124: Chapter 124 Jiang Tiansheng's Distress

Station Master Sun, who ran the Forestry Station, was in his early fifties and had worked in Hukuang Township for over twenty years. His legs were trembling as he pushed open the door to Township Head Jiang Tiansheng's office.

He didn't know what he had done wrong, but Township Head Jiang Tiansheng had summoned him, so he had to come.

"Township Head Jiang, did you ask for me?"

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng sat in his chair with a cigarette between his fingers; the ashtray in front of him was already stuffed with cigarette butts.

He didn't look up or offer a seat, instead tossing a report onto the table.

"Take a look at this. This is what you submitted from the Forestry Station. The data for the returning farmland to forest project doesn't match last year's figures—it's off by forty mu."

"A full forty mu!"

"Do you take me for a fool?"

Station Master Sun bent down to pick up the report, his fingers trembling. He flipped through two pages and said, his face pale, "Township Head Jiang, this… there might have been a mistake during the compilation. I'll go back and verify it immediately…"

"A mistake?"

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng looked up and roared, "You've been the Station Master of the Forestry Station for over twenty years, and you make mistakes every single year?"

"Last year you said the sapling survival rate was low, the year before that you said the common folk weren't cooperating, and the year before that you said the weather was bad."

"And now you're pulling this act on me again. Do you think that because I used to work in Party building, I'm easy to fool as a Township Head?"

Station Master Sun's lips trembled as he tried to explain, but Township Head Jiang Tiansheng gave him no chance to speak.

The ashtray, folder, and lighter were slammed onto the table one by one, the sound exploding in the office. People passing by in the corridor lightened their steps.

Luan Ping sat on the sofa nearby, head bowed as he flipped through his notebook, not daring to say a word.

"Get out!"

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng finally said, stubbing out his cigarette in the ashtray.

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng only reserved his good temper for his peers or superiors; he had always been rather "down-to-earth" with his subordinates…

"Within three days, get the data verified for me."

"If there's another mistake, go explain it to Secretary Xu yourself."

As if granted a reprieve, Station Master Sun clutched the report and backed out. The moment the door closed behind him, he leaned against the wall and let out a long breath; the clothes on his back were already soaked through.

The office quieted down. Township Head Jiang Tiansheng leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes to doze.

Luan Ping sat on the sofa, not daring to breathe too loudly.

After a long while, Township Head Jiang Tiansheng opened his eyes, stared at the ceiling, and let out a long sigh.

"That young man, he strikes hard."

Luan Ping knew who he was talking about and didn't respond.

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng sat up straight and began putting the items scattered on the table back in place one by one, moving slowly as if looking for something to do.

"You think what he pulled at the Party Committee meeting was just about division of labor? That fellow Committee Member Gao Jin was already Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming's man; no matter what happens, the propaganda work won't slip out of his grasp."

"Now he's handed over all organizational personnel and political-legal matters to Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming. What does that mean?"

"It's not that Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming is capable; it's that he wants Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming to keep us under pressure."

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng paused and put the lighter back in its original place.

"Who doesn't know Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming's background?"

"After spending so many years in the Organization Department, he's a dab hand at writing materials and building connections."

"But when it comes to getting things done in the township, dealing with the common folk, or handling complex conflicts, he's far from it."

"If he were to go head-to-head with me, I could pin him down with one hand."

"But now it's different… Xu Weidong is playing favorites from above; the power of personnel appointments is in his hands, and the political-legal sector is under his control too."

"With Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming holding those two things, we've instantly become incredibly passive."

Luan Ping finally spoke, his voice very low. "Is Secretary Xu… doing this on purpose?"

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng glanced at him, a bitter smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"What do you think? He's been in Hukuang Township for half a month, hasn't touched a thing, just watching."

"Watching who is in whose camp, watching where everyone's loyalties lie. Once he figured it out, he struck at the vital point."

"This young man's political maneuvering is no worse than some veteran township officials."

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng lit another cigarette, took a drag, and exhaled slowly.

