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

Cao Jianhua stood there, his hands clenched, hesitant to sit down.

There was only one empty bench; if I sat down, Secretary Bai would have to stand.

Sitting on the bed by yourself is absolutely unacceptable.

His gaze flickered towards Secretary Bai beside him, his mind racing with calculations.

The officialdom is a murky place, and walls have ears.

Speaking the truth in front of the provincial party secretary's full-time secretary can easily offend people.

Simply spouting empty rhetoric won't fool a top expert like Sha Ruijin. It's a trap either way.

What?

He gritted his teeth, looked up at Sha Ruijin, and said, "Secretary Sha, am I... am I telling the truth, or am I lying?"

Sha Ruijin smiled faintly upon hearing this and waved his hand. "Xiao Bai, go and guard the door. Don't let anyone in."

"Yes, sir." Secretary Bai replied and closed the door behind her.

Sha Ruijin looked up at the flustered Cao Jianhua and said, "Secretary-General Cao, you can speak now."

I don't need official rhetoric; I only listen to the truth.

Especially your view of Li Dakang, and the current Lincheng Municipal Party Committee and Government.

Cao Jianhua then carefully turned and sat down.

The posture is stiff, with the back straight and the hands placed on the knees.

I was both nervous and excited.

This was the first time since he entered politics that he had faced a ministerial-level official so closely.

For a prefecture-level city secretary-general, the provincial party secretary is the highest level of authority.

If we're not careful in today's conversation, we could lose everything.

If you seize the opportunity, it could be a chance to rise to the top in one step.

After a two-second pause, Cao Jianhua steadied himself and said, "Secretary Sha, during Secretary Dakang's tenure in Lincheng, all work revolved around economic development, and he valued GDP growth rate the most."

Back then, they promoted ecological restoration in the subsidence area, implemented a 10,000-mu tea plantation project, and built an electronic information industrial park, truly accomplishing many beneficial things for the people...

Sha Ruijin interrupted him, "Secretary-General Cao, there's no need to say nice things."

When I go to the grassroots level to conduct research, I come to listen to the problems and find the shortcomings.

Besides, you're a steady and reliable person. If you work hard, you have a lot of room for advancement. The department-level position is just the starting point of your career.

That simple sentence, when it reached Cao Jianhua's ears, was like a reassuring pill.

My heart was instantly stirred, and I bowed slightly.

"Thank you for your high regard, Secretary Sha! I will definitely work diligently and wholeheartedly to serve you. Whatever you wish to ask, I will answer to the best of my knowledge!"

Sha Ruijin raised his hand to slap the ground down, his expression turning serious. "Remember, you're not working for me, you're working for the people of Lincheng."

Putting aside personal feelings, let's objectively discuss Li Dakang's issues.

Cao Jianhua went all out and said bluntly, "Secretary Sha, Secretary Dakang is eager to get things done, but his only problem is that he takes too big a step, emphasizing speed over quality and pursuing GDP figures too much."

These are secondary.

The most fatal blow was the disciplinary violations that led to the downfall of former Vice Mayor Li Weimin.

The scandal caused panic among out-of-town investors, leading to a mass exodus of funds and the abandonment of several key projects. As a result, Lincheng's economy plummeted, its GDP ranking dropping from second to fifth in the province, suffering a severe blow.

Sha Ruijin was not surprised at all and slowly said, "Back then, Luzhou's GDP ranked second in the province. Gao Yuliang, then secretary of the Luzhou Municipal Party Committee, was promoted to a member of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee."

"Then tell me, what was the situation like when Tian Guofu was mayor of Lincheng?"

Tian Guofu had said these words on the way here.

Tian Guofu had both praise and criticism of Li Dakang.

The reason for speaking out first was to establish authority in front of Cao Jianhua.

Look at me, Sha Ruijingang, I know all about these things, even though I'm in Handong.

You can fool anyone from now on, but don't even think about fooling me, Sha Ruijin.

