Chapter 801: Taken Advantage Of

After everyone left, Su Yang called Lai Junchen.

The phone was quickly connected, and Lai Junchen's hearty laugh came through: "Su Lao-di, this time you can be said to have won a complete victory! The boss has also benefited from following you; now your voice in the province is much louder than before. Call me, what instructions do you have? If it can be done, I'll handle it right away; if not, I'll go find the boss to handle it for you."

Su Yang chuckled and said: "Lai Ge, don't tease me. This time I almost lost my life in Lieshan County; the reason I managed to complete the task assigned by the leadership is mainly thanks to the help of conscientious local cadres."

"Ah, I really have something to ask you, so I'll make it short. You know the situation in our county; we're almost unable to keep the pot boiling."

"According to our preliminary accounting, Geng Miao's cash alone amounts to 20 million, and besides that, there are various real estates, villas, etc., totaling no less than 50 million. By rights, our County Party Committee and County Government shouldn't directly handle these assets; the most our court can do is freeze them."

"But in fact, Shuanggou Daqu has always been a state-owned enterprise; as the County Government we should be able to directly apply to auction Geng Miao's these illicit assets, with the proceeds to be turned over to the county finances. However, doing so would inevitably give some people a handle to criticize, possibly leading to settling scores later. So I want to consult Uncle Huang to see if this matter can be resolved through reasonable means."

Just as Su Yang finished speaking, Huang Dacheng's voice came from the other end: "You little rascal, you've finally become shrewd! What you said is correct; although this is a state-owned enterprise, your county has no right to dispose of someone else's assets."

"Just as you said, you can freeze them or auction them, but in the end these assets must be turned over to the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, and the whole process will be supervised by them. To put it bluntly, the pot is broken and rotten; the mess is yours, the difficulties are yours, but the assets ultimately belong to the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission."

"Like this: I'll say hello to them, and you in the county should also write a related document, making clear your current financial predicament. However, your county's situation doesn't seem that serious; I heard you contacted Secretary Sha, but Secretary Sha rejected it, and over in Jinzhou City they will allocate funds to you."

"You little rascal, are you trying to make a small fortune? I'll put it bluntly up front: it's not impossible for this money to end up in your county government's pocket, but you must absolutely not squander it recklessly, nor think about profiting from it!"

Su Yang said: "Uncle Huang, do I look like that kind of person? I want to use this money to improve our cadres' welfare, and at the same time harden and repair some of the main roads in the county. If possible, I also want to put some effort into urban construction."

"Our main work going forward is to attract investment; given the current state of Lieshan County, if we don't make some improvements, people might see this dilapidated county town and be unwilling to invest."

Huang Dacheng said: "Whatever comes out of your mouth, little rascal, sounds like a perfectly justified reason, but in fact you're just trying to make up for having offended people."

"Now there is no liquor ban nationwide, nor any official document prohibiting official receptions; I don't know where you got the courage to break this convention. Do you know how many people you've offended? I won't speak about those in our own county, but leaders in other counties and even cities are behind your back cursing you, saying this activist of yours is like a mouse spoiling a pot of soup."

"You don't think about it either; everyone is comfortably fed and watered, and by doing this you make them embarrassed to continue extravagant spending. Those comrades in your county are probably also full of complaints, and yet you actually want to win people over with Geng Miao's assets—if Geng Miao found out, he'd probably wake up furious even in his dreams."

"However, speaking of which, prohibiting drinking during work hours can indeed change work style and condition; explicitly banning extravagance and official receptions, and forbidding various units and agencies from issuing IOUs or eating for free under any pretext, is actually a not bad idea."

"I plan to discuss this with relevant comrades over the next few days, turn your idea into a formal document to be issued, and have provincial government agencies implement it. When the anger from all sides comes, you'll have to withstand it!"

Su Yang felt a jolt in his heart: What a good uncle I have, using the "take-it-all" approach so smoothly! The key is you take it and then leave me to bear the artillery fire. If I'd known this, I might as well not have made the call and found someone else to settle this, but there's no regret medicine to buy.

He could only say: "Really? If the Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government truly adopt my two suggestions, then I would be truly honored. If anything really happens then, Uncle Huang would have to cover for me; I'm just a lowly division-level official, and any big shot casually coming out of the province or city could slap me to death."

Huang Dacheng laughed and said: "You little rascal, stop pretending to be a good kid in front of me; you think I don't know your character? I guess you're already cursing me in your heart this time? But go ahead and curse, I don't care."

"However, I need to tell you something; you should prepare yourself mentally. At the beginning of next month, for the New Year, after the holiday the County Party Secretary and County Magistrate in your county will be taking office. The city is already brewing this list, but I can clearly tell you that the people being sent down this time have no connection to me."

"The thorny issue of Shuanggou Daqu right now has already been settled by you, and the work of attracting investment is believed to have been put on the agenda as well; once they arrive, they'll take the fruits from your hands, and with their positions set there, they won't allow you to resist."

Su Yang said: "Wasn't it said earlier that they might not arrive for a while? Is it because they've heard that our thorny problem has been solved, so they all want to come and reap the benefits? If you say I have no thoughts about this, that's definitely impossible."

Huang Dacheng said: "I know what you're thinking, little rascal, but I can clearly tell you that you're only a Vice County Magistrate; even if you're right on many matters and have some support, you're still not enough to challenge the authority of the County Party Secretary."

"As long as they're principled and correct, you just have to listen to them. I won't say more on the rest; I have a meeting to attend here, and when I return to Jingcheng I'll talk with you properly."

After hanging up, Su Yang's expression turned very unpleasant: the provincial offices are also unreliable, going back and forth. At first they said there was a large shortage of cadres, so they'd definitely take office soon; a few days later they said they wouldn't take office in the short term; today they said they'd take office after the New Year.

Is there any reliability to this or not? Could it really be as imagined, that someone can't wait to come and reap the fruits?