Nominal: The Handong Game, the Energy System's Counterattack

Qi Tongwei met with Gao Yuliang today to discuss how to gain the support of Zhou Chuyi, the newly appointed member of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee, for his promotion to vice-provincial level.

I didn't expect to find Gao Yuliang in a bad mood as soon as I arrived.

Now his teacher directly pointed out that he hadn't reported his work to Zhou Chuyi immediately.

He then realized the enormity of his mistake.

Gao Yuliang was probably very dissatisfied with Qi Tongwei's recent performance and continued to patiently educate him.

"Tongwei, I know you want to be promoted to vice-provincial level, but it's not that simple."

He sighed. "With Sha Ruijin here, my chances of getting the provincial party secretary position are gone?"

"Everyone's watching and waiting, you still want to be vice governor?"

These words were quite blunt, and Qi Tongwei felt a little embarrassed, but he couldn't suppress the resentment in his heart.

He opened his mouth and stubbornly said, "Teacher, I understand the reasoning, but I still feel...suffocated."

"What's there to be frustrated about?" Gao Yuliang turned around.

"Teacher, I haven't done a complete job as the Director of the Public Security Bureau!" Qi Tongwei stood up and said with a sense of frustration.

"According to convention, the head of the public security bureau is usually concurrently held by a vice governor. This is the case in several neighboring provinces, but not for me."

"In the entire provincial public security system, I always feel that my words, as the director, carry a little less weight."

"Like Zhao Donglai in Jingzhou, I can't command him at all..."

"Think about it, what's the situation right now?"

"Comrade Sha Ruijin has just been parachuted into Handong as the provincial party secretary, and he went down to conduct research as soon as he took office."

"They haven't made any statement or taken sides until now. The entire officialdom in Handong is watching and waiting, and the situation is in complete chaos."

"What kind of provincial party secretary promotes officials as soon as he takes office? Especially a deputy provincial-level official?"

"Moreover, you were promoted by the previous provincial party secretary."

"Sha Ruijin has only been here for a month, he hasn't even settled in yet, and he's already in a hurry to promote and reward his predecessor's people?"

"What exactly are you thinking?"

Qi Tongwei was rendered speechless, but the light in his eyes did not go out.

"Teacher, I really want to improve."

"If you want to make progress, you need to understand politics and the rules even more!" Gao Yuliang slammed his fist on the table again.

"I'm asking you, why didn't you go to report to Governor Zhou today?!"

"You keep saying you want to improve, but if you put on any kind of act now, are you trying to make enemies?"

"If you want to become a vice-provincial level official, you need to win the support of every member of the provincial party committee standing committee."

"Moreover, Comrade Zhou Chuyi, who is in charge of you, holds a crucial vote in your performance evaluation!"

Gao Yuliang grew angrier as he spoke, so he stood up, walked to the window, and turned his back to Qi Tongwei.

"I have reminded you before that you need to learn to unite and leverage resources."

"You are my student, so naturally I want to see you rise in the ranks."

"But if you don't know what's good for you and push away all the support you can get, then you're wrong."

"When the Standing Committee discusses your case, if Comrade Zhou Chuyi votes against it directly because of this, who can he blame?"

"Everyone else is trying to get close to the new leader, and they are cautiously maintaining their connections and stabilizing the situation when things are unclear."

"You're the only one doing the opposite; everyone else is reporting on their work."

"Whether they're trying to curry favor with Governor Zhou or not, they've made the gesture; that shows they know the rules and basic respect for the new leader!"

"Now, is your provincial public security bureau the only exception, deliberately distancing itself and openly being disrespectful? This is political naiveté, and you're ruining your future!"

Gao Yuliang was a seasoned official with a keen eye for detail. By the time the news reached him, he had already grasped the key to the situation.

He was all too aware of the current situation; Sha Ruijin's arrival meant that the old order in Handong was about to be broken.

The influence of local factions is shrinking, while the power of parachuted-in officials continues to rise.

The top leader of the entire Handong region was an outsider.

In the current political climate, few dare to challenge the authority of the top leader.

In Handong, Governor Liu, who could barely hold his own against the top leader, is about to retire.

This means that the newly appointed Party Secretary Sha Ruijin naturally carries more weight in the Standing Committee than the average person.

After yesterday's expanded meeting of the provincial government's executive committee, news about the newly appointed Zhou Chuyi taking charge of the area spread everywhere.

A vice governor, however, has grasped several of the most crucial areas of the provincial government.

He also heard that Governor Liu even wanted to hand over the auditing work to Zhou Chuyi.

Governor Liu's attitude speaks volumes.

He is about to retire, and one reason he doesn't want to get involved is that he is about to retire.

