The golden age began in 1977

Chapter 331 Cadre-led Team Building Has Remarkable Effects

Cadres were assigned to teams to go to rural areas to assist in grassroots drought relief efforts.

This policy has been affirmed by provincial-level leaders.

During a telephone conference with provincial leaders and heads of various cities, the following instructions were given: "Our country is not yet wealthy, and rural areas are particularly poor. Most production brigades do not yet have electricity or telephone service, making it difficult for grassroots units to communicate with higher command departments such as counties and cities."

"Sending leading cadres and Party members from various municipal and county-level government agencies to work together at the grassroots level can effectively solve communication problems, and this policy is worth encouraging."

That's it.

More regions and more city and county leaders are being mobilized to go to the countryside.

In particular, many of the older comrades who are nearing retirement are leaders who came from rural areas to cities. Now that their hometowns are suffering from disaster, they want to make a difference in their final moments at work, so they pack their bags, leave their offices, and head to their designated production teams.

Not only do production brigades have cadres assigned to specific production teams, but so do production team leaders.

These veteran comrades, on the contrary, were highly conscious and able to endure hardship. They moved into the brigade headquarters, commune members' homes, and even field shacks, truly integrating themselves into the front line of drought relief and disaster relief.

The "Cadre Team Work Manual" and "Compilation of Drought Relief Policies and Disciplines" issued by the command center became their treasured books.

They were not only responsible for verifying specific information about the local drought, but also for coming up with ideas and finding ways to help the backward production teams find a way to survive.

At the same time, they are also responsible for inspection and supervision, and for promptly identifying and resolving problems that arise in the operation of the "team-based system".

that's it.

The "cadre-led team" mechanism is like an invisible net that quickly covered every production brigade in Anguo County.

Its effects became apparent very quickly.

Information transmission is faster and more accurate, resource allocation is more equitable and transparent, and grassroots execution capacity has been significantly enhanced.

Many minor issues that previously required multiple levels of reporting and remained unresolved for a long time were quickly resolved with the on-site coordination of the assigned cadres.

More importantly, the suspicion and dissatisfaction caused by information asymmetry and lack of transparency in resource allocation have been effectively alleviated.

On Qian Jin's side, the command post drafted and finalized a detailed "Implementation Rules for Water Delivery by Rail and Production Team-Level Transfer in Anguo County" and immediately sent it to the command post.

After the command center held a meeting to discuss the feasibility, it disseminated the information to other districts and counties via telephone and radio for promotion.

As a result, water delivery efficiency in various regions has been greatly improved, and conflicts caused by water disputes have been significantly reduced.

Although Qian Jin left the command center, his prestige within it was greatly enhanced once again through proposing and implementing a series of truly effective actions and policies.

As for at the grassroots level?
His reputation is even better!

It's true that a golden cup or a silver cup is not as good as the people's word of mouth.

Everything about him spread spontaneously among the farmers: "Commander Qian is a man of his word and has effective methods. If we follow him in fighting the drought, we're sure to win!"

This saying became a popular saying in Anguo County along the water delivery route.

The water delivery operation was sorted out, but other tasks had problems.

When Qian Jin reported his work to Zheng Guodong and Han Zhaoxin, he made one very insightful point.

When the drought reaches a critical juncture, this water is a lifesaver, and farmers will definitely fight tooth and nail to get it.

Qiaomi County has two closely adjacent production teams called Xiaolizhuang and Dalizhuang.

These two production teams share the same ancestor, but as the Li family grew, they couldn't stay together and eventually divided the land and families into two villages. Then, in the 1950s, with the implementation of the People's Commune system, the two villages became two production teams.

Xiaolizhuang and Dalizhuang have good water resources. They are located downstream of a reservoir, and a river called "Qingshui River" discharges water from the reservoir to the downstream area.

Naturally, the Qingshui River has always been an important source of irrigation water for the area it flows through.

In previous years, when there was abundant rainfall, the river flowed gently, and the Qingshui River could nourish the farmland on both banks without the need for the reservoir to release water.

However, due to the severe drought this year, the Qingshui River has been dry for a long time, leaving only the reservoir to store water, which is then released occasionally according to instructions from higher authorities.

