Chapter 440

January 20, the Discipline Inspection Committee website released a notice that Yingjiang City Mayor Zhao Tao, suspected of embezzlement and bribery, has been placed under investigation.

January 21, the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee passed the decision to remove Zhao Tao from office and appointed Si Daiqiang, Deputy Secretary of the Yingjiang Municipal Party Committee, as Party Group Secretary of the Yingjiang Municipal Government, presiding over municipal government work.

Why not directly nominate Si Daiqiang as a mayoral candidate? Because his term in office is insufficient, he cannot be promoted exceptionally, so he can only be appointed to a Party position.

Si Daiqiang assumed office discreetly, without even convening a meeting of leading cadres.

Sitting in Zhao Tao's former office, Si Daiqiang looked pleased as punch, feeling that he finally could wield great power and stretch his muscles!

Lu Fan said with a smile, "Congratulations, Mayor, getting your wish—do you want to change offices?"

Si Daiqiang laughed, "I can't be called mayor—I don't even have an 'acting' title! I won't change offices; an upright person fears no crooked shadow, so I have no taboo about that. Lu Fan, you need to give me some pointers on how to carry out the work; don't hide your talent, don't let me embarrass myself!"

Lu Fan replied, "You shouldn't worry about things outside your position, but don't be modest—after working for Secretary Hong Tao all these years, you may not have eaten pork, but you've surely seen pigs run? I'd say you already have a clear plan in mind!"

"Lu Fan, do you dare say the secretary is a pig?"

Lu Fan hurriedly said, "Your comprehension is off—I was just speaking figuratively!"

Si Daiqiang said solemnly, "You have more work experience than I do; I genuinely want to do well as mayor, so I'm sincerely seeking your advice!"

Lu Fan thought for a moment and said, "The plan for the year lies in spring; project construction waits for no one. When the time comes for breaking ground and sprouting, Yingjiang must spare no effort to introduce a batch of major projects with strong driving force and high technological content, good projects, and plan the year's infrastructure and livelihood projects. Arranging the spring work well will make the year's work proceed smoothly."

Moreover, the urgent task is to fill the municipal Party Committee and municipal government lineup. Your deputy secretary and the Zhenbei District Party Committee secretary positions are vacant; I estimate it's hard for an ordinary person to hold both concurrently. Thus, the posts of deputy municipal Party Committee secretary, executive vice mayor, standing committee member concurrently serving as Zhenbei District Party Committee secretary, Ningyang County Party Committee secretary, Anbao County Party Committee secretary, Ganshui County magistrate, and other key positions will be vacant. Once all are filled, the situation in the city will become clear at a glance, and I think some posts should be striven for.

Si Daiqiang nodded thoughtfully and said, "Secretary Ruifang is a member of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee; she naturally has the initiative in personnel adjustments, so it won't be easy to meddle!"

Lu Fan only takes care of 'stoking the fire'; he doesn't handle the specific operations. Yingjiang is too harmonious, which is boring—only a fierce struggle that darkens the sky and earth is exciting!

Lu Fan also said, "This evening I'll summon Secretary Zijun, Mayor Shaokai, Mayor Jide, Mayor Xiaoya, plus Gao Ke and Ye Chen; we'll get together—don't your comrades support your work?"

Si Daiqiang smiled especially brightly and said gratefully, "Lu Fan, thank you for your effort; I feel it in my heart!"

Lu Fan seized the moment and said, "Some comrades in municipal departments strongly support my work, such as Finance Bureau Chief Zhang Qianyuan, Development and Reform Commission Director Wu Wutong, Human Resources Bureau Chief Li Guanglei, Education Bureau Chief Di Bin, Health Commission Chief Yin Shaopeng, Forestry Bureau Chief Niu Yasen, Statistics Bureau Chief Wang Haoran, etc. I'll arrange a bureau meeting for us to gather as well. More communication with comrades will make work coordination smoother."