Pushing Zhou Chuyi forward is what Governor Liu wants to tell everyone.

Zhou Chuyi, as a key cadre to be trained by the central government, was transferred down from the powerful director of the Ministry of State-owned Resources Security.

In his early forties, he was already a vice-ministerial level official and a member of the provincial party committee standing committee.

The power behind it is unimaginable.

As the full-time deputy secretary of Handong Province, he knew that Governor Liu's son had been transferred to work in a ministry.

It's still Zhou Chuyi's department, and his rank hasn't changed; he's still a deputy director.

But is the deputy director of Handong Province the same as the deputy director of a key central ministry?

A person like Zhou Chuyi is capable, has the backing of high-level officials, and has a limitless future. He is definitely not someone who can be underestimated or offended at will.

In Handong, anyone with a modicum of common sense knows what to do.

But what about Qi Tongwei? Today, he became the most "outstanding" person.

Qi Tongwei panicked completely at this moment and hurriedly tried to explain, his tone tinged with haste and helplessness.

"Teacher, I didn't mean it. I was also thinking of getting closer to Governor Zhou."

"Want to? I think you're sleepwalking!" Gao Yuliang was really furious with Qi Tongwei.

"When Secretary Zhao was in power, the person in charge of public security was just an ordinary vice governor, and you didn't have to report to him much."

"Out of respect for Secretary Zhao and me, the deputy secretary and secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, he didn't dare to say anything."

"But you need to understand, the current vice governor in charge of public security is a member of the provincial party committee standing committee!"

"Look at the work that Governor Liu assigned him; every single one of them is crucial."

"Can't you see clearly? You've offended Governor Zhou, and you might have offended the entire government."

"It's possible that the three members of the provincial government's standing committee have declined these three votes!"

When it came to his promotion to vice-provincial level, Qi Tongwei panicked completely.

"Teacher, that can't be, right? Don't we have a pretty good relationship with Governor Liu?"

"That's good? That's because Governor Liu is retiring and won't hold it against me."

"Did you know that Governor Liu's son was transferred to a ministry?"

"Huh? Is that so?" Qi Tongwei was somewhat surprised. "Teacher, what do you mean?"

"You still don't understand?" Gao Yuliang pointed at Qi Tongwei's head. "Governor Zhou has eliminated Governor Liu's worries. What will Governor Liu do now?"

"So, the current provincial government, Governor Zhou..."

Gao Yuliang sighed, "Governor Zhou, ha, perhaps Governor Liu will have to consider his opinion on many things."

Qi Tongwei finally realized how much trouble he had created for himself through his momentary carelessness.

However, he still tried to defend himself, at least to find an excuse.

"I've been extremely busy these past few days. The dispute at Dafeng Factory continues to escalate, and the conflict is becoming increasingly intense."

"Zhao Ruilong has contacted me multiple times to coordinate the conflict between Shanshui Group and Dafeng Factory, and I have been following up on this matter."

"I was so busy traveling back and forth that I simply couldn't find the time to report to Governor Zhou in time. It was absolutely not intentional."

Qi Tongwei dared not say it was for Gao Xiaoqin and Shanshui Group, so he could only implicate Zhao Ruilong.

Mentioning Zhao Ruilong only fueled Gao Yuliang's anger, making his face grow increasingly grim and his tone suddenly harsher.

"Zhao Ruilong! It's Zhao Ruilong again! How many times have I told you?!"

"The situation in Handong is unclear right now. As soon as the new Secretary Sha arrived in Handong, he went down to conduct research without even entering the provincial party committee compound."

"His attitude was ambiguous, but everyone knew that this behavior itself was a statement, not just an invitation to dinner!"

"Everyone is keeping a low profile and acting cautiously right now, but you're still frequently visiting the Mountain and Water Manor!"

"You and I both know who Zhao Ruilong is, and what kind of place the Shanshui Group is."

"At a time like this, you don't even know how to cover up a little?!" Gao Yuliang sometimes really wondered if Qi Tongwei's brain had gone awry.

"Our old leader went to Yanjing. A new emperor brings a new court; the situation is still unclear!"

"At this sensitive juncture, we must all be extremely careful."

"The closer you get to Zhao Ruilong, and the more frequent your contact, the greater the risk you face!"

"If anything goes wrong, you'll be the first to suffer, and no one can protect you!"

Gao Yuliang's chest heaved with anger, his heart filled with disappointment and frustration.

Throughout his life, he was adept at scheming and planning, cultivating his career in officialdom for decades and steadily climbing to a high position.

Unfortunately, he ended up with a student like Qi Tongwei, who was ambitious, eager for quick success and instant benefits, and unable to see the big picture.