Chapter 26: Inaugural Speech

Although the news of Zheng Shiguang being appointed as the Party Secretary and Wang Jian as the township head had spread within a small circle, when the meeting was held the next day to announce it, many people's eyes almost popped out!

County Party Committee Standing Committee member and Organization Minister Liu Yeping personally came to Xianhe Township to announce this very important personnel adjustment. Zheng Shiguang and Wang Jian accompanied him to the township party committee meeting room. The people already seated in the meeting room, who were discussing animatedly, quickly turned their attention to them. Wang Jian, with a calm face, walked steadily behind Zheng Shiguang to the podium.

Fang Zhiming and Guo Qiang sat together, watching Wang Jian walk to the podium, feeling extremely uncomfortable. Others were discussing the news with great enthusiasm, but they could not be happy at all. Guo Qiang was even more depressed. He had no particular grudge against Wang Jian; it was entirely because of Fang Zhiming that he opposed Wang Jian. No one had expected Wang Jian to rise so quickly and be directly appointed as the township head.

Zheng Shiguang, with a radiant face, sat on the podium. He had been directly promoted from deputy party secretary to party secretary, which was a very good position. He looked solemnly at the audience, scanning the room a few times, and the noisy voices below gradually quieted down.

"Comrades, today we are holding a meeting for all township leaders. County Party Committee Standing Committee member and Organization Minister Liu Yeping is here in person. Let's give a warm welcome to Minister Liu!" After the venue quieted down, Zheng Shiguang cleared his throat, picked up a piece of paper with both hands, and began speaking into the microphone.

Liu Yeping slightly bowed, and thunderous applause echoed through the venue.

Zheng Shiguang continued, "Now, let's invite Minister Liu to announce the County Party Committee's decision on the adjustment of the main party and government leadership in Xianhe Township and to deliver an important speech."

Amidst the applause, Liu Yeping, with a serious expression, began to announce, "On behalf of County Party Secretary Ren, I am here to announce the adjustment of the main party and government leadership in Xianhe Township, as decided by the County Party Committee Standing Committee. Comrade Zheng Shiguang is appointed as the Party Committee member and Secretary of Xianhe Township, and Comrade Wang Jian is appointed as the Party Committee member and Deputy Secretary, and nominated as the township head candidate!"

When Zheng Shiguang was announced as the secretary, he smiled and nodded in acknowledgment. When Wang Jian was announced as the township head, he stood up and bowed several times, which made people feel refreshed and satisfied Liu Yeping. Although Zheng Shiguang felt a bit displeased, he did not take it too seriously. Wang Jian was young and a university graduate, with higher qualities than the rough local officials, and he was adept at such formalities, which Zheng Shiguang could not compare to.

Liu Yeping continued, "The County Party Committee's adjustment of the main party and government leadership in Xianhe Township is based on the actual situation of Xianhe Township and the overall work of the county. Everyone knows that the former Secretary Zhang Zeguang and Township Head Li Jiarong passed away unfortunately. In the past period, Secretary Shiguang has been in charge of the township's work and has received the recognition of the County Party Committee. Comrade Wang Jian graduated from a prestigious university in the provincial capital and was the student council president. After working in Xianhe Township, he has performed outstandingly and has excellent political and ideological qualities. The County Party Committee's decision to promote him this time is appropriate and in line with the spirit of promoting and cultivating young cadres. I hope that under the leadership of the new township leadership, the work of Xianhe Township will reach new heights, and all party members and cadres will unite and strive to make greater contributions to the economic and social development of Dongting County!"

As Liu Yeping finished speaking, Zheng Shiguang led the applause, and Wang Jian, though very excited, maintained a calm expression, lightly clapping his hands.

After finishing his speech, Liu Yeping stood up and left. Zheng Shiguang and Wang Jian saw him off to the car, and then he returned to the county. Before leaving, Liu Yeping held Wang Jian's hand and said, "Wang, work hard and cooperate well with Secretary Zheng!"

"Minister Liu, please rest assured, I will not let you down!" Wang Jian said solemnly.

Zheng Shiguang smiled and waved to Liu Yeping. After the car drove away, he turned and returned to the meeting room with Wang Jian.

After sitting back on the podium, Zheng Shiguang felt that Xianhe Township was now his domain. Wang Jian sat next to him, looking at the crowd below, but he did not feel overly satisfied. Although he was now the township head, how many people in the entire Xianhe Township were truly on his side? Who would be willing to follow him to change the backward appearance of Xianhe Township? Not to mention, there were people like Fang Zhiming who had always opposed him. How would he deal with them?

