Right path to power

Mu Guang'an's face turned deathly pale instantly.

He had a grudge against Mu Guang'an, and with Ding Junning and Jia Anpeng keeping him in check, Chai Zhimin couldn't touch him.

Now, Lin Xiao is about to start an audit team as soon as he takes office.

Are they trying to kill him?

More importantly, the problems with the National Development and Reform Commission cannot withstand close scrutiny.

"County Chief, you just asked all units to devote themselves wholeheartedly to their work, but this has created a climate of fear and anxiety. How can we carry out our work then?" Mu Guang'an retorted, forcing a smile.

Lin Xiao sneered: "Sharpening the axe won't delay the work of chopping wood. Isn't it better to identify problems and rectify them promptly to carry out the work more effectively?"

In fact, Lin Xiao did not decide to take action against the Development and Reform Bureau on a whim. During the last major cadre inspection, he had already discovered some problems with Mu Guang'an, so he decided to make him the first target.

As for Chai Zhimin, he was previously disliked by Ding Junning, so now we'll see how sharp his knife is.

Finally, Lin Xiao delivered a speech, elaborating on his development strategy, which mainly included the following points:

I. Promote investment attraction;

II. Optimize the business environment;

III. Creating distinctive neighborhoods;

IV. Promote the development of agricultural industrialization;

V. Standardize the development of the mining industry and introduce advanced enterprises;

VI. Create distinctive model towns.

Everyone listened attentively and took notes in their notebooks.

This is Lin Xiao's policy agenda, and also their work guide.

After the meeting, Nie Haixing came to report to Lin Xiao on some key tasks in the near future, and suggested that Wang Xinghong be appointed as the head of the Secretariat Section of the Office to facilitate the work.

After thinking for a moment, Lin Xiao said, "Let's arrange for him to take charge of the secretariat first, and we'll talk about him as deputy section chief for a while."

"Yes, County Magistrate."

"I'll be going down there soon, so please make a preliminary itinerary."

"Yes, County Head, I will draft it for you to review this afternoon."

Lin Xiao nodded. To be fair, this office director was still a capable person.

However, since he was promoted by Ding Junning, even if there are no problems, he cannot be given important responsibilities, or at least cannot be kept by Ding Junning's side.

"County Chief Jia, you have to put in a good word for me! If the audit bureau investigates us, how are we supposed to carry out our work...?"

At this moment, Mu Guang'an, with a mournful face, turned to Jia Anpeng for help.

"How am I supposed to speak? Didn't you see I got criticized too? Besides, he's the county magistrate now—acting county magistrate. His word is law. What can I do? You should go back and deal with your own mess. Nobody can help you now. You're on your own."

After saying that, he waved his hand and sent Mu Guang'an away.

He was already seething with anger and didn't know where to vent it, so he had no time to care about other people's business.

Moreover, he now needs to be even more careful, otherwise he might be sent to the Discipline Inspection Commission for questioning by Lin Xiao if he's not careful.

Seeing that Jia Anpeng had given up, Mu Guang'an was somewhat bewildered. After much deliberation, he decided to set aside his pride and grudges and go to Chai Zhimin to have a proper conversation and try his best to persuade him to show mercy.

Soon, news of what happened at the office meeting spread.

Faced with such a powerful acting county head, many people couldn't help but feel a sense of unease.

In reality, it's those with a guilty conscience who need to be worried!

As soon as he arrived at work in the afternoon, Nie Haixing brought the draft research plan to ask for instructions.

Lin Xiao glanced at it and nodded, "Okay, then we'll go directly to Qionglin Town tomorrow morning, and then to the County Administrative Service Center and the Land and Resources Bureau."

"Yes, County Magistrate."

Upon receiving Lin Xiao's affirmation, Nie Haixing breathed a sigh of relief, which at least proved that his reasoning was correct.

Early the next morning, Lin Xiao, along with Nie Haixing and Wang Xinghong, traveled lightly and directly to Qionglin Town.

A group of people were gathered in front of the Qionglin Town government building.

Suddenly, someone shouted, "This isn't a farmers' market! You're blocking our way and disrupting our work. Secretary Chen is already angry and wants you to go to the farmers' market right now..."

The bespectacled man was interrupted by several farmers before he could finish speaking, and then several more farmers joined in.

"The stall fees at the farmers' market are so expensive, we can't even cover the cost of what we sell!"

"Exactly! This place is so big and empty, can't we just set up a stall temporarily, sell our stuff, and leave?"

"Yes, Director Huang, you should talk to Secretary Chen again."

