Chapter 585: with translation of chapter title

After Peng Yongchang was 'talked into leaving', Lu Fan immediately went to Bianliang City to supervise the institutional reform. As long as he doesn't sign, Yingjun City's reform cannot be launched. For each day delayed, Tang Bing's anger will increase a point, so Lu Fan naturally wants to 'flee at top speed'!

April 9, the Bianliang City Social Work Department, Municipal Party Committee Policy Research Office, Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government Supervision Bureau, Municipal Government State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, and nine other departments held a plaque-unveiling ceremony, marking that the city's institutional reform had entered the 'hard nut' stage.

Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee member and Organization Department Head Lu Fan attended the activity, pointed out that the leadership teams of all units should further raise their ideological stance, strengthen responsibility and commitment, build a solid ideological defense line, guide the broad cadres and workers to actively follow the overall situation, courageously take on new missions and display new achievements in development, so as to bravely act as pathfinders in Bianliang's advancement of modernization construction in the Huayuan practice.

April 10, Lu Fan went to Pingshan City to supervise the reform. Deng Guoqiang was advancing the reform in an orderly manner; it was clear that his abilities were not bad and he had strong control over the whole city.

April 11, Lu Fan went to Runan City to supervise the reform. After understanding the situation, he was generally satisfied.

In the evening, Lu Fan had a long talk with Mayor Wang Xi, who was also a fellow party school student. The municipal party secretary was about to 'arrive at the station', so Wang Xi naturally had grand ideas.

Promoting cadres is an extension of one's own power and an expansion of interests. Know that a locality's human, financial, and material resources are limited; which work is not important? When it comes to implementation, there will always be priorities; those you promote will ensure your orders and decisions are carried out smoothly, allowing you to 'shout and see it through'!

April 12, Lu Fan went to Zhoujiakou City to inspect and guide the institutional reform, accompanied by Municipal Party Secretary Li Jun, Mayor Lei Xingxing, and Organization Department Head Gao Shu.

When the municipal compilation office was conducting research, Li Jun reported that, under the specific guidance of the steering group, the municipal party committee and government carefully studied and formulated classified measures for the municipal-level and ten counties' public institutions involved in the reform, pushing for the implementation of the 'second half of the article' of the reform. The 168 public institutions after the reform were classified according to four situations: retention, new establishment, renaming, and merger and reorganization……

Lu Fan pointed out that the various drawbacks of institutionalized public institutions are not only obstacles to realizing fairness and justice, but also become a besieged city for the staff of those institutions. When the obstacles are broken and the besieged city is toppled, the fairness expected by the outside world and the vitality imagined internally may thus be released.

From then on, public institutions were no longer a utopian haven where parasites could enjoy lifetime employment; if performance evaluations failed, one would lose one's job, let alone snacking on melon seeds or playing with eggs at work. The 'big pot rice' environment is gone, lifetime tenure is gone, and those lacking ability or effort will face the risk of being laid off.

Pingshan City must clean up the fragments left after the 'iron rice bowl' shatters, and, on the premise of fairness and efficiency, further deepen the reform of public institutions to avoid leaving more dead zones and gray areas, thus becoming a historical legacy problem affecting the future.

After dinner, Organization Department Head Gao Shu accompanied Lu Fan in enjoying Pingshan City's night scenery; he could also be considered Lu Fan's 'core troops'.

April 13, while Lu Fan was inspecting work in Xinzhong City, he suddenly received a notice from the Provincial Party Committee Office that a standing committee meeting would be held at three o'clock in the afternoon.

After briefing Municipal Party Secretary Ma Yuxiang on his work, Lu Fan immediately rushed back to the Provincial Party Committee.

At three o'clock, the standing committee meeting commenced on time.

Secretary Tang Bing announced that Comrade Li Mingyang would no longer serve as Deputy Secretary, Standing Committee member, and Committee member of the Huayuan Provincial Party Committee, and would be assigned elsewhere.

This sudden adjustment caught the standing committee members off guard, but everyone paid more attention to the upcoming adjustments.

Lu Fan observed that Executive Deputy Provincial Governor Huang Chongzhou flashed a barely perceptible hint of joy in his eyes; Zhao Lingyun, however, remained calm and unfazed, showing no ripple, as he knew some inside information; Yingjun Municipal Party Secretary Peng Yongchang, on the other hand, looked thoughtful, staring fixedly at his notebook in a daze.

After announcing the personnel adjustments, Secretary Tang Bing solemnly said: 'When the wind lends strength, it is the right time to set sail. Currently, the institutional reform of public institutions is the top priority of Huayuan Province, having reached the stage of overcoming difficulties; all work must make way for the reform! We must exert greater determination and more concrete measures in integrating and merging institutional functions, truly placing the focal point of public institution reform on responding to public demands, safeguarding public rights and interests, enhancing public welfare, and improving social governance and service to the public.'

Compared with previous institutional reforms, this reform's intensity, scale, breadth of coverage, and depth of impact on interests are unprecedented, constituting a systemic, holistic, and reconstructive transformation. Only by transforming functions a step ahead can upgrading and transformation move faster, economic development gain an edge, and 'sailing onward' have more horsepower.

The blueprint has been drawn; the key lies in implementation. The reform work is tight on time, heavy on tasks, and demanding; doing good things well and solidly is not just an attitude and standard, but also a test.