Cao Jianhua carefully considered his words, "Secretary Sha, please forgive my boldness in speaking frankly."

Secretary Tian may be a qualified provincial discipline inspection commission secretary, but he is absolutely unsuitable to be a mayor of a prefecture-level city.

Therefore, before his term was over, he voluntarily transferred out and left Handong.

Sha Ruijin raised an eyebrow: "The reason?"

"Firstly, Secretary Tian's style is strict and disciplined; he's good at addressing work style issues and investigating problems, but not good at developing the economy or securing projects, which doesn't match the pace of local development," Cao Jianhua explained. "Secondly, and most importantly, his working philosophies are completely opposite to Secretary Dakang's. The two are incompatible, and the team simply can't be integrated. It's a classic case of one plus one being less than two."

Sha Ruijin continued, "So what do you think of Zhao Shouyi and Lin Bowen's current team in Lincheng?"

"Secretary Zhao and Mayor Lin are both pragmatic and down-to-earth, genuinely wanting to drive Lincheng's development beyond its current predicament." Cao Jianhua sighed, somewhat helplessly. "Especially Secretary Zhao, who personally handles everything and has been working tirelessly for Lincheng's economy. However, Lincheng has too many legacy issues; economic shortcomings and industrial bottlenecks are right in front of us. We need to stabilize growth while improving quality, but we are caught in a dilemma, willing but unable to do so. Our Lincheng leadership desperately needs the provincial party committee's policy and financial support."

He was the Secretary-General of the Municipal Party Committee and the chief steward of the Lincheng Municipal Party Committee.

Since I have the opportunity, I should definitely say a few good words for Zhang Shouyi, the current Party Secretary of Lincheng City.

And also, it's a rare opportunity to face the Provincial Party Secretary, Sha Ruijin.

He also wanted to secure some policies, resources, and funding for Lincheng.

After he finished speaking, the room fell into dead silence.

The conversation basically died out.

Sha Ruijin remained silent, but his mind was clear.

Cao Jianhua's words sound nice, but in essence, he just wants resources, policies, and money.

However, he had just arrived in Handong and had not yet established himself. His primary task was to rectify his work style and take stock of the company's resources. It was impossible for him to rashly approve funds or give Lincheng the green light.

Some favors are not impossible to do, but the timing is not right.

The rest were just casual conversations and discussions about ideals, which were a bit of a letdown.

It's terrifying to eat, but a pity to throw it away.

Meanwhile, in the room next to the guesthouse.

Tian Guofu listened quietly as Ma Zhengwu, the secretary of the Lincheng City Discipline Inspection Commission, reported on the work style and self-examination of violations of discipline by Lincheng City cadres.

As night deepened, Xiao Qingming, the executive vice mayor of Lincheng, Ren Baocheng, the director of the Public Security Bureau, and a group of others who had received the urgent notice rushed to the guesthouse.

After the individual talks, the group moved to the guesthouse conference room and held a symposium that night.

On the other side, in Jingzhou, Handong Province.

The banquet at Courtyard No. 6 has ended.

Zhao Shouyi and Lin Bowen were both flushed from drinking and were already quite drunk.

Qi Tongwei instructed, "Liu Lei, make sure the two leaders are safely taken to the guesthouse. Keep an eye on them. Wake them up at 5 a.m. tomorrow morning, and we'll leave for Lincheng at 6 a.m. sharp."

"Yes, boss."

Liu Lei immediately stepped forward and helped Zhao Shouyi up.

Cheng Du and Zhang Shuli pulled Lin Bowen out and put him in the car.

In the study.

Qi Tongwei made several phone calls in succession and finalized many important matters.

Tomorrow I'm going to Lincheng, and I must present some big gifts to my hometown.

Back when I was in college, my fellow villagers gave me eggs and money.

The money has already been paid back.

But that debt of gratitude still needs to be repaid.