This year's drought was severe, and even the landlords had no surplus grain. The reservoir also had little water, so they released only small amounts of water each time, just enough to supply drinking water to a few production brigades within their jurisdiction.

For these two production teams.

Xiaolizhuang is downstream, and Dalizhuang is upstream.

In previous years, the two production teams shared the river water. Although there were minor frictions, they generally lived in peace. After all, to put it bluntly, the two families were related.

But this last bit of life-saving water became the fuse that ignited the conflict.

After harvesting the wheat in June, they planted corn. The hundreds of acres of cornfields in Xiaolizhuang were the food rations for the entire production team, and they all depended on this little bit of river water for irrigation to survive.

The cadre in charge of the team is Song Linwen, a veteran technician from the county's agricultural bureau.

He is a very responsible veteran Party member who has been working hard to help local farmers fight the drought since he arrived in Xiaolizhuang.

The autumn harvest is crucial, so he spent every day squatting in the fields trying to find ways to help farmers increase their income.

But he couldn't come up with a good solution. Instead, he watched helplessly as the corn leaves withered and curled up day by day, getting worse and worse.

This made him extremely anxious, and he repeatedly organized the villagers to fetch water from the river to irrigate the fields, but it was a drop in the ocean.

The situation in Dalizhuang is equally dire.

Their farmland is larger, and the drought is more severe. The cadre in charge of the team is Li Deyu, the deputy section chief of the planning section of the city's water resources bureau.

Originally, Li Deyu was supposed to return to Xiaolizhuang as a team leader, but his wife was from Xiaolizhuang. He hadn't treated his wife and the people in his hometown very well, so they had a lot of complaints about him.

Especially since he had remarried a beautiful new wife not long after his wife's death, he knew very well that he was not popular in Xiaolizhuang.

He originally wanted to use his connections to avoid being sent to the countryside, but he failed. In the end, he used his connections again and was transferred from Xiaolizhuang, where he was originally supposed to be assigned, to the neighboring Dalizhuang.

When he arrived in Dali Village, the local villagers' attitude towards him was lukewarm, but much better than in Xiaoli Village.

When people in Xiaolizhuang learned that he was working as a team leader in the neighboring village, some short-tempered elders even came to his door to scold him.

However, to be fair, Li Deyu was simply unwilling to suffer any more hardship in the countryside, even though he had already endured so much suffering. He was still quite clever, and he also wanted to make a good impression in the drought relief work.

Because Zheng Guodong had already mentioned it during the second mobilization meeting with them.

The organization will definitely pay attention to their performance. Life at the grassroots level is tough and the work is tiring, but it is easy to achieve results.

Just then, the head of the planning department of the water conservancy bureau was about to retire, and Li Deyu had an idea: he wanted to make a contribution in Dali Village.

Then he discovered a natural backwater bay in the upper reaches of the Qingshui River outside the Dalizhuang production team, where the terrain was slightly higher.

Thus, a bold idea sprouted in his mind and received the support of Li Fugui, the old team leader of Dali Village.

On a dark and windy night, Dali Village organized dozens of strong laborers, carrying shovels and sacks, and quietly went to the upstream river bend.

Ignoring the plight of Xiaolizhuang downstream, they worked through the night to build a simple dam at the river bend using sandbags, stones, and mud.

That very night, the reservoir released water!

Of course, this "just right" timing was found by Li Deyu. After all, he was a member of the Water Resources Bureau, and the reservoir manager had some connections with their unit. He couldn't make the reservoir release water, but he could find out when the reservoir would release water.

The dam was built before the reservoir could release water.

When the water was released, the flow was forcibly stopped, and the water level slowly rose, forming a pond.

The villagers of Dali Village were overjoyed and worked through the night to transport water to their fields using buckets and basins.

As a result, the news reached Xiaolizhuang downstream before dawn.

When the villagers of Xiaolizhuang discovered in the early morning that the river had completely dried up and that there was a commotion coming from upstream, they were instantly thrown into chaos!

"The water supply to Dali Village has dried up! They've blocked the river!"

"Damn Lizhuang! They're trying to cut off our livelihood!"

"Fight them! Demolish the dam!"

Immediately, public sentiment was outraged!
Li Changhe, the militia captain of Xiaolizhuang, was a hot-blooded man. He had always disliked Dalizhuang taking advantage of the upstream area, and now he was even more furious.

