The game of power begins with the police officers at the local police station.

In the last month of 2012, Dong Xuexi, who had been in office in Laoyan Town for more than a month, came to report to Chen Shi for the first time.

Dong Xuexi knocked on Chen Shi's office door, and Chen Shi called out, "Come in."

Dong Xuexi pushed open the door and entered. Chen Shi looked up and saw that Dong Xuexi had become much darker, as if he were a completely different person from last time.

"Principal Dong, please have a seat."

Chen Shi stood up to greet them, and the two sat down in the reception room.

Dong Xuexi took out a research report from his briefcase, stood up, and handed it to Chen Shi with both hands.

"Director Chen, this is my research report on the rural primary school in Laoyan Town."

Chen Shi took the report, glanced at it, and placed it on the table: "Principal Dong, please tell me the contents of the research report."

Dong Xuexi solemnly said, "Director Chen, as soon as I took office in Laoyan Town, I began to conduct research. Laoyan Town has a total of sixteen administrative villages and seventeen rural primary schools."

Eight of these schools are dilapidated buildings. The largest school has fewer than 100 students, while the smallest has only 30 or so. Some classes have only five or six students.

Rural primary schools mainly serve left-behind children; those who can afford it are sent to study in towns or county seats.

Based on the geographical location and student population of the sixteen administrative villages, five primary schools will be established to cover all sixteen villages. Students will stay at the schools from Monday to Friday and return home once a week, effectively solving the problem of left-behind children having difficulty attending school.

I visited these five primary schools in person. Three of them were built with donations from local coal mine owners. The school buildings are in very good condition and do not need to be rebuilt. We only need to expand two more primary schools, which will solve the problem of centralized schooling in the old salt town.

After listening to Dong Xuexi's report, Chen Shi picked up the research report and read it carefully. It was very detailed. Chen Shi nodded with satisfaction: "Principal Dong, you have worked hard. If the principals of our town central schools had half of your sense of responsibility, the education in Chunyang County would not be in this state now."

You did a great job. I personally fully support your proposed solution. Go ahead and implement it boldly.

To facilitate your work, a Party Committee meeting will be held this afternoon to remove the "acting" designation from your name.

Dong Xuexi said sincerely, "Thank you for your guidance, Director Chen. I will do a good job in the pilot program for basic education."

Dong Xuexi seemed about to say something but hesitated. Chen Shi said in a deep voice, "Principal Dong, speak your mind. Don't hold back."

"Director Chen, I don't like to talk badly about people behind their backs. The main problem is that Vice Principal Diao goes too far. Many times, he doesn't take me, the acting principal, seriously. He always makes excuses to shirk the work I assign and even forms cliques."

Later, we'll be conducting pilot programs for basic education, but with Vice Principal Diao at the central school, it will be very difficult for me to carry out my work.

Chen Shi said coldly, "Diao Kuan was transferred to Laoyan Town, but he still didn't behave. Then transfer him away, keep his title of vice principal, and transfer him to a rural primary school in Laoyan Town, where he is needed."

Dong Xuexi understood Chen Shi's meaning. Lao Yan Town Lehei Primary School was a remote, desolate place, more than two hours away from the town. There were more than fifty students, but only four teachers, all of whom were substitute teachers. None of them were officially employed. It was the most remote primary school in Lao Yan Town.

"At Lehei Primary School in Laoyan Town, the old principal has been retired for over a year and no new principal has been appointed. So there's no need for Vice Principal Diao to oversee the teaching."

Dong Xuexi sneered inwardly. Diao Kuan, I didn't want to mess with you. As long as you cooperated with my work, you're asking for it. Don't blame others. Don't think that just because Laoyan Town is the most remote town, you've already reached the bottom. There's nothing I can do with you. Let me tell you, there is no most remote place, only more remote places. If I want to deal with you, I have plenty of ways.