Wang Jian thought for a while, and then Zheng Shiguang began to speak, "Comrades, the County Party Committee's appointment of me as the township secretary is not only an affirmation of my work but also an affirmation of the work of the entire township. It is an affirmation of the work of every cadre in Xianhe Township. I hope that all party members and cadres will continue to support the work of the party committee, support the work of Secretary Zheng and Township Head Wang, and improve all aspects of the township's work. At that time, more comrades will be promoted, and I will actively recommend outstanding cadres to higher authorities. I will treat every comrade fairly and justly, without favoritism. Some people may think that Comrade Wang Jian is young and doubt whether he can handle the job. I want to emphasize that the responsibility of Xianhe Township is not on my shoulders alone or on Township Head Wang's shoulders alone, but on both of us. I hope that every comrade will recognize their position, firmly follow the leadership of the party committee, and obey the command. Now, let's hear from Township Head Wang."

Zheng Shiguang's words were grand and aimed to enhance his personal prestige. Saying he would not favor anyone was just empty talk. When he mentioned Wang Jian, he was trying to win Wang Jian's support while warning Fang Zhiming and others not to oppose Wang Jian, to avoid causing trouble and damaging his relationship with Wang Jian. By doing so, he also demonstrated his role as the leader of Xianhe Township, like the leader supporting the newly elected deputy leader, making it clear that the deputy leader's authority came from the leader.

Wang Jian sensed a certain goodwill from Zheng Shiguang's words, but he did not place much importance on them. His goal was not just to stand firm in Xianhe Township but to build his own team, a team that shared his ideas and was willing to work hard to change the backward appearance of Xianhe Township.

Seeing Zheng Shiguang hand him the microphone, Wang Jian took it, calmed himself, and began to speak, "Comrades, I am very grateful for the trust placed in me by the County Party Committee and for the support of Secretary Zheng and all the comrades in my past work. I did not expect to be appointed to this position, which is a huge challenge for me. As a recent graduate, suddenly taking on the responsibility of a township head, I feel very anxious. Although I was the student council president in college, the nature of the work is completely different. Therefore, to do this job well, I need to rely on the support and help of Secretary Zheng and all the comrades. Secretary Zheng mentioned that I should help him manage the township, but I do not dare to accept that. The responsibility of Xianhe Township should be on Secretary Zheng's shoulders. As the township head, I just need to do my job well. However, if I can work together with all the comrades under the leadership of Secretary Zheng to manage the township well, I am willing to be a common stepping stone, supporting the blue sky of Xianhe Township!"

As he finished speaking, the audience burst into applause. Zheng Shiguang was very satisfied with Wang Jian's low-key approach and smiled, loudly saying, "Township Head Wang's speech was excellent. Let's give him another round of applause!"

Wang Jian was about to speak again but had to accept the applause. He turned and smiled at Zheng Shiguang, who smiled back in understanding.

After the applause subsided, Wang Jian smiled and continued, "Thank you for the applause, but behind the applause and flowers are often hard work and sweat. Xianhe Township's economic development is relatively backward, and it has always been at the bottom of the county's rankings. Although some progress has been made under the efforts of previous leadership, the foundation is still weak. Therefore, I feel a great deal of pressure and responsibility. As the ancients said, 'Serve the people and bring benefits to the region.' We must do everything we can to develop our economy and improve the lives of the people. I would like to share some of my ideas with you. Xianhe Township's infrastructure is backward, and government investment is insufficient. The reason for this is that the government has no money, and the reason the government has no money is that the economy is backward, creating a vicious cycle. The poor get poorer, and the rich get richer, the Matthew effect. Currently, we cannot change this situation, but we can strive to secure funds from higher authorities for construction. This is one aspect. Another aspect is that we must change our thinking and work style to promote development. This is not constrained by wealth but by our own constraints. We can achieve some changes by changing our thinking and work style, which is called 'liberating our thinking and being practical.' Another point is that we need to tap into the creativity of the people, guide and support it, and promote development. In this regard, I believe that the current adjustment of agricultural structure is a good opportunity for guidance and support. In summary, to develop, we need to seek support from higher authorities and tap into the potential of the people. We need to seek funds and policies from higher authorities and tap into the potential and energy of the people. What do we need to do? We need to do these two things, liberate our thinking, boldly innovate, and improve our work style. That's all I have to say. If there are any mistakes, please criticize and correct me, Secretary Zheng and comrades."

"Good! Township Head Wang's speech was excellent, befitting a graduate of a prestigious university. I hope all comrades will study and understand it carefully and improve the economic work of our township!" Zheng Shiguang applauded and cheered for Wang Jian.