Chapter 56: Strategic Planning (1)

  That night, Liu Zhihua presided over a district committee meeting, focusing on the issue of how to deal with Zhao Deli and Dong Guihua.

  "Zhao Deli and Dong Guihua, as the main persons in charge of the township government, abandoned their posts during the peak period of tobacco procurement. I think it is necessary to deal with them seriously. Zhang District Chief, you are in charge of tobacco procurement, contact the Tobacco Station and say how to handle this."

  Liu Zhihua didn't ask Xu Shaojie, who was in charge of the division and had contact with Yulin Township Government, but instead asked Zhang ShiKui. Everyone understood what this meant, and Xu Shaojie's eyes remained fixed on the front, without any reaction.

  "Zhao Deli and Dong Guihua are old comrades who are familiar with grassroots work. Yulin Township is a key area for tobacco planting and purchasing in the district, requiring 24-hour duty. At this critical moment, they abandoned their posts, causing a bad influence. I think we should seriously deal with it: first, remove them from their positions as township party secretary and township head; second, issue a circular of criticism by the district committee to alert other cadres and staff; third, hold a meeting of cadres and staff in the district, where Zhao Deli and Dong Guihua will make self-criticisms."

  "Yes, Secretary Zhang is absolutely right. Zhao Deli and Dong Guihua are both veteran comrades and party members. It's really unacceptable for them to make mistakes at such a critical moment. I agree with this decision. Today's meeting is also a special study on this matter, reminding our team members that in their daily work, they must be self-disciplined, understand the situation, and always remember their identity. They should always keep in mind what they should say and do, and not forget that they are team members, let alone forget that they are Communist Party members."

  Liu Zhihua rarely swore and his words were quite classy when he spoke up.

  "I have differing opinions on the handling of Comrade Zhao Deli and Comrade Dong Guihua."

  Xu Shaojie's words made the conference room unusually quiet. Liu Zhihua narrowed his eyes and stared at Xu Shaojie, but Xu Shaojie didn't look at him at all.

  "Ladies and gentlemen, leaders, if you can insist on working 24 hours a day, I agree with the handling opinions studied at the meeting. Secretary Liu said it well, we are all members of the Yu Du District Committee and Communist Party members, and when dealing with anything, we must be practical and realistic. The person in charge of the Municipal Tobacco Company went to the Yulin Township tobacco leaf purchasing point for inspection on Sunday, if I'm not mistaken. Also, I asked the tobacco leaf purchasing staff Old Huang, Zhao Deli and Dong Guihua were specifically told by Old Huang about leaving for a day, there are such solid facts, we don't do a detailed investigation, but rashly put forward handling opinions for our comrades below, I don't know what this is, how can we achieve practicality? We all need to sleep every day, putting forward the goal of 24-hour duty, I'm confident it can't be done. Don't impose on others what you yourself don't desire, ancient people knew that. Does it really need 24-hour duty? Who comes to sell tobacco in the middle of the night? Of course, Zhao Deli and Dong Guihua didn't arrange some things well, there were mistakes. I'm a district committee leader stationed in Yulin Township, I should do inspections, I'll come to do it, pursuing responsibility starts from the leaders."

  No one spoke, Liu Zhihua wanted to make a direct decision, but he had concerns. Xu Shaojie had already investigated the matter clearly and must have had relevant evidence. Forcibly dealing with it might lead to unforeseen consequences. It was okay to do so in the past, but not now. Who knew what kind of person Xu Shaojie had backing him?

  "Since opinions cannot be unified, let's study it at the next meeting."

  "Director Zhang, I'm having trouble with the tobacco procurement point in Yulin Township, so I'll have to ask you for instructions."

  "Secretary Xu, you can't say it like that, can we continue the meeting tomorrow?"

  "Director Zhang, I'm a straightforward person, if we still can't reach an agreement by tomorrow, what should we do?"

  The scene was as silent as death, and Xu Shaojie had already openly challenged him.

  "Never mind, let Secretary Sun handle this matter, meeting adjourned."

  It was another sudden dispersal, Sun Jianbo thought of finding Liu Zhihua to ask for instructions, but he couldn't find him no matter what. Facing Xu Shaojie's inquiry, he couldn't shirk it anymore. This hot potato, he couldn't take it on. The next morning, Zhao Deli and Dong Guihua returned to the Yulin Township Government, unscathed.