So he immediately grabbed a shovel, raised his arm and shouted, "Men, young and old, grab your weapons and fight the Japanese devils!"

"All militiamen, follow me upstream and reclaim our water! Anyone who dares to stop us, don't blame me for using my shovels without mercy!"

Many young and strong laborers, their eyes bloodshot, carrying shovels, picks, carrying poles, and even homemade guns, led by Li Changhe, surged upstream towards the dam of Dali Village like a flood bursting its banks.

The people in Dalizhuang had already taken precautions.

Old team leader Li Fugui, with a pipe dangling from his mouth, squatted on the newly built earthen embankment, coldly watching the surging crowd from Xiaolizhuang.

Behind him, a number of strong laborers from Dali Village, armed with weapons, had also gathered, each with a fierce expression and ready for battle.

The air was filled with a strong smell of gunpowder.

However, the cadres of both production teams knew how strict the public security and discipline were now, and they still suppressed their surging fighting spirit.

Li Fugui stood up, exhaled a puff of smoke, and preemptively demanded, "Li Changhe! What are you planning to do with so many people?"

"What are you doing?" Li Changhe pointed at the newly built earthen dam with his shovel, his eyes blazing with anger. "Li Fugui, you old turtle, you still have the nerve to ask me that?"

"Have you no shame, Dalizhuang? You've built a dam without permission, cutting off our downstream water supply! Are you trying to kill hundreds of us from Xiaolizhuang with thirst and starvation? Tear down the dam!"

"Dismantle the dam?" Li Fugui scoffed, everything was under control.

"Young man, you're still a kid, what do you know! This river has always been a rule that whoever is upstream gets to use it first! Besides, 'use first, replenish later' is a rule left by our ancestors!"

“We’ll use this water from Dali Village to tide us over for now. Once there’s more water in the well, we’ll naturally replenish the river. What’s the rush?”

"Bullshit!" Li Changhe trembled with rage. "The water in the river belongs to the country and all the people. What kind of 'use first, replenish later' principle applies to this stuff!"

"Let me tell you, the reservoir releasing water was ordered by the city command headquarters. You've cut off all the water; are you trying to kill us? Are you trying to defy the command headquarters' orders!"

Another man said excitedly, "The most important thing is that by the time you guys 'repair' it, all the corn in our village will have died out! Enough nonsense! Today, you have to dig this dam whether you like it or not!"

"Brothers, come on!"

The crowd in Xiaolizhuang roared and charged forward.

"Let's see who dares to move!" Li Fugui shoved his pipe behind his back and pulled out a Mauser pistol...

The old man was a tough guy too. He said sternly, "Don't try to intimidate me with the command headquarters. I'm strictly following the command headquarters' orders for drought relief!"

“You all better behave yourselves. You know I used to kill Japanese devils and fight against the white dogs. In 52, when the county was suppressing bandits, I was the captain of the second squad. I led the team that wiped out the bandit stronghold in Dananzhuang!”

“Take this Qingshui River for example. Yes, both of our teams rely on it for irrigation, but every time we went up the river to work in previous years, you, Li Changhe, would say, ‘When have you ever done more work than my Dali Village?’”

"Oh, you son of a bitch! Oh, in previous years when the county organized labor to repair water conservancy projects in winter, you all pretended to be dead. Now that it's a drought year and we need the Qingshui River to help, you're talking to us about fairness?"

"Li Changhe, don't stand in front of me like you're all high and mighty. You're not qualified. Tell Li Yinbao to come out and talk to me!"

Li Changhe's anger subsided.

But now is not the time to reason, and reasoning is not an option.

Now is a critical moment for saving lives by scrambling for water.

He roared, "What you say is useless, I only follow the orders from headquarters! Headquarters said that the Qingshui River is the lifeline of several communes along the river, and no one can stop it!"

"Stop wasting your breath talking to him, just kill him!" A reckless young man charged out, brandishing a red-tasseled spear.

Upon hearing this, at least a hundred men rushed forward.

Li Fugui was a truly ruthless man; he could raise his hand and fire a shot that would send flames soaring into the sky.

