"Do you think that just because you dealt with those three, Deputy Director Jiang will look at you differently?"
Qiu Xiangqian's chilling voice made Liang Guan freeze.
Of course not!
Liang Guan knew that Deputy Director Jiang held a deep grudge against him and wouldn't possibly respect him just because of this incident. Deputy Director Jiang admired Qin Mu, not him.
"And another thing, you went to so much trouble to protect those three, wasn't that to win people over? Now you've completely gotten rid of them, what do you call that?"
Qiu Xiangqian said irritably, "You've completely destroyed all the support you've built up. As a leader, being so fickle, unable to even protect those you wanted to keep, only gives the impression of weakness and incompetence. Who would dare follow you in the future?"
"If you had forcibly protected them this time and demoted them, people would have respected you more. Instead, you went with the flow, showing no backbone or skill whatsoever!"
"Only a fool would follow a leader like you!"
This barrage of criticism left Liang Guan stunned, speechless.
Liang Guan hadn't thought too much about it. Initially, he wanted to protect Qian Gang and the other two simply to stand against Qin Mu, to contradict him. Now, abandoning them, he naturally thought they were beyond redemption.
But Mayor Qiu's words had awakened him.
As the top leader, one cannot follow the crowd; one must have one's own opinions.
Moreover, in officialdom, sometimes stance comes first. If you can't even protect your own subordinates, how can you win over others?
"Mayor, I'll remember what you said. It was my fault. I didn't consider other possibilities. I'm sorry!"
Liang Guan quickly admitted his mistake.
"You're not young anymore. You need to be more shrewd and thoughtful. Don't act like a clueless greenhorn, getting played by some young upstart."
Qiu Xiangqian's tone was full of disappointment. He probably never expected Liang Guan's performance in Huaining to be so poor, so disappointing.
He had originally hoped that Liang Guan would suppress Qin Mu's rising momentum, but now it seemed he was asking too much of him.
"Mayor, your criticism is correct."
Liang Guan kept admitting his mistakes, while inwardly thinking: All he does is criticize me all day. Knowing I'm no match for Qin Mu, why doesn't he offer some help?
Why all this nonsense?
Does criticizing me really hurt Qin Mu?
Can't you get something concrete?
"There will be new personnel appointments in the next couple of days. The Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission in Huaining County is going to be replaced."
However, before Liang Guan could finish complaining, Mayor Qiu's words immediately jolted him awake.
The Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission, Qi Zhenghao, is going to be replaced?
This is a strong signal!
The Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission is always a very important position. Liang Guan is currently on the defensive, and Qin Mu's continued rise in power is somewhat related to Qi Zhenghao's support for Qin Mu.
Now that Mayor Qiu has proactively revealed this information to him, it means that the replacement is most likely from Mayor Qiu's camp.
This is very beneficial to Liang Guan!
Otherwise, Mayor Qiu wouldn't have bothered mentioning it to him at all.
"Mayor, what's the background of this new Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission?"
Liang Guan asked curiously.
"It's someone from the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection, named Fan Chao. He's worked in the discipline inspection system for a long time. You need to treat him well; his surname is Fan, he's not an ordinary person."
Qiu Xiangqian said calmly, "Talk to him more about Qin Mu's matter. If you cooperate well, there's a chance."
Upon hearing this, Liang Guan understood even better.
This Fan Chao was sent down to deal with Qin Mu.
"Mayor, I understand. Don't worry, I'll cooperate fully!"
Liang Guan hurriedly agreed, overjoyed.
"Hmm!"
Qiu Xiangqian responded coldly and hung up the phone. He truly had no other choice. Relying on Liang Guan was definitely not going to work; he could only think of a way out himself—to find someone with similar connections from the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection to deal with Qin Mu.
Perhaps, there was still a glimmer of hope.
If this dragged on any longer, and Qin Mu truly gained power, he would become even more difficult to deal with.
...
Qin Mu was still unaware of the impending replacement of the Discipline Inspection Commission Secretary. He would have remained completely in the dark if Qi Zhenghao hadn't proactively approached him.
"Comrade Zhenghao, what brings you here?"
Qin Mu was preparing materials for the provincial department when he saw Qi Zhenghao standing at the door and immediately asked.
"Have the procedures for Qian Gang and the other two been completed?"
Qin Mu subconsciously recalled the case of Qian Gang and the other two, and asked directly. It seemed that this was the only overlap in his work with the county Discipline Inspection Commission.
"Their cases are basically resolved. Next, it's just a matter of going through the procedures. For matters involving dismissal, it needs to be reported to the municipal Discipline Inspection Commission and await their approval. However, there is sufficient evidence, so there shouldn't be any major obstacles."
Qi Zhenghao explained briefly, "I'm here today because there's something else I want to discuss with you!"
Another thing?
Hearing this, Qin Mu put down the materials in his hand. He knew that Qi Zhenghao wouldn't come to him unless it was something important.
Since he spoke so solemnly, it meant it was something important.
"So, has the county discipline inspection commission made some major discovery?"
Qin Mu asked subconsciously. Judging by Qi Zhenghao's level of seriousness, this must involve at least a deputy-department-level official for him to speak to him so cautiously.
"No!"
Qi Zhenghao sighed helplessly. "County Chief Qin, aren't you a little too dedicated, thinking only about cases and investigating corruption?"
Why did County Chief Qin immediately think of cases?
Couldn't there be something else?
"Sorry, it's an old habit. Tell me, what is it?"
Qin Mu asked somewhat embarrassedly.
"I'm being transferred to the municipal discipline inspection commission, and a colleague from the provincial discipline inspection commission will take over my work."
Qi Zhenghao explained, "From now on, you should be a little careful. The new secretary of the discipline inspection commission probably won't be so easy to talk to."
Hmm?
The secretary of the discipline inspection commission is changing?
Qin Mu frowned. He hadn't expected that Qi Zhenghao would throw cold water on his work just as he was making significant progress.
Qi Zhenghao had been doing a great job as the secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission, greatly helping Qin Mu's work, especially during the confrontation with Yu Xuewen, and even now with Liang Guan. Qi Zhenghao's support was crucial.
The sudden change of leadership was a huge blow to Qin Mu!
Moreover, it was a strong signal that someone was going to take action against Qin Mu.
There must be leaders in the city who didn't want to wait any longer and wanted to resolve Qin Mu's problem as soon as possible; otherwise, they wouldn't have changed leadership without any warning.
"What position will you be holding in the Municipal Discipline Inspection Commission?"
Qin Mu asked in return.
"Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Discipline Inspection Commission."
Qi Zhenghao replied casually.
"That's a promotion."
Qin Mu nodded slightly and said, "Comrade Zhenghao, congratulations."
The Municipal Discipline Inspection Commission is a deputy-department-level institution, and the deputy secretary of the Municipal Discipline Inspection Commission is naturally at the division-level; Qi Zhenghao had taken a step up.
"There's nothing to congratulate me on. I'm just worried that your work here might be difficult."
Qi Zhenghao said earnestly, "When you first arrived, Secretary Fang instructed me to cooperate fully with your work. At the time, I didn't take it seriously and didn't want to cooperate. But your performance has been impeccable; you've fulfilled your duties and served the people diligently. So, I'm willing to cooperate with you now."
"But in some people's eyes, behaving too normally is seen as being unsociable, and they'll want to kick out unsociable people. County Chief Qin, you need to be careful."