94: Chapter 94 Zhao Shaojun's Scheme

Sitting in the car heading to the county seat, Qin Chuan was still thinking about this matter in his mind.

It seemed that Secretary Zhao Shaojun had completely set his sights on this Jiucailing Coal Mine and would not give up until he got his hands on it.

A head-on confrontation was unwise; unless absolutely necessary, it should be avoided. The best approach was a polite refusal, followed by a series of reasons—for instance, arguing that having the coal mine managed by Dahe Township was far better than having it taken over by the County Party Committee, and so on.

As for whether he could persuade Secretary Zhao Shaojun, he held no hope at all. Everything he said was merely a pretext for refusal, intended to let him know his stance once again.

Because he knew Secretary Zhao Shaojun's objective in advance, on the way to the county seat, Qin Chuan thought a lot, including various arguments.

"Secretary Zhao, you wanted to see me?"

Qin Chuan knocked on the door and entered the office of the County Party Secretary.

Secretary Zhao Shaojun just nodded slightly without speaking, continuing to bury his head in reviewing documents, appearing very busy.

Qin Chuan curled his lip inwardly. It was an old trick—trying to leave him waiting—but it wouldn't work.

After a full seven or eight minutes, Secretary Zhao Shaojun finally put down his fountain pen, feigning a look of slight apology.

"Qin Chuan, I've kept you waiting. These few documents were quite urgent."

Qin Chuan said, "It's fine. I know Secretary Zhao is very busy."

Secretary Zhao Shaojun first inquired about Qin Chuan's work with concern, feigning interest, and asked if Qin Chuan had a girlfriend and how many people were in his family.

Qin Chuan naturally wouldn't reveal anything and brushed it off with vague responses. Secretary Zhao Shaojun didn't take it to heart and didn't press for details, as he was only putting on a show and didn't truly care.

After this round of questioning, Secretary Zhao Shaojun finally got to the main point.

"Secretary Qin Chuan, have you considered what I told you yesterday? I still feel that it is best for the Jiucailing Coal Mine to be taken over by the County Party Committee. The platform of Dahe Township is simply too small."

Qin Chuan replied, "Secretary Zhao, the Jiucailing Coal Mine has always belonged to Dahe Township. It is better for us in the township to manage it; we are more familiar with the operations. Furthermore, the interests involved are much simpler. If it were taken over by the county, it might involve many more interests, and the situation would become very complicated..."

The two talked for a long time.

Qin Chuan stated his point of view, pretending to try and persuade Secretary Zhao Shaojun.

As for Secretary Zhao Shaojun, he kept talking about the series of benefits of bringing the coal mine under the County Party Committee. For the sake of this coal mine, he had also prepared many arguments in advance.

In the end, they could not reach an agreement.

After Qin Chuan left, Secretary Zhao Shaojun's expression turned completely sullen, and he cursed under his breath.

"Damn it, refusing a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit!"

"I, as the County Party Secretary, came to talk to you about this matter; that is already giving you tremendous face. Don't be ungrateful."

"You don't agree, right!"

"Then I don't need your agreement. I'll take it directly to the County Party Standing Committee. As long as it passes in the Standing Committee, your opposition will be useless."

After thinking for a while, Secretary Zhao Shaojun called over Executive Vice County Magistrate Yu Kenan.

Soon, Executive Vice County Magistrate Yu Kenan pushed the door open and entered.

He was the first among all the Standing Committee members to defect to Secretary Zhao Shaojun.

Knowing that Secretary Zhao Shaojun was the son of Zhao Xuelin, the Executive Deputy Director of the Provincial Department of Finance, and that Secretary Zhao Shaojun's uncle, Vice Governor Zhao Xuewen, was a Vice Governor.

With such a powerful background, Executive Vice County Magistrate Yu Kenan immediately switched sides. Now, in public, he constantly referred to Secretary Zhao, completely identifying himself as part of Secretary Zhao Shaojun's faction.

"Secretary, you wanted to see me?"

Secretary Zhao Shaojun said very kindly, "Comrade Kenan, please sit. Would you like something to drink?"

As he spoke, he prepared to make tea himself.