"Snapped"!
The gunshots stunned the people of Xiaolizhuang and also mobilized the men of Dalizhuang.

The people of Dali Village immediately raised their weapons and arched forward.

The two sides were on the verge of a bloody conflict.

Just at this critical moment, a bicycle came speeding from the road and came to a stop between the two sides.

Song Linwen, the cadre in charge of the team in Xiaolizhuang, pushed the car to the ground and angrily shouted while waving his hands:

"Stop! Stop it all!"

"I'm the village cadre personally assigned by the command center! I'm from the county's agricultural bureau! Who dares to cause trouble? Anyone who does will be killed first! If you kill me, see if the security forces arrest you, and see how the agricultural bureau behind me deals with you!"

For farmers right now.

The Agriculture Bureau is the highest authority.

The two groups, both aggressive and menacing, were indeed hesitant to act rashly. For a time, they exchanged insults incessantly, but neither leader dared to actually engage in a fight.

Song Linwen turned around and glared at Li Fugui: "Old Li, where are your team leaders? Huh!"

Li Deyu, the cadre in charge of Dalizhuang, stood at the back of the crowd.

He was timid, and when he saw this scene, his face turned pale with fright.

But Song Linwen had already called out to him, so he had no choice but to muster his courage and rush between the two groups, spreading his arms to block the crowd from Dali Village.
"Comrade Li Changhe, put down your weapons! We mustn't fight! Fighting over water is illegal!"

When the people of Xiaolizhuang saw his familiar face, one of them immediately threw a hoe at him: "You son-in-law of Xiaolizhuang! I knew you were behind this! It must have been you, you wicked bastard, who came up with this terrible idea!"

Li Deyu was terrified and panicked: "Attack on state cadres! This is an attack on state cadres!"

"Go to hell." Li Changhe spat at him, his face full of contempt.

"What kind of state cadre are you? If it weren't for my second uncle taking pity on you when you came to our team begging for food in 61 and even marrying my sister Shufen to you, you would have starved to death long ago. You wouldn't be destined to be a cadre!"

This matter was a thorn in Li Deyu's side. He said indignantly, "Don't just talk nice things. Is he, my, my old man really that kind? Isn't it because he's about to die and he's afraid of leaving behind a simple-minded daughter with no one to take care of her?"

"Li Changhe, I know you look down on me, but let's face it out today and make things clear..."

"Stop, stop, stop! If you want to talk, go to your home. Is this the place for idle chatter and nonsense?" Song Linwen was even angrier.

He strode up to Li Fugui, his face ashen: "Captain Li, are you out of your mind?!"

"What are you doing? Who gave you permission to build this dam without authorization? The command has repeatedly emphasized that it is strictly forbidden to divert water without authorization, and it is strictly forbidden to fight for or steal water! You are defying the rules!"

Li Fugui's demeanor softened slightly when facing the team leader, but he still stuck his neck out: "Officer Song, I'm not happy with what you're saying. Every year, the Qingshui River widens its channel and calls on us to work on the river. Your Agricultural Bureau knows this perfectly well, right?"

"Then your Agricultural Bureau is well aware of the dispute between the two Li families regarding the amount of labor required, right?"

"Year after year, our team contributes twenty laborers, but Xiaolizhuang only contributes ten..."

He gestured with his hand to indicate the difference in numbers: "Now that it's time to use water, you're talking to me about discipline? What about the discipline of the river workers!"

The clerk of Dali Village sighed and said, "Cadre Song, we have no choice. The corn in the village is almost dried up! We have to find a way to save it, right? Besides, the upstream uses water first, and those near the water get the first taste of the moon—it's an old rule..."

"What old rules!" Song Linwen interrupted him sharply, taking out a photocopy of a document stamped with the command headquarters' big red seal from his canvas bag. It was the "Implementation Rules for Water Resource Allocation and Water Use Management during Drought Relief in Haibin City".

He first pointed to the clauses marked in red pen and showed them to the people at the front of the Dali Village line, then read them aloud:

Article 5: It is strictly forbidden for any unit or individual to arbitrarily intercept, block, or seize water! All surface water resources (including river runoff and reservoir releases) must be uniformly allocated and managed by the municipal and county drought relief headquarters!

"Any act of taking or using water without the approval of the command center is a violation!"

