Chapter 68

Wushan, known as the Pearl of Jidong, is rich in resources and has a natural excellent seaport. Both light and heavy industries are equally developed, and the infrastructure is well-established, making it an important part of the Beijing-Tianjin economic circle.

Since being listed as an open coastal city, Wushan's development has been rapid and innovative. There are already dozens of purely foreign-funded enterprises, and this number is growing exponentially.

In terms of concepts, Wushan has also taken the lead among northern cities. The first economic and technological development zone, the first security company, the first industry chamber of commerce, the first private real estate company, the first law firm, and the first taxi service company in the north were all born in Wushan.

Many northern provinces and cities have begun to set up offices in Wushan to facilitate the attraction of investment and resources through Wushan's development.

Just after the Spring Festival, the Wushan Passenger Service Company, which evolved from a tricycle service center, took out a loan to buy 100 Nissan sedans as taxis, causing a sensation.

The company also had "Haiyan" and "Xingfu" 250K cars and 11-seat minivans, making it one of the largest and highest-class taxi companies in Wushan. Because the company's logo is a large "K," it is commonly known as the Old K Company.

At the same time, while Nissan Cedrics were dominating the Wushan taxi market, Japanese Toyota Crowns quietly landed in Wushan, with about 40 vehicles in total. Most of these were second-hand cars with over 500,000 kilometers of mileage, mainly used by foreign-related units and hotels.

The increasing number of high-end cars on Wushan's streets reflects the rapid changes in the world.

Amidst this noisy transformation, Lu Zheng quietly entered the 1985 first-term mid-level and young cadre training class of the Wushan Municipal Party School, which started in early March.

There were a total of 55 students in the class, including 47 male students and 8 female students. Most students came from municipal, national, and provincial units, with 1-2 slots for each district and county. Guangning had only one slot, which was filled by Lu Zheng.

Moreover, Lu Zheng was the youngest student in the class, significantly lowering the average age of 36.5 years.

There were only three deputy department-level cadres in the entire class, and the other two held nominal positions. After the training, they would likely be assigned to actual positions, but Lu Zheng was the only one with real power.

After all, the mid-level and young cadre training class is a full-time program. If real power holders need training, there are short-term training programs for cadres at various levels.

Although Lu Zheng's rank was high, he was too young, and this did not win him the favor of the other students. This is the principle that "the tallest tree in the forest is the first to be felled." In the subsequent elections for various positions in the class, from secretary and class leader to study committee, cultural and sports committee, and life committee, Lu Zheng was consistently defeated.

Finally, the class teacher, Wang Qingfeng, who was the head of the political work department of the party school, seemed to consider Lu Zheng's feelings and appointed him as the group leader of the third group.

Lu Zheng, contrary to his usual self, was unusually low-key during the training period, never taking the lead in anything and always sitting in the back row of the classroom, silent. Often, his classmates would forget his existence.

...

In the Guodali neighborhood, a large three-bedroom, two-living room house, Lu Zheng lived alone.

Du Xiaohu had resigned from the Guangning County Bureau, and no one, including Lu Zheng, knew where he had gone.

Now, Lu Zheng was leaning back on a large, comfortable sofa, eyes half-closed, listening to classical music by a Roman soprano. The music alternated between wild and intense, as if it could shatter your heart, and then became soft and barely audible. The large living room was dimly lit by a night lamp, and in the mysterious and resounding Roman music, it seemed even more empty and eerie.

Lu Zheng sat quietly, eyes half-closed, and it was unclear what he was thinking.

The phone on the coffee table suddenly rang. Accustomed to modern communication, Lu Zheng had quickly applied for a private phone in Wushan, where there were no public phones to use.

However, due to the bureaucratic style of the postal and telecommunications bureau, Lu Zheng had to go through many people and it took a month before he could finally make calls from the previous day.

Lu Zheng reached out and turned off the dual-cassette recorder on the coffee table, abruptly stopping the Roman epic soprano.

Picking up the phone, a deep and authoritative male voice came from the other end: "Is this Zheng?"

Lu Zheng responded, "Uncle Qi?"

Clearly, the person on the other end was pleased that Lu Zheng immediately recognized him. "It's me. How is your study at the party school going?"

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "It's going well. I've calmed down and am studying seriously."

"Good, good, it's good to calm down." The man laughed and then continued, "I'll be brief. I heard that your work has been arranged."

