Chapter 393: Understanding Half of the Leader's Words

Returning to the unit, Lu Fan found the atmosphere in the Municipal Party Committee somewhat strange because Secretary Li Ruifang, Mayor Zhao Tao, and Deputy Secretary Guo Zhitao had proposed different candidates for the position of Xiuyan County Party Committee Secretary, and the Secretary's Office meeting had not reached a unified opinion.

Hearing that Lu Fan had returned, Li Ruifang immediately called him to her office and said, looking slightly angry, "The importance of recommending the virtuous and capable goes without saying, and the harm of improper recommendations is endless. Some comrades disregard the overall situation and recommend cadres very casually, without any organization or discipline! Lu Fan, you have been in Yingjiang for a long time; what do you think of the work ability of this comrade, Lu Juncheng?"

Lu Fan understood that Secretary Li Ruifang wanted to promote Lu Juncheng, and he also understood that being the Secretary-General meant sharing the leader's worries and solving their problems. Things the leader found inconvenient to come forward for or difficult to speak about had to be coordinated by the Secretary-General. If you couldn't do this, why would the leader rely on you?

A Secretary-General without the leader's support is not even as good as a secretary! Lu Fan thought for a moment and said, "Secretary, I will go and coordinate to ensure the organization's intentions are realized."

Li Ruifang nodded and said, "A united team is the source of fighting strength. With everyone speaking their own mind, what kind of order is that? The authority of the Municipal Party Committee must be maintained!"

Lu Fan asked again, "Secretary, after Lu Juncheng is adjusted, are there any instructions for the candidate for Zibei County Head?"

Li Ruifang said, "Comrades all have the responsibility and obligation to recommend cadres; I am not a dictator!"

Lu Fan understood. He felt this matter wasn't difficult to handle; it was likely that the leaders were concerned about face, which was why they hadn't reached an agreement, and their official prestige was too great, so they couldn't bring themselves to back down, leading to the stalemate.

Returning to his office, Lu Fan sorted things out and felt that the leaders needed to be treated equally. First, the Secretary's instructions must be implemented: Lu Juncheng had to go to Xiuyan County to serve as Secretary. The vacated County Head position could be released, which would be enough to make Deputy Secretary Guo Zhitao and Mayor Zhao Tao happy. But who would nominate the County Head? It was likely that neither would be willing to give in, and both probably had their own candidates.

Sitting behind closed doors wouldn't solve the problem, so Lu Fan took his water cup to Deputy Secretary Guo Zhitao's office.

After pushing the door open and entering, Lu Fan said with a smile, "Back at work, coming to the leader to cancel my leave!"

Guo Zhitao also replied with a smile, "You brought your own cup, so I won't make tea for you. Outstanding student, shouldn't we set up a table to celebrate?"

"The Secretary decides. You set the time, I'll set the place."

"Choosing a day is not as good as bumping into one. Tonight, call Xiaohua, Ziqiang, and the others to connect and build feelings. It's been a while since we gathered!"

"Fine, I'll call them in the afternoon."

After chatting for a while, Guo Zhitao said, "Lu Fan, what do you think of Fangzhou County Head Duan Jiayue?"

Lu Fan said straightforwardly, "It's not up to me; it's up to the organization! The County Party Secretary and County Head are provincial-managed cadres. If Secretary Ruifang has a suitable candidate, she can recommend them directly at the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee meeting. You also know that Yingjiang has its particularities, and the Provincial Party Committee will respect Secretary Ruifang's opinion as much as possible, so Lu Juncheng serving as Xiuyan County Party Committee Secretary is relatively mature."

Guo Zhitao said depressedly, "Then what do we need to do? If one person has the final say, wouldn't collective decision-making, scientific decision-making, and democratic decision-making become mere decorations? From now on, we shouldn't say anything and just be the ears of a deaf person—decorations!"

