259: Chapter 259 I'll Show You the Policy

Deputy Secretary's Office.

Zhu Wenhao was reviewing the re-election proposal for Heishui Village.

Director Xu Jie pushed the door open and entered, placing a cup of hot tea on the corner of the desk.

"Secretary Zhu, Town Mayor Luo is holding a small meeting over there," Director Xu Jie reported. "The people from the Economic Development Office and the Finance Office just came out. I heard they are working through the night on a compromise proposal. They want to halve the amount of the three funds, pay in installments, and even push the burden of re-settling the miners onto the County Human Resources and Social Security Bureau."

Zhu Wenhao did not look up, his pen tip sketching on the paper.

"Town Mayor Luo can't sit still anymore. He's afraid the cooked duck will fly away."

"There is another situation," Director Xu Jie said, lowering her voice. "Just now, the clerk from the Party and Government Office saw General Manager Zhou Shutong's assistant making a phone call to Town Mayor Luo outside the town guesthouse. It's unclear what they talked about specifically, but it's highly likely a private contact."

General Manager Zhou Shutong had started to divide the internal team.

Zhu Wenhao tossed the red and blue pencil onto the desk.

"Director Xu, what do you think of this compromise proposal?"

"This isn't a compromise; it's sucking the blood and marrow out of the common people to gild the capital's financial reports," Director Xu Jie replied crisply. "Paying in installments is tantamount to a bounced check. Once the mine is exhausted and the money isn't collected, it's the Town Government that will ultimately suffer."

Zhu Wenhao picked up the teacup, steam rising.

"A wise ruler manages subordinates like driving a good horse. If Town Mayor Luo Xingbang wants political achievements, I can give them to him. But political achievements cannot be exchanged for the interests of the common people."

Zhu Wenhao took a sip. "The fact that he can come up with a compromise proposal shows he still has the heart to get things done; he just lacks the courage and a sturdy backbone."

"What if he brings out the proposal tomorrow?"

"Then I will reject it in public," Zhu Wenhao's eyes were clear. "In the face of absolute strength, all wavering is futile. General Manager Zhou Shutong wants to drive down the price, and Town Mayor Luo Xingbang wants to play the middleman, so I will show them my trump cards."

The next morning.

In the second-floor conference room, negotiations resumed.

General Manager Zhou Shutong was wearing a black business suit, sitting in the guest seat with a cold expression.

Town Mayor Luo Xingbang cleared his throat and spoke first.

"General Manager Zhou, yesterday's talks were a bit rushed. Our Town Government studied it through the night. Regarding the issue of historical debts, it really shouldn't all be placed on the capital side."

He handed over the compromise proposal that the Economic Development Office had rushed to complete overnight.

"This is the preliminary opinion of the town. The first installment of the environmental fund will be halved to 2.5 million. For road repairs and miner resettlement, the town will coordinate county-level policy subsidies. General Manager Zhou, take a look; is this sincerity enough?"

General Manager Zhou Shutong opened the proposal and glanced at it.

Town Mayor Luo Xingbang was indeed a pushover.

"Town Mayor Luo's proposal is more in line with commercial logic," General Manager Zhou Shutong closed the document. "If we go by these terms, the capital side is willing to pay the first installment of funds and restart the mine."

Town Mayor Luo Xingbang breathed a sigh of relief.

The political achievement was in the bag.

He turned to look at Zhu Wenhao: "Comrade Zhu Wenhao, do you think this proposal can be implemented?"

Zhu Wenhao had been leaning back in his chair, quietly watching the two of them perform their double act.

"No."

Two words, crisp and decisive.

The smile on Town Mayor Luo Xingbang's face seemed to be frozen.

"Zhu Wenhao, the capital side has already made concessions. This is a project worth tens of millions; you can't just..."

"The three rules I stated cannot be reduced by a single cent, nor can a single installment be delayed," Zhu Wenhao sat up straight. "The first installment of funds must be fully received; this is the bottom line. Until the old mining fleet clears the road damage fees, no one is allowed to resume transport."

General Manager Zhou Shutong's expression sank.

"Secretary Zhu, Heishi Town has no other capital to choose from right now. If you hold on so stubbornly and drag it out for too long, what will be lost is local tax revenue and the workers' livelihoods. You are using the local economy to vent your anger."

This was forcing his hand.

Zhu Wenhao was not angered.

