Names: Uncle Zhao Mengsheng, Father-in-law Pei Yihong

The remaining members of the Standing Committee looked at each other, each with their own agenda.

Cheng Du was recommended by Minister Hao. If he were to vote against it, it would be disrespectful to Minister Hao and would also offend Gao Yuliang.

Unless Sha Ruijin dares to veto, but doing so would completely offend Minister Hao, which would be a losing proposition.

Sha Ruijin would never do that.

Unless Sha Ruijin has lost his mind.

After a moment's hesitation, the remaining members of the Standing Committee, whether willing or not, all raised their hands.

Finally, only Sha Ruijin remained, looking miserable, "I agree too."

The appointment of Cheng Du was approved unanimously.

Qi Tongwei smiled knowingly and looked at Sha Ruijin with a provocative gaze.

His expression seemed to say—Little Jinzi, Little Jinzi, the situation in Handong is not something you can decide alone.

Sha Ruijin sat in the main seat, his face so gloomy it could drip water, his heart filled with rage.

He lost this game.

What a bad start!

Qi Tongwei's rebuke not only gave Sha Ruijin a rude awakening, but also made everyone realize that this young executive vice governor was no pushover.

The power struggle in Handong escalated from this moment on.

Seeing that Sha Ruijin remained silent, Liu Changsheng stood up and announced, "Comrades, meeting adjourned."

Clean and efficient.

The Standing Committee members exchanged glances, their gazes towards Sha Ruijin somewhat subtle, while their gazes towards Qi Tongwei were filled with apprehension.

No one expected that this newly appointed executive vice governor would dare to confront the provincial party secretary Sha Ruijin so directly. Such courage and confidence are truly rare.

Besides, what they said is reasonable and well-founded, so where can you go to reason with them?

Everyone got up and left.

Zhao Guoqiang, political commissar of the Handong Military Region, and Xiao Jinghui, head of the United Front Work Department, left directly by car.

On the way back, Zhao Guoqiang closed his eyes and rested with a smile on his face.

He muttered to himself, "Tong Wei, brilliant, absolutely brilliant. Sha Ruijin, you've really embarrassed yourself this time."

Provincial Party Committee Secretary-General Dong Jianming instantly transformed into a lapdog, rushing forward, bowing and leading the way, his tone almost obsequious: "Secretary Sha, I'll take you to your office."

Sha Ruijin grunted, got up and walked straight ahead, his face still looking grim.

After this battle, he knew clearly that Qi Tongwei, Gao Yuliang, and Governor Liu were definitely the biggest obstacles to his control of Handong.

My mind immediately went blank, thinking "Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit several times."

Save two, save three, save four!

If you combine the second, third, and fourth place winners in the province, what's the point of having a first place winner?

Thinking about it this way, I felt a chill down my spine.

Tang Lijuan, Minister of the Publicity Department of the Provincial Party Committee, Tian Guofu, Secretary of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection, Wu Chunlin, Minister of the Organization Department of the Provincial Party Committee, and others followed Sha Ruijin into the office.

It's clear to anyone with eyes to see that the curtain has already been quietly raised on the process of choosing sides.

No matter how much Qi Tongwei criticized Sha Ruijin, or how much he gained the upper hand, most people's scales still tipped in favor of the provincial first secretary, especially some of the former fence-sitters. With the old secretary gone, they naturally leaned towards Sha Ruijin.

Among the group, Wu Chunlin remained calm, neither trying to curry favor nor distancing himself like Tian Guofu. He knew perfectly well that as the head of the organization department, he never easily attached himself to anyone and had to maintain his own voice. In the power struggles and competition among the provinces, he, as the head of the organization department, had to get a share of the spoils.

Generally, they are unwilling to take sides easily, always playing the role of a seesaw, balancing the various forces.

Before long, a long queue formed outside the office. Ji Changming, Chen Hai, Wu Xiongfei, and others were all waiting to report to Sha Ruijin, hoping to make a good impression on the new secretary and at least become a familiar face.

