Chapter 51

Chapter 7: Deception and Intrigue

Li Yi stood on the dam, the piercing wind penetrating his collar, making his whole body feel cold.

Qin Fan shouted, "Comrade Li, standing here won’t help. Let’s go back to the management office first!"

Li Yi turned his head and said, "Director Qin, I suggest we open the sluice gates immediately! If we don’t release the floodwaters, I’m afraid the dam, which has been neglected for years, won’t be able to bear the load."

Qin Fan replied, "It’s not that serious. Even if we need to open the sluice gates to release the floodwaters, we have to wait for instructions from the higher-ups! Five years ago, someone in our office opened the sluice gates without authorization, and it flooded thousands of acres of good farmland! That person is still in prison! Since then, how many sluice gates to open, how much water to release, and what preparations to make along the way, all have to be decided by the higher-ups! We can’t make those decisions."

Li Yi said, "Then what method do you have to contact the higher-ups? It needs to be quick!"

Qin Fan said, "The office has a telephone!"

Li Yi said, "Then go and make the call quickly!"

The two returned to the office. Qin Fan went to make the call, and Li Yi asked Su Su, "Has your grandfather come back yet?"

Su Su shook her head, "No."

Li Yi then said to Qin Fan, "Does the observation station have a phone? How many people are there? Tell them to be careful of the flood and landslides."

Qin Fan laughed, "They are all experts in the mountains and forests; floods won’t knock them down!" After finishing the call, he returned and said, "Comrade Li, the reservoir management bureau said the director is not in. We have to wait for the director to return before making a decision."

"Then let’s wait a bit longer!" Li Yi pinned his hopes on Wang Haisan, hoping he could bring in leaders from the water conservancy bureau or the city.

The municipal party committee meeting finally began. Xiong Xilai, feeling satisfied, sat in his seat with a smug smile on his face.

He arrived half an hour late, but the other members of the standing committee waited for him for half an hour! This demonstrated his influence in Sanjiang City, which was no less than that of a local emperor.

Meng Di, on the other hand, calmed down. His initial anger gradually subsided, and he chuckled, "It seems we need to give each member of the standing committee an umbrella. Otherwise, on a rainy day, if we can’t find an umbrella, we’ll be late for the meeting! Half an hour is enough to circle Sanjiang City and buy an umbrella! How much time will be wasted! The time of the standing committee members is very precious, and there are many important matters waiting for you to handle!"

His words were veiled with a hidden barb, directly targeting Xiong Xilai’s weakness. Xiong Xilai had no way to refute it. He rolled his eyes and laughed dryly, "Secretary Meng, calling us here on a rainy day isn’t to talk about umbrellas, right?"

"Ha ha!" A few members of the standing committee laughed.

Meng Di was stung by Xiong Xilai’s words. He cleared his throat and said, "After the provincial advisory group’s research in our city, they suggested that our Sanjiang City reservoirs are severely neglected and need to strengthen prevention. My suggestion is to allocate ten million yuan from the treasury for the repair of all large and small reservoirs in the city. This matter needs to be implemented as soon as possible."

"I disagree!" Xiong Xilai said. Over the past two years, he had developed a habit: whatever Meng Di supported, he opposed, and whatever Meng Di opposed, he supported! Following these two principles, he immediately rejected Meng Di’s suggestion without any thought.

Meng Di said angrily, "Mayor Xiong, I hope you will carefully consider my suggestion!"

Xiong Xilai glared and said, "The treasury is tight, and we can’t come up with ten million yuan! Even one million yuan, I can’t provide!"

"Don’t think I don’t know the details of the treasury!" Meng Di glared back, "Do we need to call the finance bureau to check the accounts?"

Xiong Xilai laughed, "The finance bureau doesn’t even have a director now. The financial authority is in my hands! I know the situation of my own territory very well!"

This was a clever statement, both pointing out that the finance bureau is under the government’s control and that Meng Di should not interfere, and also indicating his determination to hold the financial power.

Meng Di’s face changed rapidly, and he barely suppressed his anger, smiling lightly, "Then let’s discuss the candidates for the finance bureau first!"

Xiong Xilai seemed to be waiting for this, and immediately said, "I propose Deputy Director Liu Yunxiang of the municipal government office!"

Meng Di didn’t expect his quick reaction and frowned, "Liu Yunxiang is not suitable!"

"Why not? I say she is suitable, so she is!" Xiong Xilai laughed, "Deputy Director Liu has been in her position for more than three years. It’s time for her to advance! When she was deputy director, you, Secretary Meng, hadn’t even come to our Sanjiang City yet!"

These words seemed like a joke, but they were actually a veiled threat, hinting to the other members of the standing committee that Meng Di was an appointed official who would leave after one term, while Sanjiang City was still under Xiong Xilai’s control. They should consider carefully whose side to take!

Meng Di patiently said, "Liu Yunxiang is a young female comrade..."

He hadn’t finished his sentence when Xiong Xilai interrupted him with a strange laugh, "Is Secretary Meng gender-biased? Is Deputy Director Liu, who is thirty-two years old, still considered young? Or does Secretary Meng feel too old himself?"

Meng Di’s hand holding the pen trembled, and the pen fell on the table with a thud. He emphasized, "Mayor Xiong, please pay attention to organizational discipline! When the party secretary is speaking, please show the necessary respect!" He emphasized the words "party secretary" to remind everyone present: the party manages cadres, and personnel appointments are my decision!

Indeed, the other members of the standing committee were taken aback and straightened up.

Xiong Xilai smacked his lips and fell silent.

Meng Di deliberately paused for several seconds to let the authority he had just exerted last longer, then continued, "I am not rejecting Comrade Liu Yunxiang. I just think that among the cadres we manage, there are more suitable candidates for this position. I propose that Comrade Wang Youmin from the water conservancy bureau be appointed as the director of the finance bureau. Comrade Wang Youmin is an old party member who has served as the director of the water conservancy bureau for over ten years. He is experienced, capable, and meticulous, and I believe he is the best candidate for the director of the finance bureau."

Xiong Xilai looked at Meng Di in surprise, unsure of his intentions, and fell into deep thought.

Everyone in Sanjiang City knew that Wang Youmin was Xiong Xilai’s trusted aide. It was Xiong Xilai who had promoted Wang Youmin from a small town assistant to the current director of the water conservancy bureau.

Xiong Xilai’s initial idea was also to transfer Wang Youmin to the finance bureau, which would give him more peace of mind. However, the water conservancy bureau in Sanjiang City was also a significant department, on par with the finance bureau. Transferring Wang Youmin would leave him without a suitable candidate for the director of the water conservancy bureau.

Xiong Xilai was suddenly startled: Could it be that Meng Di’s target is not the finance bureau but the water conservancy bureau?

Meng Di didn’t give him time to think further and seized the opportunity, "If any other member of the standing committee has a suitable candidate, please speak up! The standing committee is a democratic meeting, and we should all express our opinions and voice our different views." He was implying that this was the standing committee of Sanjiang City, not Xiong Xilai’s government office, and not Xiong Xilai’s one-man show.

The other members of the standing committee remained silent.

Meng Di smiled, "Since that’s the case, let’s follow the organizational procedures. Those who agree to transfer Wang Youmin to the director of the finance bureau, please raise your hands!" He then looked at Xiong Xilai with a smile.

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