  Xu Shaojie was not happy, Liu Zhihua had been in charge for a long time, with a patriarchal style of leadership, doing things based on his own feelings, without paying attention to details. However, as someone who had held leadership positions for many years, Liu would not fall down multiple times in the same place. If something happened again next time, it wouldn't end like this. If Liu was well-prepared, Xu would still find it difficult to defend himself. After all, Liu was the district party secretary, while Xu was just a deputy secretary. From the current situation, most of the team members were inclined towards Liu, with Zhang Shiqiu and Sun Jianbo being the main forces. The rest of the team members wouldn't take a stand when encountering issues. Xu had been fighting alone for a long time, making it difficult to achieve good results. Sufficient preparation was necessary.

  Liu Mu did not disappoint Xu Shaojie's expectations.

  Xu Shaojie publicly defended him at the district committee meeting, indirectly rebuking Yu Fugui, the secretary of Huaguan Village. After this incident spread, Liu Mu felt deeply moved, thinking that this young deputy secretary of the district committee would never yield or bow his head. Nowadays, Yu Fugui from Huaguan Village basically avoids seeing Liu Mu, but Liu Mu wouldn't care about these things as he has more important tasks to attend to.

  October is the peak season for tobacco leaf procurement. According to the rules, Yu Fugui will take action at this time. Most farmers' tobacco leaves have been dried and are ready to be sold. Yu Fugui's actions must be taken in advance, going from door to door to forcibly buy and sell, collecting enough tobacco leaves before trading them at the tobacco station.

  Yu Fugui was very arrogant and did such things without knowing how to avoid taboos. Perhaps he had been used to it for many years, and no problems had arisen, nor had anyone spoken out against him. The district committee secretary was protecting him, so who dared to speak out? Even if someone went to the city to report him, Liu Zhihua could still smooth things over.

  Therefore, Yu Fugui's actions were semi-public. Some farmers who had sought help from Yu Fugui, as well as some weak farmers, were his targets. Yu Fugui would not pay cash first; instead, he would determine the grade of tobacco leaves and then lower it by two or three grades. After that, he would weigh the leaves, record the numbers, sell them, and exchange them for cash.

  Nowadays, the funds for purchasing tobacco leaves are not very liquid. Many ordinary farmers have to wait a long time to get their money, some even having to wait more than a year. As a result, some desperate farmers had no choice but to sell at 80% or even 70% of the original price, creating another black hole of profits.

  Farmers work hard all year round, and their tobacco leaves are constantly being discounted, with the profits flowing into other people's pockets.

  In his pocket.

  Liu Mu remembered the names of these farmers, his notebook was full of lists and corresponding numbers. The numbers couldn't be accurate, only estimates. Liu Mu had been at the grassroots level for many years and knew the habits of peasants bundling tobacco. A bundle of tobacco weighed roughly the same, doing such things required secrecy, can't alarm the snake by hitting the grass. Seeing more and more tobacco leaves in Yu Fugui's home, Liu Mu knew that the time for trading had arrived.

  Liu Zhihua went to the municipal party committee again. This time, he directly found Xu Yunfei, with a somewhat heroic and resolute attitude of going all out without looking back.

  "Lao Liu, you're an old leader now, where did that big temper of yours come from? Is it because you've been in a leading position for too long and your temper has grown with time?"

  "Secretary Xu, I'm uncomfortable with this. How old is Xu Shaojie? A 22-year-old young man doesn't know how to respect his elders and has blown up twice at meetings. If things continue like this, how can we do our work? Where's the prestige of the district committee? Since Xu Shaojie came to Yudou District a few months ago, everything has been messed up. Take this tobacco procurement for example, the staff on duty at the procurement point were not doing their job, and he actually defended those incompetent officials. I don't know what kind of education his mother received."

  "Lao Liu, how can you swear again? I've reminded you so many times, these bad habits need to be corrected."

  "Alas, Secretary Xu, you don't know, I'm feeling unwell in my heart, I've been wanting to scold someone for a long time. If it weren't for you blocking me, I would have been rude to Xu Shaojie already."

  "Lao Liu, you're being quite harsh on Xu Shaojie. What are you planning to do? Has Xu Shaojie made some kind of mistake, or have you caught him in something, or is there a fundamental problem?"

  "He disobeys the district committee's decision, which is a major issue of principle. Just this point alone is enough to warrant action."

  "Xu Shaojie is the deputy secretary of the district committee in charge of organizational work, and he can represent the district committee himself. How can he not obey the leadership of the district committee? What specific examples are there? I want to hear."

  Liu Zhihua spoke out Xu Shaojie's two speeches at the meeting, and these words had been heard by Xu Yunfei long ago. However, when Liu Zhihua said them this time, Xu Yunfei narrowed his eyes and didn't speak.

