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

He knew it was over.

Then came the step-by-step review process.

Hou Zong was once the youngest deputy section-level cadre in Daokou County, enjoying a period of glory. However, he remained in the deputy section-level position for nearly 20 years, his ambition was worn away, his faith completely collapsed, and he turned to indulging in wine and women.

He did have some "skills," managing to juggle several mistresses without ever causing a major scandal.

Until this time, in order to benefit his mistress, he set his sights on key projects in the county.

Hou Zong himself was insignificant; he was merely a well-placed "introduction."

The news that he had been taken away for investigation spread like wildfire throughout Daokou.

Numerous embellished rumors then spread like wildfire: Hou Zong threatened and intimidated whistleblowers who called the county magistrate's hotline, enraging Secretary Qi; Hou Zong had seven mistresses and led a decadent life; Hou Zong abused his power to benefit his mistresses and ostracized local law-abiding businesses... Interspersed among these were a large number of scandalous details, the truth of which was difficult to discern, and the speed of their spread was astonishing.

Qi Tongwei seized the opportunity and quickly invited reporters from the Lüzhou Daily to convene a meeting of all county-level leaders. At the meeting, his expression was serious, and his words resonated deeply, sending a clear signal through the reporters' pens and cameras:

The Daokou County Party Committee and County Government are unwavering in their determination to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the people and optimize the business environment. Any illegal or disciplinary violations will be severely punished, and public supervision is welcome.

This fire, fueled by the momentum, quickly spread throughout the county.

For a time, the atmosphere in the officialdom at Daokou became much more disciplined.

Daokou County's reputation for "toughly cracking down on bad apples and making every effort to optimize the business environment" quickly spread beyond the county seat and throughout Lüzhou through reports and word of mouth, even attracting attention from a wider area.

Everything is progressing steadily according to the pre-set schedule.

Chapter 96 Re-election

2003, a year of leadership transition

The tides of the times surge from top to bottom, and no one can remain uninvolved.

In Beijing, a profound institutional reform has come to a close.

The long-awaited reform of the national economic system has taken a crucial step, with the former State Economic Commission completing its historical mission and being abolished.

The personnel flowed like rivers, mainly converging into the newly established Ministry of Commerce and the National Development and Reform Commission.

At this moment of "reshuffling," former colleagues are using their skills to try to gain a more advantageous position in this round of restructuring.

Among them, Zhong Zheng was transferred to a western province to serve as governor, beginning his career as a high-ranking official.

Han Shen, after years of secretly building up his strength and utilizing almost all the connections and resources he had accumulated, finally succeeded in entering the National Development and Reform Commission, which has more centralized power and broader functions, and became its vice chairman.

However, his attempt to covet a higher position—such as the executive vice chairman who, while not yet at the ministerial level, wielded immense power—ultimately failed.

The newly formed National Development and Reform Commission is like a giant ship, with every key cabin crowded with competitors with powerful backgrounds.

Han Shen was promoted to vice minister in the Economic Commission only five years ago, so his seniority is still relatively low; as for "connections", at this level, who doesn't have a forest behind them?

Although his advance planning and operations did not help him reach the top, they did secure him crucial real power: overseeing planning, operations, and trade.

This is almost the most significant area of ​​responsibility besides the Executive Vice President, making him "the most important person after the Executive Vice President."

In the same year that Hantong was established, a crucial shift occurred in the power structure. Zhao Lichun successfully "officially became" the governor, and the Zhao family's influence and prestige rose accordingly.

This downward wind inevitably reached Lüzhou.

Mayor Li Dakang's posture straightened even more as a result.

He was always a pragmatic and capable leader, and now with clearer and stronger support from above, his style of doing things has become even more incisive. His struggles with the municipal party secretary, Gao Yuliang, on municipal planning and economic decision-making have become more direct and frequent.

"Having no connections" became an unavoidable weakness for Gao Yuliang when facing a powerful partner.

He needs to employ political wisdom and the art of balancing more skillfully to keep the ship steady.

Despite the changes at the top, Qi Tongwei, residing in Daokou County, a corner of Lüzhou, remained calm.

