Chapter 23 of 100

Chapter 23: A Major Incident

15 min read3,644 words

"What happened?" Wang Jian answered the phone and waved to Du Xiaobei to leave the restaurant together.

"Secretary Zhang's car had an accident!" Wu Lei said quickly.

"Ah!" Wang Jian hung up the phone and ran quickly towards the township.

Just as he returned to the Party and Government Office, Fang Zhiming also arrived, clearly having received the news. Deputy Secretary of the Township Party Committee, Zheng Shiguang, was in the office, looking very worried.

"Secretary Zheng, does Township Chief Li know about this?" Wang Jian greeted Zheng Shiguang and then asked.

"Alas, the two were in the same car. I don't know how Xiao Sun drove so carelessly!" Zheng Shiguang said sorrowfully.

"Secretary Zheng, should we go and see? We don't know if Secretary Zhang and Township Chief Li are injured?" Although he knew the situation was not good, Wang Jian had to think positively.

Zheng Shiguang lowered his head sadly and said, "I heard the car caught fire. When the fire department arrived, they couldn't get close. None of the three could get out!"

"Ah! Could they... Secretary Zheng, don't scare me!" Wang Jian couldn't believe such a major accident could happen, with three deaths in one crash, it was a major traffic accident!

"Xiao Wang, this is a very critical time. The Party and Government Office must remain calm and do all the work well. Now, I and Township Chief Fang will go to the county to comfort the families of Secretary Zhang and Township Chief Li. If anyone asks you about the situation, tell them it's still unclear and not to disturb the families of Secretary Zhang and Township Chief Li, understood?"

"Okay, Secretary Zheng." With Zhang Zeguang and Li Jiarong gone, Zheng Shiguang was now in charge of the township. Even in normal times, Wang Jian had to listen to him. Wang Jian turned to look at Fang Zhiming and said, "Fang Zhiming, you should stay here and handle the affairs."

Fang Zhiming was very pleased. Zheng Shiguang had always been in charge of the Party and Government Office and had always appreciated him. Now that Zhang Zeguang and Li Jiarong were in trouble, Zheng Shiguang needed to pull him in to rise to a higher position. Therefore, Wang Jian had to stay and handle the affairs, while he could go to the county to show his concern to the families of Zhang Zeguang and Li Jiarong.

Zheng Shiguang hurriedly took Fang Zhiming and drove away. Wang Jian, Wu Lei, and Du Xiaobei remained silent in the Party and Government Office. This incident was too sudden and too significant. The simultaneous death of the top two leaders of a township was unprecedented in Dongting County, and probably even in the entire Simeng City. The county and city leaders would certainly take it very seriously, and the vehicle involved in the accident would surely be in trouble.

"Director Wang, what should we do now?" Wu Lei asked.

Wang Jian thought calmly and said, "We'll do as Secretary Zheng asked. Death is irreversible, and our grief won't help. Tomorrow, we'll go together to visit the families of Secretary Zhang and Township Chief Li."

In fact, Wang Jian was deeply saddened and couldn't let go. Zhang Zeguang and Li Jiarong had supported him. If Fang Zhiming wanted to target him, he would need Zhang Zeguang and Li Jiarong's approval, which was impossible without it. Wang Jian didn't need to fear him. However, with their departure, Zheng Shiguang, as the deputy secretary of the Party Committee, was likely to become the township chief, or even the Party secretary. His close relationship with Fang Zhiming was far beyond what Wang Jian could compare. If Fang Zhiming whispered to Zheng Shiguang, it would be easy to remove Wang Jian from his position as director of the Party and Government Office, and his future was uncertain.

Du Xiaobei seemed to have thought of this and said, "Wang Jian, be careful from now on!"

Wang Jian looked at her and nodded firmly.

The news of Zhang Zeguang and Li Jiarong's deaths spread throughout Xianhe Township the next day. Although Zheng Shiguang had instructed Wang Jian not to tell others about their situation, no one actually asked Wang Jian. There were many other ways to get information.

With the top two leaders dead, the township faced a new round of political reshuffling. Even before the bodies were cold, people began to speculate about who would rise and who would fall.

County Party Secretary Ren Pingyi and County Chief Liu Qingshan both learned of the incident. In addition to immediately arranging for an investigation into the cause of the accident, they also went to the homes of Zhang Zeguang and Li Jiarong to express their condolences. However, as soon as they returned from the funeral, their minds began to work.

Chen Zhuangde also attended the funeral. He and Liu Qingshan were very sad because Zhang Zeguang and Li Jiarong were their people. Ren Pingyi, on the other hand, saw this as an opportunity to reshuffle the political landscape and possibly break the joint governance of Xianhe Township by Liu Qingshan and Chen Zhuangde.

Zheng Shiguang was a protégé of Lin Hongjun, the Deputy County Chief and Standing Committee member of the County Party Committee. As soon as the incident involving Zhang Zeguang and Li Jiarong occurred, Zheng Shiguang found him, hoping to further advance to the position of township chief or secretary.

