Chapter 77 of 100

Chapter 77

16 min read4,052 words

Chapter Sixteen: Mayor Tang's Anger

Yang Zixuan blew on the floating tea leaves in his teacup and took a comfortable sip.

Song Huaihe was sitting on the sofa, sitting upright, digesting what Yang Zixuan had just said.

"What's the matter, Old Song? Can you complete the task? The main direction of your pilot reform is to introduce market mechanisms into your broadcasting and television system, to leverage the positive role of market mechanisms. Of course, in my plan, there will be a few more pilot projects, but the reform directions of the other pilots will be different from yours!" Yang Zixuan said calmly.

As the county magistrate, he had control over various resources, so Yang Zixuan also wanted to make a big move.

In fact, the reforms he was implementing were partly aimed at providing some usable models for future national reforms, and partly to attract the attention of some high-ranking officials.

Yang Zixuan knew that if he wanted to advance further in politics, he would inevitably need a group of people who appreciated him—these were the so-called patrons!

Given the current situation, relying on the political resources of the Yang family in Beijing to continue advancing was unlikely. He wasn't yet qualified to make the Yang family take him seriously, so he had to find another way. Otherwise, it would be quite difficult to continue advancing.

However, up to this point, Yang Zixuan still hadn't found his patron.

The forces behind Su Nan, due to his clear reformist characteristics, were probably not reliable, and he didn't want to rely on them either.

Xu Yin's family merely saw him as a pawn to counter Tang Lu, so they couldn't be considered his patrons.

As for Lin Pei, he merely had a good impression of him, and there was no talk of being a core member. Moreover, Yang Zixuan wasn't particularly interested in the emerging family-style power of the Lin family.

Tang Lu directly disliked and even somewhat hated him, so he certainly couldn't be considered a patron!

So, where was his path?

Yang Zixuan sighed; the road ahead was still long.

Song Huaihe, unaware of the many thoughts that had just crossed Yang Zixuan's mind, answered solemnly, "County Magistrate, the leadership of the broadcasting and television bureau will not let the county government down."

Song Huaihe knew that this pilot reform was something Yang Zixuan took very seriously. If it succeeded, he, Song Huaihe, could fully enter Yang Zixuan's field of vision and possibly become a core member of his team, just like his own brother Song An, who had risen with Yang Zixuan and experienced a second spring in his political life!

Thinking of this, Song Huaihe felt a bit proud, and his previous worries and fears were greatly reduced.

Yang Zixuan nodded and said, "Actually, I called you here today not only to talk about the pilot reform but also to give you another task."

"What is it?" Song Huaihe immediately became nervous, inwardly cursing. The pilot reform had already made him fearful, and now Yang Zixuan said there was another task, which made him even more anxious.

Knowing it wouldn't be good, Song Huaihe was full of bitterness.

"Don't be nervous, it's about Tianma Mountain!" Yang Zixuan saw through Song Huaihe's thoughts at a glance.

Song Huaihe's face turned red, and he said, "Tianma Mountain?"

"The county government has a resolution to develop Tianma Mountain and turn it into a famous scenic area in the Daming region, forming a tourism industry chain in Tianma Town!"

Recently, Yang Zixuan had been reviewing materials and legends about Tianma Mountain and found that it was indeed significant and historically famous, making it worth developing.

However, development couldn't be entirely funded by the government, as the county finances were already strained. Therefore, new investors had to be sought.

But Tianma Mountain, located in a remote area, would require some creative packaging to attract investors; otherwise, few investors would be interested in investing in such a remote place!

"So, I want you to produce a special program about Tianma Mountain, and it should be innovative!" Yang Zixuan instructed.

"I plan to have this special program aired on the provincial TV station for a period, so your broadcasting and television bureau must put some effort into it, innovate, and not make it like an ordinary scenic area..."

"Tianma Mountain was once a famous Taoist mountain, with a thriving worship culture. Many Taoist figures built hermitages and practiced alchemy there, writing books and promoting the idea that humans could become immortals. I looked through the county annals and found that there were many relics of Taoist figures, such as alchemy wells and furnaces... These are unique features that other mountains don't have, and your special program must highlight this!" Yang Zixuan took out a county annal from under the table and opened it to explain.

Song Huaihe responded, and Yang Zixuan gave him a few more instructions before waving him out.

...

Tang Lu looked at the "Red River Economic Development Zone Revision" that his secretary Jiang Tan had brought in, feeling somewhat annoyed.

After flipping through it casually, he threw the revision onto the desk, where it hit a Ming Dynasty chrysanthemum porcelain pen holder, causing it to fall and shatter into several pieces.

Jiang Tan, standing by, didn't dare to speak and quietly cleaned up the fragments.

In the office, only the municipal party committee member and secretary, Zhang Liguo, and Tang Lu remained.