Article 8: In areas with extremely scarce water resources, a system of "rotational irrigation" or "rationing" shall be implemented.

"Water use plans formulated by the command center or district/county drought relief office must be strictly followed between upstream and downstream areas and between the left and right banks. No changes are allowed for any reason! Violators will have their drought relief material allocations reduced or even canceled!"

After Song Linwen finished reading, he stared intently at Li Fugui: "My old captain, did you see clearly? Did you hear clearly? The rules of the command headquarters were set in advance. The old ways of 'use first, then replenish' and 'first come, first served' no longer apply!"

"You have built this dam without authorization, which is a serious violation of regulations! It must be demolished immediately!"

Li Fugui and the villagers of Dali Village behind him, looking at the document stamped with a large red seal and listening to Song Linwen's resolute words, immediately lost half their momentum.

They knew that the team leaders held the "imperial sword"—the power to reduce the allocation of supplies!

Without drought relief supplies and food aid, the consequences in this year of severe drought are unimaginable.

Song Linwen softened his voice at the same time: "Comrades of Dalizhuang, I understand the grievances in your hearts."

"I, Lao Song, can swear to you here that although I am the cadre in charge of Xiaolizhuang, I will not take their side or bully you!"

"Your efforts and hard work in Qingshuihe over the years have not been in vain, absolutely not in vain!"

"I have inside information that equipment capable of drilling deep wells, hundreds of meters deep, will soon arrive in our Haibin City."

"I will submit an application to the command headquarters, and I will personally go to Comrade Qian Jin, who is currently serving as a special commissioner at the command post in Anguo County, and ask him to make the decision to give you preferential treatment, ensuring that you are given priority in drilling wells before Xiaolizhuang!"

A deep well, hundreds of meters deep!
The people of Dali Village began to stir.

Li Fugui couldn't help but ask, "Really?"

Song Linwen pointed to his face and said, "Brother Li, I'm not that much younger than you. Do you think I don't care about my face?"

At the same time, he looked at Li Deyu: "You're from the Water Resources Bureau, you're familiar with this..."

“It’s true.” Li Deyu nodded. “If he can pass the message on to Commander Qian Jin, then there shouldn’t be any problem.”

"Although I don't know Commander Qian personally, I've heard a lot about him at work. He's known for being very fair."

He then took the opportunity to shout to Li Changhe and the villagers of Xiaolizhuang: "Comrades, fellow villagers! The command headquarters has regulations! If there are any problems, find the cadres! Find the organization! You must not take action!"

"If you physically assault someone, you'll go to jail! Even if you're in the right, you'll lose your right! Trust the organization, trust the command center, they will definitely give everyone justice!"

Li Changhe didn't want to talk to him.

But that's the truth.

He glanced at the wavering expressions of the villagers in Dali Village across the street, and the anger in his chest gradually subsided.

After quickly considering this, he gritted his teeth, waved his hand, and said, "Don't move! Listen to the cadres!"

"But what should be done about this dam?"

He walked closer to the dam to look at the water, and became angry again: "Did you use the water pumps? How come there's so little water?"

Song Linwen pushed him back: "We, the team leaders, are here to discuss how to resolve this matter. You are not allowed to make any moves."

He had finally managed to bring the situation under control, and he didn't want anything else to go wrong.

He pushed Li Changhe back and then asked Li Deyu, "How do we resolve this?"

Li Deyu said, "I'll have the people from Dali Village dismantle the dam, and you can have the people from Xiaoli Village go back."

Song Linwen was furious, but being older, he managed to control his temper: "What nonsense are you spouting! So you think you can just block the water for no reason? You're just going to let the water you pumped away before go?"

Li Deyu said, "What can we do? The water has already entered the fields. A married woman is like water spilled out; there's nothing we can do about it."

"Besides, you just heard the complaints from Dali Village. They do far more water conservancy and river works every year than Xiaoli Village."

"Why do they put in so much effort? Isn't it so that they can have more water during drought years? But now that we're facing a severe drought, do you think they'd be happy to use water like Xiaolizhuang?"

"To be honest, I know that building a dam to block the water is a bad idea and a violation of discipline, but the people of Dali Village are so dissatisfied with it that a popular uprising is imminent, so I have no choice but to..."

