Chapter 24: The Struggle at the Standing Committee Meeting

Ren Pingyi and Lin Hongjun had a good talk, while Liu Qingshan and Chen Zhuangde's discussion broke down. Chen Zhuangde was very arrogant, believing that not only Liu Qingshan but also Ren Pingyi would try to pull him in. Therefore, he insisted to Liu Qingshan that his people should be appointed as the Party Secretary of the township. Liu Qingshan also wanted his people to be appointed as the Party Secretary, which was reasonable since Zhang Zeguang was originally the Party Secretary. Neither side would give in, so the talks broke down.

Chen Zhuangde was not afraid of the talks breaking down. He believed that Ren Pingyi would definitely come to him. However, after Ren Pingyi and Lin Hongjun exchanged interests, he did not come to him again, which was unexpected. Chen Zhuangde wanted to contact Liu Qingshan again but felt it would be a loss of face, so he did not.

After some preparation and planning, Ren Pingyi notified the convening of the Standing Committee of the County Party Committee to discuss the adjustment of the leadership in Qinghe Township.

The Dongting County Party Committee compound was located on a road, with a four-story building that looked old and unremarkable. Many people came and went at the entrance. Hearing that the Standing Committee meeting was to be held, a few more cars appeared in the compound.

The Standing Committee meeting room was on the third floor of the County Party Committee building. The Standing Committee members, carrying small bags and holding teacups, walked upstairs from their cars. Ren Pingyi and Chen Zhuangde were in their offices, waiting for the meeting to start, while the other Standing Committee members went to the meeting room to rest.

With nothing else to do, the first few Standing Committee members who arrived began to chat about Zhang Zeguang and Li Jiarong.

"Old Wu, did you go to see Zhang Zeguang and Li Jiarong? It's too tragic that they were burned alive. I wonder what sins they committed in their past lives!" County Party Committee Standing Committee member and Deputy County Governor Fang Shuzeng said to County Party Committee Standing Committee member and County People's Armed Forces Department Political Commissar Wu Li.

Wu Li, holding a specially made large teacup, took a deep sip and said, "Life is full of ups and downs, and the moon has its phases. There's no way to predict such things. In the future, we should be nicer to our drivers. The driver in this accident had a significant responsibility. Who knows if it was intentional!"

"Old Wu, who told you that? Has the accident responsibility been determined?" Fang Shuzeng asked, opening his eyes wide.

Wu Li put down his teacup and waved his hand. "I happened to pass by the scene. The car directly hit the back of a truck. Who's to blame?"

"I've heard about it, but I haven't seen the scene. We must be more careful in the future!" Fang Shuzeng sighed.

"Being careful is good. It's a virtue to be cautious." Wu Li said with a deep sense of feeling.

As they were chatting, several more Standing Committee members came in, greeted the two, and sat down, waiting for the four major figures in the county to arrive.

As if by agreement, Ren Pingyi, Liu Qingshan, Chen Zhuangde, and Lin Hongjun walked in one after another, holding teacups. On the surface, they were laughing and chatting, appearing very close, but the Standing Committee members knew that when it came to their own interests, they would not give in.

Ren Pingyi sat down, and all the Standing Committee members were present. The idle chatter had stopped, replaced by the sound of sipping water.

Ren Pingyi took a sip, cleared his throat, and said, "Let's start the meeting. The Party Secretary of Qinghe Township, Zhang Zeguang, and the Township Head, Li Jiarong, unfortunately died in a car accident. This is a great loss for our county. Under their leadership, Qinghe Township was thriving. It's unbelievable that such a thing happened. I want to remind everyone to pay attention to safety when going out, and to sit in separate cars. If something happens, it can reduce the loss."

At this, a few Standing Committee members coughed, probably because Ren Pingyi mentioned reducing the loss. Although his words were not very auspicious, they were realistic. If Zhang Zeguang and Li Jiarong had not been in the same car, they would not have died together. At least one of them would have survived. Cadres are valuable assets to the state, and this would have reduced the loss.

Ren Pingyi glanced at the coughing Standing Committee member and continued, "What I said may not be very auspicious, but it must be said. I hope everyone can learn from this and be cautious. Now, let's move on to the main topic. We have called everyone here to discuss the adjustment of cadres in Qinghe Township. With Zhang Zeguang and Li Jiarong gone, we need someone to fill these positions. Minister Ye Ping, please present the candidates."

Everyone looked at Liu Yeping, who straightened up and said, "After consultations and evaluations, there are three candidates for the position of Party Secretary of the township. The first is Deputy Party Secretary of Qinghe Township, Zheng Shiguo. The second is Township Head of Huayuan Township, Cheng Haoyuan. The third is Township Head of Lanhua Township, Zhao Zilu. There are two candidates for the position of Township Head: Deputy Director of the County Party Committee Office, Ning Xingong, and Deputy Party Secretary of Caizhuang Township, Zhou Bei."

Zheng Shiguo was the candidate agreed upon by Ren Pingyi and Lin Hongjun, Cheng Haoyuan was proposed by Liu Qingshan, and Zhao Zilu was Chen Zhuangde's candidate. For the position of Township Head, Ning Xingong was Ren Pingyi's candidate, and Zhou Bei was Chen Zhuangde's candidate. Liu Qingshan did not propose a candidate for Township Head.

"Minister Ye Ping has finished speaking. Everyone, please share your opinions," Ren Pingyi said, leaning back in his chair. He believed that the alliance with Lin Hongjun would allow him to control the entire Standing Committee.

The four major figures usually did not speak first; their representatives often did. As soon as Ren Pingyi finished speaking, Fang Shuzeng, who was aligned with Lin Hongjun, spoke up. Seeing Zheng Shiguo listed first, he wanted to speak first.

