Chapter 492

Lu Fan also said: "Governor, the Governor of Shaohua Province has been promoted, the Municipal Party Secretary of Runan is vacant; surely there will be a personnel adjustment, right?"

Liu Linghao directly asked: "Do you have any ideas?"

Lu Fan replied: "Secretary Tang Bing should not let the Municipal Party Secretary position go to someone else, but recommending a mayoral candidate is an internal matter of the provincial government. Governor, could you consider letting Deputy Minister Wang Xi of the Organization Department go down?"

Liu Linghao thought for a moment, then said: "Let's give it a try; I'll bump into Secretary Tang Bing these two days."

At half past five, Lu Fan rushed to the First Guest House of Splendid Origin, ordered a few special dishes, and waited quietly for the arrival of Organization Department Head Zhao Lingyun.

Soon after, Deputy Minister Wang Xi of the Organization Department hurried in, entered the door and asked: "Squad Leader, is it about 'liaison'? What should I do?"

Lu Fan replied: "Get in there thoroughly, strive to gain Department Head Zhao Lingyun's support. I just recommended you to the Governor; see if we can vie for the Runan mayoral position. You know the score; when an opportunity comes, seize it, and be more proactive lately."

Wang Xi excitedly said: "Thank you, Squad Leader, for your promotion! I won't say more; it's all in my heart!"

Soon after, Department Head Zhao Lingyun pushed the door open and entered; Lu Fan and Wang Xi hurriedly rose to greet them.

Seeing Deputy Minister Wang Xi also present, Department Head Zhao Lingyun showed no surprise.

After sitting down, Lu Fan smiled and said: "Department Head, Wang Xi and I are classmates from the middle-youth class. Department Head, since you've just arrived in Splendid Origin, if there's anything you don't understand or aren't familiar with, or if you need someone to run an errand, feel free to order him around!"

Then he turned to Wang Xi and said: "You must provide all-around service to the Department Head, using all your ability to let the Department Head grasp the situation in the shortest time!"

Wang Xi hurriedly said: "Department Head, if you have orders, I will dutifully obey!"

Department Head Zhao Lingyun laughed and replied: "Come, let me toast you two; let's support each other!"

After reaching a preliminary agreement, the three clinked glasses and enjoyed their drinks!

The next day, Lu Fan returned to Nanyuan City with the smell of alcohol; last night the three of them were almost all drunk.

Currently, Nanyuan City is vigorously creating a "Six Best" business environment, striving to build a provincial sub-central city, and continually striving for advancement among the nation's top 100 cities.

Seizing time is seizing opportunity, is striving for development.

Mayor Lu Fan personally participated, innovatively implementing the "Eight Fast, Two Improve" work mechanism, reducing Nanyuan City's overall approval service items by over 20%, cutting approval time limits by over 45%…… Nanyuan is racing along the road of innovating and optimizing the business environment.

In early April, Nanyuan City introduced the "Stabilize the Economy 100 Measures", supporting enterprise development with real money and silver, boosting enterprise development confidence.

In mid-April, Mayor Lu Fan led the Nanyuan Party-Government inspection team to Nanling Province to inspect and connect projects; over six days they visited four cities, successively inspecting and connecting with over 18 enterprises, and holding discussions with over 50 entrepreneurs, with the efficient and pragmatic work style of "treating one day as two, making two steps into one", they successively signed strategic cooperation agreements with Longwei International Group, China Resources Group, Fangzhou, CRRC Stock, etc., not only signing a batch of major projects and forming ties with a batch of good enterprises, but also deepening industrial synergy cooperation with the most cutting-edge and advanced regions.

Of course, these achievements are inseparable from the support and help of Hong Tao.

On the morning of April 16, Lu Fan visited Hong Tao, expressing gratitude.

Hong Tao affirmed Lu Fan's work in Nanyuan, saying: "The student cafeteria you set up is not bad; recently there are many videos online, it's very popular, and netizens' evaluations are also high. What specific plans do you have next?"

Lu Fan reported: "Secretary, I am now wholeheartedly pursuing development, focusing on key project construction and investment promotion, striving to accumulate a 'family base', then vigorously implementing people's livelihood projects. I plan to implement free medical care for seniors over 60 and minors by year-end, and if the budget still has surplus, to implement free education city-wide, including high school, with parents making no annual investment."

Hong Tao nodded and said: "I understand your work in Ganshui County; parents indeed no longer need to spend money. The idea is good; you can try it, summarize the experience well, and report the results to me. Anything else?"

Lu Fan continued: "Secretary, I plan to take the student cafeteria as a breakthrough point, and build Nanyuan into a genuine 'Food Safety City'. I will launch a strong combination of food safety measures, tightly weave a food safety protection net, solidify the food safety defense line, and wholeheartedly safeguard the 'safety on the tip of the tongue' of the broad masses. Nanyuan will not produce counterfeit goods, nor allow fake products to flow into Nanyuan; I will call on all citizens of the city to act together, actively participate in safeguing food safety, forming a situation where everyone values food safety and everyone participates in food safety supervision. We will punish food crimes with Zero Tolerance, and any offender found will be stripped of all possessions!"

Hong Tao seriously nodded and said: "The people's interests are no small matter; food safety is a major issue! I will focus on this work; if you encounter difficulties and resistance, report to me promptly. Summarize the experience well; if the 'Nanyuan Model' is truly feasible, it can be promoted nationwide."