Taking advantage of the county-level leadership reshuffle, he precisely filled key positions with the group of motivated, obedient, and capable cadres he had investigated and identified over the past six months.

For example, Chen Jiaquan, the mayor of Chengguan Town, was transferred to Dianqian Township as the Party Secretary.

Dianqian Township is the location of the Malingshan Scenic Area and the core engine of Qi Tongwei's tourism industry layout.

This position requires extensive communication and coordination with county departments, investors, and local villagers.

Although Chen Jiaquan's abilities are not top-notch, the Chen family's extensive local network of connections can clear many obstacles for him; his own desire for a career in politics and his family's expectations will also drive him to do his best; and because his family is relatively well-off and has many concerns, his integrity is relatively controllable.

In Qi Tongwei's philosophy of employing people, execution and reliability are sometimes more important than mere business skills.

He calmly reviewed Li Dakang's gains and losses: Ding Yizhen was exceptionally capable and a powerful tool for making money and securing projects, but once it backfired, it would cause a huge upheaval; the mass exodus of Lincheng developers was an even more painful lesson.

What he needs is not a wild horse that might break free, but a fine horse that can accurately carry out his intentions and knows how to restrain itself.

Chen Jiaquan perfectly fits this need.

At the same time, Gao Yuliang also sent his secretary Chen Qingquan to Daokou County for training, where he served as a member of the Standing Committee of the County Party Committee and Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission.

This arrangement not only nurtured Chen Qingquan but also further strengthened Qi Tongwei's control over the county party committee standing committee.

Luo Xuejun, formerly known as Xiao Luo, officially took over the mantle and became Gao Yuliang's new secretary.

The development of the crossing has also entered a fast track.

Qi Tongwei's forward-thinking publicity strategies continued to take effect, with the reputation of being a "filming location," the subtle product placement in "Kangxi's Private Visits," and the initial success of internet forum dissemination, all of which steadily increased Daokou's visibility.

More importantly, drawing on the ideas of later generations, he focused on improving the quality of tourism services and market order, and strongly restrained the practices of overcharging and deceiving tourists.

This created a powerful word-of-mouth effect in the then-generally poorly managed tourism market.

The reputation of "Taokou Tourism: Worry-Free and Reliable" has begun to spread among tourists from surrounding cities.

In addition, thanks to his close relationship with the National Development and Reform Commission and his keen insight into policies and projects, Qi Tongwei formed a tacit understanding and exchange with Mayor Li Dakang.

He helped Li Dakang secure some urgently needed projects for Lüzhou through the National Development and Reform Commission. In return, Li Dakang always kept Qi Tongwei and his Daokou County outside the "safe zone" in his power struggle with Gao Yuliang.

Some light industrial projects that needed to be relocated from Luzhou city proper due to environmental or cost considerations have also settled in Daokou, boosting employment and tax revenue.

At the end of 2003, the statistics were released, and Daokou County delivered a remarkable report card: GDP increased by 31.9% year-on-year, ranking second among all districts and counties in Lüzhou City, second only to the core urban area whose data exploded due to the completion of a national-level project.

But it's clear to anyone with eyes to see that surpassing it is only a matter of time.

The boom in that district was driven by a single mega-project, which is unsustainable; while the tourism industry in Daokou is just starting out, with a weak foundation, high growth rate, and great potential.

Qi Tongwei's achievements are clearly evident.

Instead of relying on large-scale "blood transfusion" projects to forcibly boost GDP, he focused on the county's specific conditions and accurately chose tourism as a breakthrough point. Through innovative promotion, optimized services, and strengthened management, he revitalized local resources and achieved endogenous growth.

This fully demonstrates his economic acumen and practical abilities.

At the same time, his vigorous efforts in Party building and the "County Mayor's Hotline" project have effectively improved the work style of cadres and the efficiency of the government, resulting in a significant decrease in the number of petitions.

This combination of "economy + governance" has won unanimous approval from all levels.

In the 2003 provincial performance evaluation, Qi Tongwei was commended by the Provincial Party Committee.

This honor will be solemnly recorded in his personnel file, becoming an important cornerstone on his future path to promotion.

