Chapter 72

Under the attention of the main leaders of the province and city, the Qingyuan municipal government issued a document to establish a working group for the reform of the Instrument Factory. Deputy Mayor Tang Yifu, who was in charge of industry, was appointed as the group leader. The group members included the main leaders of multiple units such as the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC), the Land and Resources Bureau, the Supervision Department, the Court, the Public Security Bureau, the Administration for Industry and Commerce, and the Bank.

The office of the working group was set up in the SASAC, responsible for daily specific affairs. At Guan Haoyu's suggestion, Jian Ruoming was appointed as the director of the office, and Chu Tianshu, the deputy director of the SASAC, assisted Jian Ruoming in his work.

Thus, Jian Ruoming and Chu Tianshu were officially pushed to the forefront of the Instrument Factory reform work.

At the first regular meeting of the working group, Jian Ruoming and Chu Tianshu sensed a faint whiff of gunpowder.

Deputy Mayor Tang Yifu spoke first, getting straight to the point: "State-owned enterprise (SOE) reform is a trend. Some people say that not reforming is waiting to die, and reforming is courting death. This shows that SOE reform is an extremely arduous and complex task. Our city's SOE reform is at a critical moment of breaking the ice. The municipal Party committee and government have reached a consensus that no matter what resistance and difficulties we encounter, we must face them head-on and advance quickly."

After setting the tone, Tang Yifu asked the group members to speak.

Guan Haoyu took the lead, complaining and flattering at the same time, speaking eloquently: "As the SASAC responsible for specific work, we feel very difficult. The Instrument Factory, as a key unit of our city's SOE reform, has seen a lot of effort and resources invested, which has brought the reform into a substantive operational stage. However, a few leaders, citing the lack of consideration for the rights of laid-off workers, have overturned all the previous work, leaving the SASAC without direction. Fortunately, the city has promptly established a working group, with Mayor Tang personally serving as the leader and receiving strong support from everyone. I believe that the reform of the Instrument Factory will be completed successfully and will serve as a model for our city's SOE reform."

Among these people, Guan Haoyu was the oldest and most experienced, and his complaints and grumbling were generally tolerated.

The Land and Resources Bureau Director Shen Guozhang spoke: "The reform of the Instrument Factory has been delayed for more than a year, and many companies interested in bidding have been dragged down. If it continues to be delayed, the land transfer fees and demolition costs will rise, leaving less money for worker resettlement. I believe that the longer it drags on, the greater the loss, and the more difficult it will be to protect the rights of the thousands of workers at the Instrument Factory."

A vice president of the court listened to Shen Guozhang's speech and offered a different opinion: "Land transfer fees rise with the increase in housing prices, and the companies interested in bidding are attracted by the potential for land development. Theoretically, the higher the overall transfer price, the higher the resettlement fees for workers."

The deputy director of the Public Security Bureau, Tian Zhigang, said: "We in the public security department will strongly support the reform of the Instrument Factory. However, please take good care of the workers' emotions. Otherwise, if the situation becomes passive, the public security department will be in a difficult position. The provincial department has clearly required that in handling mass petitions and other emergencies, the public security department should minimize involvement to avoid escalating conflicts..."

Tang Yifu suddenly knocked on the table, interrupting him, and said in a low voice: "The municipal Party committee and government attach great importance to the rights of workers, which is why a special working group was established to focus on properly resettling the workers. An important duty of the public security department is to support economic construction, and it must be highly consistent with the municipal Party committee and government. Please continue to speak."

With Tang Yifu speaking, Tian Zhigang had no choice but to remain silent.

The incident of the Instrument Factory workers blocking the road and the media exposure of the Beihu Public Security Bureau arresting Zhang Wei led to criticism from the provincial department for exacerbating the conflict. Tian Zhigang's speech was actually a friendly reminder to try to soothe the laid-off workers and avoid resorting to forceful measures at the last minute.

Tang Yifu naturally understood the underlying meaning of Tian Zhigang's words, which was a criticism, so he interrupted him in dissatisfaction.

The director of the Administration for Industry and Commerce originally wanted to express a different opinion, but seeing that Tang Yifu had set the tone, he pretended to quietly read the documents in front of him and never raised his head.

There is an unwritten rule in official meetings: if you speak and there are higher-ranking leaders who will give important instructions afterward, you must be cautious and leave room for maneuver. If higher-ranking officials have already spoken, the best approach is to echo their views, or if you really don't want to agree, the best choice is to remain silent.

The heads of the Procuratorate, Supervision Department, and other departments immediately expressed their willingness to provide strong supervision and support. Other relevant departments also spoke in turn, indicating their strong support for SOE reform to promote local economic development and maintain social harmony and stability.

