Nominal: Starting with an entrance exam for a PhD in Economics at Peking University

Chapter 87 Standing Committee

For Qi Tongwei, the biggest advantage of taking office in Daokou County is that he does not need to go through the "familiarization" stage.

His research trip three years ago had already given him a thorough understanding of the political environment, economic bottlenecks, personnel networks, and even many "under-the-table" rules here.

But precisely because of this, his superiors' expectations of him were also unconsciously raised.

That internal report shaped his image as "insightful." Now that he is personally in charge, if he cannot quickly open up new prospects and produce outstanding results, the criticism of being "armchair strategist" will follow him relentlessly.

He lacked the composure and ease of other newly appointed leaders who would conduct "three months of research first."

Time is his scarcest resource at this moment.

(There's no need to name a specific Secretary Sha here.)

He had already thoroughly investigated the publicly available resumes, general backgrounds, and working styles of all current county leaders in Daokou County before his arrival, through their files and various channels.

His mentor, Gao Yuliang, had privately given him some pointers on more hidden factional origins, personal grudges, or potential problems before he took office.

Therefore, Luo Xiangdong's report just now did not bring much new information.

However, it is still necessary to listen to Luo Xiangdong's report.

This is an important political ritual in itself: by having Luo Xiangdong systematically sort out and report the situation, it can not only deepen the sense of bond between the two sides as "one of their own" and strengthen Luo Xiangdong's psychological dependence; it can also judge his level of information mastery, analytical ability, and whether there is any deliberate concealment or embellishment from the level of detail, emphasis, and even the emotions unintentionally revealed in Luo Xiangdong's report.

Overall, Luo Xiangdong's performance was mediocre.

He could speak about most of the information that was within his authority as the director of the county party committee office; however, he was vague or simply unaware of some of the deeper, more sensitive developments that might require special channels to obtain.

This is a mediocre but reliable and barely usable "chief steward," which is consistent with Qi Tongwei's previous assessment.

Even so, Qi Tongwei still decided to push him into the Standing Committee.

The reasons are very practical: First, the Standing Committee is a key decision-making body, and having more Standing Committee members who are absolutely obedient to you means having more control.

He was not yet familiar with the other Standing Committee members, and trust would take time to build. However, he held both Luo Xiangdong's "weaknesses" and "favors" in his hands, making him the most reliable option at present.

Secondly, this also reflects the consideration of "spending a fortune to buy a horse's bones".

Who in Daokou's officialdom doesn't know that the Luo family was ostracized back then for assisting Qi Tongwei?

Although Qi Tongwei had previously rewarded Luo Xuejun handsomely for recommending him, now that he has returned to his new post, he not only does not avoid suspicion, but continues to strongly support Luo Xiangdong, who is in an awkward situation. The message he sends is clear: I, Qi Tongwei, value old friendships and repay kindness; I will not let down those who work for me.

Politics devoid of human compassion is short-lived.

After all, it is difficult for a leader who is considered "harsh and ungrateful" to truly win people's hearts.

The following day, Qi Tongwei convened a meeting of the Standing Committee of the County Party Committee in the County Party Committee conference room.

This was Qi Tongwei's first official appearance as the Party Secretary of Daokou County.

He didn't do anything surprising; the meeting proceeded according to standard procedures, calmly and orderly.

Looking around the oval conference table, most of the faces are familiar.

County head Xu Hongbin is a new face; he was transferred from the deputy secretary of a neighboring county three years ago and worked with Yi Xuexi for several years. Deputy secretary Jiang Fei was transferred from the position of deputy district head of a district in the city. Propaganda minister Zhao Tao was promoted from the position of party secretary of a town below.

The other members of the Standing Committee have been here for three years, though their positions may have changed slightly.

After the routine opening remarks and polite affirmation of the previous work, Qi Tongwei changed the subject and got to the substantive issues.

“First of all,” he said in a calm but authoritative tone, “the municipal party committee is not satisfied with the economic development of Daokou County over the past few years. This is one of the main reasons why the higher authorities sent me here. Although I served here on temporary assignment three years ago, it was a short time, and I certainly do not have a thorough understanding of many of the deeper issues as well as those of you here who have been working here for many years.”

