Chapter 1004: Secretary Zhang, You're Here

Su Yang hummed; the standing committee meeting was within his expectations, but he hadn't expected these people to be so eager.

The matter that had been brewing last night was brought to a standing committee meeting this morning; to be honest, working with these people really wears him out. His mind is full of thoughts about vying for power and prestige, about displaying his status and might, and he has never put the common people's interests or local development first.

He said, "Fine, let's hold the standing committee meeting, there's nothing to make a fuss over. Look at your panicked demeanor—what sort of decorum is that?"

Shi Haoyun said, "But I heard rumors that this standing committee meeting is aimed at you again, apparently because of something about the project."

Su Yang said, "To emerge unstained from the mire and keep the clear ripples pure is truly difficult; this path is hard, but someone must persist. If everyone only cares about being good officials, who will speak for the common people? Doing something is hard; doing something good is even harder, and I've deeply experienced that."

"I hope that the day you ascend to a leadership position, you can withstand the pressure and fully implement both your own thoughts and the higher‑ups' policies. Eat when you should eat, drink when you should drink; after breakfast we'll go to the meeting."

Now Lieshan Xian is holding a County Party Standing Committee meeting; no one dares to be perfunctory, everyone must do their homework in advance, especially Qi Guohui, because if a spark lands on his head, a delayed reaction could have him blown to pieces and collapse on the spot.

Even with a hundred percent certainty, they dare not be careless, after all, two capsizes in the ditch are the best proof. An hour later, Su Yang arrived at the conference room around 8:55; by then most standing committee members were already present, except Zhao Nanxin and Zhang Jiangbo, who had not yet arrived.

"County Magistrate Su, you're here? You've been swamped these past few days, researching everywhere, handling all sorts of matters; our county really can't do without a cadre like you."

The speaker was Vice County Magistrate Jiang Tao, who, after several attempts, failed to suppress Su Yang and instead saw Su Yang's position become more solid, which left this Vice County Magistrate feeling quite aggrieved.

But he is also clever; his cleverness lies in avoiding direct conflict with Su Yang, slipping aside when the gunpowder smell is strongest, pushing a blunt instrument like Qi Guohui into the spotlight—he won't do the disgraceful part. However, he must stir up conflict and set the pace, otherwise how can he ensure that the upcoming attack on Su Yang will be fierce enough?

Su Yang said, "I'm only doing my regular duties, especially in attracting investment; if I don't keep an eye on it, the tasks we set may not be completed, and that would be a failure to the organization and the people."

"As for County Magistrate Jiang, since you took office you've been sitting in the office all day studying document directives, personnel changes, perhaps even some theoretical issues; we rarely see you out. Oh, by the way, I heard you went to the Finance Bureau for research twice."

When Su Yang finished speaking, Jiang Tao's expression instantly darkened, because everyone present could hear that Su Yang was calling out Jiang Tao's inaction.

Crucially, he actually hit Jiang Tao's sore spot; this Vice County Magistrate has nowhere to act—above him is County Magistrate Zhao Nanxin pressing down, below him is Su Yang, who once oversaw the whole county and still holds a pivotal position, and even some township heads still habitually report to County Magistrate Su.

He himself rushed to the Finance Bureau, but they didn't acknowledge him, saying his Vice County Magistrate role was indeed frustrating. So far, aside from raising a single vote in the standing committee, his position has been nothing more than a decorative piece.

Jiang Tao's expression shifted slightly, but he didn't pursue the issue, because he knew that in a war of words he was far from Su Yang's match.

Moreover, Su Yang's side is filled with celestial comrades, while his side has only one teammate who's been beaten into a pig's head. The other two teammates: one has been slumped and preoccupied with his own troubles these past two days, the other's loyalties are uncertain. So he decided to wait until his Secretary Zhang and County Magistrate Zhao arrive before confronting them.

He fell silent, but Chen Bo laughed and said, "County Magistrate Jiang is a typical scholar type—first he masters the theory, then puts it into practice. That's unlike grassroots cadres who just keep their heads down and work hard; in short, each has its merits."

"Although grassroots hard work sometimes makes mistakes and goes down the wrong path, studying only theory every day without practical application is, at best, empty talk, and at worst, idle chatter that harms the nation. Of course, I'm not targeting anyone; we're just chatting aimlessly before the meeting."

If he hadn't said "I'm not targeting anyone," it would have been fine; by saying "I'm not targeting anyone," doesn't that make it even more obvious?

Qi Guohui instantly stood up; he couldn't bear his teammate being attacked so viciously. Just as he was about to speak, Jiang Tao cut him off: "Secretary Qi, this isn't a formal meeting, why the rush? And your mouth still isn't sharp? Didn't the doctor tell you? Speak less if you can."

Qi Guohui was choked for a moment; he meant well to say a few words for Jiang Tao, but Jiang Tao simply didn't want him to speak, which was like trying to lick someone and getting slapped away. Fortunately, at that moment County Magistrate Zhao entered, preventing Qi Guohui's embarrassment from escalating further.

Bao Shuang said with a beaming smile, "County Magistrate Zhao is here, comrades, clap‑clap." As she spoke, she led the applause; it seemed completely nonsensical, but in fact it was entirely to ease the earlier awkwardness.

County Magistrate Zhao was left somewhat baffled; if Bao Shuang hadn't led the applause, he would surely have thought Su Yang was setting a trap for him again.

"Alright, alright, we're all comrades in the same team; don't act like those old bureaucrats elsewhere. We're all county‑level cadres, just with different duties, so don't think I get special treatment just because I'm the county magistrate. If we did it that way, when Secretary Zhang arrives, should everyone go out to welcome him?"

"Obviously, that's unreasonable; we can't do that. Even if Secretary Zhang comes, we should just do what we need to do, and not make the team's comrades feel such a hierarchical divide."

He was speaking when he noticed a subtle change in the expressions on everyone's faces; some even turned their gaze toward the doorway.

At the same time, he felt a cold stare; turning his head, he saw Zhang Jiangbo already standing at the conference room entrance, though no one knew when he arrived. Usually Zhang Jiangbo comes right on time or a minute or two late, but today he arrived early.

He almost wanted to slap himself twice, idly thinking, "What's the point of this?" He turned back stiffly, forced a grin, and said, "Secretary Zhang is here, everyone clap‑clap."