"Go away, don't scare people." Song Linwen lit a cigarette, his brows furrowed.

"That means we should first get both sides to cease hostilities, and then Dali Village should no longer be allowed to draw water. If the reservoir continues to release water, it will be left for the downstream areas!"

Li Deyu said reluctantly, "Fine."

After agreeing on the terms, both sides went to negotiate with the main cadres of the two production teams.

That's the only way things can be.

Li Deyu shouted to the people of Dali Village, "Come on, comrades of Dali Village, immediately organize your men and dismantle the illegal dam! Restore the natural flow of the river!"

Song Linwen also said, "Comrades in Xiaolizhuang, hurry home and prepare to fetch water. The people in Dalizhuang will not be fetching water anymore, and the remaining water will flow normally downstream."

"As for the specific water allocation plan for the Qingshui River, the command center will immediately send people to verify the river's water volume and formulate a fair water allocation plan based on the drought situation and crop conditions!"

The command was clear and forceful.

Under the on-site supervision and coordination of the team leaders and the main cadres of Xiaolizhuang, the members of Dalizhuang, though unwilling, silently stepped forward and began to dismantle the earthen dam that had just been built and held their brief hopes.

The water flowed turbulently downstream.

The men, women, and children of Xiaolizhuang hurriedly put the prepared buckets and basins into the river, while the young men and teenagers jumped into the river in their underwear without a care.

In addition, several water pumps were secretly placed into the riverbed...

This mass incident, which could have easily escalated into a bloody conflict, was successfully resolved in its initial stages thanks to the crucial intervention of the cadre-led team mechanism.

The matter was reported up the chain of command, eventually forming a detailed written report, which was placed on Han Zhaoxin's desk piled high with documents.

Next to this report were several similar reports from different districts and counties—all cases of cadres in charge of water management intervening in a timely manner and successfully resolving disputes over water.

Han Zhaoxin was on his way to a meeting with the report, and the leaders distributed the report among themselves.

After reading about the conflict between Xiaolizhuang and Dalizhuang, Han Zhaoxin couldn't help but nod, a slight smile appearing on his face:
"Great! Our cadres really stepped up in this critical moment! I've heard a lot about Comrade Li Deyu; he's got a knack for getting things done, and he certainly didn't let us down this time!"

“Yes, Commander Han,” Zhang Chengnan quickly chimed in, seeing his superior in a good mood, “The fact that the team leaders were on the scene was crucial in calming down the several conflicts here.”

"Without their immediate intervention, identification, policy explanation, and conflict resolution, the consequences would have been unimaginable!"

He felt a surge of relief when he thought of Li Deyu, the man in his department who had almost shirked his posting to the countryside.

That old bastard didn't embarrass me, otherwise I would have dealt with him when I got back.

Zheng Guodong nodded with emotion.

He had just returned from an inspection tour in the countryside. He was originally conducting an inspection of the conduct of cadres as required by the province, but he also took the opportunity to inspect the drought relief work in the rural areas.

The situation in Haibin City is the best in the province. The drought relief work is in full swing and very effective. Farmers are having a hard time, but they are not as destitute as they were in previous years of severe drought.

He opened his notebook and said, "I've visited several counties in the past two days, and the situation is basically the same."

“Since the cadres who were assigned to the teams went down to the grassroots level more than a week ago, the situation is completely different now compared to before.”

"The vicious incidents of fighting and brawling over water every few days, sometimes even involving weapons, have almost disappeared! The pressure on the comrades in the commune police station and the county public security bureau has been greatly reduced!"

He picked up a report from the county public security bureau on the table, pointed to the sentences underlined in red pen, and said:

"Look, this is a report given to me by Comrade Meng Gexin, the head of the security department in Anguo County."

Then he read aloud: "When cadres are stationed in villages, it's like installing voltage stabilizers and alarms at the grassroots level, reducing the incidence of public security disputes by more than 90%... Haha."

"Comrade Meng Gexin even had the audacity to ask whether such a good policy could be implemented long-term, making it a regular practice for cadres to be assigned to specific villages?"

"Hahaha!" Han Zhaoxin also laughed heartily.

As the main leaders, they forcefully pushed this policy forward, which met with strong resistance from cadres at all levels.