He paused slightly, his gaze sweeping over everyone: "Therefore, I'm assigning you the first task. Except for County Head Xu and Deputy Secretary Jiang Fei, all leaders at the level of section chief and above, including all members of the Standing Committee, deputy county heads, heads of various bureaus, commissions and offices, and heads of township party and government departments, must submit a detailed report on their respective areas of responsibility or their units within one week."

"Content requirements: Summarize the current situation, clearly state the advantages and highlights, and do not avoid the shortcomings and deficiencies. The difficulties faced should be specific, and the improvement ideas and feasible measures should be clearly defined. In addition, all deputy-level leaders should also attach a personal opinion and suggestion on the overall economic development of the county. There are no restrictions on the format, but it should be practical."

"The County Party Committee Office will issue a formal notice later. After all the reports are collected, County Head Xu, Deputy Secretary Jiang, and I will review them one by one. The comrades whose reports are of the highest quality, whose problems are accurately identified, and whose suggestions are practical and effective will be commended by the County Party Committee, and their achievements will be directly included in the annual performance evaluation." He added, "Oh, as for Political Commissar Zhou of the People's Armed Forces Department, since it involves military matters, a routine work report is sufficient, and the economic development suggestions section is not a strict requirement."

Qi Tongwei already had a rough idea of ​​the development direction of the crossing in his mind, but he knew even more deeply that no matter how perfect the blueprint was, it ultimately depended on people to implement it.

When policies are implemented, "a small mistake can lead to a huge error," and the ability and attitude of those who implement them are of paramount importance.

This seemingly ordinary request for materials was actually a "test" he issued to all mid-level and above cadres in the county.

He wanted to use this "written test" to quickly screen out cadres who had ideas, were motivated, and had decent writing and summarizing abilities.

For those who excel in the written test, he will also conduct an interview—a personal conversation to further assess their eloquence, responsiveness, and loyalty.

He needs to select capable individuals from among them—people who are ambitious, competent, and willing to align themselves with him—and then place them in key positions to gradually build his own effective execution team.

"The second task," Qi Tongwei said, looking at County Head Xu Hongbin and United Front Work Department Minister Liu Xingwang, "is to have County Head Xu take the lead, with Minister Liu assisting, in conducting a comprehensive survey of the county's industrial assets, government debt, and available resources—including potential connections with overseas Chinese and Taiwanese compatriots. The data must be accurate, and the situation clear. Only by understanding our resources can we know what cards we have and in which direction to focus our efforts. This work should be started as soon as possible. After a preliminary report is produced, our team will hold a meeting to study it further and determine the breakthrough point."

Upon hearing this, Xu Hongbin and Liu Xingwang both nodded in agreement.

This is a routine procedure and a necessary prerequisite, and no one objects to it.

"Finally, there's one more thing," Qi Tongwei said, softening his tone. "Since Vice County Head Lin was transferred to the Municipal People's Political Consultative Conference, our county party committee standing committee has remained at 10 members, which doesn't conform to the organizational norm of odd-number decision-making. I believe it's necessary to add a standing committee member as soon as possible to improve the team's structure. What are your opinions on this, or do you have any suitable candidates to recommend?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Fei, the deputy secretary of the county party committee, turned his gaze to Luo Xiangdong, who was sitting in the back row taking notes, and spoke first, his tone calm: "Since Director Luo Xiangdong took office as the director of the county party committee office, he has worked diligently, handled matters steadily, and done a good job in coordinating all parties. I personally believe that he is a suitable candidate to be added to the standing committee."

County Magistrate Xu Hongbin picked up his teacup, lowered his eyes, blew on the tea leaves, and did not immediately express his opinion.

Qi Tongwei turned his gaze to Wang Hong, the Organization Minister, and asked, "Minister Wang, what is the Organization Department's opinion?"

