Right path to power

"Someone posted online saying that Zhenxing District has brutally shut down factories, disregarding the lives of businesses and workers. It's obvious that someone is trying to stir up trouble and put pressure on you through public opinion."

Lin Xiao smiled and said, "This kind of trick is too childish. I'll immediately arrange for the publicity department to clarify the situation and present the whole truth. This pollution control effort must be carried out to the end; we can no longer allow companies in the industrial park to illegally discharge pollutants. Otherwise, it will harm both ourselves and others."

"Okay, as long as it benefits the people, go ahead and do it. I will fully support you."

"Thank you for your support, leader."

"Yes. Also, if there are any matters in the political and legal system that require my intervention, just say so."

"Okay, Secretary Su."

Lin Xiao understood that the public security, procuratorate, and judiciary must work together to unleash their strongest combat power.

After hanging up the phone, Lin Xiao looked at Qu Ningbo in front of him and said calmly, "I have already communicated with Secretary Su. The Municipal Bureau will soon complete the leadership team for the Zhenxing Branch. If the team is slow to respond to calls or perfunctory in handling affairs again, I will suggest that the Municipal Bureau replace the personnel directly or impose severe penalties."

Qu Ningbo was deeply moved.

Rumors about Lin Xiao's background have increased since he took office, but rumors are just rumors and are far less impactful than experiencing them firsthand.

Now he understood that Su Anji's support for Lin Xiao was extraordinary.

Within the eight-person staff of the branch bureau's party committee, four core positions were directly added or replaced, and all of them were candidates proposed by Lin Xiao.

It is no exaggeration to say that the Zhenxing Public Security Bureau will likely only follow the orders of the district party committee leader in the future, and Qu Ningbo, the secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, will basically have no real power left.

Although nothing is finalized yet, the composure and confidence displayed by Lin Xiao made Qu Ningbo believe that this was the future pattern of the Zhenxing Branch.

In other words, if Qu Ningbo wants to maintain some influence in the Zhenxing Branch Bureau in the future, he must firmly stand on the same side as Lin Xiao, otherwise his position as Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission will become a mere shell.

Having grasped the implications, Qu Ningbo smiled ingratiatingly and said calmly, "Secretary, you have the courage and determination to turn things around quickly. I will definitely cooperate to do a good job in public security."

Lin Xiao, still with a stern face, said, "The public security, procuratorate, and courts are the bottom line for maintaining social stability and fairness. They must have strong combat capabilities and efficient execution. The Political and Legal Affairs Commission must strengthen its supervisory function, manage the conduct of its staff, keep a close eye on petitions and stability maintenance, and communicate more with its superior counterparts. As the Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, Comrade Ningbo, you must earnestly shoulder your responsibilities. I hope that something like today will not happen again."

Qu Ningbo felt a surge of anger.

Not only do they have no say in personnel matters, but they also have to take responsibility when something goes wrong. They're truly caught in the middle.

Besides, what does the branch office's slow response have to do with him? They're not even listening to his orders.

As for the future, the entire branch will probably only follow Secretary Lin's lead, so it will have even less to do with him.

Even though he felt incredibly frustrated inside, he still sincerely expressed on the surface that he would implement the leader's instructions and strengthen management.

He then left the office.

Lin Xiao returned to his desk, turned on the computer connected to the internet, and began searching for the post Su Anji had mentioned.

There are two computers on the desk: one is a classified intranet computer for processing official documents; the other is the government extranet computer, which Lin Xiao uses to understand public opinion online whenever he has time.

He quickly found the post.

The post only talks about businesses being shut down, workers losing their jobs, and lives being disrupted, criticizing the business environment as utterly worthless, but makes no mention of businesses resuming operations without authorization or obstructing inspectors from carrying out their duties.

This is clearly a distortion of the facts and a deliberate attempt to mislead public opinion.

Lin Xiao understood clearly: when these illegal companies realized that tough measures weren't working, they resorted to using public opinion as a soft weapon. And as long as the rectification work continued, even more messy tactics would inevitably emerge.

Not long after, Luo Hongqi, a member of the Standing Committee of the District Party Committee and Minister of Publicity, came to report on his work.

"Secretary, we have detected the posts online and are dealing with them."

Lin Xiao said, "Don't just think about deleting posts and suppressing information; that's only treating the symptoms, not the root cause. We need to present the truth regarding posts that are deliberately stirring up trouble online. On the issue of environmental rectification, the whole story of why companies illegally discharged pollutants, refused to rectify, and resumed work against the rules must be clearly explained and made public, fairly and openly to society."

