Road to Revival

The provincial party committee's inspection team stayed in Pingquan for nine days before finally leaving. Zhou Hongyou soon received authoritative information from Beiyang that Secretary Wang Yi was about to be promoted.

This wasn't a secret; rumors had been circulating for a while. Zhou Hongyou was concerned about who would succeed Wang Yi.

Zhou Hongyou hoped Shangguan Hong would rise to power. His goal wasn't mayor, but rather executive vice mayor. Among the eight vice mayors in Pingquan City, he was currently ranked fifth, and in terms of seniority, his chances of becoming mayor were virtually zero. Therefore, he wasn't thinking about the mayor's seat, but rather about securing a seat on the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC.

Given the current power structure, the highest authority in Pingquan City is undoubtedly the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee. However, among the municipal government members, only Mayor Shangguan Hong and Executive Vice Mayor Zheng Xingmao serve as members of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee.

Zhou Hongyou envisioned the best possible outcome: Shangguan Hong would become the municipal party secretary, and Zheng Xingmao would become the mayor. This would give him a chance to succeed Zheng Xingmao in his current position. Because, regardless of the circumstances, the executive vice mayor would inevitably be a member of the municipal party committee standing committee. Otherwise, the government's voice in decision-making would be too weak, which would be inconsistent with the current economic-driven approach.

Although there are three vice mayors ahead of him besides Zheng Xingmao, he has obvious advantages in terms of age and education. Moreover, his biggest advantage is that his relationship with Mayor Shangguan is much closer than that of the three vice mayors. Shangguan recently hinted at this when talking about the new city construction plan.

Of course, Shangguan Hong could not completely decide his fate, but Shangguan's vote was crucial, especially after Shangguan became the secretary.

However, there are many variables that could prevent this plan from being realized smoothly. The first is Zheng Xingmao, who will serve as the executive vice mayor.

Shangguan Hong might not be willing for Zheng Xingmao to succeed him. As a fellow key member of the city government, Zhou Hongyou could sense things that weren't immediately apparent. In his view, establishing a permanent deputy was absolutely necessary; that was a shadow mayor who could fill in at any time, eliminating concerns about unforeseen circumstances. What constituted a special circumstance? For example, the mayor of Qingshan City being investigated.

The Executive Vice Mayor is a member of the Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee and the first-ranked Vice Mayor, wielding significant power and overseeing key government departments such as the General Office and the Finance Bureau. On the surface, Zheng Xingmao used to respect Shangguan Hong, but recently there has been a clear trend of escalating conflict. Zhou Hongyou knew that Zheng and Shangguan were not on good terms. Shangguan had severely criticized the Finance Bureau over two government funding allocations, and the Finance Bureau was caught in a difficult position—these were applications rejected by Zheng Xingmao. What could they do?

With the support of Secretary Wang Yi, Zheng Xingmao's prudent approach to governance has become increasingly apparent in recent years. He has expressed considerable criticism of the municipal planning overseen by Shangguan Hong. While Zheng Xingmao dares not openly criticize Shangguan Hong, he has repeatedly accused the planning bureau under his jurisdiction of lacking a scientific and people-oriented spirit, pursuing grandiose and foreign-oriented urban planning, disrespecting history, ignoring the city's cultural heritage, and disregarding the government's ever-increasing debt ratio. "If things continue like this, aren't you afraid of the government going bankrupt?" Zheng Xingmao said publicly at a recent meeting of the financial system that he chaired.

How could the government go bankrupt? We're not a Western country! Zhou Hongyou, who was attending the meeting, scoffed at Zheng Xingmao's remarks.

If Shangguan is unwilling for Zheng Xingmao to take over his position, won't his wishes be dashed?

The second variable is Bai Yongquan, the deputy secretary of the municipal party committee. Bai is the third-ranked member of the standing committee, and theoretically, he could succeed Wang Yi. If Deputy Secretary Bai is promoted to secretary of the municipal party committee, his plans will be completely thwarted. Is it possible for Bai Yongquan to succeed Wang Yi? Zhou Hongyou believes it is possible.

Third is Shangguan Hong. Compared to Wang Yi, who has a steady style and a positive reputation, Shangguan Hong is somewhat flamboyant. There are negative rumors about him, and if Zhou Hongyou can hear them, there's no reason why those above him shouldn't.