A train runs fast thanks to its locomotive. Comrade Yongchang, Yingjun City's steps have been a bit slow; you must adhere to the principle of 'first establish, then break; without establishment there is no break.' First announce the leadership of the newly established departments, hold a meeting to arrange the transfer and affiliation work, complete the 'establishment' work before carrying out the 'break' arrangements, so as to keep pace with the province. I suggest you advance with firm steps, press forward steadily, and promote the institutional reform in a rigorous and orderly manner, forming a vigorous reform situation like a rainbow and like breaking bamboo, continuously generating strong momentum in unity of purpose.

Hearing the secretary's implication, Peng Yongchang immediately replied: 'Please rest assured, Secretary, Yingjun City will certainly strengthen its sense of responsibility and urgency, grasp the situation, firm up confidence, implement precise measures, seek real results, act decisively, and resolutely launch an attack on the historical legacy problems and deep-seated contradictions of public institutions, without hesitation to reform, increase efforts to reform, comprehensively and thoroughly reform, and fight hard to win the battle against the tough assault of public institution reform.'

After the meeting, Peng Yongchang went straight to the Organization Department, 'blocking' Lu Fan to have him approve the 'Reform Plan'.

After carefully reviewing the plan, Lu Fan signed off with a bold stroke, agreeing to Yingjun City's 'Plan', because they basically followed Nanyuan City's reform standard, showing great determination.

Perhaps seeing the dawn of progress, Peng Yongchang acted decisively; the next day he convened a city-wide mobilization meeting for public institution institutional reform and issued deadlines to all counties and departments.

All city departments, following the deployment requirements, pushed forward with the formation of special teams, personnel transfer and affiliation, relocation and plaque installation, and office operations, achieving fast speed, high efficiency, and excellent quality.

On the first working day after the meeting, departments immediately submitted the implementation plans for transfer and affiliation; within three days they submitted the personnel transfer lists; the fastest department held its first all-staff meeting within four days and held the plaque-unveiling ceremony within six days. In just ten days, all departments involved in the reform completed establishment, unveiling, and relocation for office work. At every link, step, and node, all departments and personnel, without conditions, discounts, making exceptions, or leaving loopholes, implemented the tasks thoroughly and produced results.

Seeing the hope of progress, Peng Yongchang's determination is unmatched!

Likewise seeing the opportunity, Executive Deputy Provincial Governor Huang Chongzhou, after discussing with Governor Liu Linghao, came to the Organization Department to sound out Lu Fan's thoughts.

After meeting, Huang Chongzhou smiled and said: 'Are you returning to Yancheng this week? I haven't visited the old leaders for some days; I intend to go listen to their teachings.'

Lu Fan laughed and replied: 'Then let's go together; Grandfather is old now, living a secluded life, not concerning himself with worldly affairs, each day tending flowers, taking walks, cultivating body and mind—I am truly envious.'

Huang Chongzhou spoke bluntly: 'The deputy secretary position is vacant; do you think I have a chance?'

This question is really hard to answer; Lu Fan pondered and replied: 'The Provincial Party Committee also only has recommendation rights; in recent years the deputy secretary post has become increasingly important, competition is quite fierce, I suppose all standing committee members have their ideas, and there is also external competition; ultimately it depends on the superiors' wishes, I think we should just let things take their natural course.'

Huang Chongzhou nodded and said: 'Indeed the competition is fierce, Lu Fan; please put in a good word for me before Li Lao; this might be the best opportunity for me.'

Lu Fan replied: 'Don't worry about that; I will definitely say what needs to be said.'

Huang Chongzhou continued: 'Your forte is the economy; your achievements are evident to all, and no one in the province can dispute them. Governor Linghao just said he very much hopes you could go to the provincial government; if it weren't for Nanyuan propping us up, our province's assessment last year would again be among the bottom few, and I am far inferior to you in developing the economy.'

'One dare not be overly modest; a city and a province are not comparable at all, and Nanyuan's achievements are inseparable from your strong support!'

After chatting about this and that for half an hour, Huang Chongzhou laughed and left.

Lu Fan then thought: 'If I were to 'take' the deputy secretary position, how would I get along with Huang Chongzhou? He surely would have misgivings in his heart—but I can't worry about that now; since it concerns my future and destiny, I cannot yield, and I'll leave the thorny issue to Li Lao to handle.'

As it was getting close to off-duty time, Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee Secretary Zhao Lingyun arrived.

But unexpectedly, after a few casual remarks he directly said: 'The deputy secretary position is vacant; you need to step up your efforts!'

Lu Fan laughed and replied: 'Are you trying to pump me for information? You have more seniority than I do, and greater opportunities.'

Zhao Lingyun laughed: 'Don't give me that line with me; in recent years, how many discipline inspection committee secretaries have you seen move up to deputy secretary? The old leaders have talked with me about this; next I might leave Huayuan, and I won't engage in internal friction with you here. Have you heard? Your Qinchuan's Si Daiqiang is about to settle the 'alternate' position!'

Lu Fan nodded and said: 'Yingjiang holds a special position; this is customary, an expected outcome.'

Suddenly, Zhao Lingyun turned serious and said: 'Mayor Zuo Yifan of Bianliang City sent me some materials concerning Li Mingyang; you know about this, right?'

Lu Fan nodded and said: 'He reported it to me in person, but I ignored it; does Zuo Yifan have any problems?'

Zhao Lingyun said contemptuously: 'Li Mingyang hasn't even been placed under investigation, yet he senses danger and starts 'burning the bridges after crossing the river'. This old fox, I suspect he has long hidden his 'tail', making investigation difficult.'

Lu Fan laughed: 'He currently has meritorious performance; are you not supposed to treat him leniently?'

'A person with such moral corruption can be a mayor—what a disgrace!'