Chapter 808

"I've never feared heaven or earth; whoever comes, it's the same. Could he possibly still be able to suppress me?"

Zhou Ruohan said, "What I said is correct; he can indeed keep you down."

Su Yang snorted, "Then you're underestimating me far too much. Whether it's Huatian Town, Xiushui Xiang, or every step up to today, there's always been someone ahead of me."

Zhou Ruohan said, "Before, you were just comrades within the same leadership team, holding on; you were all at the Section Chief Level. This time, however, your County Party Secretary is a high‑placement; he will become a member of the Jinzhou Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee and Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee, while also serving as your County Party Secretary."

When Su Yang heard that, his mind went "boom." Such an appointment is rather unusual; he had heard of it before, but usually it's said that a County Party Secretary, while in office, achieves outstanding results, has certain connections above, or catches the perfect timing when a municipal post opens, and then steps up to the Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee and Deputy Secretary.

But this is truly rare; generally, even a high‑placement only serves concurrently as Vice Mayor. This indeed forced him to take it seriously.

"What's going on? How could this happen? There's no precedent in the whole Ganzhou Sheng, right? Directly making a Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee member also serve as our County Party Secretary? When did our county become so valued? And who is this person? Do I know him? Among the people I know, there doesn't seem to be anyone that powerful."

Zhou Ruohan said, "Of course you know him; he's one of the people you crossed at the Jincheng Club."

Su Yang immediately responded, "Are you talking about Jia Guolong or that guy named Zhang Jiangbo? The people I ever offended were only three; Tian Xiaofei couldn't even think of running to become any Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee member with his toe. This person's abilities are obvious on the surface, but he uses underhanded tactics behind the scenes; his persona of a reckless noble is almost fitting. If he were to appear openly, he'd just be a target for beating."

"Moreover, Governor Zhao's situation isn't good right now; under these circumstances, Tian Xiaofei can't be assigned here, so it's only Jia Guolong and Zhang Jiangbo."

Zhou Ruohan said, "Sometimes your mind is actually quite agile; yes, it's Zhang Jiangbo. Don't think this is out of line—most people who parachute into the Jingcheng circle already hold a regular hall‑level rank; his rank isn't particularly high. Of course, he's also very young, only 30 this year; theoretically, someone would reach a local post at thirty‑five or thirty‑six."

He's a bit ahead of the original schedule this time, so for someone like him to be appointed directly to the Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee makes sense. As for how it's done, at the grassroots level it seems complicated, but up top it's essentially a one‑sentence matter. In fact, his past résumé is irrelevant to the position he now holds.

"The reasons are also ample; whether it's Lieshan County or Jinzhou, this time a major problem has arisen. Of course, the root lies in Lieshan County, but Jinzhou's issues are also significant, pulling in several officials at once, including a Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee member who is also the mayor."

"So, from a personnel standpoint, parachuting a cadre down to take a key post is quite reasonable. Many places do it exactly for that reason; only by doing so can the existing ecosystem be broken."

"Coincidentally, because Jinzhou has run into trouble, the current Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee member and Deputy Secretary, Wang Huaizhong, will step forward to fill the mayor's seat. That leaves the Deputy Secretary position vacant, and Zhang Jiangbo can conveniently take that ready-made slot, which is also an opportunity for him."

Su Yang said, "These people are truly ruthless! This guy gave up the blessings of Jingcheng, came all the way here, and it's clear he's come from afar just to suppress me. I didn't take it seriously at first. No matter what, we're all county‑division level; even if he's the top leader, he can't completely dominate me."

"But he's a Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee member concurrently, and also a Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee, so I have no words. I can only say these people truly value me, yet Jia Guolong and the others are doing this merely for so‑called face; I'm afraid I can't justify it."

"This isn't a vendetta over a father's murder or a wife's seizure, why all this? Is it that people in your circle value face more than life? After Tian Xiaofei chased me and suffered repeated defeats, Zhang Jiangbo met his end."

Zhou Ruohan said, "This matter isn't that simple; I won't go into details. Later, give our dad a call; he'll explain everything to you. Alright, I'll stop now—Grandpa and Grandma are urging me to sleep. Anyway, no matter what, don't let too much pressure build up in your heart."

"As long as what you do is right, even if Zhang Jiangbo presses down on you, what can he do? Our family isn't a soft melon; even Zhang Jiangbo and his crew don't dare truly lay a hand on us. At most, they'll disgust you a bit, keep pressing you, pick your fruit, or step on your shoulders to climb higher. Okay, I'm hanging up now; my grandma is calling me."

This news, Su Yang had been chewing on for a long time; he had imagined someone might come to pick his fruit, but never expected it to be like this. The scion of a Jingcheng aristocratic family fell directly, which for him was both a great honor and a great misfortune.

A moment later, he called Old Zhou. This time, Old Zhou answered the phone quite quickly.

"Su Yang, I knew you'd call me; actually, even if you didn't, I'd have called you. I guess you already know the upcoming personnel adjustments in your county, right? You called to ask about what's going on with Zhang Jiangbo, correct?"

Su Yang said, "Yes, Ruo Han just told me, and I'm still in a daze. I've never heard of a Deputy Secretary directly also serving as County Party Secretary; this is downright absurd. This isn't even a major city— even if it were, it couldn't be high‑placed to this extent. If it's targeting me, I don't think I have that much weight."

Old Zhou said, "This topic, when brought up, isn't entirely about you, but it does directly involve you. Because your successive actions are undoubtedly correct, if you keep going like this you'll quickly become a rising political star. Some people want such a star among young cadres; others don't. In the end, only a few can get into the eyes of the higher‑up leadership. If you get into their sight, it means others will be sidelined. In Lieshan County, the series of measures you're implementing—the alcohol ban, the prohibition of wasteful extravagance—have already attracted some attention. At this point, if you're not suppressed, that isn't good for some. Of course, this part targets you; the other part also targets me."