Si Daiqiang laughed until he could hardly keep his mouth shut, Lu Fan continued to add fuel to the fire, saying: "In the county district there are also some comrades, such as Fangzhou County Party Secretary Liu Yuheng, Dingshui County Party Secretary Chen Hangji, Fuxian County Party Secretary Wang Jiaoming, Yanshui County Party Secretary Zhang Yuxuan, Yanshui County Chief Wang Zhikun, Hongqi County Deputy Secretary Yang Minghao, Zibei County Deputy Secretary Ceng Ming, etc.; we should also sit together for a while. They will firmly comply with all decisions and deployments of the City Government, and will wholeheartedly support the work of the mayor and the City Government."

Lu Fan took the opportunity to propose that, before leaving, he wanted to resolve the position adjustments for some people.

Si Daiqiang waved his hand, indicating that this is natural human sentiment, he would fully support it, and he could personally go communicate with Secretary Ruifang.

Lu Fan said with a smile, "As long as you agree, that's fine; I'll talk to Secretary Ruifang myself. Don't let people think that, just after you took office, you're pointing fingers, affecting your unity—after all, she's the top leader!"

The next morning, Lu Fan arrived at the municipal Party Committee with a list.

Yao Qian saw him and hurriedly came out, whispering, "Old leader, thank you!"

Lu Fan chuckled and said, "It's just a small effort, not worth mentioning; don't take it to heart—we're all from Ningyang!"

Yao Qian nodded heavily and said, "The secretary's office is empty; I'll take you inside."

After entering, Li Ruifang lifted her head and said, "You've come; please sit, I'll finish approving this document!"

Two minutes later, Li Ruifang set down her pen, smiling, and said, "The secretary's office meeting has already been held; the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee will meet tomorrow, and your matter should have been settled before the year's end. Lu Fan, congratulations; from now on you should support Yingjiang's work and come back often to check in!"

Lu Fan sincerely replied, "Thank you, Secretary, for your concern, help, and meticulous cultivation over the past two years; from you I have learned many valuable management and work methods that will benefit me for life. As long as you don't mind my bothering, I will certainly return often to report on work in the city!"

Li Ruifang proactively asked, "Lu Fan, you're about to leave—are there any people or matters that need arranging?" She naturally understood that taking the initiative is a favor; to do it, do it generously, to leave a lingering connection for the future. Lu Fan's rising trajectory is plain to see; perhaps one day he'll even ask for a position above hers.

Lu Fan bluntly said, "Secretary, indeed some comrades strongly support my work and have contributed certain efforts to Yingjiang's development. Their abilities in various aspects are not bad; following the principle of focusing on cultivating and selecting good cadres, I want to recommend some talents to you and the organization to enhance the quality and capacity of young cadres."

Lu Fan bluntly said: "Secretary, indeed some comrades are very supportive of my work, having made certain efforts for Yingjiang's development. These people have good abilities in all aspects, following the principle of focusing on cultivating and selecting good cadres, I want to recommend some talents to you and the organization, to empower and enhance the growth of young cadres."

Lu Fan continued, "Many positions are vacant in the city, and both municipal and county levels will undergo leadership changes next year. I'd like to recommend Xu Zheng from Fangzhou County, Li Longhao from Ding Shui County, Fang Hui from Fu County, Zhou Jian from Xiuyan County, and Li Xinbo from Hongqi County for adjustment to deputy county Party Committee secretary or executive vice county magistrate, so they can receive better training. Could Deputy Secretary Zeng Ming of Beizi County and Deputy Secretary Yang Minghao of Hongqi County be promoted further?"

Li Ruifang thought and replied, "Adjusting positions is not a big issue, but promoting Zeng Ming and Yang Minghao further may be difficult; I'll do my best. Anything else?"

Lu Fan replied, "Secretary, could Deputy Secretary-General Xia Li of the Municipal Party Committee and Deputy Director Li Yifeng of the Municipal Development and Reform Commission be considered for transfer to lower-level posts?"

