Chapter 100

Chapter 2: Impression

Yang Zixuan quietly left Hongshui County in a car — his first stop in his political career!

When the news of Yang Zixuan's departure spread, Li Zu led a group of farmers from Qianchi Town and a group of residents from the foot of Tianma Mountain, all coming to the county to see Yang Zixuan off!

Although Yang Zixuan was deeply moved by these simple and honest farmers, he did not want to trouble them. He had Bai Yuan and others persuade Li Zu and the others to go back, and he left early for Daming City, visiting the Xu family.

The Xu family did not say much, only offering a few words of encouragement, urging him to work hard and diligently in his new position.

Before leaving, Xu Yinfu added that the situation in Nanhu City was even more complicated than in Daming City, advising him to be cautious, hinting at the complexity of the situation.

Yang Zixuan pondered Xu Yinfu's words throughout the journey.

Yang Zixuan knew that his intercity transfer was definitely orchestrated by the Daming faction's high-level officials. Xu Yinfu had probably guessed the intentions of the higher-ups but did not say it outright, only advising him to be cautious.

Therefore, Yang Zixuan speculated that Nanhu City might not be a traditional stronghold of the Daming faction but rather a territory controlled by other forces. Sending him there was likely to establish a new base and also to test him. If he failed the test and was marginalized or forced out in Nanhu City, the Daming faction would probably not invest further in his development!

After getting off the bus in Jingchuan District of Nanhu City, Yang Zixuan looked around and couldn't help but sigh. Indeed, Nanhu City was much better than Daming's Jingyang District, with more high-rise buildings, bustling commercial streets, and numerous billboards. The catering industry was particularly thriving.

Currently, a popular saying in Luofu Province was "one dragon and four horses."

The "one dragon" referred to the provincial capital Zijin, a sub-provincial city leading in science, education, culture, economy, and political status.

The "four horses" referred to the four economically developed cities within the province: Youyang, Anxu, Nanhu, and Yizhou. Youyang, with its unique and well-developed industrial system, was the leader among the four. The remaining Anxu, Nanhu, and Yizhou were on par with each other, neither the best nor the worst.

Anxu, the former provincial capital, was like a camel that, even when emaciated, was still larger than a horse. Although its economic strength had declined, it still had a solid foundation and considerable power.

Nanhu, which caught up in the 1980s, was a typical resource-based city. It relied mainly on the large state-owned steel company, Nanhu Steel, which drove the upstream and downstream industries. The city also had a robust non-ferrous metal industry led by Longshan Non-ferrous Metals Company. Nanhu had substantial iron ore and non-ferrous metal reserves, as well as large, high-quality limestone deposits for cement production, providing a strong foundation for the building materials industry.

Yizhou, adjacent to Zijin, was the last port on the Red River before it left Luofu Province, enjoying a prime location. Historically, it was an important city in Luofu Province. In recent years, it had developed rapidly, benefiting from Zijin's rise. However, its economic strength was still slightly inferior to Nanhu, which had a firm grip on the region, leading Yizhou to look down on Nanhu, a resource-based city that had risen rapidly.

Yang Zixuan's term had not yet begun, so he took a walk around Nanhu City. Everywhere he saw small mineral processing plants and workshops, forming his initial impression of the resource-based city. He then went to the bus station, planning to visit the Nanhu Economic and Technological Development Zone.

After boarding the minibus to the Nanhu Economic and Technological Development Zone, Yang Zixuan sat in the last row with a large bag.

The bus hadn't started yet when Yang Zixuan took out a pack of crispy cookies from his bag, which Lin Ruoshui had packed for him to avoid hunger during the journey. Initially, Lin Ruoshui had suggested that the county's car service send Yang Zixuan to Nanhu, but he insisted on going alone, and Lin Ruoshui had to let him.

A girl, carrying heavy luggage, boarded the bus. She was about 23 or 24 years old, wearing a red jacket that made her look quite lively. She had a few light freckles on her face, which added to her charm. She sat down next to Yang Zixuan.

Seeing her struggle with the luggage, Yang Zixuan helped her put it on the luggage rack.

The girl said "thank you" and looked out the window. Just as the bus was about to start, a man ran to the window, and it seemed they were a couple parting.

After the bus had been moving for a while, the girl turned her head back into the bus, still with tear marks on her face. She wiped them away and noticed Yang Zixuan.

