Qi Tongwei: Sign-in relationship started during student days

Chapter 818 The He-Zhao Dispute

During the Lantern Festival, lights are everywhere and the streets become a river.

Fireworks suddenly burst into the Sichuan Road Square of the Handong Provincial Party Committee, and the exploding golden flowers and silver rain dyed the night sky into a colorful rainbow.

People looked up in amazement. The trajectory of Mars' fall was like a shooting star, illuminating the shy faces of young men and women looking at each other, the figures of children chasing and playing, and everyone's beautiful vision of the future.

Standing in the provincial party committee building, He Jiyuan looked out the window at the prosperous scene under the dim lights, and a smile appeared on the corners of his mouth.

After twenty-one years of reform, the country has become stronger and the people have become more prosperous, but he has also grown old.

The majestic face on the glass was full of wrinkles, white hair, and even his breathing became heavy.

There is no longer the same high spirits as before.

Looking back, the road ahead has been long and arduous.

Like many reform cadres, he almost ended his political career several times.

People say that you have to cross the river by feeling the stones, but the stones are not that easy to feel. It is pitch black under the water, and there are invisible undercurrents and whirlpools. If you are not careful, you will fall into them.

I remember that in the early 1980s, which was also the beginning of reform and opening up, he was serving as the county party secretary in a county town below.

After realizing the benefits of the reform, he was the first to propose the restructuring of state-owned enterprises.

If you want to reform, you have to face the pain of reform, just like workers in many places today are passively trapped in unemployment. His foresight in cutting down those factories with poor performance was also a huge risk.

The tears of laid-off workers once fell on his desk. The sound of broken glass mixed with the crying was like a thorn piercing his heart.

Some old comrades pointed at him and called him a "betrayer of the collective" and a "capitalist roader." He swallowed all the criticisms in silence, and read letters from the masses alone in his office late at night until his ashtrays piled up like a small mountain.

There was also the time when he was trying to attract investment. He signed a controversial project under pressure. After the project was implemented, it boosted the economy of the entire county. However, letters of complaint flew into the Commission for Discipline Inspection like snowflakes. He almost drowned in the abyss of investigation, and finally broke free with the help of piles of research data and joint letters from the people.

Looking back on his life, it was full of ups and downs, but in the history of China, it was unremarkable.

Why does he feel this way?

In a trance, a young face swayed in front of him. It was his partner, Zhao Lichun.

Yes, compared with Zhao Lichun, he felt that he was not the controller of Handong.

This comrade grew very quickly. Three years ago, they both took over as the first and second in command of the Handong Provincial Party Committee.

At that time, this young comrade had achieved remarkable results in reform and was promoted quickly, so his foundation was not stable and he was basically suppressed by himself.

Unexpectedly, in just three years, the other party had already taken control of Handong's political arena and had a greater say than him. Some people even secretly regarded him as the top leader of Handong.

Frankly speaking, he has no ill feelings towards Zhao Lichun. As long as it is good for the country and the people, he will support him.

But young people are young people. Their smooth official career has led them to be aggressive, eager for quick success and instant benefits, and to delusionally treat the top leader as nothing.

How is this possible? No one can tolerate this.

If he were sixty-seven or sixty-eight this year, I would just endure it.

But he is only 62 years old. According to the retirement regulations of the Chinese officialdom, as the provincial party secretary, he will have to be re-elected for another term unless something unexpected happens.

Don't even think about letting him be a puppet secretary for seven years, so a counterattack is imperative.

Glancing at the letter of accusation on the table, He Jiyuan knew that this was the beginning of a falling out.

At this time, the secretary reported in a low voice that all the leaders had taken their seats.

He Anxia nodded slightly, took a deep breath, turned and walked out of the lounge.

The counterattack begins!

"I'm really sorry to interrupt your celebration. Please take a seat, everyone." He Jiyun walked towards his position as the leader while greeting the other four people who participated in the five-person group meeting in a friendly manner.

The five-member group represents the more core members of the Standing Committee.

They are the provincial party secretary, governor, full-time deputy secretary, organization minister, and discipline inspection commission secretary.

In China's officialdom, the work of party and government teams at all levels is basically decided by a secretary's office consisting of one chief and two deputy secretaries.

The five-member group and the Standing Committee are both extensions of the Secretary's Office.

Matters that cannot be decided at the Secretary's Office Meeting will be expanded to a five-member group. If no consensus can be reached, they will be brought to the Standing Committee.

He Jiyuan's decision to convene a five-member group meeting has profound implications.

When Deputy Secretary Han Ming sided with Zhao Lichun, he lost actual control over the Secretary's Office Meeting, so he could only choose the other two options.

He did not think he had much advantage in the Standing Committee. After much thought, he felt that his advantage in the five-member group was more obvious.

The Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission and the Minister of Organization are his natural allies, and he is very confident in getting these two votes.

In addition, he also has overall considerations.

Even though bringing the issue to the Standing Committee would make Zhao Lichun even more embarrassed, it also exposed the narrow-mindedness of this top leader.

Therefore, under such circumstances, he was unwilling to make the conflict too big and affect the political ecology of Handong Province.

The five-member group is just right. It can achieve the purpose of warning and making an example of others, and it can also show the other members of the Standing Committee that the top leader is tolerant and democratic.

After everyone sat down, He Anxia did not rush to reveal his cards, but greeted everyone as if he was the leader.

Zhao Lichun frowned slightly, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

No matter how powerful he is, he cannot shake He Jiyuan's position as the rightful leader.

He cannot sit until the other party sits down, and he cannot speak until the other party speaks first, otherwise he will be accused of disrespecting his superiors.

But He Jiyuan seemed not to feel Zhao Lichun's anxiety and continued chatting.

After chatting for a few more minutes, Zhao Lichun finally lost his temper and said, "Comrade Jiyuan, it's getting late. Didn't you say you had something urgent to tell me?"

He Anxia pretended to hesitate and paused before nodding slightly to the secretary. The secretary then took out the anonymous letter and placed it on the table.

"Comrades, take a look at this. A few days ago I received an anonymous letter of complaint, and to be honest, the content inside is a bit shocking.

I specifically asked Comrade Haitao, and he said that their Discipline Inspection Commission also received a copy. I wonder if you have received it. If not, then take a look.

As soon as Zhao Lichun saw the identical envelope, he knew something was wrong.

That’s right, he had also received this letter, or rather, he obtained it from somewhere else. As for the content inside, it can be said to be basically true. This was the result he got after questioning his daughter Zhao Xiaohui.

He has been asking people to investigate the source of the letters these days, but this group of people is very secretive and the sending information is basically fake.

Zhao Lichun could only pretend not to know and picked up the envelope to take a look.

Long Haitao, secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission, explained to the crowd, "The letter was sent from Haizhou. The report alleges that Wayi Township in Jiangchang County is using the tourism park project as a cover for illegal prostitution."

Everyone knew what was going on as soon as they heard it.

This special garden was previously a project initiated by Qi Tongwei, but it was not completed at that time. It was even a bit troublesome because it involved ethnic minorities. Many things could not be dealt with in time before Qi Tongwei was hurriedly transferred to Hanjiang.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Lichun's son-in-law Hou Liangping went there and solved the problem in no time.

For this reason, Zhao Lichun often praised his son-in-law in front of other members of the Standing Committee, acting as if he was training a successor.

I didn't expect such a big scandal to break out this time.

If our fellow ethnic minority compatriots do such things, what will happen if the higher-ups find out?