Finally, he spoke earnestly: "Full granaries, peace under heaven! Only by gripping the seeds with our own hands can we steady our rice bowls, achieve food security. Splendid Origin is a major grain-producing area; we must firmly grasp the material foundation, store grain in the land and in technology."

"I will surely implement your instructions well and hold fast to the 'food rice bowl'!" Lu Fan was somewhat surprised; he himself is merely a mayor, yet the leadership actually raised his status to the provincial level—this is a great thing!

After leaving the office, Lu Fan was in high spirits; he clearly felt that Secretary Hong Tao's regard for him had increased somewhat.

Next, Lu Fan tirelessly participated in the Farmers' Harvest Festival, organized Nanyuan's investment promotion event, personally serving as the "Recommendation Officer", signing 52 projects with contracted investment of 52 billion yuan.

They organized a series of activities under the "Traditional Chinese Medicine Culture Dissemination Campaign – Visiting the Hometowns of Famous Physicians" (Nanyuan Station), signing five projects on site with a total investment of 22 billion yuan.

At the 14th Nanyuan Rose Flower Festival Economic and Trade Cooperation and Project Signing and Construction Promotion Day event, 125 projects were signed, with total investment of 130 billion yuan……

Nanyuan focuses on cultivating hundreds-of-billions-level industrial clusters and building 25 key industrial chains, adhering to the dual-directional effort of "going out" and "bringing in", keeping an eye on economically developed regions, targeting the Global 500, listed companies, industry leaders, and large central state-owned enterprises, actively attracting leading-type, supporting-type, and chain-type enterprises and projects. By mobilizing all positive factors through every means, with a more open posture, broader vision, and more pragmatic measures, it has stirred wave after wave of new highs in open investment promotion.

Lu Fan is not satisfied with current achievements, does not set an upper limit on development; each day he is either at the project negotiation table or on the way to investment promotion, driving Nanyuan City to form a work norm where everyone talks about investment promotion, everyone wants to engage in investment promotion, and everyone grasps investment promotion.

Moreover, the construction of key projects across the city is in full swing; by the end of April, the city had implemented 1,458 provincial and municipal key projects with total investment of 139.8 billion yuan, and the annual plan achieved investment exceeding 800 billion yuan.

Present-day Nanyuan City shows a scene of prosperous flourishing and vigorous vitality. Walking the streets and alleys, you can personally witness the magnificent spectacle of the city's facade renovation; the city's appearance is completely renewed, infrastructure continually improves, and projects covering all fields blanket the sky and earth, injecting strong developmental momentum into Nanyuan City and bringing earth-shaking changes to the city.

Ordinary people can truly feel the benefits brought by these changes: job opportunities increase, income level rises, household economic situation improves, quality of life improves, making Nanyuan residents more hopeful about life.

When Mayor Lu Fan is mentioned, Nanyuan residents all give a thumbs-up and sincerely praise him; this is an official who gets things done!

Mayor Lu Fan, with his pragmatic style and solid responsibility, has earned widespread praise from Nanyuan residents. Under his leadership, Nanyuan is marching toward a better future.

At the end of April, the first-quarter report card came out, and Nanyuan City secured first place in 16 evaluation indicators including fixed-asset investment, investment promotion, GDP growth rate, industrial value-added growth rate, fiscal revenue growth rate, and urban and rural residents' two income items.

Nanyuan City's GDP reached 165 billion yuan, with an astonishing increase of 80 billion yuan, leaving other cities in the dust, demonstrating strong economic vitality, and injecting new momentum into provincial economic growth.

Worth mentioning is that Nanyuan City's GDP for the first time surpassed that of Luojun City, earning a special commendation from the Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government; this honor undoubtedly boosted Nanyuan City's morale.

When this good news spread throughout Nanyuan City, cadres and masses alike were delighted. It greatly boosted the confidence of Nanyuan's people, motivating everyone to muster their efforts, forge ahead courageously, and create even greater glory.

In early May, the Provincial Party Committee began researching candidates for the Runan Municipal Party Secretary; Secretary Tang Bing proposed that the Runan Mayor assume the position of Municipal Party Secretary.

When deliberating the mayoral candidate, Organization Department Head Zhao Lingyun strongly recommended Deputy Minister Wang Xi of the Organization Department.

Since assuming the post of Organization Department Head, Zhao Lingyun has shown great respect for Tang Bing, fully cooperating in work; this is required by the bigger picture and also reflects his political stance.

But as a cadre valued by Hong Tao, he must also demonstrate his own work ability; he cannot merely be a "yes-man", he needs to appropriately voice his own opinions, and the manifestation of organizational work ability lies in recommending cadres.

Furthermore, Liu Linghao also strongly recommended Wang Xi, and Tang Bing thus agreed to this candidate.

On May 4, the Provincial Party Committee convened a standing committee meeting and smoothly passed the adjustment plan for the Runan municipal leadership team.

Before taking office, the newly appointed Mayor Wang Xi specially called Lu Fan to express his deep gratitude!

This made Lu Fan's influence no longer limited to just Nanyuan City; this is also the direction of Lu Fan's efforts in Splendid Origin Province, and his ultimate goal remains the Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government.