113: Chapter 113 It's time to go to the grassroots level for some experience.

December. In the office of the Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, the room was filled with smoke.

Governor Zhou Wenbin, who had just been transferred to the position of Deputy Secretary, leaned back against the sofa. He held a cigarette between his fingers, the ash having accumulated into a long column, yet he showed no intention of flicking it off.

Minister Ma Fuqiang, who had just been transferred to the position of Minister of the Organization Department, sat opposite him. He had just crushed his cigarette butt into the ashtray and lit another one.

"Old Ma, your smoking habit is getting worse."

Governor Zhou Wenbin glanced at him and brought the cigarette in his own hand to his lips for a puff.

"No choice. The mess at the Organization Department is more grueling than the Political and Legal Affairs Commission."

Minister Ma Fuqiang exhaled a cloud of smoke and smiled, saying, "Back at the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, I managed cases one by one. Now at the Organization Department, I'm managing a cadre's entire career of several decades."

"That burden is much heavier."

Governor Zhou Wenbin nodded and flicked off the cigarette ash.

"I called you here today to talk about Comrade Weidong."

Minister Ma Fuqiang's expression turned serious. He held the cigarette between his fingers and leaned forward.

"I've been keeping an eye on the old leader's son."

"I have someone compile a summary of the situation in Changyuan County every month."

"As a division-level director of the Public Security Bureau, his Crackdown on Organized Crime has been quite impressive; he even made the trending topics a while back."

"Of course, you know about that incident; it was just Old Zhou acting with good intentions but causing trouble."

"I know about that incident with Old Zhou; the old leader has already criticized him."

Governor Zhou Wenbin waved his hand and said, "Comrade Weidong has done well in the legal system, but I've been thinking about a problem lately."

"Do you think it's actually good for his growth to keep him in the legal system?"

Minister Ma Fuqiang didn't answer immediately. He took a puff of his cigarette and slowly exhaled.

Having sat in the position of the Organization Department for some time, his perspective on evaluating cadres had become more comprehensive than when he was at the Political and Legal Affairs Commission.

Whether a cadre can go far doesn't depend on how outstanding they are in one position, but on whether their resume is broad enough and their foundation solid enough.

"Wenbin, what do you mean?"

"Let him leave the legal system and go to the grassroots to train?"

Governor Zhou Wenbin didn't answer directly. He stood up, walked to the window, and pushed open half of it.

The smoke billowed outward, dispersed by the wind.

Outside the window was the skyline of Shengjing City, filled with high-rise buildings and bustling traffic.

The scale of the provincial capital was much larger than Lvjiang City. Standing in this position and looking out, one could see very far.

"Comrade Weidong is twenty-six this year, right?"

"Twenty-six years old, twenty-seven by traditional reckoning."

"A division-level Public Security Bureau director—at this age and in this position, he is top-tier across the whole province."

"But precisely because he is top-tier, we need to think one step further for him."

Governor Zhou Wenbin walked back and sat down, stubbing out his cigarette in the ashtray.

"His performance at the Public Security Bureau is indeed brilliant."

"Dismantling the Sihai Group, the special Crackdown on Organized Crime operation, the case at the barbecue restaurant—each one holds up to scrutiny."

"But have you thought about this? All these achievements were obtained within the legal system."

"If a cadre stays in one system for a long time, their perspective will narrow, and their way of thinking will become rigid."

"If he really wants to move to a higher position in the future, knowing only the law won't be enough."

Minister Ma Fuqiang nodded with deep feeling, "When I was at the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, I looked at problems with a legal mindset."

"Whether this matter is illegal or not, whether that matter meets the criteria for filing a case."

"Only after arriving at the Organization Department did I realize that the development of a region is only partly about law."

"How to handle the economy, how to grasp people's livelihoods, how to lead Party building, how to stabilize petitions... if you can't handle any of these, it won't work."

"What Comrade Weidong lacks now is precisely these things."

"So I was thinking, could we let him go down and serve a term as a township Party Committee secretary?"

Governor Zhou Wenbin's gaze darkened as he said, "A lateral transfer at the division level is not against the rules."

"But that position trains people better than being a Public Security Bureau director."

Minister Ma Fuqiang didn't rush to express his opinion. He slowly finished the cigarette in his hand and went over the townships of Changyuan County in his mind.

Changyuan County was a county under the jurisdiction of Lvjiang City. Its economy ranked in the lower-middle tier in Fengtian Province, with a weak industrial base, agriculture as the mainstay, and a high volume of petitions year-round.

This kind of place is the best for training cadres.

"As a township Party Committee secretary, there are thousands of threads above and one needle below."

"Economic development, agricultural production, petition stabilization, grassroots organization building—you have to personally grasp everything, which is different from being a director."

"A director manages the vertical lines, while a secretary manages the horizontal blocks."

"In the vertical lines, you only need to understand your own area, but in the horizontal blocks, you need to know a little bit about everything."

Governor Zhou Wenbin continued his thought, "And townships are the places most in touch with reality."