Wang Hong was the only woman among the eleven Standing Committee members. Over fifty years old, slightly plump, she wore a dark-colored suit, her short hair neatly combed, her face serious, her eyes sharp, carrying a sense of prudence and criticality honed from years of organizational work. She put down her pen, which she had been using for note-taking, and looked up to meet Qi Tongwei's gaze. Her voice was clear but slightly rigid:

“Secretary Qi, Comrade Luo Xiangdong is indeed a conscientious and responsible worker. However,” she changed the subject, “according to the information we have, Comrade Luo Xiangdong is already 56 years old this year. This does not conform to the ‘younger leading cadres’ orientation that the Central Committee and the Provincial Party Committee have been vigorously advocating in recent years. Considering the optimization of the leadership structure and long-term development, our Organization Department believes that it may be more appropriate to recommend a younger comrade to join the Standing Committee.”

Qi Tongwei's face betrayed no emotion; he simply said "Oh," and pressed on, "Then, does the Organization Department have any more suitable candidates to recommend?"

Wang Hong seemed to have been prepared, and answered calmly: "The secretary just raised this issue, and our organization department needs some time to conduct a more comprehensive investigation and selection of qualified cadres. At present, there are no specific candidates who are ready."

Qi Tongwei nodded and calmly concluded, "Since the Organization Department needs more time to investigate, let's put this topic on hold for now. Does anyone else have anything else to discuss?"

The meeting room fell silent for a moment.

"If not, that's all for today. Meeting adjourned."

Qi Tongwei was the first to stand up, pick up his notebook, and leave the meeting room.

Chapter 88 Transfer Order

The first Standing Committee meeting ended just like that, without any waves. Unlike the Lee Da-hae era, there were no fierce exchanges, and it was as if a procedure was simply carried out step by step.

Qi Tongwei returned to his office, put down his notebook, loosened his collar, and sat down behind his large desk, continuing to bury himself in the piles of county information and documents awaiting approval.

He needs to digest more details as soon as possible and connect his macro-level understanding with specific data and cases.

A short while later, there was a soft knock at the door.

"Enter."

The door was pushed open, and Luo Xiangdong entered, holding a thin folder in his hand and wearing a respectful smile on his face.

Qi Tongwei looked up from the documents, slightly surprised: "It's you? Are you here to reassure me about what happened at the meeting?"

He thought Luo Xiangdong was worried that the matter of adding more members to the Standing Committee would be obstructed, and came to sound him out.

Luo Xiangdong quickly waved his hand, placed the folder on the corner of his desk, and explained, "How could that be, Secretary? I'm aware of that. This is the basic information of several young cadres who have been preliminarily selected by the County Party Committee Office as suitable to serve as your liaison officers. I brought it over for you to review first, to see if you have any preliminary interest."

Qi Tongwei suddenly realized and nodded: "Oh, I was so busy I forgot about it. Let's leave it there for now, I'll look at it when I have time."

The liaison officer for the county party secretary is different from the correspondent during the assistant's tenure. The duties are much more complicated. They are responsible for arranging schedules, preparing materials, and transmitting information, as well as assisting in handling visits, receiving visitors, and coordinating communication. They are the real "chief secretary" role.

With dedicated liaisons, situations like Luo Xiangdong's, where people directly knock on doors to report, will be greatly reduced; everything will have to go through the liaison first.

Luo Xiangdong put down the documents but didn't leave immediately. He hesitated for a moment and then cautiously asked, "Secretary, who did you think would come over just now?"

Qi Tongwei's gaze returned to the documents in his hand, and he said in a calm tone, "Who else could it be? Naturally, it's Wang Hong, the Organization Minister."

"You have an appointment with her?" Luo Xiangdong asked, somewhat puzzled.

Qi Tongwei's lips curled into a faint, slightly mocking smile: "No need for an appointment. Everyone knows that my first formal proposal after taking office was to add more members to the Standing Committee. Although I didn't make the proposal, the goal was clear."

“She publicly raised different opinions at the Standing Committee meeting. For both public and private reasons, and for both reason and emotion, she should have taken the initiative to come to me, the newly appointed secretary, to explain the situation and communicate her thoughts. This is the most basic political rule and workplace emotional intelligence.”

