Chapter 45

Chapter 37: The Struggle for the Economic Development Zone

Yang Zixuan walked out of the mayor's office in the Daming municipal government building as if nothing had happened.

Pushing open the door of the mayor's office, he walked out with a straight back and a calm demeanor. However, he soon noticed that many of the municipal government staff outside were staring at him with looks of surprise and pity.

It was no wonder. Just now, in the mayor's office, Tang Lu had criticized Yang Zixuan for half an hour over the document submitted by Hongshui County to the municipal party committee, titled "On the Establishment of the Honghe Economic Development Zone."

Tang Lu's roaring voice had likely attracted many staff members to stop and listen, so they all stared at Yang Zixuan with sorrowful expressions—this young man was truly pitiful and was about to be in big trouble!

Yang Zixuan wiped his face with his hand, cleared his mind, and decided to go to the restroom first. Tang Lu's roar had been so intense that it seemed his hair was covered with Tang Lu's spittle. He decided to wash up.

After washing his head in the restroom, Yang Zixuan walked out of the municipal government building and sighed.

He knew that the "On the Establishment of the Honghe Economic Development Zone" would not be approved by the city at this time. First, it would be blocked by Tang Lu, the mayor.

As a representative of the local conservative faction, Tang Lu always emphasized stability in Daming's economy and people's livelihoods, believing that stability outweighs everything. He would not allow any major issues to arise during his term and did not like the counties and districts to introduce new things.

Therefore, the decisive measures Yang Zixuan took to resolve the conflict at Tianma Mountain had been approved by Tang Lu. In his view, such conflicts that undermine stability should be suppressed with strong measures.

However, this did not mean that he admired Yang Zixuan. On the contrary, he had never been very fond of him. He thought this young county magistrate was always restless and always came up with new ideas, which he saw as a characteristic of young people—seeking novelty and grand achievements! Moreover, Yang Zixuan often bypassed him, the mayor, and directly reported to Lin Pei, which made him uncomfortable.

Of course, he could not call Yang Zixuan for no reason and criticize him without a cause, as that would make him appear petty to the people in the municipal party committee.

However, the economic development zone proposed by the Hongshui County government finally gave Tang Lu the opportunity to call Yang Zixuan to the municipal government and criticize him thoroughly!

Yang Zixuan still smiled as he entered the secretary's office.

"Xiao Yang, come in and find a seat," Lin Pei looked up at Yang Zixuan, surprised to see him still smiling.

Yang Zixuan sat down on a sofa, and the office staff brought him a cup of tea. Yang Zixuan quickly got up to take it, not wanting to appear arrogant.

"Did you just come from the mayor's office?" Lin Pei looked at Yang Zixuan with some doubt. He knew the reason for Yang Zixuan's visit. He had seen the document submitted by Hongshui County, "On the Establishment of the Honghe Economic Development Zone," and Tang Lu had privately discussed it with him. At the time, Tang Lu was strongly opposed, defining the economic development zone as a waste of resources and criticizing the main leaders of the Hongshui County government for seeking grand achievements.

At the time, Lin Pei did not take a stance, saying it was an economic matter and should be decided by the municipal government, with the party committee not intervening.

So Lin Pei thought that after being criticized by Tang Lu, Yang Zixuan would look very upset. However, he was surprised to see Yang Zixuan still calm and composed, which made Lin Pei admire his composure.

"Yes, Mayor Tang criticized me and asked me to write a self-criticism," Yang Zixuan picked up the cup of tea on the table and took a sip, his expression calm. The tea was a relatively common variety, tasting somewhat bitter.

"Xiao Yang, when conducting work, you need to be strategic and methodical," Lin Pei said calmly. "Since the end of the year when the Soviet Union dissolved, the call for stability within the party has been very loud. At this time, setting up an economic development zone is very sensitive. Of course, the municipal party committee is not saying that the economic development zone cannot be established. I recently visited the economically developed coastal areas in the south, and many places are setting up economic development zones. Even in our Luofu province, some areas have already established them. Some have been effective, but many have not."

Lin Pei looked at Yang Zixuan, who was sitting straight and calm after being severely criticized by Tang Lu, and felt a new respect for him. He thought that as a leader, Yang Zixuan's ability to remain unperturbed by criticism was indeed better than that of many others.

In fact, he had somewhat misjudged Yang Zixuan. Although Yang Zixuan had a good attitude, he was not so calm that he could remain unaffected by severe criticism from his superiors. However, Yang Zixuan knew that in a few days, the leader would soon deliver the Southern Talks, ending the "stability above all" and the idea that reforms could be halted for the sake of stability.

"Secretary, I personally believe that stability and reform are not contradictory. Stability is important, but reform must also continue! For example, in establishing the Honghe Economic Development Zone, there may be some conflicts with the people during land acquisition, but we cannot stop just because of these conflicts! My suggestion to set up the Honghe Economic Development Zone is not baseless. The Honghe River is our main waterway. As the economic belt along the Honghe River develops, the section of the Hongshui River in our county has excellent water conditions and a wide land area. Moreover, we have railway lines such as the Luo-Yu, Chuan-Zi, and Xiang-Zi, which can reach five provinces and three cities along the Honghe River. It can be developed into a major water and land transportation hub and a cargo distribution center and tourist center in the central south."

Lin Pei was really surprised this time. He did not expect that a young county magistrate from a remote place like Hongshui County could have such insight.

Originally, the reason he supported promoting Yang Zixuan from a standing vice-county magistrate to county magistrate was entirely due to his performance in the Xu Li case. The Xu Li case had severely embarrassed the local faction led by Tang Lu and helped Lin Pei gain complete control over the municipal party committee. Additionally, considering the need for a stable leadership in Hongshui County, Lin Pei agreed to promote Yang Zixuan to county magistrate.

Lin Pei and many others in the municipal party committee believed that Yang Zixuan, based on his previous performance, would not be able to manage the new leadership in Hongshui County and would only serve as a transitional county magistrate. They planned to wait for Yang Zixuan to make some mistakes and then find an excuse to adjust his position. However, this previously seemingly incompetent county magistrate had handled the Tianma Township conflict and the suicide of the Qianchi Town mayor very well and had steadily gained the upper hand in the struggle against the influential Su Nan in the county party committee!

He firmly controlled the entire Hongshui County government and had a stable advantage over Su Nan in the party committee!