Of course, this was just putting on a show; if he really had to make tea himself, he would certainly feel uncomfortable.

Executive Vice County Magistrate Yu Kenan knew this well and quickly took the teacup. "Secretary Zhao, I'll do it myself. How could I let you make tea for me?"

Pouring himself a cup of hot tea, Executive Vice County Magistrate Yu Kenan sat down on the sofa.

The two chatted while drinking tea.

Secretary Zhao Shaojun quickly brought up the Jiucailing Coal Mine. "Comrade Kenan, you are very familiar with the Jiucailing Coal Mine, right?"

"Familiar, very familiar!" Executive Vice County Magistrate Yu Kenan said with an envious look. "That is a gold mine! I heard the annual extraction volume will reach 20 million tons. I think it is very inappropriate for Dahe Township to be responsible for the management and operation."

Secretary Zhao Shaojun's eyes lit up slightly. "Comrade Kenan, you think just like me. I think so too."

The two quickly hit it off.

After chatting for a while, Secretary Zhao Shaojun said, "I just spoke with Qin Chuan, and he does not agree to bring the coal mine under the County Party Committee. I am preparing to discuss it at the Standing Committee."

It was quite bizarre.

The third Standing Committee meeting since the new County Party Committee took office was not discussing personnel appointments or adjustments, but rather taking back the Jiucailing Coal Mine.

Executive Vice County Magistrate Yu Kenan raised both hands in support.

"Secretary, then let's take it to the Standing Committee and bring the coal mine under the County Party Committee. I believe most Standing Committee members will support it. In addition, I will leak this news first and communicate with some Standing Committee members before the meeting to unify opinions and ensure nothing goes wrong."

Although the previous two Standing Committee meetings were just a stalemate with County Magistrate Zhang Yuansong, this time, Secretary Zhao Shaojun was fully confident.

It wasn't about personnel adjustments or appointments, but about bringing the coal mine under the County Party Committee, which was beneficial to all the county leaders.

Once the coal mine was taken over, the county would have money—and not just a small amount, but in the hundreds of millions. He believed almost all county leaders would support it.

To ensure 100% success, Secretary Zhao Shaojun personally went to see County Magistrate Zhang Yuansong.

Seeing that it was Secretary Zhao Shaojun who knocked and entered, County Magistrate Zhang Yuansong was slightly stunned. After reacting, he put on a look of surprise and delight.

He said enthusiastically, "Secretary Zhao, why have you come over? It should be me going to your place. I don't deserve this; for the Secretary to come over in person, I truly don't deserve it."

Between leaders, as long as they hadn't completely torn off the mask of civility, they still had to maintain a superficial harmony.

Secretary Zhao Shaojun also laughed heartily. "It's the same, it's all the same. It's all for the sake of work. It's the same for me to come over."

After sitting down on the sofa, they quickly talked about the Jiucailing Coal Mine.

Hearing Secretary Zhao Shaojun's thoughts, County Magistrate Zhang Yuansong's eyes lit up slightly.

This was exactly what he wanted.

As long as the relationship between Secretary Zhao Shaojun and Qin Chuan became strained, the position of County Party Secretary would not be stable. For County Magistrate Zhang Yuansong, this was entirely beneficial and had no downsides.

He was also a smart man; he wouldn't do anything that would offend Qin Chuan.

Therefore, he feigned a serious look and advised, "Secretary Zhao, I think it's better to maintain the status quo. It is better for the coal mine to be managed and operated by Dahe Township. Anyway, they turn in quite a bit of money every year, and our county's finances are not short of money for the time being."

Secretary Zhao Shaojun looked down on the money they turned in every year; he wanted to monopolize it, and he had to eat the entire cake himself.

"County Magistrate Zhang, I came over to seek your support. To be honest, I am preparing to bring this matter to the Standing Committee for discussion."

County Magistrate Zhang Yuansong said, "If it is really brought to the Standing Committee for discussion, I will personally reserve my opinion."

Hearing this, Secretary Zhao Shaojun was overjoyed.

This was great. As long as County Magistrate Zhang Yuansong reserved his opinion and did not oppose it, this matter would be 100% successful.