Li Ruifang replied, "Let's consider it during the leadership reshuffle; if a position opens up, I'll give it priority consideration."

Lu Fan added, "There are also several section-level cadres: Zhu Jianglin of the Human Resources Bureau, Wang Meng'en of the Education Bureau, Deng Junchi of the Organization Department, and Huang Xiaoyu of the Public Security Bureau—could they be sent to the counties for training?"

For Li Ruifang, deputy division-level posts are not significant; she cares about Provincial Party Committee standing committee members, county-level Party and government leaders, and important municipal departments. Thus she straightforwardly answered, "These four comrades should pose no problem; young cadres ought to go to the grassroots to strengthen their foundations—only when the base is solid can they walk farther and more steadily."

Lu Fan said gratefully, "Thank you for your strong support, Secretary; the comrades will surely raise their stance, reach consensus, firmly grasp the correct political direction, hone their abilities and enhance their talents, and achieve something through practical work."

Li Ruifang suddenly said, "Secretary Zijun is in his prime, experienced, and reliable. I hope the Yingjiang Municipal Party Committee becomes a cohesive, combative team; unity and progress are conducive to work, enabling better service to the Yingjiang people."

Lu Fan nodded in agreement, indicating he would communicate with Chen Zijun.

Li Ruifang, as a member of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee, certainly can know in advance the Provincial Party Committee's movements.

Regarding the matter of staffing the Yingjiang Municipal Party Committee lineup, the Provincial Party Committee gave careful consideration. The deputy secretary post is crucial; if it leans to one side, the whole team would become a 'one-man show.' After thorough deliberation and various parties' negotiations, Municipal Political and Legal Committee Secretary Chen Zijun stood out and was nominated as a candidate for deputy municipal Party Committee secretary. Li Mingzhou holds Chen Zijun in high esteem and is also considered a key cultivation target.

After work in the afternoon, Lu Fan called his cousin Linxuan Lu and returned to Langcha Village, giving his car to his second uncle, indicating he was leaving Yingjiang to work in the province.

His second uncle was especially gratified, encouraging Lu Fan to work hard and strive to make something of himself!

While chatting with his second uncle, Lu Fan's phone rang—it was a number from the capital.

Lu Fan answered, saying, "Hello!"

"Uncle Lu, I'm Wang Mingyu; I got your number from Uncle Daiqiang."

Lu Fan said with a smile, "Mingyu, what do you need from Uncle Lu?"

"Uncle Lu, could you make me a few more 'foreign fire guns'? Several classmates also want to play!"

Lu Fan bluntly said, "No problem; I'll bring them to you when I return to the capital in a few days."

"Thanks, Uncle Lu; mainly I've blown my own cowhide, so it's a hassle for you!"

Lu Fan replied, "A real man stands by his word; from now on, if you have anything, just tell Uncle Lu!"

After hanging up, Lu Fan went straight to the old carpenter's house and ordered ten 'foreign fire guns.' This thing, rural kids don't play with it anymore, but city kids haven't seen it; they're after novelty.

Next, Lu Fan began transferring Si Daiqiang's entire team 'en bloc,' drinking for several days in a row.

Lu Fan also had an in-depth exchange with Political and Legal Committee Secretary Chen Zijun, handing over key relationships and the people who needed cultivation.

Having worked in Yingjiang for over a decade and lived there for more than thirty years, looking back on the past, there were joys and worries, times of bitterness and happiness, sour, sweet, bitter, spicy; having weathered hardships, Lu Fan has tasted all flavors of life, forever cherished in his heart!

When the time truly came to leave, Lu Fan felt myriad reluctance. But gatherings and partings have their season; when it's time to go, first become one's own mountain, then seek the sea in one's heart—the future is promising!

When it truly came time to leave, Lu Fan felt countless reluctance. But gatherings and partings always have their time; when it was time to leave, first become one's own mountain, then seek the sea in one's heart— the future is promising!