  "Lao Liu, you're an old leader now. You should know what can be brought to the table and what can't. Even if Xu Shaojie has some issues, the city committee's blame will still fall on your shoulders. Xu Shaojie is a cadre from the Huaiyang City Committee Office, sent down from above. He's so young and needs training. Your responsibility is to help him as much as possible. Look at how you're behaving now - with such a hot temper, what use can you be?"

  "I know, so I need to get the support of the municipal party committee. If it doesn't work out, I'll take Xu Shaojie to the municipal organization department, and returning people is always possible, right?"

  "Lao Liu, haha, you think you're the municipal party secretary? It's likely that when the time comes, you'll retreat to the Organization Department yourself."

  "Secretary Xu, I don't understand."

  "I've already told you, Xu Shaojie is a cadre sent down from above. The best approach is to coexist peacefully, but you won't listen and instead use the old tricks to deal with him. Do you think Xu Shaojie has the same temperament as other members of the district team? Behind Xu Shaojie is the municipal party committee office, he doesn't care about your temper or feelings. He's young and came to Yudou District to make achievements, isn't that a good thing? The achievements he makes are also yours and a testament to your leadership being effective, what's wrong with that? Besides, Xu Shaojie is a dispatched cadre, at most two years and he'll leave. I don't believe you can't tolerate him for two years. If Xu Shaojie achieves success and stands out in his work, you can strongly recommend him, the achievements will also be yours."

  Liu Zhihua was confused, but Xu Yunfei's words were like a wake-up call, and he quickly understood the meaning behind them. The municipal party committee leaders are indeed different, they stand high and see far.

  "Haha, Secretary Xu, I'm a rough person and didn't think of these things. Your previous reminders, I didn't notice, but from now on I will definitely pay attention. Secretary Xu, as I said before, you say left and I won't go right. I've been waiting for your good news at all times. I heard it's going to happen by the end of the year."

  "Alright, talk about your own business, don't drag me into it."

  "Secretary Xu, I understand. When the time comes, I will certainly cheer and shout slogans. As for what needs to be done, I'll take the lead in all 12 districts of the city, my words still carry some weight."

  "Lao Liu, remember my words. After you go back, temporarily do not contact Xu Shaojie and do not continue to have conflicts with him. Let Xu Shaojie do what he wants to do. As the district party secretary, you should have this kind of magnanimity. Among the district party secretaries, your seniority is very good and your age is also suitable. The municipal party committee may face a big adjustment, so there are opportunities. Don't always think about the trivial matters of Yudu District, broaden your horizons."

  "Secretary Xu, I understand, don't worry, I know what to do."

  When Liu Zhihua left Xu Yunfei's office, the gloom on his face was swept away. At 50 years old, after a lifetime of struggling in the district and town, half of his life had been devoted to this place. Hearing such words, how could he not be delighted? This was the first time Xu Yunfei had expressed such a meaning, and Xu Yunfei wouldn't say it casually. This showed that the municipal party committee already had the intention to recommend him. As the executive vice secretary in charge of organization, every word Xu Yunfei spoke regarding personnel adjustments carried deep meaning. Liu Zhihua understood that opportunities existed, but weren't necessarily guaranteed; however, as long as there was an opportunity, it was a good thing.

  Xu Yunfei didn't seriously consider what Liu Zhihua said, his attention is now focused on the adjustment of the municipal party committee. The signs of Liu Dahuas promotion are becoming more and more obvious, it is said that he will take office as the vice mayor of Huaiyang City. After Liu Dahua leaves, the position of municipal party secretary will be vacant. According to convention, Zhao Deliang will take over as municipal party secretary, and the position of mayor will be his own. However, this is just a convention, and it's not surprising if something unexpected happens. Although Xu Yunfei also serves as the director of the Municipal People's Congress, he still can't compare with the mayor. Moreover, without going through the position of mayor, the possibility of becoming the secretary of the municipal party committee or governing a region is not great. Age will not wait for anyone, now Xu Yunfeis main energy is to make this convention a reality.

  Liu Zhihua is the oldest among the district committee secretaries and indeed has a certain influence. Don't look at Liu Zhihua's surface, he is very good at handling relationships with colleagues. Rural-born cadres generally have this characteristic: they are not polite to subordinates, like fathers treating their sons, but are sincere and treat colleagues like best friends. Once they recognize someone as a superior, the biggest characteristic is loyalty. Therefore, despite Liu Zhihua's shortcomings, Xu Yunfei can still tolerate him.