Tang Yifu briefly summarized the speeches of the group members and emphasized: "The overall transfer plan for the Instrument Factory has been formed after multiple surveys and discussions, and there is no significant problem with the general direction. There is currently public opinion that the plan does not adequately consider the rights of laid-off workers, which is a misunderstanding. Some laid-off workers do not understand this, which is normal. Any reform will cause pain and will inevitably affect the interests of some people. Our task as the working group is to take into account the interests of all parties as much as possible and find a breakthrough for our city's SOE reform in the shortest time, promoting the rapid and healthy development of our city's economy."

As staff members attending the meeting, Jian Ruoming and Chu Tianshu had no right to speak, but they each had their own doubts: Why was Tang Yifu, as the deputy mayor in charge of industry, so eager to transfer a state-owned enterprise as a whole? Was it merely a matter of seeking political achievements?

Tang Yifu naturally had his own calculations.

The Party Secretary of the city, Guo Zichun, was about to be transferred to serve as a vice governor of a neighboring province, and Mayor Zhu Minwen would take over as Party Secretary. The vacant position of mayor was very tempting to him.

Who in the official world doesn't want to advance?

Moreover, moving from a deputy mayor to a mayor is a qualitative leap and an essential stepping stone to advancing to a vice-provincial level.

An official career spans several decades, seemingly long but actually very short; one misstep can lead to a series of setbacks.

Deeply understanding this, Tang Yifu was determined to make a strong effort, even if the chance was small, he was unwilling to miss it easily.

As a member of the municipal Party committee and deputy mayor, Tang Yifu's promotion to mayor was not an exceptional promotion, and the possibility was not zero. However, he also knew that in the competition with the executive vice mayor, Yi Haitao, he did not have the upper hand. To stand out, he needed recognition and recommendation from the provincial leadership.

At this critical moment, the boss of Kunpeng Industry, Wang Zhiyuan, visited Tang Yifu and hinted that if he could help Kunpeng Industry acquire the Instrument Factory at a reasonable price, he would be willing to support Tang Yifu.

Wang Zhiyuan's family background was very complex. The old patriarch was known as a red capitalist in his early years and had shared hardships and life-and-death experiences with a heavyweight figure in the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) during a special period, forming a deep bond.

However, later on, one succeeded in the political arena, and the other in the business world, with little public interaction. In recent years, the old patriarch, now advanced in age, has become very low-key, and his influence in the political arena is little known to the public.

Wang Zhiyuan, after returning from studying in the United States, was not interested in politics but was passionate about accumulating wealth. In a few short years, Kunpeng Industry acquired several development projects in various cities in the southeastern province, rapidly growing into an economic entity on par with the famous Lingyun Group.

Tang Yifu met Wang Zhiyuan through the lease and operation of the Triumph Hotel and could sense the enormous potential in this young man. After considering it for just one night, he decided to place his bet on Wang Zhiyuan.

Wang Zhiyuan quickly arranged a private meeting between Tang Yifu and the deputy secretary of the provincial CCDI, He Tianying.

He Tianying, the deputy secretary of the provincial CCDI, was a strong candidate for the next provincial CCDI secretary. The fact that Wang Zhiyuan could invite him so easily, and that He Tianying seemed to need Wang Zhiyuan's support, made Tang Yifu feel even more confident that he had made the right choice.

Faced with enormous interest pressure and financial risks, the companies participating in the bidding could not afford to drag on, but few realized that Tang Yifu could not afford to drag on either.

By interrupting the public security director's speech, Tang Yifu set the tone for the entire meeting, and the subsequent meeting proceeded smoothly.

Soon, the working group unified their thinking, determined to overcome all difficulties and vigorously promote the reform of the Instrument Factory.

However, no one discussed specific implementation plans or methods.

After everyone had spoken, Tang Yifu finally noticed Jian Ruoming and Chu Tianshu sitting in the far corner of the meeting room. He turned to Guan Haoyu, smiled kindly, and said, "Jian, you are from the provincial SASAC. Are there any experiences from other cities that can be learned from? Can you introduce them to everyone?"

Suddenly called upon by Tang Yifu, Jian Ruoming did not panic. The day before the meeting, she and Chu Tianshu had analyzed the situation in the office.

Jian Ruoming smiled slightly and said, "Deputy Mayor Tang, due to the different types of enterprises and geographical locations in various cities, it is not advisable to simply copy the practices of other cities. Qingyuan's SOE reform should form its own unique characteristics."

This was a very artful and flattering statement.

Tang Yifu nodded in satisfaction.

Jian Ruoming continued, "As the deputy director of the office responsible for daily work, I will serve the leaders well and handle all specific affairs."

Jian Ruoming adopted a posture of complete obedience to the leaders' arrangements and avoided discussing substantive issues.

Guan Haoyu was a bit impatient.