Qin Mu's resolute decision left Chen Xin and Pan Wen speechless, frozen in place.
They had worked in the government much longer than Qin Mu and had encountered countless leaders, but they had never met a leader like Qin Mu who would make such a determined decision for a single matter.
Was it really necessary?
Working is just work; why go to such lengths?
Chen Xin and Pan Wen simply couldn't understand. In the situation in Huaining County, doing nothing would at most result in no merit, but doing too much and making mistakes would be a demerit.
With no merit and a demerit, how could he possibly get promoted?
He could clearly get promoted by doing nothing and just waiting it out; why did he have to go for something so big? Was he trying to kill himself?
"County Chief Qin is right!"
Chen Xin inwardly scoffed, but outwardly said emphatically, "Then Director Pan and I will go back and work on a road construction plan. We'll submit it to you in the next couple of days for your review. Is that alright?"
"That's right, County Chief Qin, give us a day or two, and we'll definitely complete the design."
Pan Wen echoed.
"Two days, please. I hope to see a fully developed plan at the county government work meeting two days from now."
Qin Mu nodded slightly and said directly.
"Okay!"
Chen Xin and Pan Wen responded and went straight out.
"Come on, let's talk!"
Outside, Chen Xin took Pan Wen's hand and led him into his office.
"County Chief Chen, tell me, what's County Chief Qin thinking? Why is he so determined to build these roads?"
Pan Wen, already brimming with questions, said, "Rebuilding those two roads entirely will cost at least a hundred million! Where will the government get the money?"
"I think County Chief Qin is deliberately making things difficult for us, increasing our workload. If we don't have the money to build them after we finish the plan, they'll just be a pile of worthless paper!"
Pan Wen simply didn't believe County Chief Qin could raise the funds to build the roads.
"No, no, I think County Chief Qin has found a way to raise the money."
Chen Xin, however, had a different opinion. He said, "Listen to what he's saying, so passionate, so confident. Actually, he already has the money. Otherwise, how could he be so confident?"
Oh?
Pan Wen was taken aback, and subconsciously said, "You mean, County Chief Qin already has funding, and he's just deliberately putting on a show in front of us, trying to impress us?"
"Exactly, otherwise why would he be so boastful?"
Chen Xin nodded, smiling, and said, "Don't all high-ranking leaders like to do that? They deliberately don't mention things they've already achieved, just to show off and demonstrate how awesome they are!"
"County Chief Chen, you're so insightful, you saw right through me."
Pan Wen gave a thumbs up, praising, "I really didn't think of that. I thought County Chief Qin was just showing his determination and attitude towards his work!"
"Nonsense, leaders are all shrewd; they don't make decisions rashly."
Chen Xin smiled, waved his hand slightly, and said, "Based on your experience, what's the approximate total budget for repairing those two roads?"
Total budget?
Pan Wen had always worked in the transportation system and was quite sensitive to road construction budgets. With just some basic road data, he could easily estimate the cost of road repairs.
"If we maintain the existing lanes and rebuild on the existing foundation without adding facilities, the total cost would be around 150 million!"
Pan Wen thought for a moment and simply said, "This is a conservative estimate. If we simplify it further and use lower-grade materials, keeping it under 100 million wouldn't be impossible, but the profit margin for engineering companies would be much lower, and some companies probably wouldn't be willing to take the job!"
"No, no, your thinking is wrong."
Unexpectedly, Chen Xin said seriously, "County Chief Qin has made such a big decision, and you're only giving him this little challenge?"
Uh…
What does that mean?
Pan Wen was stunned, not understanding what the other person meant.
"County Chief Qin has shown us what determination looks like, so shouldn't we appropriately increase the difficulty of this determination?"
Chen Xin smiled slightly, "You upgrade the lane plan to eight lanes in both directions, upgrade the grade, add more facilities, and bring the total budget to 500 million!"
Hiss…
Are you crazy?
A budget of 500 million—even selling Huaining County might not be enough to raise that much money!
"What, still don't understand?"
Chen Xin chuckled, seeing Pan Wen's bewildered expression. "Isn't County Chief Qin fond of making firm decisions? Then give him the chance. In two days, at the county government work meeting, you throw out this budget, and I'll see how he tries to show off!"
"As a county chief, if you act like you can't deliver in the end, you'll lose face!"
Hearing this, Pan Wen understood. Deputy County Chief Chen wanted to embarrass County Chief Qin.
County Chief Qin had just made such a strong commitment in front of them; if he said at the work meeting that it couldn't be done, wouldn't that be a slap in his own face?
But if he insisted it could be done, and then failed to complete it, he would still be slapping himself in the face!
"County Chief Chen, are you really going to do this?"
Pan Wen said seriously, "If I do this, won't I offend County Chief Qin? You're the deputy county chief; he can't do anything to you. I'm just a small bureau chief. If he gets angry, I'm finished."
"What are you afraid of? I'll protect you."
Chen Xin smiled slightly, saying nonchalantly, "To tell you the truth, Mayor Qiu has already called me, telling me to fully support Secretary Liang. County Chief Qin's time in Huaining County won't last long!"
"Listen to me, follow Mayor Qiu's lead, and we'll have a brighter future!"
Mayor Qiu!
Secretary Liang!
Upon hearing this, Pan Wen was immediately excited.
Is this considered recruitment?
"Okay, I'll listen to you."
Pan Wen agreed without much hesitation.
Deputy County Head Chen has Mayor Qiu and Secretary Liang on his side, while County Head Qin doesn't seem to have any municipal leaders fully supporting him. Under these circumstances, a cadre of Pan Wen's rank would definitely choose to follow Deputy County Head Chen!
Even if he offends County Head Qin, with just a word from the mayor, he can easily get a position in the city, offering more opportunities and a higher margin for error.
Ordinary cadres don't think too much about it; they follow whichever side has the stronger backing.
"Very good, go back and work on the plan. Remember to increase the budget to 500 million!"
Chen Xin nodded in satisfaction and said, "Let's give this County Head Qin a good talking-to!"
"No problem!"
Pan Wen naturally had no objections. He was an expert in road construction; using professional jargon to fool the layman County Head Qin would be a piece of cake, wouldn't it?
Anyway, there were plenty of reasons he could come up with!
For example, high traffic volume necessitates road expansion; poor road infrastructure requires upgrading surrounding facilities; and for long-term development, high-grade environmentally friendly materials must be used, etc.
Lowering the budget is difficult, but increasing it is all too easy!