Chapter 89

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"Damn it, I almost fell for that little man's scheme!"

Yan Wangsong slapped his thigh and started cursing. He was a seasoned official, and with Xu Junran's slight reminder, Yan Wangsong immediately understood Qin Guotong's intentions. This guy clearly planned to use the issue of private and individual economies to make him take the fall.

If, as Xu Junran said, the state indeed encouraged the development of individual and private economies and the policy would continue for several years, then if he really agreed to Qin Guotong's suggestion to strictly investigate individual businesses in Wude County, he would inevitably bear a great deal of responsibility. It could even ruin his political career at the end.

And if that happened, the biggest beneficiary would likely be Qin Guotong.

No, there's also Yang Weitian!

If he, the county party secretary, stepped down, the most likely successor would be Yang Weitian. It seemed that some leaders in the city had definitely hinted something to Yang Weitian; otherwise, he wouldn't have asked Xu Junran to talk to him. This County Chief Yang was also a very smart person.

Once he figured this out, Yan Wangsong couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. It was no exaggeration to say that this plan was truly vicious, with each step meticulously calculated to involve many people's interests. He knew very well that he was not popular in the city, and almost no city leaders liked him, the county party secretary who was older than any of them. The key was that he had always detested the idea of factions, and every time he attended a city meeting, he relied on his seniority to get through any situation that required a stance.

Moreover, Yan Wangsong also knew that many people in the city were eyeing the positions in Wude County. After all, a county could accommodate many people's positions. If he hadn't resisted the pressure, the officials in Wude County would have been completely replaced by now.

It was precisely because of this that many people were dissatisfied with him, thinking he was blocking their career paths.

"Heh heh, I never thought that one day, I, Yan Wangsong, would become a thorn in everyone's side! To come up with such a scheme to deal with me, they really went to great lengths."

After a moment of silence, Yan Wangsong chuckled and muttered to himself.

He didn't know that in his previous life, he had been ruined by such despicable means, eventually dying in disgrace.

Xu Junran watched as Yan Wangsong sighed, and only after the old man had vented his emotions did he get up to refill his water cup.

Yan Wangsong glanced at him and grunted, "Little brat, did you see through it long ago?"

Xu Junran laughed, "Grandpa Yan, you have to admit that over the years, you have indeed become a thorn in some people's sides."

While talking to Yan Wangsong, Xu Junran suddenly had an idea. Yan Wangsong should indeed step down. Not only was the old man getting older and gradually feeling less capable, but based on his actions in Wude County over the years, the higher-ups would never allow a county party secretary with more prestige than the city leaders to hold this position for long.

Yan Wangsong nodded, "I know what you mean. To be honest, I don't want to be seen as someone who's just occupying a position without doing anything. But look at the faces of those people in the city; they don't care about making life better for the people, only about how to maintain a facade of peace and how to vie for power and profit! Where is the spirit of public servants?"

The more he spoke, the angrier he became, his face turning slightly red, clearly upset by the truth: "Last month, Secretary Zhang called me, saying he wanted to appoint a vice-county chief. Look at our county; we already have seven or eight vice-county chiefs. Why do we need another one? To just sit around and do nothing?"

Xu Junran listened to Yan Wangsong, nodding silently with a bitter smile. He thought, "You think this is strange? If you saw a poor county with a dozen vice-county chiefs in the future, you'd probably faint from anger."

Sighing, Xu Junran knew that many things couldn't be changed by will alone. What he could do was to try his best to develop Wude County's economy and help the people of Wude County and beyond with the work he could do.

He understood Yan Wangsong's thoughts. In the eyes of these old cadres, if an official didn't work for the people, it was a dereliction of duty, a mistake!

The old cadres of the 1980s had all experienced the war years. They had worked hard to establish the country and naturally hoped that the younger generation would protect it. So when they saw injustice or wrongdoings, they always wanted to point them out, not realizing that the current leaders were not from their era. In some people's eyes, their certain ideas were even laughable.

"Old Secretary, what do you plan to do about this?" Xu Junran looked at Yan Wangsong and asked.

Yan Wangsong chuckled, "Since they've set a trap for me, according to the rules of the mountains, I have to give them a good response!"

When he said "response," Yan Wangsong gritted his teeth.

For the old man, the feeling of being treated like a fool was really unpleasant. If Qin Guotong had directly attacked Yan Wangsong and asked him to step down as county party secretary, the old man might have actually agreed, as he was indeed getting older and feeling less capable. But using such despicable means made Yan Wangsong extremely dissatisfied.

"Old Secretary, I think you should just resign from the position of party secretary," Xu Junran suddenly said to Yan Wangsong.

Yan Wangsong was stunned, "What did you say? You want me to step down as party secretary?"

Xu Junran nodded, "Yes, Old Secretary, don't you feel tired? So many people are watching you, hoping to pull you down. The key is that you have no one in the city who can speak up for you. This time, I went to the capital and heard that the central government is considering the proposal to promote the youth in leadership. Your age is indeed time to step down."

He seemed not to notice Yan Wangsong's increasingly dark expression, continuing to speak on his own.

Yan Wangsong grunted. Although Xu Junran was speaking the truth, it still made him very unhappy to hear it from him.

After all, Xu Junran was on his side; how could he speak for others?

Seeing that Yan Wangsong was silent, Xu Junran suddenly laughed, "Old man, think about it. You're still the head of the People's Congress, right? If you don't want to be the party secretary anymore, you can still continue as the head of the People's Congress. You can still contribute to the county."

Yan Wangsong frowned, looking at Xu Junran with confusion, "What are you up to, little brat? Explain yourself clearly!"