Chapter 598

On September 19, Lu Fan returned to Yancheng on the same flight as Wang Jingchen.

During the journey, Wang Jingchen instructed Lu Fan to plan in advance the candidates for vacant positions.

In casual conversation, Lu Fan mentioned that the focus of the next phase of the province‑wide institutional reform is the comprehensive dismissal of non‑established personnel.

Wang Jingchen was very interested and asked, "How do you plan to dismiss them?"

Lu Fan replied, "According to the principle of 'who uses, who is responsible, who cleans up', we will improve the management system for non‑established personnel, dismiss redundant staff, reduce organizational risks and management hazards in work, and avoid the situation of 'idle internal staff, busy external staff'. I plan to carry out the standardization of non‑established personnel cleanup from October to January next year, divided into three phases: 'self‑inspection, organizational implementation, and supervisory inspection.'"

Wang Jingchen said, "Idle internal staff and busy external staff are the norm in agencies and public institutions, for two reasons: first, at the time of recruitment there was no detailed job description or regulations for non‑established positions, nor were they reflected in the employment contract; second, during the use of non‑established personnel, departments such as Organization, Human Resources, and the Personnel Committee lacked effective supervision over the employing departments, leading to uneven, unscientific, and unreasonable work allocation."

'Streamlining the army and simplifying administration' has a richer connotation in the new era; whether it is institutional adjustment or dismissing non‑established personnel, the key lies in improving work efficiency through human‑resource allocation, strengthening responsibility and duty, and stimulating the motivation of internal staff. In short, dismissing non‑established personnel cannot be a 'one‑size‑fits‑all' approach; useful talent must be retained, while idle freelancers should be removed, so that the reformed departments can continue to operate smoothly.

Lu Fan nodded and said, "After the dismissals, each unit will cut away troublesome threads and go into battle light. By streamlining staffing and dismissing non‑established personnel, the government can effectively reduce waste, improve efficiency, and optimize resource allocation."

The Organization Department is drafting a plan; according to work needs and with approval from the civil‑service authority at the provincial level or above, a contract‑based appointment system can be implemented for highly specialized and auxiliary positions. The goal is not to eliminate non‑established personnel entirely, but to manage them in a more standardized and scientific way, including duties and salary treatment.

After getting off the plane, the two went their separate ways: Lu Fan headed to the North Headquarters's Hu Alley, while Wang Jingchen went to visit Tang Bing and Liu Guoqiang.

Li Lao was watering the plants when he saw Lu Fan enter, and he smiled, saying, "Xiao Fan, you're back. In a moment I'll have the chef prepare a few dishes; call Zi Meng, and we'll eat here this afternoon. It's been several days since we've seen Yu Xuan."

"Alright, grandpa, I'll send a message to Zi Meng right now."

"Xiao Fan, how's the cooperation with Wang Jingchen going?"

"Quite well; Secretary Jingchen has many ideas, and working with him I can learn a lot."

"Learn from others' strengths and make up for your own weaknesses. Anyone who can reach that position is no ordinary talent; Wang Jingchen is very capable, Guoqiang holds him in high regard, and his only shortcoming is that he has never worked at the municipal or county level, lacking grassroots experience. This trip to Huayuan is both his chance and his opportunity. If he cannot achieve results or grasp the overall situation, he will stop here! Therefore, in his work he needs your cooperation even more; conversely, isn't that also a test for you? When you become Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, there's no need to be obsequious or blindly follow anyone—within reasonable bounds you can 'argue based on reason', and you must not become a 'yes‑man' cadre!"

"Grandpa, I understand!"

Li Lao continued, "Hong Tao is a talent that appears once in a hundred years; now he is the center of attention and the hope of all. It's clear that what he will do will draw the eyes of the masses and be epoch‑making. In the future, Jilong Province will be a good place to achieve great deeds. If you can become among the first batch of cadres, your future development will have a head start. I think you can start planning for this from now on!"

Lu Fan nodded solemnly and said, "Grandpa, I've noted it!"

A little after five o'clock, Li Zi Meng returned with her son.

Little Yu Xuan saw his father return, danced with joy, and immediately tugged Lu Fan to go buy toys.

Lu Fan can only spend time with his son once every one or two weeks, so he naturally obliges Yu Xuan's requests.

On Saturday morning, father‑in‑law Li Mingzhou returned, and Lu Fan went again to the North Headquarters's Hu Alley.

After entering, he found Deputy Minister Wang Zhaowen of the Organization Department there and greeted him warmly.