The policies are now effective, and the cadres in charge of the teams are able to satisfy the masses, which makes them very happy.

They not only got things done, but also achieved political success.

After chuckling twice, Han Zhaoxin waved his hand and said, "That old man, he's dreaming! Cadre-led teams are a wartime mechanism under wartime conditions, a special method for a special period."

Zhang Chengnan put down the report and said with interest, "President Han, don't say that. I also feel that this policy can be implemented in the long term."

Han Zhaoxin suppressed his smile and glanced at him.

Your intuition is inaccurate!
However, Zhang Chengnan has also contributed to the recent success in drought relief efforts.

He then explained to the other party, "Why can it only be used during special periods? First, no one wants to go to the countryside for an extended period of time."

“There are good cadres like Qian Jin and Wei Desheng, but most cadres, including those of us here, are used to urban living conditions and government work, and it is unrealistic for them to stay in the countryside for a long time.”

"Secondly," he pointed to the calendar below the large "Drought Relief: No Distinction Between Us" propaganda poster hanging on the wall, "the country is not yet wealthy, and the treasury cannot afford it. Keeping so many cadres in the countryside for a long time—their salaries, benefits, and subsidies—all of these cost money."

"This will cause serious overstaffing and put enormous pressure on public finances. This runs counter to the principles of streamlining and efficiency in the new era. Therefore, this can only be done in extraordinary times!"

Zhang Chengnan made a 'sudden realization' expression: "So that's how it is. President Han, you've thought things through so comprehensively. I'm still a bit simple-minded. I still need to learn from you and Leader Guodong."

Han Zhaoxin smiled calmly, unimpressed by such flattery: "We should all learn from this. As our leader said, 'One is never too old to learn.'"

"We should especially learn from Comrade Qian Jin; he is truly a good comrade," Zheng Guodong said with admiration.

"If it weren't for him leading the charge on the front lines, our drought relief efforts would never have achieved what we have today!"

Han Zhaoxin also sighed, "Yes, who could have imagined that this year's drought would come so suddenly?"

The office fell silent for a moment, with only the hum of the ceiling fan and the tireless chirping of cicadas outside the window.

The leaders turned their gaze to the window, where the sun still blazed fiercely, and the scorching air seemed to distort the distant scenery.

This protracted battle against drought is far from over.

Zhang Chengnan lit a cigarette, breaking the silence: "Commander Han is right. This drought came suddenly. It is not only testing our strength to fight against nature, but also tempering the nerve endings of our entire grassroots organization, testing our organizational capacity, execution capacity, and cohesion."

"However, as the saying goes, misfortune may be a blessing in disguise, and a blessing may be a misfortune in disguise."

“In the past, orders from the city might have been weakened by a third when they reached the county level, and by the time they reached the commune or brigade, they would have been even more diminished. But now?”

He flicked his cigarette ash. “The ‘cadre-led team’ system is like a direct telephone line between the command center and every production team at the very end.”

"The voice of the command center can reach the grassroots level directly, and the actual situation at the grassroots level can be fed back in a timely manner. This connection is the key link to overcome difficulties together."

"So I think that although it can't be used all the time, when it is necessary, we will have experience and specific work paths to refer to, and we will definitely be able to do better next time we use this line."

Zheng Guodong nodded vigorously: "That's right, the incident involving Xiaolizhuang and Dalizhuang is the most powerful proof."

"The situation of poor communication, mutual suspicion, and working in isolation has been effectively reversed."

"Conflicts were discovered and resolved by the assigned cadres at the grassroots level in their nascent stage, preventing the situation from escalating and resources from being wasted. This 'extraordinary measure' has indeed demonstrated its strong vitality in this 'extraordinary period'!"

Han Zhaoxin firmly affirmed Zheng Guodong's point of view: "Therefore, we must be even more determined to continue to promote the 'cadre-led team' system!"

"Next, we need to increase our efforts and expand our scope. After the first batch has gone down, the second and third batches should follow, so that more experienced, conscientious, and hardworking comrades, especially veteran Party members and veteran comrades, can put down roots in the places where they are most needed!"

"This is the key move for us to win this tough battle against drought and disaster relief!"

(End of this chapter)