Qi Tongwei at the start: Not relying on Liang Lu, but winning by a single move against Heaven.

Three days after the organizational meeting concluded, Qi Tongwei's appointment document was officially issued.

The news that Qi Tongwei was nominated to be the deputy county head of Leishan County spread quickly within the government offices.

Early in the morning, Qi Tongwei noticed something was amiss as soon as he entered the office building.

As usual, he greeted everyone.

But the way they responded to him was somewhat strange, and their words were somewhat evasive.

Qi Tongwei was somewhat surprised. What's wrong with me today? Did I wear the wrong clothes?

At 10 a.m., the appointment document was delivered to Qi Tongwei, and he suddenly realized what was happening.

But then he thought about it again and felt that something was not right.

Getting promoted is a good thing, but why is everyone reacting like this?

There was little envy; more likely, there was sympathy or even pity.

Looking at the official document in his hand, Qi Tongwei didn't bother to think about it anymore.

Anyway, I'm sure I'll get my deputy division chief position, and I'm one step closer to getting into Handong.

Just as he was feeling smug and self-satisfied, Baimaiti arrived.

He frowned as he pushed open the door and entered; his voice preceded his arrival.

"Qi Tongwei!"

When Baimaiti saw that Secretary Jiang was also there, he immediately stopped himself from saying the rest of his sentence, looking hesitant and unsure of what to say.

He hesitated for a moment, then walked over to Qi Tongwei and patted him on the shoulder.

"Same place tonight, something's come up, I need to talk to you..."

Qi Tongwei grinned and nodded.

He had intended to make a joke to Baimaiti, but seeing the other's serious expression, he remained silent.

......

After getting off work, Qi Tongwei first called Zhong Xiaoai.

After spending some time together, Qi Tongwei told Zhong Xiaoai about his situation.

Finally, he gave Zhong Xiaoai some more instructions.

Since I'm going to take up a post in Leishan County, I shouldn't call the Municipal Party Committee Office anymore.

I stayed up until 8 p.m., when everyone in the office building had left.

Qi Tongwei rode his bicycle to the place he had arranged to meet with Baimaiti.

Upon entering the ethnic restaurant, Baimaiti arrived early, and the table was already laden with food.

Same as always: roasted pork from the naan pit, baked buns, and two small bottles of Laojiao liquor.

When Qi Tongwei arrived, Baimaiti invited him to sit down.

Qi Tongwei noticed that Baimaiti was frowning and felt a little puzzled.

Being demoted to deputy county level is a good thing, so why does Baimaiti have that expression?

He met Baimaiti on the train, and together they filled the city's financial hole.

They had long since become close comrades-in-arms, and the two could talk about almost anything.

Qi Tongwei had his doubts, so he didn't beat around the bush and asked directly.

"Brother Bai, what's wrong? Are you having some troubles?"

Baimaiti was pouring wine for Qi Tongwei.

Hearing his question, she glanced at him and snorted coldly.

"Hmph, what's wrong? Didn't I tell you, Leishan County is a tough place to work..."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was full of complaints.

Qi Tongwei was taken aback, then grinned.

He raised his glass and clinked it against Baimaiti's, then took a sip.

"Oh, what's the big deal... We'd never get an easy job like this..."

Baimaiti frowned and raised his voice a few decibels.

"Isn't it good that you're by the Party Secretary's side?"

"So eager to send someone down to the provincial level? It's only a matter of time before the Party Secretary gets transferred to the provincial level..."

He spoke quickly, even a little impulsively, but it warmed Qi Tongwei's heart.

Qi Tongwei put down his wine glass, sighed, and slowly spoke.

"Brother Bai, guess why I came to support the border region..."

Baimaiti was taken aback, his eyes filled with confusion as he looked at Qi Tongwei.

Qi Tongwei didn't mind, took a bite of the naan meat, and continued speaking.

"After graduation, I was assigned to Yanshan Town, which was a key poverty-stricken town in Handong Province..."

Next, he gave Baimaiti a brief introduction to the situation in Yanshan County.

One thousand square kilometers, 30 people, and an average annual income of 1247 yuan per person...

As for the reasons for the allocation, he didn't say it explicitly, but Baimaiti could figure it out himself.

After listening to Qi Tongwei's story, Baimaiti sighed and clinked glasses with him.

Baimaiti put down his glass, shook his head with a wry smile, and slowly began to speak.

"Tongwei, you're still young. You have no idea what it means to have a tough job..."

Qi Tongwei was taken aback, then chuckled and popped a peanut into his mouth.

"Could it be worse than Yanshan Town?"

