Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

The nine offices of the State Council also began to become virtual.

The nine offices of the State Council served as a bridge between the Vice Premier and the various ministries and commissions. They could directly receive reports from these ministries and commissions and provide guidance to them. These offices were the superior bodies of the various ministries and commissions.

However, with the establishment of the working committees at the Ninth National Congress, the functions of these nine offices began to become more akin to secretarial functions. Their job was no longer to directly intervene in the work of the ministries and commissions below them, but to serve as secretarial support for the leading cadres assigned specific tasks by the various working committees of the Politburo. If the leadership of these State Council offices was high-ranking, they would have a position on the working committees.

After the reorganization of the State Council’s Party Leadership Group, the next step is to adjust the work of the Ministry of Rural Affairs and the Ministry of Agricultural Reclamation.

Tan Zhenlin, formerly First Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Rural Affairs and concurrently Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture and Reclamation, has been appointed to the Politburo and transferred to the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection as Secretary. Chen Manyuan, who was also punished, was not only the Secretary of the Guangxi Provincial Party Committee but also served as Vice Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture and Reclamation. His recent punishment has left a vacant position for Vice Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture and Reclamation.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Reclamation has achieved great results in recent years.

In particular, with the success of large-scale farmland construction, many of the Production and Construction Corps under the Ministry of Agriculture and Reclamation were not only self-sufficient in grain, but also able to pay taxes to the state and sell commercial grain. Furthermore, the Ministry of Agriculture and Reclamation, leveraging its strength, developed animal husbandry, forestry, and fisheries, all exceeding expectations.

Furthermore, the South China Reclamation Bureau, under the Ministry of Land and Reclamation, had already begun small-scale production and export of natural rubber. Yunnan's coffee and sugar plantations, as well as the Ministry of Land and Reclamation's canned food industry, were also generating substantial profits. In the export industry, the Ministry of Land and Reclamation was gradually becoming a new and powerful force.

It can be said that Tan Zhenlin has achieved very good results in his work at the Ministry of Agriculture and Reclamation in recent years.

Seriously speaking, the Ministry of Agriculture and Reclamation hasn't reached the point where it can truly achieve results yet. It will take another two years or so before it can truly achieve significant results. However, Tan Zhenlin can't remain in this position any longer, so the first thing the Politburo will discuss is who will take over the position he's leaving behind.

Many people are jealous of this position.

After all, this position carries immense power and prestige. The various construction corps under his command alone number over a million people. Add to that the tens of millions of acres of arable land already reclaimed by the Production and Construction Corps, and there are plans to reclaim hundreds of millions more acres. Under his command are also various agricultural schools, agricultural research institutes, and various factories.

There are also rubber bases, coffee bases, and sugarcane plantation bases, all of which are currently profitable businesses.

If the time when Wei Hongjun and Tan Zhenlin took charge was the start-up phase, then the subsequent cadres, while still needing to work hard, have now reached the stage where they can slowly reap the rewards.

So everyone wants this position.

This area was previously managed by Wei Hongjun, but is now managed by Chen Yun and Deng Xixian, with Deng Zhihui directly in charge. As a member of the Politburo directly responsible for the Ministry of Agricultural Reclamation, Deng Zhihui holds the most weight.

Because the newly appointed Minister of Agriculture and Reclamation will still be under the leadership of Deng Zhihui.

Deng Zhihui suggested choosing one of the vice ministers of the Ministry of Agriculture and Reclamation. Of course, the three remaining vice ministers were somewhat junior and lacked sufficient rank. If their ranks were too low to directly become Minister of Agriculture and Reclamation, then a vice minister from the Ministry of Rural Affairs could be transferred to serve as Minister of Agriculture and Reclamation. Deng Zhihui recommended either Li Shaocheng or Lai Ruoyu; one of them would be suitable candidates for the post.

One of them was a member of the Ninth Central Committee, and the other was an alternate member of the Ninth Central Committee.

Moreover, they are all in their forties and under fifty, making them suitable for the position of Minister of Agriculture and Reclamation.

Others are hard to talk to.

After all, Wei Hongjun's status had greatly improved since the Ninth National Congress, with Tan Zhenlin and Deng Zhihui both serving as members of the Politburo. Furthermore, under their leadership, New China's rural work saw remarkable progress in land reform, bandit suppression, grain production, rural education, rural health, and the rural economy.

The Ministry of Agricultural Reclamation was originally developed by the Ministry of Rural Affairs.

Although it is a good position, it is not easy to reach out directly.

However, when no one spoke, General Peng expressed a different opinion. He directly stated that the Production and Construction Corps was the main body of the Ministry of Land Reclamation. Although the Production and Construction Corps had a role similar to that of a state farm, it was different from the state farm.

