Right path to power

Ma Guanghua was slightly taken aback, then said seriously, "Comrade Lin Xiao is the head of the district and county. In the future, when he comes to report on his work, there is no need to announce or wait for him. Just invite him in directly. There is no need for these formalities."

He deliberately raised his voice to ensure that Lin Xiao outside the door could hear him clearly.

Wei Anshun's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly said with remorse, "It was my oversight, Mayor, I'll remember it."

He then strode out, his attitude noticeably more respectful than before, and invited Lin Xiao into his office.

Lin Xiao walked into the inner room with a smile. Seeing that Ma Guanghua had already gotten up from behind his desk and taken two steps to greet him, he immediately stepped forward and said respectfully, "I'm sorry to disturb the mayor's work. I'm here today mainly to report on some important work in person."

Ma Guanghua stepped forward warmly to shake hands, beaming, "Comrade Lin Xiao, you don't need to be so polite. You can come anytime you need anything. My door is always open to you, haha..."

Lin Xiao was surprised. Ma Guanghua's attitude today was unusually warm and friendly, completely lacking his usual aloofness and official airs.

His main purpose in coming here was to report on the preparations for the North City special investment promotion conference, and at the same time to report on the urban development and industrial upgrading plans of Zhenxing District.

With Ma Guanghua as the mayor, our work can be carried out more effectively with his support.

Previously, Xie Guangyan led the Fengdu Urban Design Institute to complete the planning and design for the overall development of Zhenxing District. Lin Xiao organized relevant personnel to conduct research and discussion and put forward modification suggestions.

As an old urban area, Zhenxing District should seize the opportunity of old city renovation, combine it with the development needs of emerging industries, vigorously promote the upgrading and renewal of urban functions, focus on cultivating emerging business formats such as modern logistics and e-commerce, continuously promote the eastward expansion of the urban development center, and revitalize the resources of the main urban area.

At the same time, relying on the resources of Fengdu Polytechnic College within the jurisdiction, we will integrate resources such as vocational education and medical and health education to promote the concentrated development of education and training institutions and create a contiguous education and training industrial park.

Fengdu Polytechnic College is a provincial university with a second-tier undergraduate program. The school is known for its engineering programs, with Food Science and Engineering and Chemical Engineering and Technology being its traditional strengths.

Previously, Lin Xiao had planned to visit school leaders, but the visit was not possible due to their work schedules.

Although the school campus is located in Zhenxing District, the school leaders are provincial-level cadres, and local officials who want to visit them must make an appointment in advance and go through the proper channels.

A university can have a significant impact on a region, not only boosting regional consumption and employment but also providing substantial support for talent development and the enhancement of soft power.

Lin Xiao also knew that building a training and education park around the Polytechnic Institute was a city-wide project spanning multiple districts and counties. Many technical schools and training institutions in the city were located in Yong'an District, so any change would have far-reaching consequences.

The timing is not yet right. Making an official announcement too early could easily provoke resistance from some city leaders in Yong'an District, thus increasing obstacles.

Throughout the report, Ma Guanghua listened attentively, nodding in approval from time to time, and even taking notes of the key points.

After the report, Ma Guanghua praised, "Very good. This plan is practical and far-sighted. It addresses the shortcomings of Zhenxing District while also taking into account the overall development of the city. It is truly remarkable."

I fully support your plan in principle, but I must remind you that work is not something that can be accomplished overnight. Having a grand blueprint is one thing, but putting it into practice with all your might is another. We must be down-to-earth, starting with the easy parts and gradually moving to the more difficult ones, turning the blueprint into reality step by step. We cannot expect to achieve everything at once; we must accumulate small victories into a major triumph, taking small steps to reach a great distance – this is the way to long-term success.

Ma Guanghua spoke earnestly, and he was secretly moved.

Among all the cadres, young and old, big and small, Lin Xiao is undoubtedly the sharpest and most capable of getting things done. He is young, has a broad mind, dares to take risks and get things done, and has strong execution ability. He came from an ordinary background but became the son-in-law of the Song family. He is clean and has no risk of corruption. He has a background and ability but is not arrogant.

This kind of cadre has unlimited potential and no one can control him.

Similarly, which leader wouldn't like to use it?

"Even if Wang Yuanze doesn't get promoted this time, he won't be in Quanzhou for long, while Lin Xiao will stay for at least a few more years. Making good use of him might have unexpected results. Besides, there's not much of a conflict of interest between us. If we cultivate a good relationship, he'll definitely be useful in the future."

After making up his mind, Ma Guanghua became increasingly friendly and sincere towards Lin Xiao. He even got up to see Lin Xiao to the door when she left, leaving Lin Xiao somewhat confused.

Wei Anshun politely escorted Lin Xiao to the elevator before turning back.

"An Shun, come in here for a moment," Ma Guanghua called from inside.

Wei Anshun quickly went into the inner room and respectfully asked, "Mayor, what are your orders?"

Ma Guanghua gestured for him to sit down and said, "Remember what I told you before. I know you had some unpleasantness with Lin Xiao before, but that's all in the past. We should look forward."

You and Lin Xiao are both young, so you have a lot to learn from each other. Lin Xiao has rich grassroots experience and is bold and decisive, which is something you should learn from. You can't stay by my side as my secretary forever; sooner or later you'll have to go down to the grassroots and take charge on your own. You need to broaden your horizons and have a bigger perspective.

The work of the district party secretaries and county heads is not easy; we should be more understanding and supportive, and try to put ourselves in their shoes. You will also be going to work in a district or county in the future, so be prepared in advance.