He unzipped his briefcase, took out two documents, and threw them directly onto the table.

"General Manager Zhou, capital has a keen sense of smell, but it seems your team hasn't done enough homework."

The first document was on the letterhead of the Provincial Development and Reform Commission.

"This is the Provincial Development and Reform Commission's special subsidy catalog for the industrial transformation of resource-based towns, and Heishi Town has already applied. As long as the project is approved, the province will cover 30% of the infrastructure costs for the deep processing park."

The second document was the approval from the Provincial Water Resources Department.

"The old river embankment restoration project has been listed in the provincial flood control hazard investigation. The water management funds will arrive next week. Once the embankment is repaired, the thousand acres of wasteland south of the town can be revitalized."

Zhu Wenhao pointed his finger at the documents, looking directly at General Manager Zhou Shutong.

"Heishi Town is not a mess; it is a depression for provincial policies."

"Do you think I am begging you to take over Ma Yunlong's failing mine?"

General Manager Zhou Shutong's pupils constricted sharply.

The approval documents from the Provincial Development and Reform Commission and the Provincial Water Resources Department were definitely not things a town deputy secretary could easily obtain. The provincial-level resources mobilized behind this far exceeded her estimates.

Zhu Wenhao did not stop, throwing out his final trump card.

"In addition, the Jingjiang City state-owned assets platform is very interested in Heishi Mining's deep processing chain."

"General Manager Zhou, do you think that if I hand this restructuring proposal, which includes the full payment of the three funds, to the state-owned assets platform, they would sign it without hesitation for the sake of these thousand acres of factory buildings with waived infrastructure costs and policy subsidies?"

In the conference room, there was dead silence.

Town Mayor Luo Xingbang froze in his seat, looking at Zhu Wenhao as if he were looking at a stranger.

He thought Zhu Wenhao was acting on impulse; he didn't expect him to be holding approvals from two Provincial Public Security Departments in his hands, and he had even pulled in Jingjiang's state-owned assets.

This wasn't attracting investment at all; this was setting up a trap to screen capital.

General Manager Zhou Shutong's knuckles, holding the signing pen, turned white from the force.

She knew the strength of the state-owned assets platform. If state-owned assets intervened, she would not only fail to get the mining rights, but she wouldn't even get the leftovers of the deep processing.

Zhu Wenhao had pushed her to the edge of a cliff.

"Capital can solve money problems," Zhu Wenhao leaned back in his chair. "But I, Zhu Wenhao, can solve policy problems. The rules of this Heishi Town must be decided by me."

General Manager Zhou Shutong was silent for a long time.

The negotiation skills she learned on Wall Street were completely ineffective in front of this young deputy secretary.

What the other party held in his hand were not commercial bargaining chips, but absolute power suppression.

"Secretary Zhu."

General Manager Zhou Shutong finally spoke, her voice dry.

"The capital side agrees to pay the first installment of the three funds: environmental, road, and worker resettlement."

Town Mayor Luo Xingbang, standing to the side, swallowed hard.

Tens of millions in upfront investment, and the capital side had actually lowered their heads.

"However, I also have one condition," General Manager Zhou Shutong stared at Zhu Wenhao. "For the three-party supervision account, the capital side must send someone to join the audit team. I want to prevent this money from being used to fill other bad debts left by Ma Yunlong."

"Agreed," Zhu Wenhao readily agreed. "Joint audit. The audit report will be disclosed to the three parties: the Town Party Committee, the public representatives, and the County Audit Bureau."

General Manager Zhou Shutong closed the document and stood up.

She looked at Zhu Wenhao, and the condescending contempt in her eyes was gone.

"Secretary Zhu, you are a ruthless person."

General Manager Zhou Shutong dropped the sentence coldly, "This afternoon, we will sign the framework agreement."

The team members followed her out of the conference room.

Town Mayor Luo Xingbang sat in the main seat, feeling a chill down his back. He turned to look at Zhu Wenhao, his Adam's apple bobbing.

"Town Mayor Luo," Zhu Wenhao turned his head, his eyes clear.

"The political achievement is yours."

Zhu Wenhao pointed to the compromise proposal that had been crumpled into a ball. "But no one can touch the interests of the common people."

Town Mayor Luo Xingbang nodded repeatedly and silently stuffed the waste paper proposal into the bottom of his briefcase.

Director Xu Jie sat in the back and wrote the final entry in the minutes book.