Just half a month ago, Lu Zheng was relieved of his positions as a member of the Guangning County Party Committee, Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, Deputy County Magistrate, and Director of the Public Security Bureau.

Ma Yuewu was appointed as Deputy County Magistrate and Director of the Public Security Bureau.

The Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission was transferred from a neighboring county.

"The Municipal Advisory Committee." The man on the other end said three words and added, "The Office of the Advisory Committee."

Lu Zheng was taken aback and then smiled bitterly. Was he, at such a young age, also being moved to a secondary position?

Of course, Lu Zheng was just being self-deprecating. In fact, upon hearing that he was temporarily assigned to the Municipal Advisory Committee, he knew that this was likely an arrangement approved by his father. Uncle Qi, even if he didn't directly intervene, must have used some connections.

The Party Advisory Committee was established to solve the problem of leadership succession and to transition from a lifelong system to a retirement system. From the central to the local levels, some very influential old cadres, upon reaching retirement age, were temporarily placed in the advisory committee, where they would still contribute to the party's work and support the development of young cadres in leadership positions.

The advisory committees at various levels now have significant power.

The Standing Committee of the Central Advisory Committee has a political status equivalent to that of a member of the Politburo. It's worth noting that the current Central Politburo has only six standing members, one of whom, representing the military, has just resigned. This means that the Central Politburo effectively has only five standing members, with a structure of three elders and two younger cadres.

Among the three elders, one also serves as the Director of the Central Advisory Committee. Moreover, Lu Zheng knows that one of the three elders will serve as the Director of the Second Central Advisory Committee in three years.

The Director of the Jidong Provincial Advisory Committee is surnamed Jiang and also serves as the Second Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee. This position is a product of a special historical period and is not the same as the Second Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee in modern times. It is a role that ranks higher than the provincial governor and is on par with the provincial party secretary. In terms of influence, this Director Jiang even surpasses the current provincial party secretary.

According to relevant documents, the directors and deputy directors of the Party Advisory Committee can attend the standing committee meetings of the same-level party committee.

This shows the significant power of the current Party Advisory Committee.

According to the central government's 1982 document establishing advisory committees at various levels, the number of members in provincial, municipal, and autonomous region advisory committees is between 30 and 40.

For cities, special circumstances require the establishment of an advisory committee, which must be approved by the central government, with the number of members ranging from 20 to 30.

Wushan is one of the few prefecture-level cities with an advisory committee.

Now, Lu Zheng's new temporary assignment is to the Office of the Wushan Municipal Advisory Committee.

Although Lu Zheng is in Guangning, he has some understanding of the power structure in Wushan. The advisory committee is now considered one of the main bodies, with a status higher than the People's Congress, the CPPCC, and even the government. Even compared to the party committee, it is not inferior. The influence of the old cadres is extremely powerful, but it depends on whether they are willing to exert this influence after retiring to a secondary position.

However, the advisory committee is still a secondary institution, and its main work involves conducting research and addressing gaps in the party committee's work, without actual decision-making power. The central government has explicitly stated that the advisory committee's office should be streamlined. For example, the Central Advisory Committee's office work is handled by the Central Office.

The Wushan Municipal Advisory Committee's office is said to have an independent structure, but with a small number of staff. It is also said to be a difficult job, as the old cadres who have retired to a secondary position are not easy to please, especially if some of them have strong personalities, which could make life difficult for others.

Therefore, even after Uncle Qi's phone call ended, Lu Zheng was still in a daze.

It's not hard to understand that he could be assigned a job without any issues, which must have required a lot of effort from Uncle Qi.

If he were to be investigated by the municipal disciplinary committee, Lu Zheng didn't think it would happen. After all, being promoted at such a young age and then immediately sent to prison would make the municipal leaders who promoted him lose face, and they wouldn't want that to happen.

Moreover, the titles of "Vietnam War Combat Hero" and "First-Class Model of the Ministry of Public Security" are not just for show. Any action against him would need to consider the impact.

So, even without family connections, this hurdle would not be difficult to overcome. However, how long he would be idle was uncertain, and it would depend on his own efforts and some fortunate opportunities.

Now, being assigned to the Office of the Wushan Municipal Advisory Committee is a way to manage the emotions of all parties involved. On the surface, it appears that he is being put on hold.

However, Lu Zheng couldn't help but smile bitterly. His father's decision to send him to a group of experienced old cadres clearly indicates that he hopes Lu Zheng will learn patience and cultivate his character.

If he were Sun Wukong, then these old cadres would be the unfathomable deities, and the