312: Chapter 312 Investment Promotion Conference

The mobile phone in his pocket was still vibrating continuously.

Zhu Wenhao took out his phone.

On the screen was a number that had not flashed for a long time.

Executive Vice President of the Provincial Party School, Executive Vice President Zhou Zhengming.

Pressing the answer button, Zhu Wenhao straightened his body: "Hello, Principal Zhou."

A hearty laugh came from the other end of the phone: "Wenhao, you didn't have a peaceful New Year, did you? I heard that you stirred up the muddy waters of Qingjiang County completely."

"The water was already muddy; I just turned up the sediment at the bottom so it could see the sun," Zhu Wenhao responded smoothly.

Executive Vice President Zhou Zhengming paused on the other end, put away his smile, and his tone became exceptionally solemn: "Chen Heming just finished calling me."

The imperial envoy, the leader of the Discipline Inspection Commission working group, Team Leader Chen Heming.

Zhu Wenhao did not interrupt and listened quietly.

"You know what kind of person Old Chen is—bad-tempered, unable to tolerate any sand in his eyes, and a famously iron-faced judge even in The Capital," Executive Vice President Zhou Zhengming's words carried profound meaning. "When he went down to Jiangnan this time, he thought everywhere was a mess left behind by Secretary Lei Zhen. Who would have thought that in your remote, impoverished place, he would get to watch a solid good show."

"Old Chen asked me to pass along his exact words," Executive Vice President Zhou Zhengming deliberately slowed down his speech. "He said, 'Posting the financial account books on the roadside—few of those bureaucrats in The Capital even dare to pull off that kind of courage.'"

"Finally, he also asked me to bring three words—'very satisfied'."

These three words carried a weight thousands of times heavier than promoting him by a rank or issuing him a bonus.

This meant that Zhu Wenhao's grassroots governance system of "Sunshine Account Books" not only withstood the Liu Family's frame-up, but also directly registered in the discipline inspection system of The Capital, obtaining the highest-level amulet.

"Principal Zhou, please thank Team Leader Chen on my behalf," Zhu Wenhao's eyes were clear, without a shred of taking credit. " 'Those who do not plan for all eternity are insufficient to plan for a moment; those who do not plan for the overall situation are insufficient to plan for a region.' The minerals and logistics of Heishi Town involve the livelihoods of tens of thousands of people. If the rules are not established in the open, sooner or later they will be gnawed clean by people hiding in the dark. I merely did what should be done."

"What a brilliant remark about not planning for the overall situation!" Executive Vice President Zhou Zhengming praised. "With Old Chen's words as backing, you have truly entered the game of the Jiangnan Provincial Party Committee."

Hanging up the phone, Zhu Wenhao stuffed his mobile phone back into his coat pocket.

The storm in Jingjiang City only truly blew into the eye of the formation of Heishi Town at this point.

The Linjiang Municipal Government building, the Mayor's Office.

The indoor heating was turned up extremely high. Mayor Su Changming sat behind the desk, holding a pen and sketching on a report.

Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping stood three steps away from the desk, his body slightly bowed, spilling out all the news coming from Qingjiang County.

"Mayor, Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan has fallen," Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping lowered his voice. "Team Leader Chen Heming of the Central Working Group gave the order personally, and the County Commission for Discipline Inspection took the person away on the spot. That old debt of 200,000 yuan for the reservoir, as well as the recordings of the underground bank, have all been made into ironclad cases."

Mayor Su Changming's pencil stopped.

He did not get angry, nor did he smash anything; he just steadily placed that red pen on the pen holder.

Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan was a chess piece he had co-opted, originally intended to check Secretary Zhu Tianhe and County Mayor Gu Mingchuan in Qingjiang County. Before this chess piece could play its due role, it was uprooted by someone.

"Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan is finished," Mayor Su Changming picked up the purple clay teacup and blew away the floating leaves on the water's surface, his voice devoid of any emotion. "He couldn't even wipe his own butt from fifteen years ago. Keeping such a person around for the New Year?"

"Should the lines over at Qingjiang County be completely severed?" Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping asked for instructions.

"Sever them clean," Mayor Su Changming took a sip of tea and put the cup down with a crisp sound. "Sort out all the people who have had intersections with Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan. Transfer those who should be transferred, and let those who should retire retire. We cannot let sparks splash into the courtyard of the Municipal Government."

Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping acknowledged, hesitated for a moment, and said: "But Mayor, once Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan falls, County Mayor Gu Mingchuan will firmly secure his position in Qingjiang County, and Zhu Wenhao will have even less check and balance in Heishi Town. As time goes on, their setup below will be forged into an iron bucket, and I'm afraid our decrees in the city won't be pushed down."

Mayor Su Changming stood up, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, and overlooked the endless stream of traffic on the Municipal Government square.

"All the hustle and bustle of the world is for the sake of profit. Zhu Wenhao relies on public account books to buy people's hearts, and relies on the funds of Zhou Investment Bank to build the logistics park. In the final analysis, he is playing the economic card."

Mayor Su Changming turned around, his gaze deep.

"Since applying political pressure overtly doesn't work, we will drain his blood from the economic lifeline." He walked back to the desk and pulled out a document.

"How is the preparation for the Linjiang City provincial investment promotion conference after the holiday going?"

"The venues and policy dividends have all been verified, and many large-scale capitals from the province will send representatives to participate," Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping replied.

"Good," Mayor Su Changming tapped his knuckles on the document. "Release the word that the Municipal Government-led deep-processing industrial belt in the southern new district will have policy subsidies three points higher than Heishi Town, and land approval will be given a green light all the way. I want to forcibly pull the focus of Zhou Investment Bank back to Linjiang City. As long as General Manager Zhou Shutong's funds are withdrawn from Heishi Town, Zhu Wenhao's livelihood project setup will become water without a source."

Direct confrontation not working, he would draw the firewood from under the cauldron. This was the vicious calculation of a mature politician.

The Qingjiang County Mayor's Office.

County Mayor Gu Mingchuan stood in front of the map, looked at the section of Heishi Town, and let out a long breath of turbid air.

The moment Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan was taken away, he sat beside the conference table with his palms full of sweat. Zhu Wenhao's warning over the phone still lingered in his ears—without ironclad evidence, one must never act rashly.

Facts proved that Zhu Wenhao not only had ironclad evidence, but also directly delivered the evidence into the hands of someone who could deliver a fatal blow. Borrowing the imperial envoy's knife to kill the thieves in the county—this shrewdness made County Mayor Gu Mingchuan completely put away the last bit of condescending senior posture deep in his heart.

He walked back to his desk, picked up the red dedicated telephone line, and dialed Deputy Secretary of the Linjiang Municipal Party Committee, Secretary Zhu Tianhe.

"Secretary Zhu, the situation in the county has been straightened out," County Mayor Gu Mingchuan put his posture very low,

Secretary Zhu Tianhe agreed on the other end of the phone.

This phone call was the reassurance pill handed in by County Mayor Gu Mingchuan, and also a signal of the smooth transition of power in Qingjiang County.

Two days later, the Heishi Town courtyard.

Zhu Wenhao sat in the Deputy Secretary's office, reviewing the spring farming schedule of each village.

Zhang Yuanhang managed the setup of Heishui Village in good order, and Li Maisui's account books were even clearer. The chemical fertilizers and seeds obtained by the common people were twenty percent cheaper than in previous years. Once the people's hearts were stabilized, the Town Government's decrees could reach directly to the fields.

The door was pushed open, and Director Xu Jie walked in with steady steps, holding a document bearing the letterhead of the Provincial Development and Reform Commission.

"Wenhao," Director Xu Jie placed the document on the large wooden desk. "A joint notice issued by the provincial and municipal levels requires all key townships to send specialized personnel to participate in the province-wide investment promotion seminar hosted by Linjiang City."

Zhu Wenhao picked up the document and scanned it at a glance.

"The keynote speaker of the seminar is Mayor Su Changming," Director Xu Jie pulled out the chair opposite and sat down. "The Municipal Government side released a large amount of policy subsidies, pointing directly at our town's cold chain logistics park. General Manager Zhou Shutong's team received a private invitation from the Municipal Government Office last night to look at the plots in the southern new district."

This move of drawing the firewood from under the cauldron was used without concealment.

Zhu Wenhao pushed the document aside and crossed his hands on the desk.

"Where profit lies, people scramble to flock to it," Zhu Wenhao's tone was calm and clear, without a shred of panic. "Mayor Su Changming thinks he can pry capital away by taking policy dividends; he looks down on capital, and he also looks down on the rules of Heishi Town."

He stood up and took his coat off the coat rack.

"Since the Municipal Government has set up the arena, let's go take a trip there," Zhu Wenhao put on his coat and tidied his collar.