Because the Production and Construction Corps also has certain military reclamation characteristics.

Currently, the Production and Construction Corps are primarily located in border regions, primarily in Xinjiang, Gansu, Suiyuan, Heilongjiang, Yunnan, and Hainan. In addition to production tasks, these corps also have the mission of stationing and defending the borderlands. Therefore, the Minister of Agriculture and Reclamation should ideally be a general with a military background.

After Mr. Peng spoke, many people nodded.

Wei Hongjun also agreed with General Peng's opinion. He had previously remained silent, partly out of selfish motives, and partly because he also had to consider the opinions of the Rural Work Department's staff. Now that the Rural Work Department had done its job, and Tan Zhenlin had been promoted and left, the position he left behind was being watched by those within the Rural Work Department. After all, this wasn't Wei Hongjun trying to grab a position, but rather the achievements made by the Rural Work Department and the Ministry of Land Reclamation.

Why not promote cadres within the Rural Work Department?

Another reason is that Wei Hongjun and Deng Zhihui share similar political ideologies, making them very happy working together. Now that Wei Hongjun has left his rural career, he can offer Deng Zhihui some work-related advice. However, Wei Hongjun must also respect Deng Zhihui's opinions on personnel matters. Deng Zhihui's recommendation of Li Shaocheng and Lai Ruoyu is highly unlikely to be opposed by Wei Hongjun.

But seriously speaking, what Mr. Peng said is the most correct.

The Production and Construction Corps, under the Ministry of Agriculture and Reclamation, was no simple farm. Its main force consisted of retired military personnel, many of whom had been collectively transferred to the Production and Construction Corps. Therefore, they were not entirely civilians; the Corps retained its troop structure and weapons and ammunition.

It is indeed a military reclamation model.

Therefore, it would be most appropriate to choose a general with a military background as the Minister of Agricultural Reclamation. Although both Li Shaocheng and Lai Ruoyu were familiar with rural work, they were both local cadres and had no history of leading troops.

Deng Zhihui, upon hearing General Peng's words, instantly understood that he was right. Deng Zhihui had this one good point: as long as you were right, he wouldn't argue. So, Deng Zhihui didn't insist. After thinking for a while, he said, "I suggest that Comrade Wang Zhen, Commander of the Railway Corps, be appointed Minister of Agricultural Reclamation."

Deng Zhihui had worked in the revolution for so many years and knew many generals from the Third, Fourth, and even Fifth Field Armies. But after some thought, he recommended Wang Zhen.

Deng Zhihui and Wang Zhen did not have much friendship.

Deng Zhihui was a revolutionary leader in western Fujian, while Wang Zhen spent a long time in the Hunan-Jiangxi region. Later, Wang Zhen served as the political commissar of the Sixth Army Corps. After the Long March, he was assigned to the Second Front Army, the 120th Division, and the Northwest Field Army. Deng Zhihui, on the other hand, remained in western Fujian, later serving in the New Fourth Army and, during the Liberation War, in the Central Plains Bureau and the East China Bureau. The two men's work generally did not overlap much.

However, there are two things about Wang Zhen that left a deep impression on Deng Zhihui.

One is Wang Zhen's work in Xinjiang, which was truly remarkable. The Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps achieved remarkable success, not only achieving agricultural self-sufficiency but also experiencing rapid industrial development. During discussions with Deng Zhihui and Tan Zhenlin about work, Wei Hongjun highly praised Wang Zhen's achievements in Xinjiang.

Another example is the previous visit to Japan, when Tan Zhenlin and Wang Zhen were there. Tan Zhenlin inspected Japanese agriculture, while Wang Zhen studied transportation, particularly railways. After returning, Deng Zhihui spoke with them, and Wang Zhen's ideas for military reclamation development impressed Deng Zhihui greatly.

So even though the two people were not very familiar with each other, Deng Zhihui still recommended Wang Zhen.

Since Deng Zhihui had recommended Wang Zhen, Wei Hongjun also spoke up, "Comrade Wang Zhen has experience in the Xinjiang Construction Corps. Furthermore, the Railway Corps has experience in agricultural reclamation in addition to railway construction. I also believe that Comrade Wang Zhen is very suitable for the position of Minister of Agricultural Reclamation."

"I think Wang Huzi can do it."

The Chairman was still very satisfied with the choice of Wei Hongjun and Deng Zhihui.

Both of them had a large number of cadres qualified to serve as Minister of Agricultural Reclamation. Not counting local cadres, there were also many military cadres who could serve as Minister of Agricultural Reclamation. During the Anti-Japanese War, the production campaign in Jin-Cha-Ji was in full swing, and many of the military cadres in Jin-Cha-Ji had experience in production.

But both of them chose Wang Zhen.

