Chapter 594

July 31, Secretary Wang Jingchen brought Municipal Party Secretary of Sanmen Ma Yuze to Yancheng to strive for him to obtain the post of Provincial Party Committee Secretary-General.

As the top leader, he never needs to worry about lacking usable people; his task is to screen out those who can be used. The cadre ranks are uneven, and if personnel are used inappropriately, they may backfire, even severely damaging his career.

Secretary Wang Jingchen's trip went very smoothly; on August 5, the inspection team arrived in Huayuan and conducted an organizational inspection of Municipal Party Secretary of Sanmen Ma Yuze. Consequently, the long-awaited post of Provincial Party Committee Secretary-General was settled.

On the afternoon of August 7, Secretary Wang Jingchen invited Governor Liu Linghao and Lu Fan to his office, convened a Secretary's Office Meeting, and discussed the candidate for Municipal Party Secretary of Sanmen.

Under normal circumstances, matters decided at the Secretary's Office Meeting are then taken to the five-person group meeting, and finally to the Standing Committee meeting, with the outcome basically never deviating.

This illustrates the saying: major issues are discussed in small meetings, minor issues in large meetings; the fewer the participants, the more important the meeting, and important matters are not held as meetings.

Once everyone had gathered, Secretary Wang Jingchen said, "Ma Yuze's appointment will come down soon; the fourth quarter is the 'push period,' and we must promptly fill the Municipal Party Secretary position in Sanmen. Lu Fan, does the Organization Department have any suitable candidates?"

Lu Fan thought for a moment and said, "Secretary, if we select from among the mayors, by seniority, Xu Zhou Mayor Li Haojie has served as mayor the longest; by economic growth rate and work performance, Nanyuan City is the foremost, and I also consider it recommending the virtuous without avoidance of relatives—Comrade Wang Hong is also a suitable candidate. If we select from provincial-level departments, there are many who meet the criteria, and Governor Liu Linghao has recommended Deputy Secretary-General of the Provincial Government Li Bowen."

Governor Liu Linghao then said, "Li Bowen has attended the young cadres class, has solid political literacy, solid ability, solid discipline and work style, and also serves as director of the General Office; he is a young cadre being cultivated as a key talent by the Provincial Government."

Secretary Wang Jingchen gave no clear answer and asked, "How about Zhoukou City Mayor Lei Xingxing?"

The candidate proposed by the top leader naturally goes onto the shortlist; as Secretary Wang Jingchen's deputy, Lu Fan finds it hard to say anything.

Governor Liu Linghao is the top leader of the Provincial Government; having failed to secure the secretary position this time, his mindset has undergone a major shift, harboring some 'lying flat' thoughts, acting with fewer scruples, believing that if something is worth contending for, one must contend, and so he said, "I still know Lei Xingxing fairly well; to be frank, Runan City's development over the past two years has been less than satisfactory, with GDP growth below the provincial average. As the mayor in charge of the economy, his ideas and methods are somewhat mediocre. In terms of seniority and ability, I believe Li Bowen is superior to him."

Secretary Wang Jingchen furrowed his brows and said, "Zhoukou's economic lag has historical reasons; Comrade Lei Xingxing has still done a large amount of effective work in areas such as agriculture, publicity, urban construction, and education, with results gradually becoming evident."

The key to selecting and employing people lies in utilizing their strengths and abilities, so that professionals can do professional work; adhering to choosing people according to the task and appointing talent for the task achieves a fit between person and position and between ability and post. Only then can it be called the 'way of employing people'.

A fine horse can overcome obstacles, but a plow is no match for an ox. We need to fully grasp cadres' strengths and weaknesses, pros and cons, positives and negatives, make an objective overall evaluation of them, draw an accurate 'political portrait' of cadres, conduct dialectical analysis and precise alignment, and provide important reference for selecting and employing people.

Of course, no gold is perfectly pure, no person is perfect. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses; to make use of strengths, one must avoid weaknesses, demand less perfection and show more tolerance. Seeing the mainstream and essence of cadres, to pluck a rose one must accept its thorns; often talent comes with individuality, and only by being fully objective can one select the virtuous and employ the capable.

Moreover, promoting cadres must not be based on seniority alone; we must uphold the principle that position follows contribution, genuinely back and encourage cadres who dare to take responsibility, and establish a personnel orientation that emphasizes practical work and actual achievements.

After going back and forth, it is clear to everyone that he insists on Lei Xingxing and will accept no substitute.

Although it is said that we must not practice seniority-based ranking, in equal circumstances we still ought to appropriately consider cadres' seniority. Selecting and employing people for the public good, not for private gain, lies in upholding justice and fairness, maintaining impartiality and equity, achieving the '' optimal solution' between cadres and posts, and uniting the 'united circle' of undertaking and entrepreneurship. I see no distinctive merit or outstanding achievements in Lei Xingxing; we cannot let honest people suffer losses, nor let those who undertake work feel chilled.

The debate remained unresolved, and both leaders turned their gazes to Lu Fan, leaving him somewhat in a predicament, like riding a tiger and finding it hard to dismount.

After some thought, Lu Fan said, "Each foot has its shortcomings, each inch its strengths; to be frank, my understanding of these few cadres is only superficial, which is my dereliction of duty. I will have the Organization Department immediately conduct a detailed investigation of them, making a scientific and comprehensive assessment from the aspects of virtue, ability, diligence, performance, and integrity, for the reference of the secretary and the governor."

Secretary Wang Jingchen said expressionlessly, "The Organization Department must fulfill its duties promptly and directly submit to the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee for discussion and study!" Since he cannot control the secretary of the Discipline Inspection Committee, the five-person group meeting and the secretary's office meeting are not much different; he intends to use this to probe the political inclinations of each standing committee member.