The thought of obstacles to promotion drove Zhou Hongyou to despair. Having climbed the official ladder for twenty years, Zhou knew all too well that connections alone weren't enough; achievements were always indispensable. Among the areas under his supervision, the most likely battleground for achieving results was the new city construction. To maintain Pingquan's high-speed development, initiating new city planning was the most reliable approach. It would drive the development of more than twenty industries, and investment, in the past, present, and future, has been, and will continue to be, the most effective engine of economic growth, especially in a developing country like ours.

The new city construction plan, personally overseen by Mayor Shangguan, had already been submitted to the provincial government and passed the review of relevant departments, but it was likely stuck at the highest decision-making level in the province. According to Shangguan, the province had approved the Pingquan New City construction plan in principle, but given the massive investment involved, the procedures were quite arduous.

Based on Zhou Hongyou's political experience, success is always earned, not waited for. Like the military's motto, it must be "people wait for equipment," not "equipment waits for people." The most crucial condition for launching the Pingquan New City project is meeting the necessary conditions; this proactive approach is always better. However, the biggest obstacle to the new city's construction is Hongxing Company, a situation Pingquan is somewhat powerless to address because Hongxing is a centrally-administered state-owned enterprise, not under Pingquan's management, or even under provincial jurisdiction.

So, Zhou Hongyou arranged a meeting with Tao Tang. He didn't call Tao Tang directly, but instead had his secretary notify Hongxing Company. This was a bit roundabout, mainly because Zhou Hongyou was somewhat annoyed with Tao Tang. He thought Tao Tang would contact him after their meeting at the Donghu Club, or at least call if he didn't come to pay his respects. However, Tao Tang was quite arrogant and completely ignored him, the deputy mayor. Therefore, Zhou Hongyou abused his power, using official channels to summon the head of Hongxing to the city to report on their work.

Tao Tang acted quickly; that very afternoon, he knocked on Zhou Hongyou's office door.

"Vice Mayor Zhou, you wanted to see me?"

"Hey, you trying to pull this on me?" Zhou Hongyou was caught off guard. He reacted quickly, immediately changing his stance, "What do you mean?" Tao Tang didn't mention why he hadn't contacted him directly, but instead adopted a businesslike attitude. This was a ruthless move, because without persuading Tao Tang, the relocation of Hongxing couldn't begin. The one in a hurry now wasn't Tao Tang, but Pingquan City, specifically, Zhou Hongyou. From the moment Tao Tang made his stance clear, Zhou Hongyou realized he had miscalculated.

"The city government office notified me to come and report on my work, but they didn't say what the report would be about... so I came alone without anyone else."

"These guys down here are always like this... They really need to change their behavior..." Zhou Hongyou picked up a cigarette, seemingly remembering that Tao Tang didn't smoke, and got up to make tea for Tao Tang.

"I'll drink this." Tao Tang picked up a bottle of mineral water from the coffee table, unscrewed it, and gulped it down.

"You don't look like a boss at all..." Zhou Hongyou smiled as he looked at Tao Tang's work clothes.

"Say something, what is it?" Zhou Hongyou tried to smooth things over, and Tao Tang didn't take it seriously.

"Old classmate, what are your thoughts on the relocation of Hongxing?"

Tao Tang shrugged. "I know nothing! I haven't heard any reports, and there have been no substantive instructions from my superiors. That's the absolute truth."

"You should reorganize your internal affairs," Zhou Hongyou said, lighting a cigarette. "This is absolutely a top priority for Red Star. Let me tell you, Red Star has a plan. Your predecessor, who is right here," pointed to the sofa where Tao Tang was sitting, "reported Red Star's overall vision to me."

Tao Tang held a mineral water bottle in his hand, smiling as he looked at Zhou Hongyou, who had become serious.

Why aren't you saying anything?

"What do you want me to say? Why don't you tell me the city's plans?"

Zhou Hongyou sensed that Tao Tang was not someone to be trifled with, but he really couldn't afford to lose his temper with him. The classmate relationship was actually quite far-fetched, but he couldn't control Tao Tang. Not to mention him, even Wang Yi was helpless against Tao Tang. Because Tao Tang wasn't a city-level or provincial-level cadre. That was the reality; Tao Tang's connections were in Yanjing, in the Huihuang Group, not in G Province, and certainly not in Pingquan.

