Chapter 593

After exchanging a few jokes, Zhao Lingyun said, "The General Office is very complicated, full of sharp people; trying to straighten it out would be enough to make you drink a pot of tea."

Lu Fan replied, "That's the Secretary-General's job; how could I overstep and do his work?"

"You oversee the Provincial Party Committee's daily work, and the General Office operates under your direct leadership—how could you not care?"

"As long as they don't hinder work, that's fine; I, as Deputy Secretary, like the Secretary-General, serve the Secretary. Lingyun, which comrades in the General Office have serious problems?"

"I'll sort it out, then have Lin Changping bring it over to you. The General Office has plenty of troublemakers! Secretary Lu, Changping is excellent, brought up by Wenlong Du; if there's a chance, promote him, move one of our Deputy Secretaries out to make room for Changping."

Lu Fan nodded and said, "I will certainly pay attention to what you've assigned. Secretary Jingchen just arrived; he probably needs some time to get familiar with the work—look for an opportunity!"

"Alright, pay attention to it; the Discipline Inspection Committee also needs to be shaken up, to mobilize comrades' work enthusiasm."

Lu Fan suddenly said, "Lingyun, the authority that should be delegated must be delegated fully, but what should be managed must be managed well and thoroughly, so that no one is misplaced or oversteps."

Zhao Lingyun's expression immediately turned serious, and he said, "Speak plainly; the unit is large, I cannot possibly oversee every detail."

Lu Fan said solemnly, "To forge iron, one must be strong oneself! Some people stretch their hands too far, using inspections, tours, and integrity assessments as means to arbitrarily interfere in municipal projects and personnel adjustments, with extremely arrogant attitudes; when handling matters, they put a knife to the necks of grassroots comrades, their power even exceeding that of a Deputy Provincial Governor, causing a very bad impact. Grassroots comrades can't afford to provoke them nor dodge them; if this continues, it will surely blow up, don't let it affect you!"

Zhao Lingyun furrowed his brows, his face grim, and said, "Rest assured, I won't let those 'bad apples' run wild; I'll root out corruption hidden in plain sight, and I'll deal with it when I go back."

Lu Fan replied, "To keep the team itself pure is a heavy and long road; to achieve sustained anti-corruption and fundamental results, we must start from ourselves, from discipline inspection cadres, forging their quality and work style like steel, only then can we set an example for cadres. The anti-corruption situation is severe, interests are tightly intertwined, and methods of wrongdoing are diverse; strengthening the self-construction of the discipline inspection and supervision team is especially urgent." As a Provincial Party Committee leader, Lu Fan can guide work in every field.

While they were chatting, Governor Liu Linghao pushed the door open and entered, and the two quickly rose to their feet.

Zhao Lingyun said with a smile, "Governor, you and Secretary Lu chat; I'll go 'report in' first, otherwise I'd have to wait in line."

Governor Liu Linghao replied, "Lingyun, come over and chat; if we're free tonight, let's sit together and have a few drinks."

Zhao Lingyun replied with an apologetic expression, "Governor, tomorrow I have to go to Yancheng to report work; I'll have to work overtime tonight to sort materials. When I return, I'll make arrangements for us."

Governor Liu Linghao said without changing his expression, "Work is important; then we'll talk after you return."

After Zhao Lingyun left, Governor Liu Linghao said, "Secretary Jingchen is full of ambition, not very satisfied with our work, wanting to make a big push! He doesn't realize that grassroots conditions are special; you and I both rose step by step from the grassroots, and every task requires people to implement it. How could it be so easy? If you don't go to the villages and households, don't conduct investigations and research, then work becomes mere armchair theorizing and closed-door invention."

Lu Fan sighed, "Some problems have indeed reached the point of 'burning eyebrows' and must be solved. Bad reputation, everywhere people shout to beat them; the masses don't understand, they vent anger, policies are good, but implementation is poor—this may be the most common complaint; feeling stifled everywhere, cadres shrink back, timid; unable to bear the burden, caught between superiors' hard tasks and the public's resentment, they are stuck in the middle, neither here nor there; no hope of promotion, an eternity ahead, making our grassroots cadres feel deeply unfair, yet helpless and powerless; much work, little pay, very loss of face; treatment issues can be small or large, giving them a stronger sense of inferiority. No money means no face; no money can't buy a car or fuel; no money can't eat steak or travel; lack of face is a big problem, severely damaging work enthusiasm."

"I've recently been working on reducing burdens at the grassroots; the work plan is almost formed, and I ask the Governor to give strong support, possibly needing financial support."

Governor Liu Linghao replied, "Feel free to go ahead boldly; every penny that should be spent must not be spared, and whatever support is needed I will certainly give strong support. Lu Fan, just now Secretary Jingchen said he plans to select a Provincial Party Committee Secretary-General from within the province; the candidates are nothing more than municipal Party secretaries or bureau chiefs, which is natural. But the next step of personnel adjustments needs vigor; we must strive to seize the vacated positions. Deputy Secretary-General of the Provincial Government Li Borning, who studied with you at the Party School, you know well his business ability, work style, and political literacy. Among your cohort, he is the only one not yet promoted to an important post; it's time to find him a suitable position."

Lu Fan nodded and said, "Borning is excellent, with a good reputation; if there's an opportunity, he should indeed be used further."

Governor Liu Linghao said earnestly, "We are all cadres of Huayuan; we must unite as one, concentrate our efforts, be pragmatic and resolute, jointly seek development, and fully safeguard the interests of Huayuan's cadres and masses."

