At 1 PM, the five-member municipal party committee group convened a meeting.
The meeting's agenda was the situation in Huaining County.
"Gentlemen, the situation regarding Yu Xuewen is basically clear: embezzlement, bribery, abuse of power to form cliques, indulgence in pleasure, and pursuit of vulgar tastes."
Municipal Party Secretary Li Guobin presided over the meeting and stated very seriously, "Our Jiangzhou has produced such a notorious cadre. As the municipal party secretary, I bear responsibility for not discovering this in time. I must apologize!"
"Secretary Li, this is not just your responsibility; we all share it."
Mayor Qiu Xiangqian immediately stated, "I had previously praised Yu Xuewen many times, saying he was conscientious and responsible in his work. Now it seems I was blind and misjudged him. My responsibility is even greater." "I also want to apologize to all my comrades!"
"Two leaders, there's no need to be so quick to admit your mistakes."
Organization Minister Chen Wenhua smiled and said, "You can know a person's face but not their heart. Yu Xuewen did a good job on the surface, and the leaders are so busy with their work that they didn't notice. That's normal."
"Don't just blame yourselves. Why not think about the future of Huaining County? There's a major reshuffle of cadres now. Should the two comrades who were supposed to be appointed still go?"
"The Provincial Party Committee asked our Municipal Party Committee to make some suggestions, especially regarding the selection of the new County Party Secretary."
Chen Wenhua was quite direct, getting straight to the point.
The five-member Municipal Party Committee group meets mostly to discuss personnel issues. Only after they've reached a consensus will the Standing Committee make a final decision.
Once the five-member group reaches a consensus, there's basically no suspense once it goes to the Standing Committee.
After all, none of the other members of the Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee would be foolish enough to object to the decisions made by the five-member group.
"I think Comrade Qin Mu is quite good. Why not let him take the position? I personally feel quite reassured having him as the county party secretary."
Mayor Qiu Xiangqian spoke first: "This comrade has accomplished a lot in just over two months in office. He's very skilled at attracting investment, and he's also upright, fair, and honest. He was the one who spearheaded the Yu Xuewen incident; he's trustworthy."
Oh?
You recommend Qin Mu as the county party secretary?
Hearing this, the others were somewhat surprised.
Especially Li Guobin and Chen Wenhua. They knew better than anyone that Qiu Xiangqian had previously spoken with Qin Mu, resulting in an unpleasant encounter. Moreover, Qin Mu and people in Mayor Qiu's camp had always been at odds. Recommending him now?
Probably just a deliberate attempt to annoy people.
"Mayor Qiu, Comrade Qin Mu is still acting county head; he hasn't been officially appointed yet. Wouldn't directly making him the county party secretary violate some organizational regulations?"
Chen Wenhua smiled and said seriously.
"Ah... he's still acting county head? I thought he'd been officially appointed long ago!"
Qiu Xiangqian, as if just remembering, said, "That's alright, I think we can promote him exceptionally. We can't be too rigid with the rules when it comes to outstanding comrades; we should dare to put excellent cadres in suitable positions."
That sounds nice!
Promoting an outstanding comrade exceptionally!
Anyone who didn't know better would think Mayor Qiu was such a talent-loving and capable leader!
"Old Qiu, your suggestion is excellent, and I'd like to agree. However, Comrade Qin Mu's experience is still somewhat lacking. Directly promoting him to county party secretary would be difficult even for the municipal party committee, let alone the provincial party committee."
Li Guobin waved his hand slightly and said, "Let's be more practical. Since there's no suitable candidate in Huaining County, it's more reasonable for the municipal party committee and government to send someone down there."
Li Guobin wasn't stupid. Even if he agreed to Qiu Xiangqian's suggestion and recommended Qin Mu to the provincial party committee, it would most likely be rejected. He would be the one criticized, while Qiu Xiangqian would gain a reputation for appreciating talent.
"I also agree. Let's find a suitable comrade from the municipal party committee and government to take charge of the work. We need to stabilize the overall situation first."
Chen Wenhua said with strong agreement.
Stability is paramount!
At this stage, the Huaining County party committee and government are definitely in chaos. They need a steady, experienced comrade to stabilize morale and get all the work in Huaining County back on track.
"I recommend Vice Mayor Liang Guan from the municipal government. He's experienced and always been steady. He'll definitely be able to stabilize the situation in Huaining County."
Fang Xiu, the secretary of the municipal discipline inspection commission, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up, saying, "Vice Mayor Liang also has a very good temper and is tolerant. I think he and Comrade Qin Mu would be a perfect match."
Liang Guan?
Qiu Xiangqian's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this name. Something felt off.
Liang Guan was one of his men, a very loyal supporter in the municipal government. Fang Xiu and he had little interaction; in fact, they didn't get along very well. Why would Fang Xiu recommend his own man for Huaining?
Going to Huaining at this time would actually be beneficial for a marginal vice mayor like Liang Guan. Once he established himself in Huaining and stabilized the situation, it would be a great achievement. Returning to the municipal government, he would have a chance to be promoted to the standing committee of the municipal party committee. At the very least, the department he was in charge of would be more important.
But why would Fang Xiu recommend his own man for such a good opportunity?
"Is there something fishy going on here?"
"Secretary Fang's recommendation is good. I think Vice Mayor Liang is indeed very suitable. Most importantly, he's experienced and will definitely be adept at stabilizing the current chaos in Huaining."
Before Qiu Xiangqian could speak, Chen Wenhua immediately offered his agreement.
"Excellent, excellent. I also agree with Comrade Fang Xiu's suggestion."
Li Guobin nodded and responded, saying, "Huaining's situation needs experienced people!"
Three out of the five-person group immediately agreed.
Qiu Xiangqian and the remaining Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee, Jia Tianhe, exchanged a glance. What else could they say?
Even if they objected, the final vote would be three to two, which wouldn't change the overall situation.
Clearly, the Municipal Party Secretary, the Organization Minister, and the Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission had formed a united front, all recommending Liang Guan.
Qiu Xiangqian and Jia Tianhe were united, but they were clearly outmatched.
"I have no objection either!"
Qiu Xiangqian spoke first, "Comrade Liang Guan is indeed excellent, but if he concurrently serves as the Secretary of the Huaining County Party Committee, then the workload of the municipal government will be somewhat reduced."
"That's not a problem. The capable should do more!"
Li Guobin smiled and spoke casually, then looked at Jia Tianhe and asked, "Comrade Tianhe, what about you? Do you have any objections?"
"I don't either!"
Jia Tianhe shook his head. "I have no objection to Comrade Liang Guan."
"That's good. Comrade Wenhua, submit the candidate to the Provincial Party Committee's Organization Department and see what their opinion is."
Li Guobin nodded slightly, said this, and then ended the municipal party committee meeting.
The five-person group meeting was always held in the municipal party secretary's office. As soon as the meeting ended, Qiu Xiangqian and Jia Tianhe left, but Chen Wenhua and Fang Xiu remained in the office.
"Haha... Old Qiu probably hasn't figured out why we recommended Comrade Liang Guan to Huaining today."
Once everyone else left, only a few of them remained in the office, and Chen Wenhua couldn't help but laugh loudly.