Chapter 356: with translation of chapter title

But on the last day, Executive Deputy County Chief Guo Tongyu and Director of the Economic Development Bureau Wang Licheng brought an unexpected joy; through their unremitting efforts, they successfully secured five projects—green health food R&D and sales, disposable medical equipment and dressing production, concrete tower manufacturing, sea buckthorn cultivation, and organic vegetable cultivation—with a total investment of 14.6 billion yuan, leaving County Party Secretary Lu Fan overjoyed!

This afternoon, at the centralized signing ceremony of the Yingjiang Municipal delegation, the Ganshui County People's Government signed 23 projects with a total value of 175 billion yuan, ranking first in the city and earning commendation from the Municipal Party Committee and the City Government.

The first thing upon returning to Ganshui, Lu Fan and Yuan Weiwei convened a meeting to assign the Silk Expo signed projects and proposed the 'Hundred-Day Attack' action.

County Chief Yuan Weiwei demanded: first, strengthen liaison with interested enterprises to secure early signing and implementation of these projects; second, accelerate the construction of signed projects to achieve early production and results; third, further promote Ganshui to realize more external cooperation intentions.

County Party Secretary Lu Fan pointed out that all departments must raise their stance, genuinely enhance their sense of urgency and responsibility, establish an orientation toward action and practicality, treat the promotion of investment projects as a top-leader endeavor, keep important information constantly grasped, continuously inquire about projects, promptly address key contradictions, and strengthen supervision of project construction.

Lu Fan demanded, following the principle 'who signs, who follows up, who implements,' to vigorously turn agreements into contract projects as soon as possible and have those contract projects implemented on the ground promptly; the whole county should emulate Chang'an City, continuously optimizing the investment environment, assisting enterprises to rapidly advance projects, and ensuring smooth progress of project construction.

Lu Fan emphasized that no unit or individual may disturb the construction of enterprises and projects, must not engage in buck-passing, embezzlement, extortion, or graft, and if discovered will be removed from office on the spot; inspections of enterprises and ongoing projects in the industrial park must be approved by oneself or the county chief, otherwise the industrial park and enterprises will not receive them and will not cooperate with the inspection.

The County Party Committee established the 'Hundred-Day Attack' action work office, with Lu Fan and Yuan Weiwei personally in charge; they formulated work regulations, set up seven work promotion groups, supervision and evaluation groups, news reporting groups, and coordination service groups, and meanwhile implemented a hardcore mechanism of county-level leaders taking charge of projects, coordinating on-site to resolve difficulties and problems in project construction.

After the horn of the Hundred-Day Attack action sounded, the entire county swiftly launched a fervor of big, fast, hard, and practical work, with the spirit of not waiting for time and striving every moment, solidly pushing forward the seizure of the project construction 'golden period,' early involvement and arrangement, proactively completing land use, environmental assessment, and other procedures, fully promoting projects to be implemented on the ground as soon as possible, letting the Ganshui people feel a development boom rare in a century, giving cadres and masses a hundredfold confidence, and making Ganshui County extraordinarily prosperous.

On May 28, Secretary Li Mingzhou went to Chang'an to attend the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee meeting, focusing on studying Wang Hongtao's proposal to establish the 'Tangdu District' and vigorously develop the 'Tang Imperial City' project, which is indeed a super big move!

At the meeting, Li Mingzhou keenly noticed that Executive Deputy Provincial Governor Duan Pengfei seemed to be at odds with Wang Hongtao, with a hint of tit-for-tat, and clearly raised doubts about these two proposals.

Wang Hongtao strongly rebutted, and with the support of Secretary Chen Jiazhong smoothly passed the two proposals, causing Duan Pengfei to lose face.

After the meeting, Wang Hongtao and Duan Pengfei became strangers.

After the meeting, Wang Hongtao and Duan Pengfei became strangers, and their conflict was irreconcilable.

Li Mingzhou specially invited Wang Hongtao to the office, indicating that Chang'an's affairs should be decided by Chang'an itself, outsiders need not chatter, and subtly expressed his support for Chang'an and Wang Hongtao.

Li Mingzhou clearly understood that Le Xue Ren and Duan Pengfei were in cahoots, and could only be eradicated together.

On June 3, County Party Secretary Lu Fan again came to the county high school to visit and comfort the senior high teachers on the front lines of college entrance exam preparation, cheering on the students about to take the exam; County Party Deputy Secretary Zhang Qianyuan, Deputy County Chief Liang Qi, and Education Bureau Director Cao Chunlei jointly visited and comforted the senior high teachers and students.

Lu Fan pointed out that education is the county's biggest livelihood project, the college entrance exam carries the hopes of students and parents and is a broad social focus; everyone must create a safe and harmonious testing environment for students, strengthen healthy college entrance exam measures, and fully ensure all services for exam preparation.

High school principal An Song reported that this year the county has 460 students taking the college entrance exam; currently senior high teachers are each fulfilling their duties, fully doing well in exam preparation and the final round of mock exams. He said that under the care and support of the County Party Committee and County Government, the senior high grade team has made detailed arrangements in all aspects including review plans, teachers escorting exams, student meals, timely rest, and safety guarantees; the high school is confident of achieving its best ever results this year.