"Governor, I understand your meaning; anything beneficial to Huayuan's people's cause, I will firmly support, work hard without pause; anything harmful to Huayuan's people's interests, I will firmly oppose! The welfare of the involved people admits no negligence."

"Have a drink tonight? Let me celebrate you a bit!"

Lu Fan replied, "Governor, Secretary Jingchen just arrived, and I've just taken office; let's wait a few days."

Governor Liu Linghao stood up and said, "Alright, you set the time, I'll make the arrangements; this drink will definitely not be missing!"

"Then I won't stand on ceremony with the Governor!"

After work, Lu Fan planned to go to the cafeteria to grab a bite, when Zhao Lingyun's call came through, saying, "Lu Fan, the usual place, I've booked a private room and sent the details to your phone; just me and Lin Changping."

Lu Fan laughed, "Aren't you supposed to be sorting materials?"

Zhao Lingyun laughed and replied, "Different times, different circumstances; I happen to be free right now. You've just taken office, you need to 'warm up' with a drink, or else your seat won't be steady!"

"Alright, I'll go over later with Fangyang and Qishengyin." These two are Lu Fan's left and right arms in the Provincial Party Committee and Organization Department.

After hanging up, Lu Fan thought it over, then dialed the phone of Standing Committee Deputy Provincial Governor Lei Juan, saying, "Older sister, do you have time now?"

At this moment, Lei Juan was already dining at the hotel, but she smiled and replied, "I'm just about to get off work; Secretary Lu, what instructions do you have?"

"I dare not call it an instruction; if it's convenient, come to Provincial One Expense for a simple meal."

"I also said I'd go to the Provincial Party Committee tomorrow morning to report work to you; this meal must be on me, I'll be there right away!"

After hanging up, Lei Juan and her comrades expressed apologies, put down their utensils, and hurried straight to Provincial One Expense.

Upon arriving at the private room, Lei Juan discovered Zhao Lingyun was also there, her smile widening; the consensus among Huayuan's leading cadres is that Secretary Zhao never participates in private banquets.

Within the Huayuan system, who wouldn't want Zhao Lingyun's friendship? To put it without exaggeration, at critical moments it could save your life!

The six gathered together, exchanging cups, each understanding the other implicitly; the atmosphere was quite harmonious.

The next day at work, Lei Juan was the first to come visit; after leaving a box of tea, she then went to Wang Jingchen's office, the visits in sequence must not be messed up.

Next, Lu Fan's office turned into a market, with leading cadres coming one after another to pay visits and express their blessings. The Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee who also heads the Organization Department is no joke; any Huayuan cadre seeking promotion and reuse cannot get around this hurdle.

For three full days, the Deputy Secretary's office was bustling with traffic, not inferior to the neighboring Secretary's office, even livelier. Unbeknownst to them, Lu Fan had already taken deep root in Huayuan; nobody dares to look down on him.

On the morning of July 30, the head of the Information Department, Wang Tian, asked Lu Fan to go to the Secretary's Office; he is currently temporarily serving Wang Jingchen.

Holding a notebook, Lu Fan arrived at the Secretary's Office and asked, "Secretary, what instructions do you have?"

Wang Jingchen smiled and said, "Please sit and speak; I want to discuss the candidate for Provincial Party Committee Secretary-General. What do you think of Wang Yuze, the Party Secretary of Sanmen City?"

The person has already been decided; Lu Fan naturally wouldn't dampen his enthusiasm, but the work in Sanmen City is indeed mediocre, so he replied, "This comrade has a good temperament, strong coordination skills, can get along with everyone; I support the Secretary's opinion. However, shouldn't we let the Discipline Inspection Committee look into his integrity in governance?"

Wang Jingchen responded perfunctorily, "I'll arrange it; if you have no objection, I'll consult with Comrade Linghao and recommend Wang Yuze as Provincial Party Committee Secretary-General in the name of the Provincial Party Committee. The Organization Department should plan ahead for the Sanmen City Party Secretary candidate, seeking a young cadre with solid politics, ability, and work style, preferably with achievements in economic work. Looking at the vacancy situation you sent over, Nanyuan City still lacks a Deputy Mayor and a County Party Secretary. Important posts cannot remain vacant long-term; you know best the cadre force of Nanyuan, and the Organization Department should quickly propose suitable candidates."

Lu Fan nodded and said, "Okay, Secretary, I'll implement it as soon as possible."

Wang Jingchen continued, "You oversee the Provincial Party Committee General Office; the Secretary-General candidate needs upper-level department inspection and appointment, which takes a process, but the General Office's operation must run smoothly. First, make a minor adjustment: fill the vacancy of the Comprehensive Section One chief by transferring Wang Tian from the Information Department; after a few days, I feel he's not bad."

"Okay, Secretary, I'll do it right away. I also want to move something in Section Two: swap the heads of Section Three, Hou Wenwei, and Section Two, Guo Wen."

"Such minor matters, Wang Jingchen won't care; he immediately said, 'As long as it benefits work, go ahead and adjust.'"

That afternoon, under Lu Fan's arrangement, Deputy Secretary-General Qishengyin initiated the personnel adjustments of the Provincial Party Committee General Office; the Organization Department naturally gave a green light all the way.

Soon, Wang Tian formally became the Provincial Party Committee's Number One Chief Secretary, Hou Wenwei became the Number Two Secretary, and Guo Wen, disheartened, went to the Comprehensive Section Three.