"Lu Fan, sometimes you can't be too weak; after a long time, you'll be manipulated at will! Governor Wang Hongtao has said that speaking with one voice is not necessarily unity, and not speaking or making a sound doesn't mean there are no opinions. Arguing and debating until faces are red is not necessarily disunity! I am prioritizing the cause and proposing suitable candidates; it is open, honest, and I have a clear conscience. Regardless of whether others listen or not, I must fulfill the duties of a Deputy Secretary!"

Lu Fan smiled slightly and said, "In solving major and important matters, we must eventually speak with one voice and form a fist to recommend suitable candidates to the higher authorities. If we only solve the Xiuyan County Party Committee Secretary position this time and put the vacated position aside, the situation will be completely different when we study personnel next time, so it's better to solve it all at once!"

"What you say is not unreasonable! Lu Juncheng is going to Xiuyan County; how do you plan to arrange the Zibei County Head position?"

Lu Fan shook his head and said, "The Secretary has no specific instructions. Everyone can actively put forward their own opinions and propositions, but we must form a unified opinion at the Secretary's Office meeting and the Five-Person Group meeting."

Guo Zhitao suddenly said, "Recently, Fuxian County Deputy Secretary Yang Sheng-yuan has been very diligent; he hasn't gone to the Municipal Government less often!"

Lu Fan asked, "Secretary, do you have a suitable candidate?"

"Anbao County Party Committee Deputy Secretary Zhou Daxiong; his ability, seniority, and character are all top-notch choices. However, I'm worried that Zhao Tao will stick his oar in!"

"Secretary, I understand your thoughts. You go ahead and get busy; I'll go to the Municipal Government to take a look." Lu Fan understood; this was Guo Zhitao's ultimate goal. He was competing for the Xiuyan County Party Committee Secretary position, likely as a way to advance by retreating.

Arriving at the Municipal Government, Lu Fan was warmly welcomed by his colleagues in the Government Office and was dragged into an office by several Deputy Secretary-Generals.

After chatting with everyone for a long time, Lu Fan was finally able to "escape" and went to the Mayor's office.

Seeing Lu Fan, Mayor's Secretary Hong Tu was very respectful, but his eyes were somewhat evasive.

Lu Fan said to Hong Tu with a smile, "Revolutionary division of labor is different; just do your job well and don't have any mental burdens."

"Secretary-General, I will definitely work hard. If you have any instructions, please let me know at any time!" After speaking, Hong Tu led Lu Fan into the Mayor's office.

Seeing the visitor, Zhao Tao gave him full courtesy, walked around the desk, and sat side-by-side with Lu Fan on the sofa to chat.

"Lu Fan, is the Party School training over? I heard you won the Outstanding Student award!"

Lu Fan replied with a smile, "I have to thank the organization for its cultivation and the comrades for their modesty, which allowed me to achieve such a great honor!"

"Last time I went to the province for a meeting, our city's arrears ledger was praised by Governor Wang Hongtao. We finally managed to finish the task; your contribution is not small! Lu Fan, I think the Municipal Government is more suitable for you; it can fully utilize your rich grassroots work experience and allow you to do some practical things that benefit the country and the people!"

"Thank you for your appreciation, Mayor. I am a brick of the organization; I will move wherever I am needed!"

As they chatted, Lu Fan led the topic to personnel adjustments and directly threw out the position of Anbao County Party Committee Deputy Secretary, asking for the Mayor's opinion.

Hearing this, Zhao Tao did not show his inner displeasure and asked, "Lu Juncheng serving as Xiuyan County Party Committee Secretary is understandable, and I personally support it. But the work of the Municipal Government needs the support and cooperation of all counties and districts. As Mayor, it's not too much for me to recommend a County Head, right? Fuxian County Deputy Secretary Yang Sheng-yuan has served as a township secretary and has worked his way up from the grassroots; he is fully capable of serving as Zibei County Head!"

Lu Fan did not intend to tangle with Zhao Tao; he came this time to clarify the pros and cons, so he said, "Mayor, I will speak from the heart. Democratic centralism is the minority obeying the majority. The County Party Committee Deputy Secretary is also a very important position. If you have a suitable candidate, I can convey it to the Organization Department for you; I presume there will be no problems. Some things must be done step by step and cannot be achieved overnight!"

