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

Zhang, the vice minister of the Organization Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, declined the welcome banquet arranged by the province, saying that the timing was too tight this time.

However, when she mentioned starting work tomorrow, she looked at Lao Liu with a smile in her eyes.

Old Liu had contacted Minister Zhang beforehand and knew the general situation, so he quickly smiled and nodded: "Then we'll follow Minister Zhang's arrangements and cooperate fully."

The car entered the city and stopped in front of the provincial party committee guesthouse.

After seeing that Vice Minister Zhang had been settled, Governor Liu took Zhou Chuyi and Wu Chunlin to make arrangements for the follow-up matters.

Vice Minister Zhang declined the welcome banquet, a low-key move that wasn't particularly noteworthy.

However, given the current situation in Handong, it has still stirred up waves within the upper echelons of Handong and even sparked countless speculations.

The Provincial Party Committee compound, the Secretary's office.

Because of the visit from the Organization Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Sha Ruijin stayed in Lincheng for a day or two before returning to Jingzhou.

At this moment, he sat at his desk, his fingertips lightly tapping the surface, his brows slightly furrowed, and his expression somewhat solemn.

Outside the window, the biting winter wind of Handong made the atmosphere inside even more somber.

He already knew that someone from the Organization Department of the Central Committee would be coming to Handong, but he didn't expect Minister Zhang to arrive so quickly.

The key point is that, even now, he still doesn't know what Minister Zhang's job is in Handong.

In terms of rank, he is a ministerial-level official, half a rank higher than Vice Minister Zhang.

He received a call from Minister Zhang, who expressed his desire to personally pick him up at the airport and host a welcome banquet for him.

This was already giving them a lot of face, but I didn't expect them to refuse outright.

This made Sha Ruijin feel somewhat uncomfortable.

That evening, at the Provincial Party Committee Guesthouse.

Vice Minister Zhang stayed in a suite at the guesthouse.

He declined the welcome banquet arranged by the provincial party committee, had a simple meal in the guesthouse's small restaurant, and then returned to his room.

After a short rest, Minister Zhang led his team to organize the documents until evening.

At 8 p.m., a black sedan quietly drove into the courtyard of the Provincial Party Committee Guesthouse.

The person who stepped out of the car was Sha Ruijin, Secretary of the Handong Provincial Party Committee.

Sha Ruijin was wearing a gray executive jacket and had a calm expression.

As the top official of Handong Province, he is also the leader of Handong County.

Although he didn't go to the airport to pick them up, he still had to go and greet the Vice Minister of the Organization Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on behalf of the Provincial Party Committee when he arrived in Handong.

Sha Ruijin also wanted to take the opportunity to ask and see if he could find out any information.

Vice Minister Zhang received Sha Ruijin in the living room. After the two sat down, the waiter served tea and then left.

Sha Ruijin cut to the chase: "Vice Minister Zhang, our provincial party committee didn't even know you were coming to Handong beforehand. Is there some problem with our work in Handong?"

Vice Minister Zhang took a sip of tea and said with a smile, "Secretary Sha, the overall work in Handong is good."

"Especially since you took office, your research has been in-depth, your thinking has been clear, and the 116 major wind farm incident has been handled properly."

"I'm here this time to discuss some specific tasks, not to correct any deviations."

Sha Ruijin felt somewhat relieved, but still dared not relax: "Then, may I ask what are the main tasks that Vice Minister Zhang is here to undertake this time?"

Vice Minister Zhang glanced at Sha Ruijin, then slowly put down his teacup: "Secretary Sha, organizational discipline...it's hard to say for now."

Sha Ruijin encountered a snag, but he just chuckled and brushed it off.

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Sha Ruijin, having not heard any useful information, left.

"Sha Ruijin, you're a good comrade, but you're too hasty."

Vice Minister Zhang watched Sha Ruijin leave, his expression unreadable.

