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

Xie Shanquan arranged for a special car from the county government to take him and Chen Dazhi to inspect the greenhouse vegetable base in Heyuan Town.

Deng Bo, the deputy mayor in charge of the greenhouse vegetable base in Heyuan Town, was transferred from the government office. Previously, he was the head of the comprehensive section of the government office and Xie Shanquan's direct supervisor.

Xie Shanquan was seconded to Laoyan Town for a year, which was arranged by Deng Bo.

When Xie Shanquan accompanied Chen Shi on his last inspection tour, Deng Bo recognized him immediately. He never expected that Xie Shanquan would return to the government office and become the secretary of the executive deputy county head.

The leader's secretary is also half a leader, and he can't afford to offend him. After receiving Xie Shanquan's call, he rushed to the greenhouse vegetable base to wait for him.

The county government's car stopped at the greenhouse vegetable base, and Chen Dazhi quickly got out of the car and opened the door for Xie Shanquan.

Xie Shanquan came downstairs. Deng Bo cursed inwardly, "A secretary acting more like a boss!" He quickly walked over, extended his hand, and smiled, "Secretary Xie."

With a smile, Xie Shanquan shook Deng Bo's hand: "Mayor Deng, when County Chief Chen came to inspect last time, he arranged for the Transportation Bureau to allocate 500,000 yuan to the town to build roads for the greenhouse vegetable base. Now, several months have passed, and there's still no progress."

Deng Bo released Xie Shanquan's hand. What a display of official arrogance! Is he going to start by holding people accountable right away?

Deng Bo suppressed his dissatisfaction. Xie Shanquan was here on behalf of Chen Shi for the inspection. If he offended Xie Shanquan, he would be badmouthed by Chen Shi when they got back. He had worked so hard to become the deputy mayor, and Chen Shi could easily bring him back to square one with just a word.

"Secretary Xie, the day after Chen County's inspection, the town arranged for more than a dozen truckloads of soil and stones to be delivered to pave the road and smooth out the potholes."

With the end of the year approaching and winter approaching, paved roads will be damaged by frost and snow, affecting their future lifespan.

The town government has already made arrangements to officially pave the road by March next year.

Xie Shanquan drove in, and the road surface was smoother than before, without any potholes.

"Mayor Deng, this road is frequently used by large trucks, and using soil mixed with stones will not solve the problem. The road surface will not be paved until March. I will truthfully report this to County Chen. Before the road surface is paved, soil mixed with stones cannot be used to pave the road; centimeter stones must be used so as not to affect the normal travel of farmers."

Deng Bo thought to himself, "One truckload of gravel can carry four or five truckloads of soil and gravel. Where does the money come from? You don't say a word about it, yet you still have a smile on your face."

Xie Shanquan looked at Deng Bo: "Mayor Deng, let's go take a look at the greenhouse vegetables."

As the group entered the greenhouse vegetable base, a farmer came out of his tent. Xie Shanquan asked, "Brother, is the electricity fee charged to you by the power company now based on industrial or residential rates?"

Upon recognizing the leader, the farmer quickly said, "Starting last month, we've been charged the residential electricity rate."

"How many acres of land have you contracted?"

"Fifteen mu"

How much do you earn in a year?

"After deducting costs, it should be around fifty or sixty thousand, but I haven't calculated it yet."

"How much did you earn last year?" Xie Shanquan pressed.

The farmer glanced at Deng Bo, whom he recognized—a leader in the town, with whom he had dealt frequently. Xie Shanquan, however, was a stranger; he had never met him before. The farmer pressed him about his income, wondering if he was going to have to pay taxes.

I earned over 100,000 last year, but that's not stable. Earning over 100,000 last year doesn't mean I can earn over 100,000 every year. If things go wrong, I could lose over 100,000 this year.

After thinking for a moment, I decided to underreport: "I earned 30,000 to 40,000 last year, which was only enough to feed my family."

Xie Shanquan nodded and looked at Deng Bo: "Mayor Deng, the farmers' income is too low. Fifteen mu of land only earns them thirty to forty thousand a year, which is just over two thousand a year per mu. The county government's plan is that the income per mu should be at least ten thousand a year. Your town government still has a lot to work on."

