Chapter 3

In fact, Qin Zhiming was also well aware that the Tian Shui Dam area was indeed a tough bone to chew. Otherwise, with the huge opportunity for promotion, there were dozens of people in Linquan Town, including deputy and full-level officials. Why did no one dare to take on that hot potato? Because the place was too terrifying, and it would not be an exaggeration to describe it as horrifying.

Moreover, this time, with the hanging of Mayor Wu, everyone naturally linked his hanging to the complex village situation of Tian Shui Dam. It was possible that Mayor Wu's hanging was indeed related to Tian Shui Dam. Therefore, even fewer people dared to take on this death bomb.

Tian Shui Dam is over a thousand meters high. It is named so because there is a huge dam on top. It is about 30 kilometers away from Linquan Town.

It's not that the place is far from Linquan Town in a straight line, but mainly because the only way to get there is a dilapidated, 5-meter-wide muddy road. It is said that this road was hastily built in the 1960s when the Tian Shui Dam was constructed. After decades of landslides and vehicle traffic, the road is in a terrible state.

It winds like a snake, and although it is called a muddy and rocky small road, there are hardly any rocks to be seen. It is mostly mud. On sunny days, riding in a car feels like sitting in a sedan chair. On rainy days, no one dares to ride because even if the car stops, the wheels can still slide several meters. One misstep and you might fall off a thousand-meter cliff and become a martyr. While martyrs receive compensation, they cannot enjoy it in the afterlife.

Moreover, the road is not very passable, with frequent interruptions. Large rocks often fall from the steep cliffs, potentially causing car accidents and fatalities. Even walking to Linquan Town, people are often injured, and a round trip takes about 5 hours.

Due to the numerous small hills blocking the way, the cost of the road is extremely high. For a national-level poor county like Yuyang, it would be a pipe dream to completely repair the road, which would cost tens of millions of yuan.

The government of Yuyang County has not been inactive, but mainly due to a lack of funds. Therefore, they have only dug and excavated in bits and pieces. After ten years of sporadic work, there has been no progress.

At the time, the Yuyang County government planned to relocate the entire Tian Shui Dam village to Linquan Town and rebuild a new village. However, upon detailed calculation, Tian Shui Dam village is not small, with a total population of over ten thousand and thousands of households.

If each household were given 30,000 yuan for relocation, it would amount to tens of millions. This figure almost frightened the county's standing committee members. Moreover, issues such as personnel resettlement, land, and other problems have caused the county party committee to no longer discuss the relocation of Tian Shui Dam village.

However, Tian Shui Dam is a revolutionary old area, and the county leaders dare not abandon it. In the past, several generals had hidden there and fought guerrilla warfare against the Nationalists and bandits. They might not remember Tian Shui Dam now.

But if someone were to forget it, and someone were to bring it up to those nostalgic old generals, a single hum from them could make the county magistrate's hat fly. Moreover, the poor road is a result of the face-saving efforts for those generals, costing several million yuan.

Therefore, a dilemma has been created, making the village like a bare bone with no meat. It is a pity to abandon it, but it is tasteless to consume, and the local people are fierce. A disagreement might lead to fistfights, knife fights, or even stick fights.

Injuries from such fights occur frequently, but they are usually resolved within the village. No one reports to the Linquan Town police station, as it has become a custom since the liberation. Perhaps this is the unwritten rule of Tian Shui Dam.

This is one of the reasons why Yuyang County dares not abandon it. Think about it, if it were ignored, and a rebellion were to occur, it would be a serious matter.

The poor road also makes the area particularly impoverished, with an annual per capita income of less than 300 yuan, which is roughly equivalent to the monthly salary of the top official in Linquan Town, Secretary Qin.

"Secretary Qin, how about this. We could form a work team to be stationed in Tian Shui Dam to temporarily take over the duties of the village chief until a new one is elected."

The chairman of the town's People's Congress, Xiao He, made a suggestion.

"Hmm! Not bad! Chairman Mao once said, 'Many hands make light work.' Our Linquan Town should form a dedicated team to work on Tian Shui Dam, which should be more effective." Tito immediately agreed.

Qin Zhiming was a bit puzzled. Tito and Xiao He usually did not get along well, but now they seemed to be on the same page. "Is there something fishy going on?" After a moment's thought, Qin Zhiming also found the suggestion feasible.

"Hmm! This is a good idea. Let's immediately arrange the personnel for the work team. I think we should form a three-person team called the Tian Shui Dam Village Work Team, with the team leader receiving a section-level treatment, the same as the various departments in our town. If they do well, they can be promoted to a deputy section-level position as suggested by the county leaders..."

Qin Zhiming set the tone.

The proposal was unanimously approved by all the party committee members present, and the party and government office director, Wang Yuancheng, who attended the meeting, recorded it, forming an effective document. In fact, everyone had their own calculations.

For a deputy section-level position, at least a deputy town mayor is required in the town. Such a good opportunity should logically cause a fierce competition, and the deputy town mayors related to those present would be troubled. If someone really managed to govern Tian Shui Dam well, the Yuyang County Party Secretary and County Magistrate would have to fulfill their promise and appoint a deputy section-level official.

In that case, some of the current deputy town mayors in Linquan Town might have to move. Linquan Town is one of the best among the 20 or so towns in the county, excluding the county seat.

Being a deputy town mayor here is already quite good, and moving to a county bureau as a deputy director or director would be even better. If they were moved to other towns, it would be like being demoted in ancient times.

The party committee members present were not worried because even if someone were to be promoted to a deputy town mayor, it would not affect their positions. At most, a certain unlucky deputy town mayor would have to move.

However, the relationships within the town are complex. The deputy town mayors who are not part of the party committee are intertwined with the party committee members, forming a complex network. Pulling one thread would affect the entire body.

For example, if the deputy town mayor in charge of urban construction, Xiao Changhe, who is a close confidant of the town's party secretary, Cai Dajiang, were to be moved, Cai Dajiang, a party committee member, would definitely be unhappy. It would be like cutting off one of his arms.

Strangely, the party committee members present were not worried at all because they did not believe that there was such a capable person who could govern Tian Shui Dam well. Therefore, the deputy section-level position was like a huge pie in the sky, visible but unattainable. This is why the work team proposal was unanimously and quickly approved.

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