In name only: I will break the chess game in Handong

Yue Chi looked at Chen Luo, feeling somewhat embarrassed and apologetic, after all, this was truly shameful.

"It's alright, Secretary Yue. Grassroots management is often the most difficult and complex aspect. There's a saying that goes, 'When counties are well-governed, the world is at peace.' Only when county management is improved can the lives of ordinary people be better. Guangming County still needs to work hard in this regard. Of course, we in Handong also face similar situations."

These words gave Yue Chi a way to save face.

As for those four people... they've already been called out of the mutton soup restaurant by Secretary Tang, and as for how they'll be dealt with, it's unlikely to end well.

Chapter 273 Mei Xiaoge and Ai Xianzhi

The shop owner was completely bewildered throughout. He only saw the younger man enter the shop, pull out an ID card, and the group of men who usually acted arrogantly turned pale and then obediently followed him out of the shop.

Chen Luo and Yue Chi did not reveal their identities. After finishing their mutton soup and paying, they left the shop. At that moment, Secretary Tang was coldly reprimanding the four people.

He was supposed to be drinking mutton soup with them, but the four people in front of him ruined it, so it's no wonder they weren't giving him a friendly look.

After seeing Chen Luo and Yue Chi come out, he stopped and jogged over, saying, "Secretary Yue, Secretary Chen, shall we go directly to the county party committee and county government now?"

"Okay, let's go straight there!"

Meanwhile, the county party committee and government, along with a group of Xinzhou officials led by Gu Wenzhang, the secretary of the Xinzhou Municipal Party Committee, were eagerly awaiting the arrival of the two most important figures on the Coaster bus.

Only after inquiring did I learn that Secretary Yue and Chen Luo had actually broken away from the convoy midway to drink mutton soup.

However, the reception still had to be conducted, as the other people in the group were of no lower status than them. There were several deputy-department-level cadres from Luzhou, and two full-department-level cadres from Beiyue Province. Even with these few people, the Xinzhou Municipal Party Committee could not be careless.

However, they didn't have to wait long; about half an hour later, a black Audi drove into the gate of the county government building.

As they parked in front of the county government building, looking at the license plate, beads of sweat dripped from Gu Wenzhang and Ma Guangqun's foreheads.

That's the deputy secretary's car!

Once the car came to a stop, Gu Wenzhang and Ma Guangqun jogged forward and opened the rear doors a step ahead of Secretary Tang.

"Secretary Yue, welcome to Guangming County for your inspection!"

Secretary Chen, welcome to our Beiyue Mountain for inspection!

With a chorus of voices, Chen Luo and Yue Chi got out of the car one on each side. Ma Guangqun opened the car door for Chen Luo, and Chen Luo naturally shook hands with him first.

"Thank you for your help, comrades of Beiyue!"

"No trouble at all, Secretary Chen. It's such a blessing for the 380,000 people of Guangming County that you could come to Xinzhou and visit us!"

Compared to Chen Luo's politeness, Yue Chi was different; his expression was rather unpleasant.

Gu Wenzhang was completely bewildered; he had no idea what had happened.

The outstretched hand remained suspended in mid-air, and in the end, it could only be awkwardly withdrawn.

Ma Guangqun didn't notice this scene. After shaking hands with Chen Luo, he eagerly came to Yue Chi and wanted to repeat the same action. After all, although Chen Luo was very worthy of his attention, the person in front of him was the leader who truly controlled his future!

"Secretary Yue, welcome..."

As soon as he blurted it out, Ma Guangqun realized that the atmosphere seemed a bit off. His enthusiasm was met with Yue Chi's cold gaze. Gu Wenzhang breathed a sigh of relief, relieved that it wasn't directed at him.

At this moment, Chen Luo didn't want to meddle in the internal affairs of Beiyue Province, but instead scanned the other cadres of Xinzhou.

He then stepped forward with a smile and asked, "Which of you is the Party Secretary of Guangming County?"

The other members of the Xinzhou Municipal Standing Committee who were about to extend their hands awkwardly withdrew them. Then, the Organization Minister of Xinzhou gently nudged Mei Xiaoge, who was behind him, to step forward.

"Secretary Chen, I am Mei Xiaoge, the Party Secretary of Guangming County. Welcome to Guangming County!"

Mei Xiaoge gripped Chen Luo's right hand tightly with both hands. It would be a lie to say she wasn't excited; this man in front of her was practically a god of wealth!

