries, putting up real money to help townships develop their industries.

Wang Baoguo did not decline, saying he would promptly study and formulate them.

The third report came from Nan Gou Township Party Secretary Zhang Bin and Town Mayor Wu Xiaojie, whose development idea was unusually clear: medicinal herb cultivation. They had selected the five major varieties—huang qi, huang qin, ban lan gen, ma huang, and chai hu—with a target of exceeding 30000 tons of medicinal herb output within three years.

Town Mayor Wu Xiaojie said he had already contacted investors, planning to develop medicinal herb cultivation in a company-plus-farmer model, driving more farmers to participate in industrial development. At the same time, the township government will establish a medicinal herb planting base, introduce supportive policies, help farmers solve sales issues, and transfer the risk from farmers to the township government.

Lu Fan listened and was very pleased, saying that medicinal herb cultivation has great potential, but its implementation must be well-planned, well-managed, and swiftly invested; we must help farming households resolve technical problems such as floods, frost damage, pests and diseases, and also plan ahead for sales channels, so that growers can gain greater benefits.

After hearing the reports from the three townships, Lu Fan and several leaders engaged in an in-depth discussion, analyzing the feasibility of each township's development ideas and discussing ways to support township development.

In the afternoon, Shi Qiao Township, Long Men Township, Dao Township, Si Wan Township, and Cheng Guan Township each gave their reports; the leaders evaluated them one by one, and Lu Fan provided a concluding assessment.

Overall, all townships are doing their best to plan work, and Lu Fan is generally satisfied.

Finally, Lu Fan had the County Party Committee Office summon all township Party secretaries and town mayors to come in for a summary of today's reports.

After the leaders had given their overall comments, Lu Fan said: 'A ship without direction can never reach the opposite shore. Today's meeting was very successful; it clarified the current and future two- to three-year goals of each township, and your approaches are also very clear. The key lies in practice: do more practical work and talk less empty talk.'

Comrades, though there are myriad difficulties, if you attach importance, it won't be hard; whether a major or minor road, only action yields a way out. Great goals are not easily achieved, so at this time you must remember to break them down, just like building a house: first draw a blueprint, then find a construction crew, bricks and other materials, and proceed step by step.

Township development is urgent and the tasks are heavy; shouting until your voice breaks is no substitute for setting an example. Only by persisting and implementing can your industrial development take root, blossom, and bear fruit; success for you is merely a matter of time!

Today you have set up a 'pledge'; these measures will be recorded in the County Party Committee Standing Committee's minutes. Each quarter I will lead the relevant departments to give you scores, and those scores will be the most important basis for your promotion and reuse. If the work is not done well and you come in last place, it shows you are unsuited for the post, and the organization will resolutely adjust you: the capable rise, the average step aside, the mediocre are demoted, the inferior are eliminated. When that time comes, you should have no complaints!

After the meeting ended, it was already past ten at night; Lu Fan smiled and said to everyone: 'You've worked hard all day; let me treat you to a night market!'

County Mayor Wang Baoguo laughed: 'The secretary's meal is definitely to be eaten; although today's all-day meeting was somewhat arduous, the gains were great, and it moved me deeply, as if I had returned to that fervent era, and I am very enthusiastic about work!'

Deputy Secretary Wang Zhikun said to the township leaders: 'The secretary has put a tight spell on you; it is actually a spur, and more importantly, it expresses high hopes. Whether you are a mule or a horse, we'll bring you out for a run, and by year's end you'll speak with your achievements!'

Si Wan Township Party Secretary Ren Tongxin said: 'To be frank, our pressure is enormous, but at the same time we are full of drive and energy! Actually, everyone isn't afraid of work; they fear being like a headless fly bumping around. After this meeting, we know what to do; from now on it's just one word: 'act'!'

Lu Fan laughed: 'Responsibility fulfills dreams, earnest work creates the future! What I just said is no joke; if you want promotion, first develop the industry so the people live well—there is no other way. If anyone still believes in the notion of 'running around and sending gifts to gain promotion,' using every means to pull strings and go through back doors, I tell you, that path leads nowhere, and you will end up on the 'blacklist'!'

Ten minutes later, Ganshui's night market welcomed over twenty heavyweight guests, and the bosses quickly recognized this young county party secretary.

Lu Fan also enthusiastically chatted with the stall owners, asking whether they had any operational problems that needed government resolution.

Unexpectedly, a bold stall owner actually raised a problem, saying: 'Secretary Lu, our night market is very popular; it is the biggest night market in Ganshui and has existed for over ten years, and the locals have feelings for it. But I heard the Urban Management Bureau wants to crack down on it, forcing us to move to the eastern part of the city, and to pay entry fees, stall rents, and management fees. Actually, paying money is not the issue; we fear that if we change location, the foot traffic will disappear, business will collapse, and that would be the death of us!'

Lu Fan thought for a moment and said: 'What you say makes sense; the old night market represents not only food, but also a locality's cultural symbol, emotional anchor, and precious memories, which is why its popularity endures. If the location were changed, it might lose its original charm and appeal, making people feel unfamiliar and uncomfortable, and they might not patronize it. Please rest assured; tomorrow I will investigate the situation in detail and give you a clear answer within two days. If we can avoid moving, we will firmly keep the site, preserving the night market's charm, tradition, and popularity.'

As soon as his words fell, the surrounding stall owners immediately burst into applause!

The next day, all townships in Ganshui County convened general meetings of their cadres, truly unifying thought and action toward industrial development, concentrating strength into action, clarifying what to do this year, how to do it, and to what extent.

Township leaders clearly understand that to win the secretary's and organization's approval, they must muster their energy, adopt a stance of 'launching into a sprint right from the start, accelerating from the first step,' work with fervor, strive with passion, exert their utmost, focus their efforts on promoting township industrial development, and only then will the competition among townships truly begin!

On August 21, the Municipal Discipline Inspection Committee communicated the disciplinary violations and amounts of the former deputy county mayor of Ganshui and the transportation bureau chief, and formally handed the case over to the judicial authorities.

At the August 22 meeting of the Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee, after Municipal Discipline Inspection Committee Secretary Wu Xiaohua finished reporting her work, Secretary Li Mingzhou proposed returning the 52 million yuan of corrupt funds to Ganshui County.

Li Mingzhou's control over Yingjiang is beyond doubt; the proposal was passed unanimously, with even Mayor Sun Weidong not uttering a single word of objection.

After the funds were allocated to Ganshui County's treasury, County Mayor Wang Baoguo clearly understood where this money came from, and promptly went to the County Party Committee to request instructions on its use.

Lu Fan pondered for a moment and said: 'Mayor Wang Baoguo, the townships are now full of vigor; we said we would support them, so we can't just give empty promises. My opinion is to allocate 2 million yuan of special industrial development funds to each township, with the county government supervising the use of the funds.'

Wang Baoguo nodded and said: 'All right, Secretary; I will have the finance bureau act immediately. What about the remaining funds?'

'52 million yuan—whether that's a lot or not, after giving it to the townships there will still be 36 million left. Our government debt still amounts to 7.8 billion yuan; let's repay all of it. You keep track; clearing even a little of the old accounts counts. Mayor Wang Baoguo, I must be clear: we absolutely will not allow the government to incur new debt, nor allow clearing debt while taking on new. We will do only as much as our funds permit! If we run out of money, we will ease up; we absolutely forbid borrowing to fund construction!'