Luo Xiangdong chuckled awkwardly and lowered his voice, saying, "Secretary Qi, Minister Wang is... a bit special. Her brother is the director of the Lincheng City Planning Commission, and her cousin is the vice governor of the neighboring province. Her family has connections. Moreover... in your previous research report, you listed her family as one of the political networks in Daokou. Although you used an alias, I heard that last year her brother's competitors used this to their advantage, which affected her brother's promotion... Plus, I am indeed getting on in years..."

Qi Tongwei raised a hand to stop Luo Xiangdong from further analysis, his voice calm: "I know all that, but at this time, the reason is not important, the attitude is."

In Qi Tongwei's prediction, given his background in the ministry, the strong support of the municipal party secretary Gao Yuliang, and the authority of the county party secretary, as long as Wang Hong is a rational cadre who knows how to weigh the pros and cons, she should take the initiative to visit him by the afternoon at the latest, either to explain, communicate, or subtly express that she would "reconsider," and ultimately "comply" with the secretary's proposal at the next standing committee meeting to add Luo Xiangdong.

This is the typical, smooth script for power dynamics.

However, Qi Tongwei stayed in the office until the end of the workday. The phone on his desk remained silent as usual, and there was no knock on the door as he had expected.

Wang Hong did not come.

Qi Tongwei put down his pen, leaned back in his chair, and frowned slightly.

He racked his brains but still couldn't figure out what Wang Hong was thinking.

In Daokou County, a small territory, he was the highest authority. To put it bluntly, even the county magistrate was Qi Tongwei's subordinate.

Where does she, as the head of the organization department, get the audacity to publicly contradict him without even offering an explanation or attempt at communication? Is she genuinely confident in her powerful background and disregards him? Or does she have something else to rely on, preparing to challenge him?

This doesn't make sense.

Unless she's not thinking straight.

Qi Tongwei didn't wait any longer. He called Luo Xiangdong over and directly instructed, "Have the executive deputy minister of the Organization Department come to my office first thing tomorrow morning. Since Minister Wang is 'busy,' I'll talk to the executive deputy minister about work first."

The intention is clear: If you don't know how to appreciate my efforts, don't blame me for bypassing you and communicating directly with your deputy, gradually stripping you of your say in key personnel matters.

At today's Standing Committee meeting, Deputy Secretary Jiang Fei has already expressed a willingness to align himself with the organization. He will be given more responsibility for coordinating organizational and personnel matters, and together with the Executive Vice Minister... He wants to see how long Wang Hong can remain defiant.

---

Meanwhile, at Wang Hong's home.

When Wang Hong got home from get off work, a trace of the unconsciously tense smile from the Standing Committee meeting still lingered on her face.

But when she opened the door and saw her son slumped on the sofa, holding the remote control and aimlessly switching TV channels, the emotions she had brought back from the meeting—a mixture of frustration and unease—instantly found an outlet.

"You have no manners when you stand or sit! How can you be a police officer like this?!" Her voice suddenly rose, carrying her usual sternness.

The son was startled and sat up straighter reflexively, grumbling, "Mom, I'm exhausted from work all day, can't I relax for a bit when I get home? There aren't any big cases at the station..."

"You're at the age where you should be working hard! What right do you have to complain about being tired?" Wang Hong fired off relentlessly. "You work at the Chengguan Town Police Station, how come you get home earlier than me after work? You leave on time? What will the leaders think? What kind of good impression will they have? Back in my day, I was always the last to leave and the first to arrive! You..."

"Mom!" her son interrupted impatiently, throwing the remote control onto the sofa. "Are you going through menopause? Go bother Dad, I'm going back to my room to study my textbooks!" With that, he got up and slammed his bedroom door shut.

Wang Hong felt a tightness in her chest, and with nowhere to vent her anger, she immediately turned to her husband Liu Ya, who was busy in the kitchen: "Look at the good son you raised! He doesn't care about his work, and he doesn't care about his personal life either! He's already twenty-five and doesn't even have a girlfriend!"

Liu Ya works as a department director in a state-owned enterprise in the county. He is nearing retirement, so there is not much work to do at his unit, and he gets off work early.