Don't limit your vision to small areas. Only by recruiting talents from all over the world and working for yourself can you become a leader of the Party and the country.

The Politburo decided that Railway Corps Commander Wang Zhen would leave the army and become Deputy Minister of Rural Affairs and Minister of Agricultural Reclamation. However, Wang Zhen was not Tan Zhenlin, and his rank was significantly lower than Tan Zhenlin's.

Therefore, unlike Tan Zhenlin, who was directly appointed as the Second Vice Minister of the Rural Work Department after serving as the Minister of Agricultural Reclamation, second only to Deng Zhihui, Wang Zhen's ranking after arriving at the Rural Work Department was lower than Lai Ruoyu and Li Shaocheng.

The post of Minister of Agriculture and Reclamation was taken by Wang Zhen, an outsider. There was also a Deputy Minister position, which required appeasing the outstanding cadres of the Ministry of Agriculture and Reclamation. Deng Zhihui was very fair in this regard.

He recommended Feng Baiju, the current Vice Governor of Guangdong Province and Director of the South China Reclamation Bureau after Marshal Ye left Guangdong, as Vice Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture and Reclamation. Feng Baiju had served as Director of the South China Reclamation Bureau for several years and had always been diligent and conscientious.

In Guangdong, Luo Qirong joined forces with Tao Zhu, and the two launched a series of crackdowns on "localism." However, their primary targets were cadres headed by Fang Fang. Feng Baiju was also criticized, but this was a case of slagging behind the enemy lines and was not Luo Qirong's primary target. Although Feng Baiju was the banner of the Hainan Revolution, its influence was too low. Therefore, Feng Baiju was far inferior in rank and status, and was simply not considered by Luo Qirong.

So although I have been criticized for "localism", it has not been affected much in my work.

Just look at the nine major events this time and you will know.

Feng Baiju was elected as an alternate member of the Central Committee at the Ninth National Congress. This suggests that the central government's criticism of "localism" has largely passed, and that it has begun to reunite cadres criticized for this practice. Feng Baiju also has shown great trust in the central government. After all, the total number of Central Committee members and alternate members is only 178.

Deng Zhihui had considerable contact with Feng Baiju when he was director of the South China Reclamation Bureau. He found Feng Baiju to be extremely attentive, able to endure hardships, resilient, and able to accept criticism with equanimity. Furthermore, Feng Baiju had contributed greatly to the South China Reclamation Bureau's success in recent years. Deng Zhihui favored such cadres, which is why he recommended him for the position.

With Deng Zhihui's recommendation, the Politburo did not have any difficulties.

Feng Baiju was appointed Vice Minister of the Ministry of Land Reclamation. The division of labor within the Ministry of Land Reclamation would be a matter for the incoming Minister, Wang Zhen. Following Feng Baiju's appointment, Sha Xuewen, Political Commissar of the Hainan Military Region, was appointed Director of the South China Reclamation Administration.

In addition to the candidates for the Minister and Vice Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture and Reclamation, Deng Zhihui also requested to raise the administrative levels of some key cadres of the Ministry of Agriculture and Reclamation.

After the Ninth National Congress, some cadres will be promoted to higher administrative levels.

After the administrative ranks were established before the Eighth National Congress, many cadres at administrative ranks eight or nine, and even those at administrative rank ten or so, began to become key provincial leaders. Compared to their positions, their administrative ranks were significantly lower. Therefore, the Ninth National Congress decided to reassess the administrative ranks of cadres. This will result in a significant increase in the administrative ranks of many cadres.

Deng Zhihui believes that the main cadres of the Ministry of Agriculture and Reclamation have made outstanding achievements.

It should also be included in this administrative level adjustment.

After Wang Zhen became the Minister of Agriculture and Reclamation, the successor to the Commander of the Railway Corps had to be decided by a meeting of the Military Commission, which was not a matter for the Politburo.

Then there is the issue of the United Front Work Department.

Liao Chengzhi was appointed Minister of the United Front Work Department, but his overall approach to the department was criticized. Consequently, several of the department's deputy ministers, including Liao Chengzhi, were criticized, ultimately leaving only Xu Bing, a senior and experienced deputy minister, to continue.

In addition to Xu Bing, the United Front Work Department needs to add three deputy ministers.

This time Wei Hongjun made a statement.

Because the Secretariat directly oversees the United Front Work Department, Wei Hongjun suggested adjusting the department by recruiting a cadre from local or military sources who has worked in ethnic minority areas for many years. He also proposed refining the department's approach to ethnic minority work. He also proposed recruiting cadres from the intelligence community to join the United Front work. This is because United Front work isn't just about uniting overseas Chinese; it also involves establishing a vast overseas intelligence network.

The United Front Work Department should actively participate in such work.

