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

After announcing the end of the Standing Committee meeting, Sha Ruijin got up and walked out of the meeting room.

Tian Guofu glanced at it, quickly tidied up the things on the table, and followed.

Zhou Chuyi noticed that our Secretary Sha didn't seem very happy.

As for whether Sha Ruijin achieved his goal at this Standing Committee meeting, he should say he did.

His biggest goal is to freeze the appointments of those 125 officials at the bureau level or above and regain control over personnel matters.

This goal has already been achieved.

The goal of also putting Li Dakang and Gao Yuliang in a bad light has been achieved.

Even Li Dakang's performance at the Standing Committee meeting proved that he had already sided with Secretary Sha Ruijin.

Such a successful Standing Committee meeting, why aren't you happy about the rat poison?

After Sha Ruijin and Tian Guofu left, Gao Yuliang sat in his seat for a while with a somber expression.

He glanced at Li Dakang beside him, whose expression was equally displeased, his expression inscrutable.

Seemingly remembering something, he gave Governor Liu across from him a deep look before slowly picking up his thermos and getting up to leave.

The other standing committee members also packed up their belongings and left.

Zhou Chuyi and He Zhenhui packed their things and walked to Governor Liu's side. The three of them walked together toward the provincial government building.

We walked all the way to the provincial government office building and entered Governor Liu's office.

The heavy door closed gently, completely shutting out all the noise from the outside world.

Shortly afterward, Governor Liu's secretary, Wu Chaoyuan, quietly prepared three cups of tea, then slipped out without a sound and closed the door behind him.

Governor Liu sat down on the sofa, not touching the steaming cup of Longjing tea, but loosening his tie and letting out a long breath.

This action instantly transformed him from the imposing provincial governor into a slightly tired, ordinary elder.

"Sit down." He gestured with his chin toward Zhou Chuyi and He Zhenhui.

Zhou Chuyi and He Zhenhui sat down on the sofa opposite them as instructed, and took a sip of their tea.

The tea was excellent, with a refreshing taste and a lingering sweet aftertaste, but at that moment his mind was clearly not on tasting it.

After a few seconds of silence, Governor Liu suddenly smiled. His smile contained a hint of amusement, a touch of helplessness, and a subtle sharpness.

"Chu Yi, your performance reminds me of an old saying—'The younger generation is truly to be feared.'"

He paused, his gaze falling on the canopy of the sycamore trees outside the window. "What you said to me before the meeting started seems to have been right."

"This Sha Ruijin is even more domineering than I imagined."

Zhou Chuyi did not respond immediately. Of course, he knew what Governor Liu was referring to. Sha Ruijin's performance at the first Standing Committee meeting was enough to make all the Standing Committee members wary.

"The appointment of 125 cadres was frozen just as you expected."

Governor Liu looked at Zhou Chuyi and said, "When you told me this, I didn't think he would be so foolish, but he still did it."

"There's also the nomination for the head of the Anti-Corruption Bureau."

"I've already arranged for Comrade Hou Liangping to start working at the Anti-Corruption Bureau."

"If any comrade believes I have violated the rules of procedure and refuses to approve his appointment, that's fine too."

"We will continue to discuss Comrade Hou Liangping's appointment at the next Standing Committee meeting."

"Listen to what Comrade Sha Ruijin said, how domineering he was," Governor Liu repeated Sha Ruijin's words when he nominated Hou Liangping.

"What do you mean by 'If it doesn't pass this time, we'll continue the discussion next time'?"

Governor Liu tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest of the sofa, the rhythm slow and heavy.

"This isn't soliciting opinions, nor is it following procedures; it's clearly a case of 'no giving up until the goal is achieved!'"

"If it doesn't pass the first time, then it will pass the second time; if it doesn't pass the second time, then it will pass the third time. We must force all the Standing Committee members to compromise and forcibly approve Hou Liangping's appointment!"

"This new Party Secretary is really something..."

Governor Liu didn't say what he was going to say, but Zhou Chuyi and He Zhenhui both understood.

Sha Ruijin's blatant and forceful pressure broke the Standing Committee's deliberation traditions.

The collective decision-making system of the provincial standing committee emphasizes democratic centralism, collective consultation, and majority rule.

It is by no means a place where the top leader makes arbitrary decisions and forcibly coerces the will of everyone.

To put it bluntly, Sha Ruijin's behavior can be described as arbitrary and autocratic, placing his personal will above the collective leadership and established procedures.

This is blatantly an attempt to establish a one-man rule.

"You directly pointed out Hou Liangping's disciplinary issues at the meeting." Governor Liu looked at Zhou Chuyi with a deep gaze.

"You used procedures and discipline as yardsticks to block his appointment of Hou Liangping, and he may remember you for that."

"At today's Standing Committee meeting, his reputation as the provincial party secretary was somewhat tarnished by you, the new Standing Committee member. His prestige as the new secretary..."

Zhou Chuyi smiled and shook his head. "Whether I remember or not, I don't really care."

"I was just stating a fact: procedures are not just for show, and disciplinary action is not a joke."

"Governor Liu, think about it. At today's Standing Committee meeting, he started by freezing the appointments of 125 officials at the bureau level or above. Isn't that a big move?"

"But then, they singled out Hou Liangping's appointment, saying it was 'carried out with an important mission' and that a special procedure was required."

"Freezing over a hundred people while giving the green light to one person—isn't the signal clear enough?"

"The appointments of 125 cadres had just been frozen, and they were immediately promoted in violation of regulations."

"If someone brings this up again later, what credibility will our Standing Committee have left?"

Governor Liu nodded without saying a word, but the worry between his brows did not disappear.

He understood exactly what Zhou Chuyi was saying.

Sha Ruijin's series of moves today are clear to everyone: freezing personnel is intended to loosen the existing cadre pool in Handong.

Giving Hou Liangping the green light is to directly grasp the anti-corruption weapon in one's own hands.

When Zhao Lichun was in power, the anti-corruption bureau, the political and legal committee, and the public security bureau in Handong were all in cahoots.

Gao Yuliang, Qi Tongwei, and Ji Changming each had their own agendas, but to the outside world, they were at least a facade of "Handong locality".

With this cut, Sha Ruijin was going to peel off this layer of skin.

He stood up, walked to the window, his back to Zhou Chuyi, and said in a solemn voice, "You did the right thing."

"But Chu Yi, have you considered that although Sha Ruijin ran into a wall with you today, his style..."

"Handong is unlikely to be peaceful from now on. The fact that he could say such things in front of all the Standing Committee members shows that he doesn't care at all about how he behaves."

"What he wants is results, is control."

"With someone like that, if you explain the procedures to them, they might withdraw today, but what about tomorrow? The day after?"

Zhou Chuyi did not respond to Governor Liu's words, but he thought that Governor Liu was indeed very perceptive.

A single Standing Committee meeting was enough to get a general idea of ​​Sha Ruijin's style.

After all, in later episodes, Sha Ruijin will not only promote Yi Xuexi on the spot, but will also send Sun Liancheng to the Children's Palace to see the stars.