Chapter 661

On the morning of October 25, Organization Department Head Li Yuenning came to Lu Fan's office to report on the cadre adjustment plan and discuss relevant candidates.

Lu Fan did not beat around the bush, directly instructing: "A couple of days ago I communicated with Secretary Li Xingyuan and Governor Luo Shiyu; the secretary of the Ximeng Party Committee shall be Men Junhao. Furthermore, Deputy Secretary-General Liu Qingyun shall serve as director of the Provincial Natural Resources Department, Deputy Head of the Provincial Party Committee's Propaganda Department Li Hanyou shall be reassigned as Deputy Secretary-General of the Provincial Party Committee, and as for the candidate for deputy head of the Propaganda Department, please seek the opinion of Department Head Youyang."

Feeling Lu Fan's tough attitude, Li Yuenning was quite displeased and wanted to retort, but she didn't dare; she kept urging herself, "A small forbearance spoils great plans!"

After some thought, he replied, "Secretary Lu, Governor Junjie oversees land and resources, and he recommended the deputy director, Yu Weihong."

Lu Fan shook his head and said, "I have considered this comrade, and I even had the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee look into the situation; the results were unsatisfactory—Yu Weihong may be involved in corruption and needs further investigation. In personnel appointments, we cannot promote someone just to fill a vacancy."

Li Yuenning really wanted to snap, "Whether there are corruption issues or not, it's all up to you to decide? Then what's the point of the Organization Department? Isn't the Provincial Party Committee just your one-man show as deputy secretary?"

Lu Fan said in an unquestionable tone, "For now, let's leave it like this. Please quickly draft the cadre adjustment plan and submit it to the five-person group for study; if there are any issues, we can communicate anytime."

Li Yuenning replied helplessly, "All right, then I won't disturb you, Secretary."

At 4 p. m. on October 30, the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee convened.

At 3:30, Provincial Military District Commander Wang Yanxing pushed open Lu Fan's office, cheerfully saying, "Secretary Lu, I'm here to check in. I've been busy lately and haven't been to the Provincial Party Committee for a few days—please excuse my negligence!"

Lu Fan rose to greet him, invited Wang Yanxing to sit on the sofa, and personally brewed tea, extending full courtesy, because any standing committee member's support is precious. Since he came of his own accord, Lu Fan naturally wanted to seize the opportunity.

While I was pondering how to win him over, Wang Yanxing bluntly said, "I've looked at the agenda; today's standing committee meeting includes personnel adjustments. I hereby declare my firm support for the Provincial Party Committee and Secretary Lu's opinions!"

Hearing this, Lu Fan was overjoyed and said, "Thank you, Commander Wang. From now on, let's keep in touch frequently!"

Wang Yanxing continued, "I often take leave from the standing committee meetings; if there's an important issue requiring my vote, please give me a heads‑up in advance, and I'll try to attend."

Lu Fan understood; this must be someone's greeting, most likely the support from Secretary Hong Tao.

After reaching agreement, the two chatted happily and soon got along swimmingly.

At 3:56, Lu Fan and Wang Yanxing walked into the meeting room chatting and laughing, which surprised many.

At 3:58, Governor Luo Shiyu entered the meeting room, sat opposite Lu Fan, they exchanged a glance and nodded at each other.

At 4:00 sharp, Secretary Li Xingyuan entered; his secretary quickly placed the water cup and folder in position.

The meeting heard a report on the province's promotion of the national common language and characters, studied and arranged for the next steps; it also heard the provincial government's report on agricultural subsidies and other matters, with all agenda items proceeding in an orderly and calm manner.

The second-to-last agenda item: Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee Du Wenlong reported that Deputy Secretary-General Xu Yan was suspected of serious violations of law and discipline, proposing to file a case for investigation.

Although some were dissatisfied, the Discipline Inspection Committee's proposal was still passed unanimously. Because, although the amount of corruption currently identified is only over two million, at the standing committee meeting no one dared to publicly exonerate Xu Yan; some things can only be said in private, some done only in private.

The final agenda item—cadre adjustments—had everyone energized.

Organization Department Head Li Yuenning reported the vacant positions and proposed candidates; the first was the secretary of the Ximeng Party Committee.

Lu Fan spoke first, his attitude extraordinarily firm, clearly stating his support for Men Junhao as secretary of the Ximeng Party Committee.

Provincial Party Committee Secretary-General Wu Xiaohua directly declared, "I support Secretary Lu's opinion; I support appointing Men Junhao as secretary of the Ximeng Party Committee."

Having taken a stand, Propaganda Department Head Shang Youyang said without reservation, "Comrade Men Junhao, during his time acting in office, has shown good political literacy, a sense of the overall situation, and work capability; he is up to the task, and I support his appointment as secretary of the Ximeng Party Committee."

United Front Work Department Head Mou Yue said, "Comrade Men Junhao is quite good, familiar with the situation in Ximeng, and I support him!"

Surprisingly, the usually silent Military District Commander Wang Yanxing said, "Comrade Men Junhao is quite good; he has been acting in office for so long, it's time to give him a proper title, and I support his appointment as secretary of the Ximeng Party Committee."

Within just a few minutes, five standing committee members had expressed support for Men Junhao.

Before Gu Yunhao and others could speak, Governor Luo Shiyu said, "During his time acting as head of the Ximeng Party Committee, Men Junhao has indeed done a good job; the government's work has not been neglected, and October's various economic indicators have risen rather than fallen—he is up to the task!"

