Chapter 663: To Govern an Army, One Must First Choose Its Generals

As the saying goes, to manage an army one must first choose its generals.

To achieve the grand blueprint deep in one's heart, to implement revolutionary reforms in healthcare and education on the grasslands, one must assemble a team that is "capable of campaigning and fighting well." This team must not only possess professional competence and practical experience, but also have the daring to press forward, succeed in every battle, and be unstoppable.

Therefore, Lu Fan needs to keep the Provincial Health and Family Planning Commission, the Provincial Medical Insurance Bureau, the Provincial Education Department, and the Provincial Market Supervision Administration firmly under his control, ensuring they cooperate closely and fight together, so that the education and medical reforms can take root on the grasslands according to his vision, thereby opening up a new world.

On November 8, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Lu Fan inspected the Provincial Medical Insurance Bureau, accompanied by Provincial Party Committee Secretary‑General Wu Xiaohua, Deputy Provincial Governor Zhang Rongqiu, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee Lin Changping, and other leaders; the bureau chief Cheng Jingbo stayed with them throughout.

Lu Fan's delegation visited the Smart Medical Insurance Project Department, listened to a briefing on the security and operation of the smart medical insurance system, and observed a system demonstration.

After hearing the report on the province's medical security work, Lu Fan fully affirmed the achievements of the Provincial Medical Insurance Bureau and the provincial medical insurance system. He pointed out that medical security is a major issue concerning people's livelihood; doing the job well carries great responsibility and glorious mission. The provincial system must fully recognize the new situation, new problems, and new challenges facing high‑quality development of medical security, focus on meeting the basic medical insurance needs of "covering, covering accurately, covering firmly," and pursue the goals of "cost reduction, quality improvement, efficiency increase," so that the work makes the people feel more assured and more satisfied.

At the subsequent symposium, Lu Fan heard bureau chief Cheng Jingbo's report on provincial drug prices and tender procurement, medical insurance fund supervision, and the optimization of payment mechanisms to support hierarchical diagnosis and treatment, and he engaged in in‑depth exchanges with the participants.

Lu Fan emphasized that safeguarding the people's "medical expense money" and "life‑saving money" is a crucial political mission of the medical insurance department; the Discipline Inspection Committee must further strengthen supervision of the medical insurance fund, firmly establish problem awareness and a bottom‑line mindset, learn from cases, enforce special inspections, continuously wield the "sword" of spot checks, maintain a high‑pressure supervisory stance, and build a solid defensive line for the safe and steady operation of the fund.

Lu Fan's speech seemed to carry deep meaning, constantly revealing something unusual, as if pointing at something, making the Provincial Medical Insurance Bureau's leadership feel great pressure.

Especially bureau chief Cheng Jingbo, who has been extremely tense since morning, his nerves taut, fearing that Secretary Lu might suddenly lose his temper; which leader would bring the Discipline Inspection Committee to a research visit? This is clearly a "trouble‑making" mission!

After the symposium, Lu Fan went to Cheng Jingbo's office for a private conversation, while Deputy Provincial Governor Zhang Rongqiu held separate talks with the members of the bureau's leadership.

Sitting opposite Secretary Lu, Cheng Jingbo felt uneasy and trembling, speaking haltingly. One must remember that "this lord" has been on the grasslands for less than half a year, acting with thunderous speed and iron‑faced impartiality, having already taken over hundreds of cadres, including many senior department‑level leaders; such thunderous tactics inevitably strike fear into anyone, and no one can stay calm when facing him alone.

When the atmosphere had been sufficiently "set", Lu Fan asked, "Comrade Jingbo, how many years have you served as director of the Provincial Medical Insurance Bureau?"

Cheng Jingbo hurriedly replied, "Secretary Lu, I have been bureau chief for four years; previously I served as Executive Vice Mayor of Wuda City and oversaw cultural, education, and health work for five years."

Lu Fan nodded and said, "It seems you are a professional talent. Let's discuss why a pharmacy opens every fifty meters, even several times more than restaurants; what exactly has caused the recent surge in pharmacies, and is there really such huge profit?"

A few days ago I went to a pharmacy to buy medicine, asking for amoxicillin and a cold‑relief capsule, expecting a total of just over thirty, but the payment came to over sixty. I asked why it was so expensive; they said the amoxicillin alone was over forty. When I asked for a cheaper alternative, they said the price had already been scanned and could not be changed—truly impossible to guard against!

I heard a shocking story: a tiny pharmacy owner bought houses, built hotels, and amassed assets exceeding a hundred million. I want to know how large the profits in your industry truly are, how much of the people's hard‑earned money has been eroded, who is involved, and whether you, as bureau chief, have acted as a "protective umbrella" for profit‑shifting.

With just a few questions, Cheng Jingbo broke into a cold sweat, his body trembling involuntarily, and he replied cautiously, "Secretary Lu, our province's medical services have certain problems, such as strained doctor‑patient relations and insufficient medical resources; these issues also affect people's choices for treatment, and the large number of pharmacies is meant to meet consumer demand and competition."