"At the Public Security Bureau, you mostly deal with cases, criminal suspects, and the families of victims."

"Once you get to a township, you deal with the common people's daily necessities and household trivialities."

"If a cadre doesn't understand the countryside or the farmers, no matter how high they climb in the future, they will still be superficial."

Minister Ma Fuqiang laughed, "Your words remind me of when the old leader was in Hanzhong Province."

"Conditions were much harder back then; there wasn't even heating in the winter, yet he still achieved great things."

"Later he told me that those two years were the most solid two years of his political career."

Governor Zhou Wenbin also laughed, "Comrade Weidong doesn't necessarily have to walk the same path as the old leader, but the lessons that need to be made up cannot be skipped."

The two were silent for a while, each thinking about something. Governor Zhou Wenbin lit another cigarette, this time not rushing to smoke it, holding it between his fingers and watching it burn slowly.

Minister Ma Fuqiang picked up his teacup and took a sip; the tea was already cold, but he didn't call the waiter to refill it.

"However."

Minister Ma Fuqiang put down the teacup, his tone shifting.

"Regarding Governor Mu..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but Governor Zhou Wenbin understood what he meant.

Mu Ruxue worked at the Changyuan County Youth League Committee, and both families had already tacitly accepted her relationship with Comrade Weidong.

Would moving Comrade Weidong to a township at this time make people overthink?

"I will communicate with Governor Mu."

Governor Zhou Wenbin flicked the ash, his tone steady.

"We are doing this for Comrade Weidong's own good, not to break them up. Governor Mu is someone who considers the big picture; she won't fail to understand."

Minister Ma Fuqiang nodded and said, "That's good."

"Once the work with Governor Mu is done, the rest will be easy to handle."

"My idea is to let Comrade Weidong work in the township for a year to solidify his grassroots foundation."

"Being promoted to deputy department level after a year—this pace is neither slow nor fast; it's steady."

Governor Zhou Wenbin pondered for a moment and added, "However, we still need to carefully consider which township to place him in."

"If the place is too poor, he'll only focus on poverty alleviation and won't have time to learn anything else."

"If the place is too rich, it won't have the effect of training him."

"It's best to have a place with some foundation but also many problems."

"The economy needs to develop, petitions need to be stabilized, grassroots organizations need to be built—there should be work to do in every aspect, and something to learn in every aspect."

"There is a Hukuang Township in Changyuan County."

Minister Ma Fuqiang had already done his homework on the townships of Changyuan County.

"Comrade Weidong went there for research when he was at the Public Security Bureau, so he has some understanding of the situation there."

"The economy of that township is in the lower-middle tier of the county. It has coal mines, but the management is chaotic. The volume of petitions is not small, mainly due to land acquisition, demolition, and conflicts between the mines and the masses. Grassroots organizations are relatively weak, and the village secretary team is aging seriously."

"This township will be enough to keep him busy for a while."

Governor Zhou Wenbin thought for a moment and nodded, "Hukuang Township, I've heard of it."

"That place is indeed worth working on, and since he has been there, he has a foundation and can get started quickly."

"Then let's set this direction first."

Minister Ma Fuqiang wrote a few notes in his notebook, closed it, and looked at Governor Zhou Wenbin.

"However, Wenbin, I have to say one thing first."

"Comrade Weidong has his own opinions; he isn't the kind of person who just goes wherever he is told."

"Whether he is willing to go to Hukuang Township depends on himself."

"A forced melon is not sweet; you know this principle better than I do."

Governor Zhou Wenbin laughed, "You are putting me on the spot."

"It's not putting you on the spot; it's seeking truth from facts."

Minister Ma Fuqiang also laughed, "He is the old leader's child, we cannot make decisions for him, we can only point the way."

"Whether he goes or not, and how he goes, he has to make his own decision."

"That makes sense."

Governor Zhou Wenbin stubbed out his cigarette and leaned back against the sofa.

"Then let's inform the old leader first and hear his opinion. Once he agrees, then we'll talk to Governor Mu, and finally, we'll talk to Comrade Weidong."

"This order cannot be messed up."

Minister Ma Fuqiang nodded and said, "Steady. As for the old leader, will you talk to him or should I?"

"I'll go."

"I've known the old leader longer than you, so some things are easier to say. Besides, I have just been transferred to Deputy Secretary, so it is appropriate for me to report my work to the old leader."

Minister Ma Fuqiang stood up, walked to the window, and closed the window that was open.

The smoke in the office had dissipated quite a bit, and the air was much fresher.

Governor Zhou Wenbin turned and walked back to the desk, picking up a document on the table.

"I'll inform the old leader first. You should prepare as well; get a thorough understanding of the situation in Hukuang Township so that when we talk to Comrade Weidong, we'll have something to present."

"Rest assured."

Minister Ma Fuqiang picked up his briefcase, stopped at the door, and looked back at Governor Zhou Wenbin.

"Wenbin, remember to put in a good word for me."

Governor Zhou Wenbin didn't answer, just smiled.