This type of intelligence network is different from the covert intelligence network. The United Front Work Department aims to establish an open intelligence network, obtaining a large amount of intelligence from public channels. However, this type of intelligence requires a cadre who can aggregate and analyze intelligence. Without a professional cadre, some intelligence can easily be overlooked.

That is why Wei Hongjun proposed to transfer a cadre from the intelligence front to the United Front Work Department.

At Wei Hongjun's suggestion, three people, including Huang Hao, the first deputy political commissar of the Inner Mongolia Military Region, Lian Xueshi, deputy secretary-general of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and deputy director of the Central International Liaison Department, and Liu Shaowen, director of the Second Department of the General Staff, were transferred to the United Front Work Department.

They respectively served as deputy ministers of the United Front Work Department.

Huang Hao had spent many years in revolutionary work in Inner Mongolia and Suiyuan, and was deeply familiar with work in ethnic minority areas. He personally participated in the land reform efforts in these regions. Wei Hongjun assigned him to the United Front Work Department to oversee its work with ethnic minorities. Instead of pinning everything on the elite minority groups, the focus should remain on the broad masses at the grassroots level. Uniting the common people and isolating the minority elite is the true path to stabilizing ethnic minority border areas.

Lian Xueshi began to engage in united front and overseas Chinese affairs work before the Anti-Japanese War.

Later, he was in charge of Hong Kong and Macao affairs.

With business ties between Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macao, and Southeast Asia increasing, there's a need to further strengthen cadre capabilities in these regions. This is why Wei Hongjun suggested transferring Lian Xueshi, currently working with pro-democracy figures, to the United Front Work Department. Lian Xueshi is well-versed in pro-democracy figures; after all, he orchestrated the evacuations of pro-democracy figures from Hong Kong during the Anti-Japanese War and the Liberation War. However, such an outstanding cadre as Lian Xueshi shouldn't be wasted here. He should instead focus on overseas Chinese affairs in Hong Kong, Macao, and Southeast Asia.

Finally, Liu Shaowen was one of Li Kenong's key assistants on the intelligence front, and he and Pan Hannian had a close working relationship. When they were awarded military titles, both Huang Hao and Liu Shaowen were promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General. This time, they were transferred to the United Front Work Department together, serving as deputy ministers.

After adjusting the work of the United Front Work Department, we began to adjust some local positions.

The Secretariat recommended Su Zhenhua, First Deputy Political Commissar of the Guangzhou Military Region, as Secretary of the Guangxi Provincial Party Committee, and Gu Mu, Deputy Director of the Third Office of the State Council, as Governor of Guangxi Province. It also recommended Zhang Linchi, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Rural Affairs, as Deputy Secretary of the Guangxi Provincial Party Committee.

The Secretariat did not make the cadre arrangements in Guangxi casually.

Su Zhenhua was a cadre who came from Hebei, Shandong and Henan during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. Later, he entered Guangxi with Yang Dezhi and the 13th Corps. He had personally commanded the anti-bandit war in Guangxi and was very familiar with Guangxi.

Gu Mu and Zhang Linchi were transferred from the central government to the provincial level to oversee the development of Guangxi's industry and agriculture. Gu Mu had been in charge of industry in Shanghai, and his promotion to the position of Deputy Director of the Third Office of the State Council also placed him in charge of industry. Zhang Linchi, needless to say, had previously worked in the Ministry of Rural Affairs. These two leaders in industry and agriculture traveled south to develop Guangxi's industry and agriculture.

Of course, the fact that no one was promoted from Guangxi is also a signal that the central government does not trust the Guangxi cadre system.

They are just the first step.

The Organization Department will continue to adjust Guangxi’s cadres based on their opinions.

As for Wei Guoqing, because he did a great job in Vietnam, the next step is to be promoted to the Central Military Commission for reuse.

1004 Military Adjustment

Because the term of office had just changed, Wei Hongjun was really working around the clock.

The Ninth National Congress had just concluded, and many delegates had not yet left Beijing. Many wanted to meet with Wei Hongjun to discuss their work. These included not only his former comrades and subordinates, but also many cadres with whom he had little personal connection.

They all wanted Wei Hongjun to know their work ideas.

Wei Hongjun attaches great importance to them.

Because many of these representatives are important cadres of the local party, government and military.

As Wei Hongjun officially takes charge of the Secretariat and oversees Party affairs at the Central Committee, he will have more and more contact with these cadres. Face-to-face communication with them is also an important process for mutual understanding.

Exchange governance concepts with each other and gradually find common ground.

This is an important task for Wei Hongjun for a long time to come.

In addition to these tasks, Wei Hongjun also had to attend Politburo meetings, CMC meetings, and review the work of the Secretariat and the Science and Technology Working Committee. After the Politburo meeting, the CMC also quickly convened a meeting.