"Okay, let me give you a brief overview." Zhou Hongyou considered his words carefully. "Pingquan has a new city development plan, aiming to expand westward and build a new city with cultural characteristics in the western suburbs. All of Pingquan's universities will be moved there, and some provincial universities—at least three have already been confirmed—will also move into the new city. Both the provincial and municipal levels attach great importance to this plan and are preparing to start it as soon as possible, without delaying it until the 13th Five-Year Plan period. This involves the relocation of Hongxing... The city plans to allocate enough space in the development zone, where the supporting facilities are already quite complete. Moreover, after more than ten years of development, the development zone has gathered nearly a hundred enterprises. After Hongxing moves there, there will be no problem with product collaboration and matching, and the company's operating costs will also be reduced. It's a win-win situation... That's the general situation."

"Vice Mayor Zhou," Tao Tang resumed his initial demeanor, but his words sharpened, "You are familiar with the basic situation of Hongxing Company, because you are a Hongxing employee. The relocation is not just about the production line. Hongxing has tens of thousands of family members, and the number of retired employees exceeds the number of current employees. We can't possibly move the entire residential area there, can we? Besides, what about the funding? Do you know how much productive building area Hongxing has? If you want me to pay for it, I'm sorry, absolutely not."

"Of course the city will contribute... but we still need to follow economic principles. Last time, when your General Manager Feng saw you off to your new post, he discussed the relocation of Hongxing with the city. Huihuang Group has plans for strategic restructuring, which may eliminate some outdated industries and products. Of course, you can also make adjustments within your group, and even cooperate with Pingquan. The main leaders of the municipal party committee fully agree with this plan."

"If the higher-ups take away Hongxing's products and production lines, I have no objection. The key is people. I told Chairman Feng that whether it's relocation or restructuring, personnel resettlement is the top priority. If this isn't done well, nothing else can be discussed."

"The city has a plan for housing. After the new town is launched, commercial development will definitely follow. The positioning of the new town determines that the land price has huge potential for appreciation. The city has a unified compensation standard for demolition, which employees will welcome. Hongxing has a huge residential area of ​​bungalows. In the current state of those bungalows, they can basically be classified as shantytowns. Wouldn't this fundamentally improve the living conditions of employees? The key is the determination and attitude of the Hongxing leadership, nothing else."

"Even if the housing problem can be solved satisfactorily, Hongxing will still be a company after it moves away, right? It can't rely on the government's salary, can it? What about the market? What about the products? Also, Hongxing is more than 15 kilometers away from the development zone as the crow flies. How will the commuting problem of tens of thousands of employees be solved? Won't it put pressure on traffic? Don't even mention using shuttle buses. Hongxing is not a small unit. That's not realistic."

"Old Tao, why do I feel like you're actually against this plan?"

"What right do I have to object? I'm just doing my job as the general manager of Red Star and considering the practical difficulties. I must consider the actual interests of Red Star's employees."

"Difficulties? What isn't difficult these days? You've seen how much Pingquan City has changed since we were here. Didn't we develop to where we are now under pressure? Interests? Long-term interests and immediate interests often conflict. Some people may criticize us now, but five or ten years from now, I guarantee that the employees of Hongxing will thank you and might even erect a monument for you."

"To be honest, I don't dare to hope for the employees' gratitude. What I'm considering is the survival and development of Hongxing, with survival being the first priority. Hongyou, I'm not lying. Although Hongxing is a central enterprise, it is actually part of Pingquan. The stability of Hongxing is related to the stability of Pingquan. I dare not take it lightly, and I advise you not to take it lightly either. I would say the same thing to Comrade Feng Shizhao."

"The construction of the new city is a decision made by the Provincial Party Committee and the Municipal Party Committee..."

"I have no intention of going against the decisions of the provincial and municipal party committees. Hongyou, if you came to me today to discuss the relocation and restructuring of Hongxing, then please give me some time so that I can organize a study of this issue. What I am saying now is just my personal feeling and has no legal basis."

"Alright, I hope you can act quickly. Old Tao, you've been the head of a large state-owned enterprise before. Revitalizing state-owned enterprises can't be done with small-scale efforts; we need to seize opportunities. The relocation of Hongxing is such an opportunity."

"I see you're quite busy. If there's nothing else, I'll head back," Tao Tang said, taking his leave.

Zhou Hongyou stood up to see him off, "Oh, I almost forgot, that thing Gu Meijun mentioned last time, it shouldn't be too difficult, right? Now you're all set."

"Basic account?" Tao Tang slapped his forehead. "Look at my memory. Squad Leader Gu must be mad at me. I should at least give him an answer, whether it works out or not. Okay, I'll find out more about the situation first."