Ma Guanghua's words were very practical.

Wei Anshun has been with him for so long, always doing his best and being reliable in his work. Sooner or later, Wei Anshun will be sent to the grassroots level to train, so he should be taught some principles of being an official from time to time.

Wei Anshun wondered to himself: Why is the mayor suddenly paying so much attention to Lin Xiao?

Previously, Ma Guanghua always seemed somewhat dissatisfied whenever Lin Xiao was mentioned, so why has his attitude completely changed today?

It seems I'm still too young; there are some things I haven't seen through yet.

Although he couldn't understand it, Wei Anshun still looked like he had learned something.

After all, Ma Guanghua was his backer, so even if he had ideas, he had to keep them to himself.

Lin Xiao was also thinking about this matter on his way back to Zhenxing District.

He knew that Ma Guanghua hadn't liked him much in the past, and that he hadn't given him face on several occasions. He was definitely angry, but he just hadn't shown it.

"It seems he's just a pure politician."

"Could it be that recent events have made him feel he can sit back and watch the two sides fight, taking the opportunity to consolidate and balance the power of the municipal government, which is why he has changed his tune like this?"

"But in any case, his willingness to support the work of the revitalization district is ultimately a good thing."

Since she couldn't figure out the reason, Lin Xiao didn't think too much about it, since it wasn't a bad thing anyway.

Back in the district, Lin Xiao immediately organized a meeting to discuss and review the materials for the North City Investment Promotion Conference, and finally finalized the draft.

The specific preparations were handed over to Guo Yuanzheng, a member of the Standing Committee of the District Party Committee and Deputy District Mayor, to implement.

Guo Yuanzheng had always worked in government offices and had little experience with grassroots work, so this was a good opportunity for him to practice.

"District Chief, Lin Xiao is deliberately leaving us out. Such a big matter, and he won't let us participate, leaving Guo Yuanzheng to handle it all by himself. What kind of mess can he possibly make?"

Executive Deputy District Mayor Deng Guanglin stormed into Yang Songfeng's office.

During this period, Lin Xiao and his team were busy preparing for the North City Investment Promotion Conference. They did not deliberately hide it from them and had just let them participate in the discussion.

But that's all there is to it.

But what's the point of just participating in the discussion? They get absolutely no political achievements or benefits.

Furthermore, attracting investment is the district government's responsibility. It's one thing for Lin Xiao, the district party secretary, to personally take charge of it, but to bypass the district head and the executive deputy district head is something others will think.

Is the district government simply incapable of fulfilling its responsibilities, or is it simply a lack of trust?

Yang Songfeng said with a gloomy face, "Investment promotion is not something that can be accomplished by just talking big. He went to Beicheng to promote investment with such a big fuss. What if he comes back empty-handed? Let's see how he handles that."

Deng Guanglin said, "I heard he has some connections in Beicheng. His wife seems to be from Beicheng. Those reporters from the Legal Daily a while ago were probably hired by him."

Yang Songfeng scoffed: "So what if he's from Beicheng? I don't believe his wife's family has any powerful connections. Could it be the Song family? Haha, do you think he could possibly be marrying up to the Song family?"

Deng Guanglin nodded: "If it really is that Song family, then this is terrible. With his personality and style of doing things, let alone Zhenxing District, the entire city wouldn't be enough for him to cause trouble."

Yang Songfeng said somewhat irritably, "Zhou Huayu's matter is over, but its impact is really significant. Some opportunists have sided with him. We can't be idle during this time. We need to communicate more with the people below, go to the city more often, and make some noise. I'm thinking we should focus our efforts on securing the monetary compensation and redevelopment project for the old city's shantytowns. That's the important thing."

After a pause, he continued, "As long as we get this done, the results will speak for themselves, and we'll be much better than those who just talk the talk but don't walk the walk."

Deng Guanglin nodded: "That's for sure. The old city renovation has a huge impact, affecting the housing of tens of thousands of people. It involves a large investment and has a strong driving effect, making it one of the biggest livelihood projects. However, it is also very difficult. It is easy to get the project approved, but difficult to raise funds, especially if the initial funding for the groundwork is not in place, then subsequent investment cannot be attracted."

Yang Songfeng was certainly aware of the hardships involved, otherwise he wouldn't have dragged it out until now.

Previous leaders had mentioned the renovation of the old city's shantytowns, hoping to use it as an opportunity to gain political achievements, but in the end, it was shelved because the initial funding was not secured.

But now that Lin Xiao has pushed him to this point, he has no choice but to bite the bullet and use this project to compete with Lin Xiao.

"It's all about human effort. I heard that the province has special subsidy funds this year. If we can get them, we can coordinate a loan from the National Development Fund and also leverage private investment. Now, let's do the preliminary preparations first, and then ask the city leaders for help to ask the province for assistance. That should give us hope."

Yang Songfeng seemed confident.

After all, the city government needs to achieve political success, and city leaders also want to create some highlights. Moreover, the urban redevelopment market is such a large pie that many people can get a share.

Once there's a chance of success, everyone will eagerly step in to help, hoping to get a share of the profits.

Seeing this, Deng Guanglin said, "Then let's set up the framework first and create a buzz so that we can mobilize more people."

Yang Songfeng smiled and said, "That's what I meant too. We need to make a big splash first and get more people involved. We can't just watch him perform alone. In the next couple of days, we'll conduct several surveys and hold several symposiums to reach a consensus."

Just then, Deng Guanglin was about to say something when his phone suddenly rang. He glanced at the caller ID, gestured to Yang Songfeng, and then walked aside to answer it.