Which official doesn't pay attention to the news?

A few months ago, hundreds of billions of yuan were poured into Luzhou, a prefecture-level city. Who across the country wasn't green with envy?

"Comrade Xiaoge is very young!"

Chen Luo squinted and first offered a compliment, then Mei Xiaoge smiled awkwardly and said, "Secretary Chen, you're not young anymore, I'm already forty-two."

At this moment, Mei Xiaoge was internally ranting, "Who can be younger than you? A 39-year-old deputy provincial-level official..."

It was just a fleeting thought.

When you meet, you can't really make the situation too awkward.

Given Chen Luo's tight schedule, Yue Chi made his own arrangements, having Mei Xiaoge and County Head Ai Xianzhi accompany Chen Luo on the inspection, while he himself was to hold a meeting with the leadership of Xinzhou City and some bureau chiefs and cadres of Guangming County.

Even a fool could tell that the meeting's theme was to scold and punish people, but what did that have to do with Chen Luo?

That evening, in the conference room of the government building, Mei Xiaoge and Ai Xianzhi briefed Chen Luo on the current situation in Guangming County.

“Secretary Chen, the development philosophy of Guangming County in recent years has been a sustainable economic philosophy, placing environmental protection in the most important position and shutting down some heavily polluting enterprises, which has made the county's economy look somewhat bad.”

Mei Xiaoge said this with some embarrassment, while Ai Xianzhi teased her from the side.

“Secretary Chen, because of this matter, Mayor Ma has criticized me by name several times when I went to meetings in the city.”

Chen Luo smiled and stood up, then looked at the two of them.

"The concept of environmental protection and the requirement for economic growth cannot be pursued simultaneously, at least not at the beginning."

Our current economy is no longer just about quantity, but about developing a high-quality, modern industrial economy. I looked at the data of your Guangming County. Although the total industrial output value has declined in recent years, the scale of agricultural production has been very good. Overall, it is in a critical stage of transformation.

I still maintain that it's not the best approach to use all land for industrial production; rather, it's about adapting to local conditions!

Regarding our assistance to Guangming County, Luzhou doesn't plan to invest in industry. Instead, we will focus on supporting the development of modern, green agriculture in Guangming County, creating agricultural products that are unique to Guangming County. What do you think?

Upon hearing this, Mei Xiaoge and Ai Xianzhi were overjoyed; finally, someone understood them.

"Secretary Chen, I think so too! But Mayor Ma in our city might..."

Ai Xianzhi also took this opportunity to vent her frustrations. She had been criticized by name by Ma Guangqun several times at meetings. Who wouldn't be angry?

If Chen Luoneng were to mention it even once while chatting with Secretary Yue, Ma Guangqun would be in deep trouble.

Chen Luo naturally understood this little scheme, and smiled as he shook his head, saying, "Your Mayor Ma should be getting a severe scolding from Secretary Yue right now."

He'll learn his lesson; if he doesn't, then we'll just have to replace him with someone who does.

That's very straightforward, and that's indeed the case.

In the conference room of the county party committee building, Ma Guangqun and Gu Wenzhang were severely scolded by Secretary Yue Chi.

"How shameful! Two tax and urban management officials dare to act so recklessly, just because the current county party secretary is being transferred? You people always talk about how well the local governance is done, and now I've seen it with my own eyes!"

We've embarrassed ourselves in front of Secretary Chen!

Gu Wenzhang and Ma Guangqun, I'm warning you both, this matter must be taken seriously and resolved as soon as possible!

"When I get back to the provincial capital, I will hold a special meeting. I won't be Yuechi until these bad apples at the grassroots level are completely eliminated!"

Chapter 274 To get rich, build roads first

These words startled Gu Wenzhang and Ma Guangqun.

Although the two of them were usually like oil and water, fighting to the death, they were now tacitly lowering their heads and pretending to be dead. But the more they did this, the angrier Yue Chi became.

"Gu Wenzhang and Ma Guangqun, have you two been listening to me? Have you put the vital interests of the people first? Have you actually gone to the grassroots level to see the current state of corruption among officials?"

These words forced the two men, who had bowed their heads, to confront the wrath of Deputy Secretary Yue Chi. Both men were drenched in sweat, their shirts soaked through. Ma Guangqun's lips turned white, and his heart pounded wildly.

