Right path to power

"Hello, County Chief Lin."

Good morning, County Head.

"Hello, County Head."

On her way to the office in the morning, everyone she met stopped and greeted her with respectful smiles and polite greetings.

Lin Xiao smiled and nodded in response.

Prestige is based on power, but it is not built by insulting people, putting on airs, or abusing power.

True prestige is essentially the awe that arises from winning people's respect.

In the evening, the county discipline inspection commission announced that Zheng Qiang, director of the Land and Resources Bureau, Chen Shiwei, secretary of the Qionglin Town Party Committee, Yan Zhiwei, director of the Administrative Service Center, and Mu Guang'an, director of the Development and Reform Bureau, had been placed under investigation for suspected serious violations of discipline.

Just one day later, four officials at the level of section chief were dismissed from their posts.

This force is unprecedented.

In fact, this reflects that Zhu Lishu and Lin Xiao had already made ample preparations in advance.

While many people marveled at the powerful alliance between the top two leaders, they also secretly regretted not having aligned themselves with them immediately when they first arrived.

It wasn't that they underestimated the two men's strength, but rather that they were too confident in their own judgment—even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake.

Little did they know that in officialdom, hard power comes first, and influence comes second.

In the martial arts world, power is the greatest source of strength.

In the past few days, Lin Xiao has not gone down to conduct research, as if he wants to stop after making a few typical cases.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

However, no one dared to be careless, and they all held company-wide meetings to emphasize work discipline and work style.

Soon, the atmosphere throughout the county was turned around, and work efficiency improved significantly.

Meanwhile, Lin Xiao's office was bustling with activity.

"County Head, Deputy Director Xie Chenglin of the Land and Resources Bureau has arrived," Wang Xinghong reported as he entered.

Lin Xiao nodded: "Please invite him in."

To be honest, he still had some expectations for this rumored "scholarly deputy director".

Of course, Lin Xiao did not act arbitrarily in either taking down four people or appointing a temporary person in charge, but rather after thoroughly understanding the relevant personnel.

In addition, Xie Chenglin's serious and pragmatic qualities were also recognized by Lin Xiao. The only uncertainty was whether Xie Chenglin wanted to continue to drift along or wanted to do something meaningful.

Therefore, Lin Xiao was both giving an opportunity and testing him.

"Good morning, County Head. Excuse me, but I have some ideas I'd like to share with you."

Xie Chenglin went straight to the point as soon as he entered the room, sitting down in the chair in front of the desk as he spoke, and placing the thick report materials in front of Lin Xiao.

Lin Xiao smiled, looked up and looked him over. He saw that his hair was a little messy, his eyes were dark-circled, and his eyes were bloodshot, which was obviously caused by staying up late.

"County Head, I have some thoughts regarding the county's land and resources planning and management. I'll need at least half an hour..."

Xie Chenglin suddenly stopped, remembering Wang Xinghong's instructions before he entered the office—reports should be concise and to the point, and in principle should not exceed ten minutes.

He looked up at Lin Xiao, a slightly embarrassed smile on his face, wanting to change his mind, but Lin Xiao had already given his answer.

"As long as there is substance to your report, I can spend an entire afternoon on it. But if it's just empty talk and platitudes, I don't have that much time to listen."

Lin Xiao smiled and spoke the truth.

"Don't worry, County Chief. I dislike empty talk the most. If you don't want to listen to the process, you can just kick me out anytime."

"OK."

"County Head, I believe the current land and resources planning for the entire county is a complete mess..."

Xie Chenglin began by bluntly pointing out the problems existing in the current work of the Land and Resources Bureau, and then changed the subject to tell his thoughts.

He spoke eloquently, and whenever he got to a particularly interesting point, his eyes would light up, and he would become quite excited.

Lin Xiao listened attentively, occasionally making notes on the materials, but her expression remained calm throughout.

After Xie Chenglin finished speaking, he smiled and said, "Hmm, not bad. Not much nonsense, and everything you said hit the nail on the head. You've definitely thought it through."

After a pause, Lin Xiao asked again, "If you were put in charge, do you think you could handle the job?"

Xie Chenglin was taken aback, thinking he had misheard. He glanced at Lin Xiao again to make sure he hadn't misheard. After thinking for a moment, he smiled wryly and said, "Thank you for your trust, County Magistrate, but... I'm afraid I'm not up to the task."

"Why? Tell me."

This was the first time he had ever heard of someone refusing a promotion, but the more this happened, the more certain he became that his choice was definitely right.

Xie Chenglin pushed up his glasses and said in a calm tone, "I'm not very good at being an official. They call me a bookworm in private. I only know how to do research, I don't know how to be flexible, and I easily offend people."