Hearing this, Zhao Tao resigned himself to fate, thinking that at least he should "get some benefits" first. Who told him he had no roots or foundation in Yingjiang? Everything is difficult at the beginning! He didn't believe that as a dignified Mayor, he had no temptation or attraction. He would open up the situation sooner or later!

"Lu Fan, Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau Deputy Director Wu Zeyu is upright, has a decent work style, is courageous, and dares to take responsibility. Such an outstanding cadre should be placed in a county or district to be tempered, bringing new vitality and momentum to the development of Anbao County."

"Hmm, he is indeed a suitable candidate. I happen to be going to the Organization Department to discuss some work later; I will convey the Mayor's instructions to Minister Ziqiang!"

"Lu Fan, then thank you for your hard work. I won't talk to the Organization Department myself."

After "talking it over" with the two Deputy Secretaries, Lu Fan returned to the Municipal Party Committee to report back to Secretary Li Ruifang.

After listening to Lu Fan's report, Li Ruifang said, "Strengthening the unity of the leadership team is a very important task. Maintaining organizational authority and ensuring the smooth flow of government orders is the basic guarantee for the development of our cause. I will recommend the candidates for Xiuyan County Party Committee Secretary and Zibei County Head to the Provincial Party Committee in the name of the Municipal Party Committee. You coordinate with Minister Ziqiang for the other positions, come up with a plan as soon as possible, and convene a Five-Person Group meeting tomorrow. Oh, by the way, let Ziqiang seek the opinion of the Discipline Inspection Commission; we cannot use cadres with problems."

"Understood, Secretary. I will go later. There is one more thing I need to ask for instructions on: do you have any specific instructions for the candidate for Deputy Director of the Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau?"

"You discuss it specifically with the Organization Department and then seek the opinion of the unit itself. Persist in matching people to positions and achieving the best use of talent; I won't ask about it."

After work, Lu Fan booked a private room at the Yingjiang Hotel and invited Municipal Party Committee Deputy Secretary Guo Zhitao, Organization Minister Zhang Ziqiang, Discipline Inspection Commission Secretary Wu Xiaohua, and Vice Mayor Bian Jide for a small gathering and a few drinks. After all, he had promised Guo Zhitao and could not go back on his word.

Guo Zhitao arrived early, communicated with Lu Fan briefly, and showed a satisfied smile.

Before long, everyone arrived. Bian Jide joked, "It's truly an honor to have dinner with several standing committee members like you!"

Lu Fan hurriedly said, "Old leader, that's not right. It's me, a full division-level official, having dinner with a group of department-level big shots!"

Bian Jide teased, "When you, the Secretary-General, are confirmed, you will also be a standing committee member. It's just a matter of a few days; my secretary is about to climb over my head!"

Lu Fan laughed, "Revolutionary work only has different divisions of labor; there is no distinction between high and low, noble and cheap. The old leader will always be my old leader!"

The atmosphere became lively. Everyone toasted each other, chatted happily, and talked about work only in passing.

After the gathering, Lu Fan deliberately pulled Organization Minister Zhang Ziqiang to pay the bill, and then the two went for a walk to digest.

After conveying the leader's instructions, Zhang Ziqiang keenly discovered that there were still several deputy division-level positions vacant, so he discussed candidates with Lu Fan.

Lu Fan recommended Ganshui County Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau Director Zhou Fei to be promoted to Deputy Director of the Municipal Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau, and left the rest for Zhang Ziqiang to consider on his own.

The two chatted happily and soon reached an agreement.

A few days later, Yingjiang City made small-scale personnel adjustments. The main event was equipping the Xiuyan County Party Committee Secretary and Zibei County Head; the remaining "scraps" did not attract everyone's attention.

But for Zhou Fei, being promoted from a county bureau director to a municipal bureau deputy director could be called a leapfrog promotion, and the future world would be even broader. ===== CHAPTER 394 =====