Of course, given his length of service and the fact that the task at the checkpoint was not yet fully accomplished, an immediate promotion would be tantamount to "reaping the rewards."

Among the county party committee members, the first to enjoy the benefits of development was the head of the publicity department.

Based on his outstanding contributions and demonstrated abilities in reshaping the image of Daokou, promoting tourism, and especially in boldly experimenting with internet publicity, he was promoted to Executive Deputy Director of the Publicity Department of the Lüzhou Municipal Party Committee (at the level of a full-fledged department head).

As long as there are no mistakes in the follow-up work, even if he fails to reach the ministerial position, retiring with the treatment of a deputy director-general is a promising prospect.

At the farewell banquet, the minister who was about to take up his post was extremely grateful to Qi Tongwei, toasting him repeatedly until he finally got completely drunk.

He knew in his heart that if it weren't for Qi Tongwei's arrival and his discerning eye for talent, given the previous silence at Daokou and his own age, let alone the real power of a division chief, it would be uncertain whether he could even get the treatment of a division chief.

Secretary Qi truly changed the course of his destiny.

This incident had a strong demonstration effect in the officialdom of Daokou.

The enthusiasm of the county's cadres at or above the section chief level has been greatly stimulated. Who wouldn't want to ride on Secretary Qi's "tailwind" and achieve a leap in their personal career?

For the vast number of grassroots civil servants and public institution staff at the deputy section chief level and below, Qi Tongwei established a generous year-end performance bonus by securing improved fiscal conditions and project revenue.

No one dislikes having too much money, especially when the money was earned honestly and legally.

At this point, Qi Tongwei's power in Daokou County was firmly established.

Chapter 97 Self-Deception

The tourism industry in Daokou County has emerged as a dark horse, acting like a magnet. It has not only attracted many inspection teams from counties and districts both inside and outside the province who are eager to replicate its successful experience, but has also drawn in some "observers" with more complex perspectives and deeper thoughts.

Zhao Ruilong, the son of the newly appointed governor Zhao Lichun, is one of them.

His focus was not on Daokou itself, a small county town.

He was aware of Qi Tongwei's background. The tourism framework at Daokou had already been established, and interfering now would only yield limited benefits and would be unseemly.

He set his sights on a place with even greater potential—Crescent Lake, the core landmark of Lüzhou City.

Seeing that Daokou could make a fortune every day by relying on the mountains and rivers, an even more "grand" idea sprouted in his mind: if he could build a high-end food city that integrates catering, entertainment and sightseeing on the picturesque Crescent Lake, wouldn't that be extremely profitable?

The construction projects alone are highly profitable, and if they can also be integrated into the future operation in a "compliant" manner, they will become a goose that keeps laying golden eggs.

He first approached Mayor Li Dakang.

However, although Li Dakang's political methods were relatively crude, his political acumen was exceptionally keen.

He had long noticed the growing emphasis on ecological and environmental protection in national policies.

Large-scale construction in the heart of a landmark scenic area like Crescent Lake may bring short-term GDP growth and political achievements, but in the long run, it is tantamount to planting a political landmine.

In addition, Li Dakang harbored a deep-seated contempt for spoiled brats like Zhao Ruilong, so he simply and decisively refused.

After being turned away, Zhao Ruilong turned to Gao Yuliang, the municipal party secretary, for help.

Gao Yuliang, being a seasoned veteran, would not easily accept such a challenge. With a warm smile and impeccable words, he effortlessly passed the buck back to the municipal government, subtly suggesting that Young Master Zhao should communicate and coordinate more with his "Brother Li".

As Qi Tongwei had predicted, and as the events of his previous life unfolded, Li Dakang was transferred away from Lüzhou.

During this period, Qi Tongwei stood by and watched coldly from the road crossing.

It wasn't until Gao Yuliang approved the Crescent Lake Food City project that things changed.

Qi Tongwei knew that Gao Yuliang had already accepted Zhao Ruilong's "trap." Even if Gao Xiaofeng wasn't there, there were still Zhang Xiaofeng and Wang Xiaofeng.

And the "opportunity" he had been waiting for had arrived.

This was actually one of the important reasons why he chose to return to Handong and come to Daokou.