"I believe Zheng Shiguo is suitable to serve as the Party Secretary of Qinghe Township. He has been working in Qinghe Township, and his work is solid and effective. I support Zheng Shiguo as the Party Secretary. As for the position of Township Head, I support Ning Xingong."

As soon as Fang Shuzeng finished speaking, the County Political and Legal Affairs Secretary, Lu Dagang, put down his teacup and said, "I support Cheng Haoyuan, the Township Head of Huayuan Township, to serve as the Party Secretary of Qinghe Township. Cheng Haoyuan is already a Township Head, so it's normal for him to become a Party Secretary. Zheng Shiguo is just a Deputy Party Secretary, and it's inappropriate for him to directly become a Party Secretary. As for the Township Head, I propose that the Director of the Party and Government Office of Qinghe Township, Wang Jian, be considered. The higher authorities require us to promote young cadres, and we should break the rules for outstanding young cadres. Therefore, I suggest including Wang Jian as a candidate for Township Head."

Lu Dagang was aligned with Liu Qingshan and was speaking according to Liu Qingshan's wishes.

After Lu Dagang finished speaking, Ren Pingyi felt very uneasy. Liu Qingshan had taken the lead again. It seemed that Liu Qingshan had more courage, directly proposing Wang Jian for Township Head, which disrupted his original plan. Lin Hongjun, out of the need for the alliance, would certainly support Ning Xingong as Township Head, which put him in a difficult position. Should he support Wang Jian as Township Head or Ning Xingong? If he supported Ning Xingong, Chen Zhuangde might join Liu Qingshan in supporting Wang Jian, making the situation very complicated. Both sides would be at an impasse, and no one would win.

Ren Pingyi thought about this, and Chen Zhuangde was also calculating. He knew that Ren Pingyi and Lin Hongjun were working together, and the final selection would likely be the candidates they had agreed upon. He and Liu Qingshan had not formed an alliance, which put him at a disadvantage. Ren Pingyi had not allied with him but with Lin Hongjun, which made him very unhappy. Since this was the case, why not be a troublemaker? Now that Fang Shuzeng had proposed Ning Xingong for Township Head and Lu Dagang had proposed Wang Jian, if he insisted on Zhou Bei, Ren Pingyi would win. Similarly, Ren Pingyi would win the position of Party Secretary. He would get nothing. However, if he supported Wang Jian, he could gain the reputation of promoting young cadres, and Wang Jian, who had been commended by the Provincial Party Secretary, was being sought after by all sides. This was an opportunity he could not miss.

Therefore, Chen Zhuangde gave a nod to the County Discipline Inspection Commission Secretary, Wu Ping, who understood and said, "I support Zhao Zilu, the Township Head of Lanhua Township, to serve as the Party Secretary of Qinghe Township, and I also believe Wang Jian should be a candidate for Township Head."

Ren Pingyi was now in a real bind. Chen Zhuangde had indeed proposed Wang Jian for Township Head. If he opposed Wang Jian, he might not get the majority vote and would lose the opportunity to support Wang Jian. If he supported Wang Jian, Ning Xingong would not become Township Head, and Zheng Shiguo would become Party Secretary. The biggest beneficiary would be Lin Hongjun, which was unacceptable. After forming an alliance with Lin Hongjun, he had ended up letting Lin Hongjun take all the benefits.

Thinking about this, Ren Pingyi realized he had not thought it through. He now had to find a way to secure Wang Jian, or he would end up with nothing.

Liu Qingshan thought the same. He knew that Ren Pingyi and Lin Hongjun's alliance might secure both the Party Secretary and Township Head positions. Therefore, he launched a surprise attack by proposing Wang Jian for Township Head. It was a significant regret that Chen Zhuangde did not join him. Otherwise, Ren Pingyi and Lin Hongjun would not have had a chance to secure these positions. He did not expect Chen Zhuangde to also support Wang Jian, which greatly increased Wang Jian's chances of winning.

Liu Yeping looked at Ren Pingyi, who gave a nod. Liu Yeping knew they had to switch to the second plan and said, "I think Zheng Shiguo should take over as Party Secretary, and Wang Jian should be the Township Head. Secretary Lu is right; Wang Jian is a young cadre, and promoting him fits the provincial party committee's policy."

Seeing Liu Yeping finish speaking, Ren Pingyi felt much relieved and asked, "Does anyone else have an opinion?"

"I also support Wang Jian as Township Head. We need to boldly promote young cadres. Older cadres lack ambition. I have no other opinions," Wu Li suddenly said. He usually did not get involved in the struggles within the Standing Committee.

This was somewhat unexpected. It seemed that no one was foolish and all were trying to align with Wang Jian's popularity in the provincial party committee.

After Wu Li finished speaking, the County Party Committee Standing Committee member and Director of the County Party Committee Office, Zhuang Lin, swallowed and said, "I also support Wang Jian as Township Head."

Zhuang Lin was aligned with Ren Pingyi and usually did not speak up, but today he followed the trend.

As soon as he finished speaking, the County Party Committee Standing Committee member and Minister of Propaganda, Zhang Guangyong, put out his cigarette and said, "I support Zhao Zilu as Party Secretary and Wang Jian as Township Head."

Zhang Guangyong usually maintained a neutral stance but today stood with Chen Zhuangde.

Seeing that everyone had expressed their opinions, Ren Pingyi did not ask the other three major figures for their opinions and said, "Let's have a vote on the candidates."

Ren Pingyi raised his hand first. After the vote, Zheng Shiguo received four votes, Cheng Haoyuan received two votes, Zhao Zilu received three votes, Ning Xingong received one vote, Zhou Bei received one vote, and Wang Jian received nine votes!