Dong Xuexi visited Lehei Primary School once and didn't want to go again. The people there are ethnic minorities, and he couldn't understand their language. The school was a dilapidated building, and teachers from other places had nowhere to stay.

There is no coal in the area; it's all continuous mountains. When outsiders go in, navigation systems fail, and they can't find their way out.

Chen Shi then suggested, "Let Diao Kuan take on the role of principal of Lehei Elementary School concurrently."

Dong Xuexi was overjoyed, but he didn't show it. He had to fill the vacant vice principal position with his own people.

With a calm expression, he said, "Director Chen, Vice Principal Diao will serve as the principal of Lehei Primary School. Laoyan Town is a pilot area for basic education, and the work will be very busy later on. I need a vice principal to assist me."

Chen Shi knew very well that to get his subordinates to work hard, he had to give them appropriate incentives, so he asked, "Principal Dong, do you have any recommendations for vice-principal?"

Dong Xuexi thought for a moment and said, "Director Chen, I went to the sixteen village primary schools in Laoyan Town to conduct research. Teacher Gu Laixi has been with me on the research. He has taught at Laoyan Town Central School for eleven years and in rural primary schools for thirteen years. With more than twenty years of teaching experience, he knows the situation in Laoyan Town very well. The pilot program for basic education needs local people like him."

Chen Shi nodded: "If you think he's capable, then he's capable."

Dong Xuexi knew very well that Chen Shi would support him in whatever he wanted, but if he messed things up, he would be in deep trouble.

He was confident that without Diao Kuan as an obstacle, the pilot program for basic education would proceed smoothly. He wanted to show other school leaders who were watching that the bureau supported him, that those who followed him would benefit, and that those who opposed him would suffer the same fate as Diao Kuan.

After Dong Xuexi left, Chen Shi called Huang Ming and asked him to come to his office.

Huang Ming arrived at Chen Shi's office: "Director Chen."

Chen Shi stood up to greet him: "Director Huang, please sit down."

Chen Shi poured Huang Ming a cup of tea: "Yesterday I went to report to Secretary Liu and County Chief Zhang. Both of the main leaders mentioned that basic education must be taken seriously. I want to have Laoyan Town and Fushan Town pilot basic education programs, centralize schooling, eliminate substitute teachers, and improve the overall quality and teaching level of teachers."

Huang Ming quickly expressed his opinion: "Director Chen, your idea is excellent, and I fully support it."

Chen Shi handed Dong Xuexi's research report to Huang Ming: "Take a look at this. It's a research report that Dong Xuexi did in Laoyan Town."

Huang Ming took a look at it and nodded repeatedly: "Dong Xuexi is a good comrade, very pragmatic. The research report is very comprehensive and can be used as a feasibility study."

Chen Shi continued, "When Diao Kuan arrived in Laoyan Town, he was still not honest. He formed cliques and affected the pilot work of basic education. I want to keep his title of vice principal and transfer him to Lehei Primary School in Laoyan Town to serve as the principal. The vacant vice principal position will be filled by promoting Gu Laixi, a local from Laoyan Town with more than 20 years of teaching experience, to assist Dong Xuexi in carrying out the pilot work of basic education."

To facilitate Dong's learning and work, the "代" (dai) character above his name will be removed.

Huang Ming nodded: "For leaders like Diao Kuan, who are disorganized and undisciplined, they should be marginalized. I fully support Director Chen's decision."

Chen Shi said solemnly, "Fushan Town is short of a vice principal, and I would like to promote Xu Mengmeng to take on the role and preside over the pilot education program in Fushan Town."

Huang Ming knew about Chen Shi's relationship with Zhang Hu, and that Xu Mengmeng's younger brother, Xu Mo, was one of his own. He fully supported Xu Mengmeng's promotion.

"Xu Mengmeng worked in Fushan Town for several years and is familiar with the rural primary schools there. It would be appropriate to promote her to the position of vice principal."

Chen Shi smiled and said, "Then it's settled. We'll hold a Party Committee meeting this afternoon to announce the appointments."