Just as Deng Bo was about to explain, Xie Shanquan strode away, glaring at the farmer. "What the hell are you talking about?" he yelled, and quickly followed after him.

Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river—this was true in ancient times. In modern society, things change every year, especially within the system. This year you are his leader, but next year he might be your leader; anything is possible.

This is why people within the system don't let relationships get too strained; they leave themselves a way out.

Deng Bo jogged up, panting, and said, "Secretary Xie, the farmers weren't telling the truth. Our town government has done the statistics; last year, the average net income per mu (unit of land area) for greenhouse vegetable bases was 11299 yuan. I have the statistical reports in my car; I'll get them for you to see later."

Xie Shanquan didn't stop: "Mayor Deng, there's no need to look. One household doesn't represent the income of the entire greenhouse vegetable base."

Deng Bo accompanied Xie Shanquan on an inspection tour that lasted over an hour before leaving the greenhouse vegetable base.

Deng Bo glanced at his watch: "Secretary Xie, it's almost five o'clock. Let's go to town for dinner."

"It's not even five o'clock yet, it's still early. I have to go back to the county government, work overtime, and write the inspection report. County Chief Chen wants to see it tomorrow morning."

Chen Dazhi didn't say a word the whole time, and quickly opened the car door, and Xie Shanquan got in.

Deng Bo watched Xie Shanquan's car disappear, his face darkening. "You're just a secretary. What are you pretending to be, acting like a county leader in front of me?"

He summoned the farmers who had previously worked there and gave them a severe dressing-down.

Upon arriving in the county town, Xie Shanquan called the driver to take him to a restaurant, as the county government offices were already closed at that time.

After getting off the bus, Xie Shanquan tossed the driver a pack of cigarettes: "Thank you for your hard work, sir."

The driver drove away happily.

Xie Shanquan and Chen Dazhi went into the restaurant and asked for a private room.

Chen Dazhi quickly poured tea for Xie Shanquan and called the waiter to order food.

The two ordered a bottle of good wine, and Chen Dazhi asked, "Secretary Xie, driving is his job, why give him a pack of cigarettes?"

"Brother Dazhi, the more inconspicuous the staff around you are, the more polite you should be to them. They have no conflict of interest with you. If you are polite to them, they will naturally say good things about you, and your reputation will gradually build up."

Chen Dazhi nodded and poured wine for Xie Shanquan.

"Secretary Xie, you asked me to follow up on the situation of the Civil Affairs Bureau distributing subsidies to elderly people living alone. I followed up on 42 of them this morning and have compiled all the statistics. I will send them to your email tomorrow morning."

Xie Shanquan was satisfied with Chen Dazhi's performance. When you get someone to work, you have to give them some benefits. If you can't give them benefits for the time being, then give them some money.

"Brother Dazhi, stay in the government office for a while. When I find an opportunity, I will speak to the leaders and get you officially transferred to the government office."

The government office is different from other departments; you have frequent contact with leaders and more opportunities than other departments, so you should make the most of them.

Chen Dazhi raised his glass, his face full of gratitude, and said, "Thank you so much, Secretary Xie. Let me toast you."

Xie Shanquan picked up his wine glass, clinked it with Chen Dazhi's, and the two drank it down in one gulp.

As they ate and chatted, Xie Shanquan realized that to gain a foothold in the government office, he needed to have more of his own people. He needed to use his secretary's connections to develop his own faction and get rid of his political enemies.

After they had almost finished eating, Chen Dazhi excused himself to go to the restroom and paid the bill in advance.

When Xie Shanquan called the waiter to pay the bill, he learned that Chen Dazhi had already paid.

"Brother Dazhi, I promised to treat you, how could you secretly pay the bill?"

"Secretary Xie, you've finally found the time to have dinner with me, how could I let you pay the bill?"

Xie Shanquan said with a serious expression, "This is a one-time exception. Next time I say I'll pay the bill, you can't secretly go and pay."

Chen Dazhi repeatedly said yes.