Li Xingyuan nodded and said, "I haven't noticed any flaw; Men Junhao is still a talent. Assigning grassroots leadership teams is an important duty of the Provincial Party Committee; we must adhere to the principle of matching persons to posts and selecting persons according to the task, precisely grasping the 'demand side' of development and the 'supply side' of the cadre team, taking 'hands‑on experience' as an important criterion for selecting prospective leaders, looking not only at professional match but also at overall suitability, breaking away from notions of seniority, perfectionism, and balancing considerations, increasing the coordination of cadre allocation so that leaders can make full use of their talents and talents are fully utilized."

"What are the opinions of the others?" Having said that, Li Xingyuan turned his gaze toward Gu Yunhao and the others.

Already seven standing committee members support Men Junhao, including the 'one top and two deputies' secretaries; even if they opposed, it would be pointless and would earn them a reputation for lacking the big picture, or even opposing the organization.

Gu Yunhao spoke up, saying, "I will abide by the standing committee's decision; I agree that Comrade Men Junhao should serve as secretary of the Ximeng Party Committee."

……

Soon, Men Junhao's appointment was unanimously approved by the standing committee!

The next topic was the candidate for director of the Provincial Natural Resources Department; Lu Fan unequivocally supported Deputy Secretary-General Liu Qingyun for the post, and he quickly gained the support of six standing committee members, including Secretary Li Xingyuan.

Today's standing committee proceeded entirely according to Lu Fan's wishes—minority submits to majority, lower level to higher level; even if Gu Yunhao and others had objections, they could not overturn it, and each personnel item was passed one by one.

As the meeting was about to end, Secretary Li Xingyuan rose and said, "Comrades, I have an announcement to make: lately I've been feeling unwell and need surgery, so I will take some time off. I have already reported this to my superiors; during my leave, the work of the Provincial Party Committee will be presided over by Secretary Lu Fan. Please everyone must cooperate with Secretary Lu's work, unite sincerely, work together, and strive forward to handle the affairs of the grasslands well!"

Having said that, Li Xingyuan left the office, his back view somewhat forlorn.

The news was unexpected and shocking; many did not anticipate that this would be Secretary Li Xingyuan's last attendance at a standing committee meeting.

After the meeting adjourned, Yang Jiale and Li Yuenning walked out of the conference room together, whispering, "He looks fine—why would he suddenly need surgery? How strange!"

"Ah, the storm is coming, the wind fills the tower—we can only wait and see!"

Today's standing committee meeting can be said to be the most eye‑catching in recent years.

After work, Secretary Li Xingyuan took leave, and the news that Secretary Lu Fan would be presiding over the Provincial Party Committee's work spread instantly across the province.

Moreover, Secretary Lu's control of the meeting's pace and his strong push for Men Junhao and Liu Qingyun to 'rise up' was also quite shocking; many cadres and masses privately discussed that the wind on the grasslands was about to change.

Politics is either the east wind overpowering the west wind, or the west wind overpowering the east wind.

Around six o'clock, Lu Fan briefly handed over duties to Li Xingyuan and personally saw him off to the airport.

Along the way, Li Xingyuan sighed, "Lu Fan, when we first came to the grasslands, our ideas should have been the same, but things are hard to predict! I sincerely hope you will govern and develop the grasslands well."

Lu Fan firmly replied, "Secretary, I will surely do my utmost, fear no hardship, forge ahead, and spare no effort to achieve the set goals. No matter how far the road ahead or how arduous the path, I will not fear or retreat; I will spare no cost."

"I believe you can certainly do it, and you will not let down the organization's cultivation, trust, and heavy expectations as I have."

At eight o'clock in the evening, Lu Fan returned to the Provincial Party Committee and had Cheng Haohao summon Du Wenlong and Wu Xiaohua to the office.

After they arrived, Lu Fan said in a low voice, "Secretary Li Xingyuan is unwell, and the burden of the Provincial Party Committee has fallen on my shoulders. Starting tomorrow, my energy must be devoted to the Provincial Party Committee. Wenlong, the daily work of the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee is entirely your responsibility; I only emphasize three points:"

First, dig deep into the five current cases, investigate to the end, and show no mercy regardless of who is involved.

Second, the ten supervision offices, each responsible for different cities, counties, and provincial departments, I need to know their situation regarding clean governance; the grasslands' cadre corps must not allow corrupt elements a hiding place, and we must maintain a high‑pressure stance against corruption.

Third, the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee must strengthen its leadership over municipal and county discipline committees, continuously building across the province a disciplinary inspection and supervision force that comes when called, fights when it arrives, and wins when it engages—eradicating all those 'bad apples' from the ranks.

Du Wenlong nodded and said, "Please rest assured, Secretary; I will surely hold this line, investigate those people clearly, and not fight a battle without certainty."

Lu Fan continued, "Xiaohua, the Provincial Party Committee General Office is the nerve center of the whole province; the purity of the cadre team must come first. Second, work efficiency—various departments must not shirk responsibility or pass the buck. Besides, only Deputy Secretary‑General Liu Xianhao remains; we must quickly fill out the team."

Wu Xiaohua asked, "Secretary, how should we arrange Liu Xianhao?"

Lu Fan thought for a moment, then said: "We need to establish a sense of rules, let him coordinate my work; I will personally inspect him. Wen Long, you secretly investigate Liu Xianhao's integrity in office."

……

Until after eleven, the light in Lu Fan's office was still on.