Lin Hongjun was calculating the political benefits he could gain from this incident. There were four major political forces in the county. The first was County Party Secretary Ren Pingyi, a cadre sent from the city, who had not been in Dongting County long and had not yet gained control of the entire county. To pass a resolution at the Standing Committee, he needed to form alliances and play one side against the other. The second force was County Chief Liu Qingshan, also an outsider, but he had been in Dongting County longer and had gathered some people, making his influence slightly stronger than Ren Pingyi's, though it was declining. The third force was Chen Zhuangde, a local, with deep roots. No matter who became the county party secretary or chief, they had to visit him and show respect, making him a local power player. The fourth force was Lin Hongjun himself, also a local, who had served in Dongting County for many years and gradually risen to the position of Deputy County Chief, with significant power. Compared to Chen Zhuangde, Lin Hongjun had the advantage of being younger and having room for further advancement, while Chen Zhuangde was about to move to the People's Congress. They had worked together before, with Chen Zhuangde as the township secretary and Lin Hongjun as the township chief. Chen Zhuangde had a larger following, and while they appeared to get along, they were actually in constant conflict.

Understanding this situation, Ren Pingyi tried to win over Lin Hongjun, planting a stake in the county government to prevent Liu Qingshan from fully controlling it. Lin Hongjun was very smart, knowing that neither Ren Pingyi nor Liu Qingshan could do without him, so he always played both sides, benefiting from both. Ren Pingyi tried to win over Lin Hongjun, while Liu Qingshan tried to win over Chen Zhuangde. The two local power players thus oscillated between Ren Pingyi and Liu Qingshan, gaining significant political benefits.

With the sudden loss of the township secretary and chief, who would fill the vacuum was not just a concern for Zheng Shiguang and Lin Hongjun, but for others as well. Ren Pingyi had no one in Xianhe Township, and this was a chance to plant someone he favored. Liu Qingshan, having lost Zhang Zeguang, clearly did not want to lose Xianhe Township, and Chen Zhuangde felt the same way.

However, Xianhe Township now offered two plum positions, and no one could monopolize them. The benefits had to be shared. From Ren Pingyi's perspective, even if his candidate did not get the position, he could not let Liu Qingshan's candidate take it either. He had to change the status quo of Liu Qingshan's control over Xianhe Township.

Ren Pingyi first thought of Deputy Director of the County Party Office, Ning Xingong. Ning Xingong was close to him in the County Party Office, and he wanted Ning Xingong to take charge of Xianhe Township, either as the township secretary or chief. However, Ning Xingong's strong ties to Ren Pingyi could make it difficult if Liu Qingshan strongly opposed it. Therefore, he needed a backup candidate. Thinking about it, Ren Pingyi thought of Wang Jian. Recently, County Organization Minister Liu Yeping had told him that Zhao Bingzhi had mentioned Wang Jian again. At the time, he had considered appointing Wang Jian as a deputy township-level cadre, but the mandatory probation period was a problem. In the Standing Committee, Liu Qingshan had not proposed Wang Jian for the position, clearly aware of the issue. Now, had Wang Jian completed his probation period?

Thinking about this, Ren Pingyi called Liu Yeping over.

"Old Liu, has Wang Jian completed his probation period?" Ren Pingyi asked directly when Liu Yeping arrived.

Liu Yeping, being one of Ren Pingyi's people, had been plotting together. Hearing Ren Pingyi's question, he thought for a moment and said, "Wang Jian's probation period seems to have just ended. Secretary Ren, are you thinking of promoting him?"

"Exactly. I met Wang Jian, and he gave me a good impression. Moreover, Zhao Bingzhi has mentioned him again. This time, I must promote him. What do you think? Should I appoint him as deputy township secretary or directly as township chief?"

Both positions would be significant promotions, but directly appointing him as township chief might be too much of a leap and difficult to pass. Therefore, Liu Yeping said, "Appointing him as township chief would be a promotion beyond the normal rules, requiring approval from the city's Organization Department. I think deputy township secretary would be more appropriate."

Ren Pingyi considered and said, "Both options need to be considered. I want to use Ning Xingong as the township secretary or chief. If it doesn't pass, I'll propose Wang Jian. If Ning Xingong is approved, I'll have Wang Jian serve as deputy secretary to support him, fully occupying the Xianhe Township position!"

"That's a good idea, being flexible. However, Lin Hongjun just called me, wanting Zheng Shiguang to be the township secretary!" Liu Yeping, being Ren Pingyi's person and the Organization Minister, couldn't directly approach Ren Pingyi, so he called Liu Yeping.

"He also wants to place his own people?" Ren Pingyi asked in surprise.

"I think he wants to cooperate with us. To pass the appointment, we need his support!" Liu Yeping replied.

Ren Pingyi thought for a moment and said, "You're right. We should talk to him. We can trade Ning Xingong for Zheng Shiguang and include Wang Jian as deputy secretary. What do you think?"

"I think it's a good idea!"

"Alright, you go and talk to him!"

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