Chapter 972: Secretary Zhang Is the Municipal Party Committee Deputy Secretary; See How He Handles Su Yang

Jiang Tao said: "There are 13 members of the Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee; even if Mayor Wang and Minister Lu back Su Yang, what can they do? After all, the facts are right before us—he is the primary responsible person. If this project has a problem and we don't hold him accountable, who will?"

"Moreover, Yang Kang has already been removed; when the time comes, the town can bring out a Deputy Secretary or Deputy Town Mayor for accountability. For people like this, not even accountability—just dismissal. We don't mind; we can simply replace him with someone else."

"Because of this matter, Secretary Zhang went to the city himself. He is the Municipal Party Committee Deputy Secretary, and he came down from Jingcheng; the network of powerful connections behind him is beyond what you and I can imagine."

"And this is the perfect moment for him to assert authority in the county; after bruising his face, can he give Su Yang any good treatment?"

"The newly appointed Secretary Zhao could never be in the same camp as Mayor Wang; as long as Secretary Zhang tells Secretary Zhao, who among the Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee members would still stand up for Su Yang?"

"Rest assured, this won't end well for Su Yang. According to Secretary Zhang, Su Yang will be suspended directly this time."

"As long as Su Yang is suspended, the Bureau Chief of the Public Security Bureau can be suspended as well; then it will be up to us."

Qi Guohui finally sat up from the hospital bed: "Alright, alright, Secretary Zhang really has clout! This Su Yang truly is ignorant of the heavens and earth; it's time to give him a harsh lesson… Ouch!"

In his agitation, the force of his words grew a bit too much; his facial muscles twitched excessively, pulling his nerves painfully.

Earlier, when he told the director to admit him for two days of observation, it wasn't solely to see if anyone would visit; his bruised and swollen appearance made him unpresentable, so at least the bruises could subside first.

When his face hurt, anger flared again in his eyes, and he nearly shouted, pulling at his throat: "Hou Junlai! I'm not done with you, damn it! Those slaps made my head buzz!"

"And look at how he pinched my lips! You know, I was caught in bed with that shrew!"

"If we don't deal with this Hou Junlai, even though we have absolute authority, we won't be at peace later. He's like a knife—he can stab anyone because his job is to stab people. If someday he secretly investigates you or me from behind, we'll both suffer! Did you tell Secretary Zhang about this?"

Jiang Tao said: "Rest assured, everything you can think of has already been considered by Secretary Zhang and County Chief Zhao. Moreover, Secretary Zhang went to the city himself and, because of this matter, requested a Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee meeting."

"Given his position and work needs, getting the Municipal Party Committee to agree to replace a Discipline Inspection Commission Secretary shouldn't be a big problem."

"Moreover, he's not demoting Hou Junlai elsewhere; he's planning to place Hou Junlai as a Bureau Chief in the city bureau. That way, Hou gets a promotion and has no reason to refuse."

"As long as we later remove Hou Junlai's 'knife,' Su Yang will be a toothless tiger. He was originally just a Vice County Magistrate, handling investment promotion, yet he started to see himself as a big figure."

"Alright, stay in the hospital for two days; when you're discharged the day after tomorrow, I expect the county situation will have changed, and by then Su Yang will probably have been suspended."

The next morning, the Jinzhou Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee meeting.

Although Zhang Jiangbo puts on a big show in the county, in the city he still dares not be at all arrogant.

It's not just people like him; even a genuine young master has to obey the overt rules that must be followed.

Unless one's mind is impaired, like that former Deputy Town Mayor Li, who relied on his father, the executive Vice County Magistrate Li Jianguo, so at every meeting he lagged half a beat behind Town Party Committee Secretary Qin Chuan.

Of course, this is only at the grassroots level, and the grassroots doesn't have a Standing Committee; it's called a Party Committee Meeting. Normally, aside from the Town Party Committee Secretary and the Town Mayor who hold power, everyone else is just a foot soldier.

Therefore Li Tian's case was purely accidental and cannot be used as a reference.

The Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee members are very punctual; the meeting is called at 9:30 a. m., and they are generally there before 9:25.

Around 9:27, Zhang Jiangbo entered the conference room carrying his own water cup. Here he doesn't get the courtesy of everyone standing to greet him; he can only smile and nod to acknowledge everyone.

At 9:29, Wang Huaizhong finally walked in. As he entered, a few Standing Committee members stood to greet him. He is a veteran of the city, having risen through the local ranks, a proper local faction member.

His work was already swift and effective, achieving considerable results, and after the Lieshan County incident he remained completely clean—not drawn into it—and, turning misfortune into fortune, moved directly from the Municipal Party Committee Deputy Secretary position to the mayor's seat.

It may look like just one step, but in reality the difference is huge.

The Municipal Party Committee Deputy Secretary sounds like the third‑in‑command of the Municipal Party Committee, overseeing personnel, but it's merely a superficial prestige. Because personnel oversight has a dedicated Organization Department Head below and the top leader above, he is just sandwiched in the middle, normally having little say in personnel matters.

However, while serving as Municipal Party Committee Deputy Secretary, he also concurrently held the post of Municipal Political and Legal Affairs Commission Secretary, giving his role a decent amount of authority.

Moreover, his ascent to the mayoral position proves how strong his provincial connections are, so most Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee members give Wang Huaizhong considerable face; indeed, the respect they accord him exceeds that given to the newly transferred Secretary Zhao Kai, who came from being the Transport Department Director.

After they finished their greetings, Zhao Kai entered with a smile.

Since taking office, he has convened a Standing Committee meeting once, but it dealt with trivial matters—a routine meeting.

Of course, compared to Zhang Jiangbo, he is far more seasoned; he doesn't aim to assert authority through meetings, nor to establish personal dominance from the start. From his position, stability comes first.

Everyone greeted him, especially Wang Huaizhong who rose to welcome: "Good morning, Secretary Zhao, you're here already before the appointed time."

Zhao Kai laughed: "Everyone's here, I can't be late. Moreover, this Standing Committee meeting was requested by Comrade Zhang Jiangbo, so how could I not come early?"

His words carried a hint of mystery, leaving everyone pondering.

But Zhang Jiangbo, self‑righteous, thought that Zhao Kai, recalling his status as a Jingcheng aristocrat, was granting him this special dignity.

Thus, he became more confident about today's Standing Committee agenda.