After a brief chat, Wang Zhaowen said, "Yesterday, near the end of the workday, Secretary Jingchen came to the Organization Department and told the head that he wants to staff the Huayuan Organization Department properly."

Lu Fan said lightly, "At present there are only two or three Deputy Secretaries and Organization Department heads, no established precedent, so it's normal for Secretary Jingchen to have this idea."

Li Mingzhou asked, "Zhaowen, what is Director Zhou's attitude?"

Wang Zhaowen replied, "Wang Jingchen is a bit impatient, but since he raised this request, I don't think he'll give up easily; he works with a lot of tenacity."

Li Lao smiled faintly and said, "Go with the flow; everything follows the organization's arrangement."

Wang Jingchen indeed has great tenacity; he not only approached Director Zhou Xi, but also the senior leader Liu Guoqiang. As the top leader, he needs the Organization Department to be at his beck and call, resolutely implementing his will.

Under Wang Jingchen's relentless pressing, Liu Guoqiang reluctantly agreed, since Wang Jingchen is a key talent he is cultivating, and the necessary support must be given.

After work resumed on Monday, Wang Jingchen was in high spirits, began weighing candidates for Organization Department head, and asked his secretary to summon the Propaganda Department head Qin Mengyang to the office.

After entering, Qin Mengyang saw the secretary's smiling face and said, "The secretary has launched the inspection and rectification work with bold strokes; the results are evident, the achievements remarkable, the outcomes abundant, filling Huayuan with a new atmosphere of pragmatism and integrity, and cadres and the masses alike are applauding with delight!"

Wang Jingchen smiled slightly and said, "Inspection and rectification is a political responsibility that must be firmly shouldered; every level across the province must, with heightened political consciousness, treat inspection and rectification as an extremely serious and urgent top priority. Failure to implement the rectification is a failure to the people. The Provincial Party Committee must lead by example, spearhead the rectification, demonstrate real results, take decisive action, and seek real effectiveness, resolutely preventing a front‑loaded effort that slackens later, a tiger‑head‑snake‑tail, perfunctory compliance, or false rectification."

Mengyang, Comrade Lu Fan holds multiple posts, works hard and endures grievances, and has made great contributions, but a person's energy is ultimately limited. I intend to recommend you to the higher authorities to serve as Organization Department head!

Upon hearing this, Qin Mengyang immediately showed gratitude and replied firmly, "I will resolutely obey the secretary's and the Provincial Party Committee's decision, obey the post assignment, obey orders and follow commands, safeguard the selection and appointment of clean, loyal, responsible cadres for the Provincial Party Committee, and forge a high‑quality cadre team with loyalty, integrity and accountability."

September 23, Huayuan Province Discipline Inspection Committee and Supervision Commission announced: with the Provincial Party Committee's approval, the following twelve officials are suspected of serious corruption—Provincial Housing and Urban‑Rural Development Department Director, Vice Mayor of Luojun City, Deputy Director of the Provincial Human Resources and Social Security Department, Vice Mayor of Xinzhong City, Secretary‑General of the Provincial People's Congress Standing Committee, Vice Mayor of Xinzhong City who also serves as Public Security Bureau Director, President of Huayuan Province Police Academy, Director of the Provincial Broadcasting Station, Director of the Financial and Economic Committee of the Provincial People's Congress Standing Committee, Deputy Secretary of the Yingtian Municipal Party Committee, Deputy Director of the Provincial Development and Reform Commission, and Party Secretary of Minchi County. The Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee has imposed Party expulsion, the Supervision Commission has dismissed them from public office, confiscated their illicit gains, and transferred the criminal cases to the procuratorate for legal review and prosecution, with the related assets also handed over.

Only the newcomers smile, the old ones do not weep; a new generation replaces the old. Once the positions become vacant, they immediately attract widespread attention among Huayuan cadres, because many of the posts have high "gold content," and qualified individuals naturally strive fiercely for them.

Wang Jingchen enjoys the thrill of wielding great power; every day a stream of senior leaders report work to him, all seeking political advancement for themselves or their subordinates.

When a new official takes office, the "three fires" of making changes are most common and widespread; personnel reshuffling is an important measure to better carry out work, establish authority, and reallocate benefits.

Lu Fan's and Liu Linghao's office is also very lively; everyone knows that these three are now the ones who can call the shots in Huayuan, and regarding personnel adjustments, Secretary Lu's importance even exceeds that of the Governor.