We should take online public opinion seriously, but we shouldn't treat the internet as a monster. Since some people want to use the internet to distort the facts, we can also use online platforms to proactively speak out and respond to public questions.

Times are changing, and so are communication methods. Departments must adjust their response measures accordingly and utilize various channels to promptly convey the true situation of major government events…

Luo Hongqi carefully noted down the instructions and said he would implement them immediately.

As lunchtime approached, Lin Xiao received a call from Cai Zili, a member of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee and Executive Vice Mayor, inquiring about the suspension of production and rectification of enterprises in the industrial park.

"Comrade Lin Xiao, I know you have just taken charge of the work and want to get the district's work up and running as soon as possible. That's a good idea, but you can't be impatient. Haste makes waste. You must understand these principles."

You may not be aware that these companies not only contribute to the Zhenxing District, but also promote the city's economy. Even if they have indeed caused some pollution, they cannot be shut down without taking action. They need time to rectify the situation. We must not take a one-size-fits-all approach, otherwise it will discourage investors.

Furthermore, pollution varies in severity and urgency. How much benefit have these businesses brought to the district? How many jobs have they provided? These are all factors that need to be considered comprehensively.

As the top leader of the district committee, your main responsibility is to control the overall direction. It's not advisable to oversee specific matters too closely. A person's energy is limited; trying to handle everything can easily lead to burnout. The municipal committee has placed you in Zhenxing District with high expectations, and we don't want you to give up halfway due to unforeseen circumstances.

Furthermore, the team is a collective leadership group. As the top leader, I must also fully leverage the initiative of other colleagues to achieve maximum effectiveness.

During the phone call, Cai Zili spoke earnestly. His words, though seemingly concerned, were actually laced with resentment.

Lin Xiao smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, Mayor Cai. I'm still young, so it's okay for me to do more. As for the pollution problem in the industrial park, it is indeed quite serious, and the people have expressed strong dissatisfaction. The district has made up its mind to solve this problem completely."

Our principle is that as long as these companies meet the pollution discharge standards, they can resume work and production immediately. Therefore, the sooner they complete the rectification, the more beneficial it is for them.

Furthermore, to strengthen communication among business owners, workers, and surrounding residents, we have established a comprehensive supervision and coordination mechanism involving the government, businesses, industry, and the public. We have also improved the environmental impact assessment and supervision mechanisms for subsequent projects, resolutely implementing the environmental protection requirements of higher-level departments.

After a moment of silence, Cai Zili slowly spoke: "Secretary Lin's determination is a good thing, and as a higher-level leader, I am also pleased to see it. At present, the whole city is working hard to optimize the business environment. As an important part of the urban area, Zhenxing District hopes that your work will be more meticulous, so as not to cause or even intensify conflicts, not to affect the city's image, and not to affect investment attraction and economic development."

Lin Xiao said calmly, "Thank you for the reminder, Mayor Cai. We will always be careful and will never affect the overall development of the city, much less damage the city's image."

Cai Zili hummed in agreement and then hung up the phone.

Lin Xiao put down her phone and couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.

It seems these people want to exert pressure from all sides.

However, the more this is the case, the more determined he is to thoroughly rectify the situation.

Around 9 p.m., Lin Xiao received a call from Xie Guangyan.

"Secretary, something terrible has happened! Xu Wenbo has been beaten up and is in the hospital now..."

"What?"

Lin Xiao suddenly stood up from the sofa.

"How is he?"

"Are you alright?"

"Is the line at the hospital ready?"

"Where is the killer?"

He asked a series of questions until Song Wanqing gently tugged at his sleeve, at which point he stopped.

Xie Guangyan then spoke again: "Xu Wenbo's left hand was fractured, and he has multiple injuries. I've already called the hospital director, and the hospital is doing everything they can to treat him. I'm on my way to the hospital. As for the assailant, he wasn't caught on the spot."

Lin Xiao slowly sat down, her face terribly cold.

He knew in his heart that this was not an ordinary beating, but a premeditated warning.

Hitting someone is a provocation!

"Contact Comrade Zhong Haibo at the branch office immediately and ask him to organize police forces to solve the case as soon as possible. At the same time, please ask Comrade Qu Ningbo to give special supervision to this matter, and make sure to arrest the perpetrator as soon as possible, uncover the mastermind behind it, and punish him severely according to the law."

"Yes, Secretary, I'll arrange it right away."

Afterwards, Lin Xiao got up and rushed to the hospital.