“Secretary Yue, I apologize to you and to the Provincial Party Committee! It is my responsibility as the Municipal Party Secretary that such a heinous incident occurred in Xinzhou. However, I assure you that within a month, no, within ten days, just ten days, I will ensure that all cadres and staff, from the townships to the Municipal Party Committee, correct their work attitude and deal with all those who bully the people of Xinzhou. Please trust the Xinzhou Municipal Party Committee one more time!”

Upon hearing this, Ma Guangqun immediately chimed in, "Secretary Yue, as the mayor, I also want to apologize to you and the Provincial Party Committee. The Urban Management Bureau, the Market Supervision Bureau, and the Tax Bureau are all government departments, and I, as the mayor, also bear responsibility. However, please rest assured, just as Secretary Gu said, our Xinzhou will definitely rectify these chaotic situations within ten days!"

The two men's assurances calmed Yue Chi's anger slightly. He had been holding a grudge because they seemed indifferent.

However, a self-criticism doesn't mean the matter is over. Yuechi has already embarrassed itself in front of officials from other provinces, and the entire Beiyue Province has lost face. If they don't do something, they, the leaders of Beiyue Province, will be unable to hold their heads up high.

"The Provincial Party Committee and I can give you one chance, ten days, just ten days. If your Xinzhou cannot provide a satisfactory answer to me and the Provincial Party Committee after ten days, I will request the Provincial Party Committee to convene a meeting and remove you from your posts!"

Upon hearing this, Gu Wenzhang felt extremely aggrieved, but he could only suppress his feelings at this moment.

The person in front of me is the Deputy Secretary of the Hebei Provincial Party Committee; he really can convene a meeting to remove him from his post!

But Ma Guangqun is different. He has made a self-criticism and a guarantee, but they still won't let it go.

Ma Guangqun's backer is the provincial government! Ma Guangqun got angry after glancing at the silent Gu Wenzhang beside him.

“Secretary Yue, while our Xinzhou Municipal Party Committee is making a self-criticism to you and the Provincial Party Committee, shouldn’t we also hold our subordinates accountable? Take Mei Xiaoge, the Party Secretary of Guangming County, for example. He has been in Guangming County for quite some time. Given the current situation in Guangming County, I think he is the first person who will not be able to escape responsibility!”

You may not know, but in recent years, thanks to Secretary Gu's support, Mei Xiaoge has been using environmental protection as a pretext to obstruct audits in Guangming County. Some polluting enterprises are suffering terribly, and Guangming County's economic growth is slower than a snail's pace.

I recommend that the provincial party committee dismiss this cadre who lacks both ability and decisiveness!

Gu Wenzhang, standing to the side, cursed Ma Guangqun inwardly. At a time like this, he was still thinking about fighting amongst himself. Wasn't he just asking to be shot?

As expected, Yue Chi's previously relaxed face was now colder than ice.

"Comrade Ma Guangqun, are you teaching me how to do things? Why don't we ask the central government to appoint you as the provincial party secretary? What do you think?"

"Disastrous!"

Gu Wenzhang's heart was already dead, and only then did Ma Guangqun realize that he had done something stupid.

Yue Chi was too lazy to curse anymore. He showed no anger or outburst, and simply glanced calmly at everyone in the conference room.

He then abruptly stood up.

Without saying a word, he left the venue, giving Ma Guangqun and Gu Wenzhang a deep look before leaving.

Only after Deputy Secretary Yuechi left did Gu Wenzhang stare at Ma Guangqun with resentment.

"You bastard! If you want to die, don't drag us down with you!"

Ma Guangqun was so shocked by the scolding that he probably realized he was wrong and even forgot to argue back.

............................................................

In the conference room of the county government building, Chen Luo had already listened to Ai Xianzhi and Mei Xiaoge's report on the situation in Guangming County. He had a clear understanding of Guangming County's current advantages and disadvantages. It could be said that Guangming County was indeed facing difficulties.

The biggest difficulty is not the industry, but transportation. To this day, Guangming County does not have a highway connecting it to Xinzhou, let alone a railway.

Even with good products, they can only be consumed locally, and it is difficult to transport them to the southeastern coastal areas for sale, which is a pain point.

Solving this problem is not something Chen Luoneng can consider; he can't very well help Guangming County build roads, can he?

Just then, Deputy Secretary Yue Chi calmly walked into the conference room from the doorway and sat down next to Chen Luo.

"Comrade Chen Luo, do you understand the situation in Guangming County?"