Overall, the increase in pharmacy numbers results from multiple factors acting together, including changes in population structure, the influence of traditional Chinese medicine culture, imperfections in the medical security system, fierce market competition, as well as policy incentives and capital drives.

Lu Fan replied coldly, "I fear the core issue is that some people want to siphon the people's 'bone marrow.' From factory to consumer, how many times can a pill's cost be multiplied? You know this best, don't you? Does it not chill your heart? Can you still sleep soundly at night? Can your conscience bear it?"

Cheng Jingbo stammered, "Secretary, I… I… have not managed the medical insurance field well; please criticize me, and I will certainly rectify it in the future!"

Lu Fan's expression grew solemn, and his deep, powerful voice echoed in the office: "Whatever the people oppose and loathe, we must resolutely prevent and correct. The Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee must make solving the people's most strongly voiced pain points, difficulties, and urgent concerns the top priority; for anyone who ignores the infringement of the masses' interests, every case must be investigated to the end, with no mercy."

The people's interests outrank everything! Starting in December, the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee will launch a special governance campaign in the medical field, wielding the sword of discipline and law, weaving a net, digging deep and investigating thoroughly, resolutely exposing and cutting off the corrupt hands that "milk" the masses, so that the grassland people can feel greater, more direct gains, happiness, and security!

There will always be a few who consider themselves superior, clinging to a so‑called "deep‑rooted" hold over an industry, like greedy parasites feeding on the people's "bone marrow." For such "public enemies" of the people, I can tell them clearly that the day they face the people's judgment is near! The torrent of history rolls inexorably forward; no matter who you are, any attempt to block its advance cannot withstand the masses' towering waves, and the outcome will inevitably be disgrace and imprisonment!

In this world, there will always be a small handful of people who feel excessively self‑satisfied, believing they wield a so‑called "deep‑rooted" power that lets them arbitrarily dominate an industry. These people, like insatiable greedy parasites, cling tightly to the people, ruthlessly sucking the people's "bone marrow" and extracting the wealth and value created by the people's hard work.

Justice may be late, but it will never be absent!

No one is a saint; who can be without fault?

For comrades who have already erred, whether they proactively approach the organization or wait for the organization to come to them is an unavoidable, pressing issue. The choice at the crossroads often determines the identity with which one spends a lifetime. Avoiding reality does no good; self‑deception is even worse. Trust the organization, be loyal to it, and voluntarily explain the problem clearly to it—that is the only correct choice. No one should gamble with a "one‑shot" mindset, trying to calculate the probability of "nothing going wrong"; nine out of ten bets lose!

Recognizing a mistake and correcting it is the greatest good! Comrades who have erred in the past are not without a path; the "bright road" remains available. Taking a step forward brings dawn, and voluntarily confessing can win a new life.

As long as one returns from the wrong path, earnestly reforms, purifies the heart and transforms completely, the burdens can be shed and life can start anew.

Conversely, turning away from the organization, a step backward leads to a cliff. Persistent obstinacy invites the organization to employ "thunderbolt measures," causing the offender to be consumed by insatiable greed, licking the knife edge, and paying a steep price for their delusion.

Who is right, who is wrong, and which path to take—all rest in a single thought!

Finishing, Lu Fan rose and left, leaving Cheng Jingbo alone in the office, staring blankly; his gaze was hollow and lifeless, as if he had lost his soul.

Cheng Jingbo knows very well that if someone asks you to consider the overall situation, you are usually not part of that "game"; if someone asks you to spare no cost, you usually are that cost!

People often say power comes from the people and should serve the people. But the problem is that the people cannot grant power; promotions, salaries, and title evaluations are all decided by superiors. Offending the masses may only earn a few scoldings; offending the leadership ends one's future.

Cheng Jingbo has far too many things beyond his control; over the years he has feared this and that, eventually forgetting his original mission, becoming a "tool," turning into a volatile "manic‑depressive." No one knows the bitterness in his heart, no one can understand his pain, no one grasps his helplessness; he must silently bear everything alone.

On November 10, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Lu Fan inspected the Provincial Market Supervision Administration, accompanied throughout by Director Li Zhenquan.

During the inspection, Lu Fan stressed that the Provincial Market Supervision Administration must focus on key areas, especially targeting illegal drug procurement channels and cracking down on counterfeit food; it should concentrate forces for a heavy‑handed strike, achieve three‑level (province‑city‑county) coordination, and launch a special operation. It must work on case handling, moving from individual points to the whole, unravelling threads, tracing roots, imposing strict penalties, publicly exposing offenses, and creating deterrence.

Director Li Zhenquan firmly declared that the Provincial Market Supervision Administration would immediately launch a special rectification campaign, harshly crack down on food and drug safety issues that harm the public, ensuring that arrangements, supervision, and problem remediation are all in place to achieve real results.

Lu Fan smiled and replied, "Fine, all talk and no action is a fake move; I'll be watching for your results! The comrades from the Provincial Supervision Office must keep tabs on the progress of the special rectification at all times."

Listen to his words, watch his deeds; if you dare to fool me, then don't blame me for being "ruthless under the blade."