"Are you going to Huanghu?" the girl asked. Huanghu was the center of the Nanhu Economic and Technological Development Zone.

Yang Zixuan nodded, his smile sincere and easy to trust.

"What are you doing in Huanghu with all those bags?" the girl asked, wiping away her tears and starting a conversation.

"I'm just visiting the Nanhu Economic and Technological Development Zone. It's the second economic and technological development zone in our province!" Yang Zixuan answered vaguely.

"You might be disappointed. I work at the management committee," the girl said.

"Why are you carrying so much luggage?"

"I graduated from Zijin University of Technology last year and was assigned to the management committee of the Nanhu Economic and Technological Development Zone. My boyfriend's family said they had connections to get me transferred to a department in the city government. I packed my bags and left Huanghu excitedly, but it didn't work out. Now I have to go back," the girl explained.

Zijin University of Technology and Luofu University, one focusing on science and the other on humanities, were known as the twin stars of higher education in Luofu Province.

"So, you haven't been to work at the management committee for a few days, and no one has said anything?" Yang Zixuan asked, surprised.

"The leadership in the development zone is in chaos. No one cares about us small fry. The former Secretary Jian was secretly placed under double regulation, and the entire party committee was in disarray. Now, Deputy Secretary Shu Ping is in charge, but she lacks authority. The management committee and the party committee are operating independently. The new secretary hasn't arrived yet, so no one is in charge!" the girl sighed.

Yang Zixuan was shocked to learn that the development zone was in such disarray, wondering what it would be like when he took office.

"Why don't you want to stay at the management committee? It should have a good future," Yang Zixuan asked, maintaining a calm demeanor.

"You don't know. The management committee probably has the worst treatment in the city. On the contrary, many city departments, which often deal with small mineral processing workshops, have no worries about food and drink, and their salaries are much better than this poor development zone. There are few large enterprises in the development zone, and the finances mainly rely on funding from the city. How good can the treatment be? Even the counties with concentrated mining areas, like Longshan County in Nanhu, have much better treatment than this development zone," the girl said, somewhat resentfully. She was a graduate of a prestigious national university, and when she first heard about the Nanhu Economic and Technological Development Zone, she thought it would be great, but it turned out to be a disappointment.

Yang Zixuan pondered for a moment and asked, "How far is it from here to Huanghu?"

"Less than an hour before, but now it takes about two hours," the girl replied.

Yang Zixuan was puzzled and asked, "Why such a big difference? Isn't it the same road?"

The girl looked up and said, "Look outside. The road is already full of potholes, especially in the middle section. Few minibus drivers are willing to take that part. Even new cars will be scrapped in a few years if they drive on that section. So, many drivers prefer to take a detour, using the road from Danggui County to reach Huanghu."

"Why hasn't the road been repaired? It doesn't seem to have been built for long. How can the development zone be developed if this main artery is in such a state? Even transporting basic building materials is difficult. How can the development zone be built?"

"Ah, I wouldn't normally say this, but since you're not from the management committee or the party committee, it's fine to tell you. The road was indeed built not long ago, but last year, a medium-sized tungsten mine was discovered in the middle of a mountain. The land belongs to the development zone, but a deputy director of the management committee, with strong backing, and the former Secretary Jian, colluded to take over the mine. They secretly organized people to mine it, and large machinery and vehicles frequently overloaded the road, causing it to deteriorate in just a few years. It's said that Secretary Jian was placed under double regulation because of the unfair distribution of profits, which upset the deputy director with strong backing, who then used his family's influence to bring him down," the girl sighed.

Yang Zixuan frowned, wondering if the Nanhu Economic and Technological Development Zone was a joke.

The leadership was ineffective, the transportation was in disarray, and there were only a few enterprises to support the development.

"I'm curious. How could the deputy director of the management committee have so much power to bring down Secretary Jian, who was also the vice mayor and party secretary of the development zone?" Yang Zixuan tried to appear curious to avoid the girl suspecting he was probing for information. "I'm just curious, that's all. I'm not from your management committee, so I can't spread rumors."

Yang Zixuan was indeed not lying. He had not officially taken office yet and was not officially part of the management committee.

The girl hesitated for a moment before saying, "Since you're not from the management committee or the party committee, it's fine to tell you. The deputy director of the management committee, next to the executive director Bai Shu, is Director Zhang Lan. This young Director Zhang has a strong background. He is the son of Zhang Yadong, a member of the provincial party committee and vice governor of our province!"