"This Yang Zixuan is really bold! Does he think I can't deal with a small county magistrate?" Tang Lu, with his hands behind his back, looked at the calligraphy on the wall, his face dark.

"Yang Zixuan alone can't cause much trouble. I think there might be someone else behind this. He's just a pawn being used." Zhang Liguo shook his head.

Zhang Liguo had once been the county party secretary of Hong County, later promoted to vice mayor, and then to municipal party secretary, making him a local cadre who had always followed Tang Lu's footsteps.

As the party secretary, his relationship with Secretary Lin Pei was not harmonious, and they currently only maintained a superficial superior-subordinate relationship.

When Lin Pei first came to Daming City, he was greatly constrained by Zhang Liguo. He had tried multiple times to move Zhang Liguo but was always thwarted by Tang Lu through the support of high-ranking officials within the provincial faction.

Now, Lin Pei had also promoted a municipal party secretary, and with the provincial situation becoming clearer, his relationship with Zhang Liguo wasn't as tense.

As Lin Pei's influence in the municipal committee grew, Zhang Liguo's days became increasingly difficult!

"Do you think I can't see that this is probably the work of the Xu family?" Tang Lu snorted. "He was just in Hongshui County a few days ago, attending the New Year's gathering. As soon as he returned, the Hongshui County government submitted this revision. How could I not see this?"

"I wonder what promises he made to Yang Zixuan. A small county magistrate dares to challenge you, truly overestimating himself!" Zhang Liguo's lips curled in disdain.

"That young Yang is arrogant, with no significant background, and thinks he's smart. His tail is up to the sky!" Tang Lu's face was full of black lines.

He wasn't angry about the Xu family's underhanded tactics but was furious that a small county magistrate dared to challenge his authority as mayor.

"That young man has some skills. Secretary Su Nan, who was sent by Liu Daoming, was forced to stand his ground in the remote Hongshui County, and in the county committee, they are evenly matched." Zhang Liguo laughed.

"I know. A few days ago, Wang Dongming came to see me and mentioned that the relationship between Yang and Su Nan was not good, and Su Nan's skills were not a match for Yang." Tang Lu lit a cigarette.

"Shouldn't that young man be a bit more sensible? What background does he have to challenge Su Nan? If I were him, I would try to get along well with Su Nan." Zhang Liguo, the municipal party secretary, couldn't help but curse.

"In the face of absolute power, all tactics are trivial."

Zhang Liguo pondered for a moment and asked, "Mayor, do you think we should help Su Nan?"

"Why should we help? Do you think the old guys behind Su Nan will be grateful to us?" Tang Lu replied irritably.

Zhang Liguo nodded and said, "Actually, I wonder why the provincial leaders and the old guys behind Su Nan don't get along, given that they are from the same local faction!"

"Old matters, let's not bring them up. We don't know the specifics." Tang Lu sighed. "But, Liguo, have you noticed that Fan Qiwai in the municipal committee seems to know that Su Nan isn't doing well in Hongshui County but hasn't taken any action to help him?"

"You mention it, and I also find it strange. Fan Qiwai was promoted to municipal party secretary by Liu Daoming! He should take good care of Su Nan! Now, there's no movement at all. What's going on?" Zhang Liguo also felt something was off.

Tang Lu shook his head and said, "Since that young Yang got rid of Xu Li, the water in the Daming municipal committee has become murkier, making it hard for me to see clearly."

...

When Xu Yin's secretary returned and said that he had heard something break in the mayor's office, Xu Yin couldn't help but laugh. It seemed that using Yang Zixuan as a pawn was the right move!

Xu Yin picked up the phone and called Yang Zixuan, laughing heartily, "Little Yang, I've reviewed the revision you submitted. It's well done. Your Hongshui County has great potential for the economic development zone. Keep up the good work!"

Yang Zixuan, however, had a gloomy face, "Mayor Xu, I want to work hard, but the county finances are empty, and I have no confidence. We even had to borrow money for the New Year, and I don't know when we'll pay it back!"

"Alright, alright, you want money, right? I can give you a small amount, but not too much." Xu Yin cursed under his breath, thinking that this young man was really good at timing his requests for money.

"We want to build a road, and we're short by over four million..." Yang Zixuan casually mentioned the figure, hoping to get as much as possible.

"Four million is a bit much. I'll approve 2.5 million for you tomorrow, and you'll have to figure out the rest. That's it." Xu Yin hung up the phone.

Yang Zixuan put down the phone, a smile on his lips. Dealing with someone like Xu Yin, who had a financial background, was refreshing.

Getting 2.5 million could help solve some immediate problems. The New Year had just begun, and there were many expenses. Guo Long was also struggling, coming to his office every few days to complain about the lack of funds.

---