I agree with all of that. I just can't stand some leaders who pretend to know what they're talking about, or those who are laymen giving orders to professionals. I also hate those who try to smooth things over or are two-faced. I can't learn that kind of relationship-building stuff, and I don't like it. I just want to do my job well.

Therefore, I'm best suited to be a deputy, offering advice and suggestions. If I have a leader who listens to my advice, I can be of some use. But if I have a leader who only cares about rules, I'll just be relegated to the sidelines.

After saying that, he let out a long sigh.

Lin Xiao carefully examined the middle-aged man in his thirties in front of him, and the solemn and complex look in his eyes gave him a jolt.

The reason why such a principled and thoughtful person is dissatisfied and in pain is because of his inherent sense of responsibility.

Otherwise, the long years of being sidelined would have worn down his edges.

Perhaps, as he said, he was simply not good at being an official.

But he can get things done.

This is exactly the kind of help Lin Xiao needs right now.

Although he just admitted that he was not competent for the position of director, the fact that he was able to compile a complete report so quickly is enough to show his attitude.

"When I judge people, I never focus on what they say, but on what they do. A thousand flowery words are not as good as a moment of practical action. This is my principle for selecting and evaluating cadres, and it will also be the guiding principle for the county party committee's personnel selection going forward."

Perhaps it's true, as you say, that you're not very good at being an official. But right now, we don't lack people who are good at being officials; what we lack are people who are dedicated and hardworking. If one can be good at both, that would be ideal; if not, the ability to get things done is the most important thing.

Therefore, you can focus on your work and don't need to worry about anything else. The county committee will take into account the overall situation of the cadre team and place the right people in the right positions.

As Lin Xiao spoke, she subconsciously looked up at the digital clock on the wall.

Seeing this, Xie Chenglin stood up and said, "Thank you, County Chief. I won't disturb your work any longer. In any case, I will do my best to complete the tasks assigned by the county."

Lin Xiao nodded, stood up to see him off, and took the opportunity to stretch his muscles.

He had already made up his mind about the new director of the Land and Resources Bureau. He would let Xie Chenglin take over, and at the same time adjust the leadership team of the Land and Resources Bureau to create an atmosphere for Xie Chenglin to work hard and start his own business, so that he could give full play to his professional advantages.

A little while later, Wang Xinghong came in to report that Cui Liqin, the deputy director of the Finance Bureau, was waiting outside and asked if he wanted to see her now.

Lin Xiao nodded and asked him to invite Cui Liqin in.

"Hello, County Head."

A faint scent of perfume wafted in from the doorway, accompanied by a slightly flirtatious greeting.

The closer Cui Liqin got, the stronger the perfume became.

Despite Cui Liqin's mature and charming attire and constant smile, Lin Xiao remained unmoved and instead became even more wary.

Because he knew that the woman in front of him was quite close to Jia Anpeng, the executive deputy county head.

Don't ask Lin Xiao why he knew; ask him why he could make "Fuchuan Know-It-All" Teng Lijie willing to serve him like a dog.

After Cui Liqin finished reporting on the work of the Finance Bureau, she took the initiative to invite Lin Xiao to visit the Finance Bureau to provide guidance, and declared that she was always ready to be inspected by the leaders.

Lin Xiao simply smiled and casually said she would arrange a time.

Lin Xiao had assumed Cui Liqin would take her leave, but instead she invited him to dinner: "County Chief, it's already past closing time. Could you give me a chance to treat you to a meal? I have some thoughts I'd like to share with you in more detail."

Lin Xiao was taken aback, then shook her head and said, "There's no need for a meal."

Cui Liqin smiled and said, "Really, it won't take up too much of your time."

Lin Xiao frowned, still not looking up, and said coldly, "That's enough. Report back when you've thought things through."

Seeing Lin Xiao's resolute attitude, Cui Liqin sighed and said, "Then let's wait until the county magistrate has time next time."

After saying that, she got up, swayed her hips, and walked out, leaving behind a seductive silhouette.

However, Lin Xiao never looked up.

After leaving the office building, Cui Liqin got into her car and immediately made a phone call: "He didn't agree. He barely looked at me the whole time. This trick probably won't work."

"If once doesn't work, try twice or three times. What cat in this world doesn't like fish? If all else fails, let your niece try. She's mature, she's young, surely he'll like one of them, right? If that still doesn't work, why don't you two...?"

Hearing the other person's sinister voice, Cui Liqin smiled bitterly and said, "Are you really willing to do this?"

"You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub, and besides, he's young and handsome, so you're both getting the short end of the stick, right?"

"Okay, I'll do my best."

After hanging up the phone, Cui Liqin spat into the phone: "Shameless! Vulgar!"