"Either don't charge us, or let us set up a stall here temporarily. It's not like we go to the market every day."

Seeing that the farmers remained unmoved, the bespectacled man was somewhat at a loss.

At this moment, a middle-aged man with slicked-back hair walked towards them. His face was gloomy, and his attitude was tough. He spoke in a deep voice to the crowd:

"I have repeatedly emphasized to you that if you want to sell your goods, you should go to the farmers' market. Setting up stalls on the street is strictly prohibited. What you are doing has seriously affected the government's work order. Besides, the fees are not high. They are all calculated and are the same as the fees for the whole town. If you do not listen to our advice, then we will have no choice but to take relevant measures."

This person is Chen Shiwei, the Party Secretary of Qionglin Town.

An elderly farmer with gray hair stepped forward and said, "Secretary Chen, you're wrong. For people like us who have no income, a few yuan is not a small amount. You...you can't just take our money and ignore our lives..."

"What nonsense are you talking about? What do you mean I did it to collect money? This is a rule set by the town, and everyone has to abide by it."

As he spoke, Chen Shiwei impatiently raised his hand to push away the white-haired old farmer who was leaning in front of him. However, he did not expect that with just this gentle push, the white-haired old farmer would stagger a few steps and fall to the ground.

But Chen Shiwei ignored him and turned to the man with glasses: "Old Huang, call the police station right away and tell them that someone is causing trouble at the town government."

Why did you hit me?

"The Party Secretary assaulted someone!"

"The Party Secretary beat someone to death..."

The farmers nearby started to grumble and make a loud noise.

Chen Shiwei coldly swept his gaze over the crowd and said arrogantly, "You have maliciously blocked the government office and refused to cooperate with the relevant government regulations. I have the right to take action against you."

He then took out his phone and called Su Dejin, the police station chief: "Chief Su, there are people causing trouble at the town government gate. Please bring people over to maintain order immediately."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Shiwei put his hands on his hips and said arrogantly, "I want to see who else dares to cause trouble here."

After saying that, he glanced coldly at the white-haired old farmer lying on the ground, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes.

Upon hearing that the police were coming, the farmers looked at each other, their expressions genuinely showing fear.

They can act spoiled and unreasonable in front of town leaders, but they are still afraid of the police from the local police station.

Therefore, when it comes to cheating, they are no match for the town's leaders.

This was the case with the centralized management of farmers' markets before, and it's the same now with calling the police station to arrest people.

"Don't be afraid, there are many of us. Let's see how many people he can arrest."

"That's right, call for help."

"Xiaodong, go and call everyone here quickly."

Soon, led by a farmer in his thirties, the crowd became enraged and took a few more steps forward.

Seeing this, Chen Shiwei hurriedly took several steps back and roared again, "What do you think you're doing? Do you all want to go inside and squat? Back up, back up now..."

Seeing that the conflict was about to escalate, Lin Xiao stepped forward and helped the white-haired old farmer up from the ground: "Grandpa, are you alright?"

"I...I feel dizzy..."

This white-haired old farmer didn't look like a kind person at all, and he put on a worried and distressed face.

Lin Xiao chuckled inwardly, "How about I help you to sit over there and rest for a bit?"

"No, I have to stay here. You...who are you?"

"I was just passing by."

"oh......"

At this moment, Su Dejin, the director of the police station, came over with several police officers, but a clear look of helplessness appeared on his face.

These people would cause trouble every now and then because of the fees charged at the farmers' market. He couldn't even remember how many times he had tried to handle and mediate the situation. But since the town party secretary personally called, he had to put on a show of it.

Seeing the police arrive, Chen Shiwei became even more arrogant, and immediately waved his hand, saying, "Take all these troublemakers back and deal with them severely."

"Wow, what a show of authority! Who gave you the power to arrest people arbitrarily? Let's see who dares to do that!"

Lin Xiao stood up and coldly rebuked him.

Upon seeing this, the white-haired old farmer who was squatting on the ground trembled in fright and sat down on the ground again.

"Who?"

"Who the hell is talking?"

Chen Shiwei turned around angrily at the sound, still cursing, "You have the guts to fart, but no guts... ah..."

His voice abruptly stopped.

"You've done a good job cursing. Go on," Lin Xiao said calmly.

"Lin... Lin..."

Lin Xiao sneered, "Chen Shiwei, you're so impressive!"

"County Chief Lin, you... how... how did you get here? Why didn't I receive any notice? You..." Chen Shiwei's forehead was covered in cold sweat, and his smile was more like a grimace.

He thought to himself: How come there was no word of this acting county head coming to inspect the area?