Baimaiti shook his head with a strange smile.

He looked at Qi Tongwei, his eyes full of sympathy.

Leishan County, covering 20,000 square kilometers, is ten times the size of Yanshan Town.

"There are only 8 permanent residents, all of whom are ethnic minorities, and the average annual income per person is less than 400 yuan..."

Upon hearing this, Qi Tongwei could no longer laugh.

His mouth was wide open as he held up the cup, staring blankly at Baimaiti.

Baimaiti ignored him, sighed, and continued speaking.

"Poverty is not the biggest problem. Leishan has an 18-kilometer border, where poaching and smuggling are rampant."

"Winter brings snow disasters, and summers are characterized by drought and water shortages..."

He paused slightly, looked at Qi Tongwei, and gave a wry smile.

"Now you know what it means to have a tough job. Compared to Leishan County, Yanshan Town is paradise."

After hearing what Baimaiti said, Qi Tongwei was completely dumbfounded.

He instantly understood why his colleagues had looked at him that way during the day.

He also deeply understood the meaning behind Wang Quanyou's words.

"The cadres in the western border region are all made through hard work."

This wasn't something you could achieve by simply working; it was something you risked your life for.

After the meeting, Qi Tongwei thought his luck had turned around and he had gotten a great deal.

But now it seems that this is not a cheap deal at all, but a hot potato that no one else dares to take on.

Calling it a hot potato is an understatement; it's a ticking time bomb that could kill at any moment.

Poverty, diverse ethnic groups, sparse population, smuggling and poaching...

These problems are increasingly difficult to solve, reaching a hellish level of difficulty.

Thinking of this, the joy of the promotion vanished instantly.

Qi Tongwei even began to worry that he might be trapped in Leishan County for the rest of his life.

He downed the drink in one gulp, grinning as he looked at Baimaiti.

"Brother Bai, is there any other way? I didn't know about this situation in Leishan County."

Baimaiti glanced at him and sighed again.

"Do you think organizational transfers are child's play? They've already issued official orders, what other options are there?"

"You know, I reminded you, but you still kept going in... Now we can only take it one step at a time."

He took a deep breath, slowly shook his head, his voice full of helplessness.

Qi Tongwei held his wine glass in deep thought for a long time, then shook his head with a wry smile.

He thought that by being appointed as deputy county magistrate, he had taken another step closer to Handong.

Unexpectedly, a deputy county magistrate position resulted in a hellish start for him.

......

Before they knew it, it was the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, and Qi Tongwei's time to take up his post was fast approaching.

He had finished handing over his work and was preparing to set off for Leishan County.

Before setting off, he made a point of saying goodbye to Wang Quanyou.

Wang Quanyou was not surprised by his arrival, but he didn't say much, only giving him a word of advice.

"Settle down and work hard... Once you're on the job, you have to achieve something."

Qi Tongwei nodded, looking at Wang Quanyou with sincere eyes.

"Don't worry, I'm all prepared and I will definitely live up to your expectations."

Wang Quanyou nodded, then looked at Qi Tongwei, his gaze becoming serious.

"Don't rush, be steady in your actions..."

He paused slightly, then spoke again, his voice becoming even more serious.

"Whether we achieve results or not, safety must be guaranteed. There will always be a place for you here."

Qi Tongwei was taken aback, and couldn't help but feel a little moved.

He stood up, bowed slightly to Wang Quanyou, and made a solemn promise.

"Secretary, I'm a soldier you trained. Don't worry, I will never let you down!"

After saying goodbye to Wang Quanyou, Qi Tongwei carried his luggage downstairs.

At the entrance of the building, a military green Jeep 212 was emitting white smoke from its exhaust pipe.

Qi Tongwei knew in his heart that the car was waiting for him.

He glanced back at the municipal party committee building, took a deep breath, and got into the jeep.

After this parting, not knowing when he would be able to return, Qi Tongwei felt a pang of sadness.

Just as he was about to tell the driver to start the car, Baimaiti's voice came from the back seat.

"Hey friend, I'm the best, aren't I? I personally saw you off to your new post."

Qi Tongwei was taken aback and turned to look at the back row.

"Brother Bai? You're giving me a ride?"

He never expected that Baimaiti would personally deliver it to him.

Although Baimaiti is only the director of the municipal party committee office, he represents the municipal party committee leadership.

He personally escorted Qi Tongwei to his new post; there's a lot of wisdom in that.

Baimaiti punched him lightly and said with a smile.

"It was arranged by higher-ups. They were worried you'd get bullied, so they sent me to see you off..."