In the classroom, Lu Fan cheered on the senior high students, urging everyone to be full of confidence, to display grand ambitions, to get into their desired universities, and to climb the pinnacle of life.

Before departing, Lu Fan instructed the county government to allocate certain funds, requiring the high school to properly look after the senior high students' food and daily life.

On June 7, after ten years of honing a sword, today we test its edge; the annual college entrance exam officially opens today!

At Ganshui County High School, the students are lining up in order, walking into the exam hall full of confidence.

To ensure students take the college entrance exam smoothly, Ganshui County's multiple departments actively coordinated, using love and sweat to answer the volunteer service exam on 'dedication, friendship, mutual aid, progress,' thereby painting warm-hearted scenes.

During the college entrance exam, Wang Hongpeng led the county public security in thoroughly checking hidden dangers, on duty and guarding, ensuring students' peace of mind, safety, and a smooth exam.

Medical staff strictly guarded health and safety, stocked sufficient medical supplies, reserved ample emergency wards, ensuring that any sudden illness among examinees or exam staff receives immediate medical treatment, providing high-quality efficient medical security services throughout.

The traffic police brigade set up cordon lines around the exam venue roads, implemented traffic control, strictly prohibited all motor vehicles from passing, providing a good testing environment for examinees, and offering emergency assistance to those who forgot their admission tickets or encountered traffic jams.

Multiple departments, enterprises, and shops carried out exam-assistance love activities; outside the exam sites, they set up shade tents and prepared drinking water, freely providing water and resting places for examinees and parents, offering convenient high-quality love services.

Moreover, the county's taxis provided free transportation for college entrance exam students, letting them feel warmth and encouragement, thereby strengthening their confidence and forging ahead.

Facing the college entrance exam, Lu Fan had rich experience and insights; he stood at the school gate, encouraging students to take the exam calmly, answer composedly, and sail through wind and waves all the way.

Then he personally received the provincial and municipal chief examiners, ensuring no accidents during the exam, providing escort for the 460 examinees.

On the afternoon of June 8, as the bell rang signaling the end of the English exam, the college entrance exam concluded smoothly; many parents, even before the exam ended, waited early outside the exam site with anticipation for their children to exit the exam hall.

Examinees walked out of the exam hall one after another, faces smiling, youthful vigor, full of confidence; upon seeing each other they waved excitedly, their excitement indescribable.

A bouquet of flowers, an embrace, a warm word, drew a perfect conclusion to the exam; this moment's embrace and laughter became the most beautiful memory of this summer.

The college entrance exam is both an 'end' and a 'beginning.' Starlight does not betray those who travel; time does not betray the devoted; the path walked under stars and moon will eventually be covered in blossoms; the future is promising, the prospects bright as brocade.

The whole of June is exam season; after the college entrance exam comes the junior high entrance exam, after that the elementary-to-middle school transition; it is the busiest, most irritable month for parents.

Early July, Secretary Li Mingzhou personally called, asking Lu Fan to come to the Municipal Party Committee.

Lu Fan dared not delay, set aside his work and rushed to Yingjiang.

After meeting, Li Mingzhou first said: 'The Municipal Party Committee will conduct a personnel adjustment next month; you need to have suitable candidates to recommend in advance, and have long-term plans and layouts.'

Lu Fan nodded and said: 'Okay, thank you, Secretary.'

Li Mingzhou continued: 'No need to be formal with me; I have something to discuss: Provincial Party Deputy Secretary Gao Zhen will soon be transferred; looking within the province, Wang Hongtao and Duan Pengfei are both suitable successors and the strongest contenders. The current situation is that promotion to provincial governor within the province requires passing through the deputy secretary post, so they will surely go all out.'

Wang Hongtao has impressive achievements, with people speaking for him, but Duan Pengfei is not without foundation and has seniority advantage; next will be them each using their means in a dragon-tiger struggle, and this month is the critical period.

Lu Fan asked: 'Secretary, do you have no chance?'

Li Mingzhou shook his head and said: 'I am not within the consideration this time; next step I estimate I will go to a directly administered city, at the latest next year, so I will not get involved in this dispute. Lu Fan, I know you have a grudge against Le Xue Ren; I have carefully considered these days and think this might be a good opportunity; keep an eye on developments.'

Upon hearing this, Lu Fan's hatred welled up, his thoughts surging like a tide. After so many years of enduring humiliation, he finally awaited a chance to strike back, an opportunity to completely overturn the 'great mountain' of Le Xue Ren that had weighed on his heart for years.

Lu Fan's eyes flashed with determined light; he knew this process would be arduous, difficult, and hard-won; he had already put in years of effort and thorough preparation, wanting Le Xue Ren to pay a heavy price, to make him also taste the bitterness of family destruction and death, to seek justice for himself, his sister, his parents, and innocent lives.

Li Mingzhou again emphasized: 'Lu Fan, you must understand one principle: for someone of Le Xue Ren's stature, first he must be toppled, then various charges can be brought. Therefore, the one standing in his way, Duan Pengfei, is the key to the problem; this time we just need to see whether Wang Hongtao gives support, so let's wait and see; at critical moments, Yingjiang can play a certain role.'