However, this approach carries considerable risk; if it fails, not only will he lose a municipal party secretary, but more importantly, it will cause him to lose face.

The meeting ended on an unhappy note, and Governor Liu Linghao went straight to Lu Fan's office, entering and asking, "What does he rely on? Can he control the Standing Committee?"

Lu Fan replied, "Governor, he is the top leader; this is his first time adjusting personnel, and we cannot let him be embarrassed."

"But that cannot be done arbitrarily, using whoever you want. Lu Fan, do you think it can go directly through the Standing Committee?"

"Governor, people's hearts are hidden behind their bellies; we don't know what the standing committee members think. Moreover, once in the Standing Committee, everyone must state their position, after all he is the secretary! Why don't you consider letting Bowen go to Zhoukou as mayor? You could also nominate another deputy secretary-general of the Provincial Government."

"He has used one Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee member and one municipal party secretary, so it is only natural that a mayor position becomes available; as for the deputy secretary-general of the Provincial Government, it is not yet others' place to point fingers, so let me think it over again."

"Okay, Governor, my opinion is to strive for consensus in the five-person group meeting as much as possible, to maintain harmony and unity within the team. If the top leader's proposal fails to pass the Standing Committee, it will inevitably have a negative impact."

The next morning, Lu Fan took the internal adjustment document drafted by the Provincial Party Committee General Office and went to the secretary's office.

The document only involves adjustments for three people: the director of the Information Division, Wang Tian, is reassigned as director of the Comprehensive Division One; the director of Comprehensive Division Two, Guo Wen, and the director of Comprehensive Division Three, Hou Wenwei, are swapped.

After reading the document, Secretary Wang Jingchen waved his pen, indicating agreement, and asked, "Has the director of the Information Division not been assigned?"

Lu Fan replied, "Secretary, the responsibilities of Divisions One and Two are clear; considering the work, I have overstepped my bounds, and I will leave the remaining adjustments to Comrade Yuze."

Secretary Wang Jingchen smiled slightly and said, "You are the leading official of the General Office; how can you say you have overstepped your bounds? This is within your duties. Even if the secretary-general is in place, you still need to vet them. Lu Fan, regarding Lei Xingxing serving as Municipal Party Secretary of Sanmen, is it feasible?"

Lu Fan knew he needed to state his position, thought for a moment, and replied, "If the secretary has made up his mind, I will naturally devote myself fully to implementing the Provincial Party Committee's intent and upholding its authority. However, some comrades have certain demands that need to be coordinated."

After a moment's thought, Secretary Wang Jingchen said, "As long as it benefits work, comrades' reasonable demands should be met; you should coordinate this promptly. Oh, by the way, the deputy mayor and county party secretary of Nanyuan City also need to be in place; you are familiar with Nanyuan's situation, so you should propose the candidates."

"Thank you for your support, Secretary; I will quickly produce a plan and then submit it for your approval."

Returning to the office, Lu Fan summoned the Deputy Minister of the Organization Department, Zou Weipeng, and had him talk to the director of the Provincial Justice Department about retiring three months early, so that his requests could be considered within a reasonable scope.

Lu Fan intended to have Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee Fang Yang serve as director of the Justice Department, and then promote Director Lin Changping of the Supervision Office One to Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee; on one hand this fulfills Zhao Lingyun's 'entrustment', and on the other hand it allows Zhao Lingyun, the secretary of the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee, to be brought in, giving both the secretary and the governor a way out, so that the cadre adjustment plan can proceed smoothly.

Having made up his mind, Lu Fan went to the Provincial Government and first contacted Governor Liu Linghao.

In a province, decision‑making really involves only a few people; being able to attend the five‑person group meeting gives you speaking and veto power, enabling participation in deep‑level decisions such as personnel arrangements and major project allocations. As for the other standing committee members, they can only express their demands through these few people who 'get on the table,' so they must have clear political inclinations; the top leader is usually the first choice, and the Provincial Government side naturally centers on the governor, but there are always exceptions—Lu Fan now has the capital and prestige to establish his own base.

Arriving at the governor's office, Lu Fan smiled and said, "Governor, I am here to report on work."

Governor Liu Linghao laughed and replied, "Have a seat—why are you being so polite with me? Has the secretary given any instructions?"

Lu Fan said, "There are no specific instructions; I will first report that this adjustment scope is relatively small, originally involving only the Municipal Party Secretary of Sanmen, the deputy director of the Provincial Development and Reform Commission, and the vacant positions in Nanyuan City. However, the director of the Provincial Justice Department is about to reach retirement age; Secretary Zhao Lingyun approached Secretary Wang Jingchen, recommending that the deputy secretary of the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee serve as director of the Justice Department, and the secretary in principle agreed."

"Have Secretary Zhao Lingyun and the secretary reached an agreement?"

Lu Fan replied, "The Justice Department carries significant weight!"

After a while, Governor Liu Linghao said, "The personnel adjustments in Nanyuan will certainly be based mainly on your opinion; the mayor of Zhoukou City must not be sidelined, and the deputy secretary‑general of the Provincial Government must be filled in this round—this is the bottom line."

Okay, Governor, I'll coordinate fully; I'll come back to report once the plan is ready.

No need, you handle it, I'm at ease—just submit it directly to the five‑person group meeting!

In the late afternoon, as work was about to end, Zou Weipeng came in to report, saying that the director of the Judicial Department was willing to follow the organization's decision, but had nominated the office director to serve as deputy director or be transferred to a municipal post; at the same time, he also had a personal request, wanting to have his son transferred to the Provincial Party Committee or the Provincial Government General Office. His son works in Xingjun City and currently holds a Deputy Division Level substantive post.