There's a saying that goes, "A new broom sweeps clean."

Reporting to the supervisor is standard procedure.

If you go, your boss might not know.

If I didn't go, the boss would definitely know.

If the leader wants to start a fire, and sees that so-and-so didn't come, they feel disrespected.

Okay, let's turn this fire on this person.

Sha Ruijin glanced around the office, his expression softening slightly.

The office's decor and renovation were almost custom-made.

The layout and furnishings suited his taste perfectly. Later, Dong Jianming added some decorative items that suited his preferences, based on Tian Guofu's suggestion, which made him quite satisfied.

He suppressed his displeasure and said, "Comrades, I plan to start today by going down to the grassroots to conduct research. Sitting in the office all the time will prevent us from getting a clear picture of the true situation in Handong."

It's perfectly normal for a top leader to go to a certain place to conduct research.

After all, our organizational principle is that one has no right to speak without investigation. Only after understanding the basic situation in Handong can Sha Ruijin begin his work.

Tian Guofu was the first to agree, "Secretary Sha, I'll go with you."

Wu Chunlin quickly chimed in, "Secretary Sha, I'll go too. I'm familiar with the situation of grassroots cadres, so I can give you a detailed report to facilitate the subsequent appointment of cadres."

Before Sha Ruijin arrived, Wu Chunlin was a typical neutral party.

Originally, Wu Chunlin's heart was tipped in favor of Sha Ruijin.

However, seeing Sha Ruijin and Tian Guofu getting close in such a short time makes me question Tian Guofu's character.

Therefore, I felt a little apprehensive.

Should we side with Sha Ruijin?

I'm really not sure.

Actually, if Governor Liu were still far from retirement, or if he could serve another term, Wu Chunlin would definitely have sided with Governor Liu.

However, Governor Liu has been quite laid-back this year, especially in the last six months.

Sometimes, I don't attend group meetings of five people.

Occasionally, the provincial party committee standing committee also doesn't participate.

Wu Chunlin felt that Governor Liu was probably planning to retire, so it was impossible for him to side with Governor Liu.

As for Gao Yuliang, since Gao Yuliang did not get promoted to the provincial first-class cadre as he wished, Gao Yuliang was not even in his consideration.

Human nature is to seek advantage and avoid harm, so Wu Chunlin's thinking is actually in line with the thoughts of normal people.

Tang Lijuan followed closely behind, stating, "Secretary Sha, I will be in charge of the publicity work for the research, and I guarantee to convey your instructions in a timely manner."

Sha Ruijin thought it was pretty good.

At least, the only female member of the provincial party committee standing committee has come close to her, which shows that she still has a certain personal charm.

In fact, Sha Ruijin was overthinking it. Tang Lijuan felt that she was just a propaganda minister, and her power was probably a little less compared to other members of the Standing Committee.

Besides, since it's a field research trip, I also want to go and see for myself.

At the same time, there is also a group of cadres who are to be promoted, including some from the propaganda department.

If these cadres aren't promoted as soon as possible, who will do the work in the propaganda department?

The purpose of this trip with Sha Ruijin is to hope that he will convene a provincial party committee standing committee meeting as soon as possible to finalize the selection of those cadres and get them to work after taking office.

Furthermore, before Sha Ruijin arrived, especially yesterday, Tian Guofu kept trying to persuade him, saying how charismatic Sha Ruijin was and urging him to gravitate towards him.

Yesterday, I verbally agreed to Tian Guofu's request, but today I can only go to the grassroots level with Sha Ruijin.

Sha Ruijin nodded: "Okay, the three of you come with me. You have one hour to prepare. Meet at the entrance of the Provincial Party Committee compound in one hour."

Secretary-General Dong, you should stay at the Provincial Party Committee and do your job as the chief steward.

"Keep a close eye on the house and the stall, and make sure nothing goes wrong."