He didn't want to embarrass Sha Ruijin, but sometimes, as the deputy minister of the Central Organization Department, he represented more than just himself.

Sha Ruijin returned to his office from the guesthouse but did not rest.

He was sitting behind his desk with a document spread out in front of him, but his gaze was fixed on the night outside the window, as if he were looking at something very far away.

After a while, he picked up his phone from the table, went to his contacts, and dialed a number.

The phone rang three times before being answered.

"Secretary Sha?" Wu Chunlin's voice sounded somewhat tired.

"Comrade Chunlin, I'd like to ask you about something." Sha Ruijin's tone was casual, as if he were chatting about everyday matters. "Did Vice Minister Zhang speak with you this afternoon?"

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone: "No, Secretary Sha, Vice Minister Zhang went straight to the guesthouse after he arrived this afternoon, and Governor Liu and I left."

"Did he say anything to you? Like, about his work in Handong this time?"

"No, not at all." Wu Chunlin's voice carried a hint of bitterness.

"Secretary Sha, to be honest, Vice Minister Zhang feels..."

Wu Chunlin didn't know how to express it—whether it was that he was cold towards her or disappointed.

That's not quite accurate either. Strictly speaking, since both of them are at the vice-ministerial level, it's not really accurate to say they are vice-ministerial level.

"I offered to report on the work of the Provincial Party Committee's Organization Department, but he said it wasn't necessary, that time was tight, and that we could talk about it next time."

Wu Chunlin didn't say anything else, only that he didn't know what Vice Minister Zhang's job was in Handong.

Sha Ruijin tapped his fingers lightly twice on the table: "Okay, I understand, Comrade Chunlin, you should get some rest."

After hanging up the phone, Sha Ruijin leaned back in his chair, his gaze returning to the view outside the window.

Wu Chunlin was unaware that this meant that Vice Minister Zhang's main task during this visit was to bypass the Provincial Party Committee's Organization Department.

As the deputy minister of the Organization Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, his failure to consult with local organization ministers when handling personnel matters speaks volumes.

Sha Ruijin knew what Wu Chunlin hadn't finished saying, but he didn't care.

Wu Chunlin chose to support him at the first Standing Committee meeting and froze the positions of those 125 cadres. This choice caused Wu Chunlin to lose points with the Organization Department of the Central Committee.

Sha Ruijin was aware of this, but he did not expect the Organization Department of the Central Committee to react so quickly and with such a clear attitude—the indifference of a vice minister was more effective than direct criticism.

On the other end of the phone, Wu Chunlin hung up, but felt a deep sense of powerlessness.

He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

Looking back on the past few months, he couldn't help but feel deep regret.

Before Sha Ruijin was parachuted into Handong, Wu Chunlin was a veteran from Zhao Lichun's era, having served as the Minister of Organization for a long time.

He was a smooth talker, and Zhao Lichun was very powerful. He followed Zhao Lichun's lead closely. Although there were some controversies in the appointment and removal of cadres, he was generally safe and sound.

After Sha Ruijin arrived in Handong, he had a conversation with him after returning to Jingzhou from his research trip.

At the first Standing Committee meeting, Secretary Sha froze the appointments and removals of 125 bureau-level officials.

Wu Chunlin was opposed to it, because the appointment and removal procedures for these 125 cadres were nominally his responsibility, and he had almost finished them.

Sha Ruijin's single sentence effectively negated his work in the Organization Department.

However, faced with Sha Ruijin's domineering attitude, Wu Chunlin chose to compromise.

He thought that the new secretary would always make a splash when he took office, and as the head of the organization department, he should cooperate.

So he neither argued nor objected, and even expressed his support for Sha Ruijin's decision at the Standing Committee meeting.

He thought that this way, Sha Ruijin would treat him as one of his own.

Following closely behind the top leader is his political philosophy.

He believes his position as the head of the Organization Department in Handong will remain secure, and he may even be promoted further in the next leadership transition.

But this time he realized he seemed to be wrong...