"I've been in Hukuang Township for over a decade, grinding my way from Deputy Secretary to Township Head. What kind of cadre haven't I seen?"

"This township is a murky place; it's not something you can navigate just because you have backing from above."

"But this Xu Weidong is different."

"He doesn't argue or fight with you; he just says a few words lightly at the meeting, and everyone below starts moving."

"Did you see how much he said at the meeting earlier?"

"Just a few damn sentences, and he dismantled my right-hand men."

"The organizational personnel matters that Committee Member Chen Ruo finally managed to get a handle on have now become an empty shell. Your political-legal and comprehensive management work was also handed to someone else in a single day. I don't even have room to strike back."

In the township, the Secretary handles personnel; that's the rule.

If a Township Head fights with the Secretary, it's a breach of protocol; even if it goes to the county level, I'd be in the wrong.

Besides, given Xu Weidong's situation, if it really went to the county, he could pack his bags and report to the County Party History Office tomorrow. I heard the position of Party Group Secretary there has been vacant for a long time; I wonder which lucky soul it's being saved for…

The office door was knocked twice. Luan Ping hurried to open it. Committee Member Chen Ruo stood at the doorway, his face looking as awful as if he'd just recovered from a serious illness.

"Township Head Jiang."

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng glanced at him and pointed to the chair opposite.

"Sit. What's the matter?"

Committee Member Chen Ruo sat down, clasping his hands on his knees.

"Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming just had a talk with me."

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng didn't speak, waiting for him to continue.

"He went through last year's work ledgers for the Organization Office and said my work was a complete mess."

Committee Member Chen Ruo's voice grew lower and lower, as if he were holding something back.

"Files not standardized, omissions in the procedure for developing Party members, shallow inspections of village-level leadership teams… he counted them off one by one for half an hour."

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng's brows furrowed.

Committee Member Chen Ruo looked up, his expression like he had swallowed a fly.

"But damn it, I was the Propaganda Committee Member before!"

"Organizational work was something Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming did himself back then."

"At this time last year, he was still the Organization Committee Member; these ledgers were handled by him."

"Now that he's in charge of organization, he's digging up old stuff to lecture me? Those messes were clearly left behind by him."

Luan Ping listened from the side, his face also looking grim.

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng stubbed out his cigarette and remained silent for a long time.

The only sound in the office was the humming of the air conditioner. The three men were lost in their own thoughts, none of them speaking.

After a while, Township Head Jiang Tiansheng spoke, his voice much calmer than before.

"He is now in charge of organization, and you are the Organization Committee Member, so he is your leader. If he wants to dig up old accounts, you can't avoid it."

"But you don't need to be afraid of him."

"If he brings up old matters again, you take the mess to Xu Weidong."

"Remember, when you go, you aren't there to complain; you are there to report on your work."

"Take those ledgers to Secretary Xu and say that these are issues left behind by the previous Organization Committee Member, and that you are currently rectifying them one by one."

"Remember, don't mention Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming's name even once."

"Who signed those ledgers? What year were they from? Xu Weidong will understand the moment he sees them, unless he wants to play dumb and keep playing favorites…"

Committee Member Chen Ruo looked up, a glimmer of light in his eyes.

"Township Head Jiang, you mean…"

"Of course, I'm not asking you to have a falling out with Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming."

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng waved his hand and said, "I just want you to muddy the waters."

"Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming wants to use the old mess to pressure you, so you put that mess out on the table."

"Xu Weidong is a smart man; he won't let Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming use his hand to get at you. He wants balance, not for Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming to dominate everything."

"If you bring these things to light, he will instead think that Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming is unreliable and narrow-minded."

Committee Member Chen Ruo pondered for a moment and then nodded, but the look of worry on his face did not dissipate.

"But if I do that, in Secretary Xu's eyes…"

Wouldn't that make me a useless idiot?

Running to the leader whenever something happens, isn't that a sign of incompetence?

Can he still expect Secretary Xu to say a good word about him in the future?

Committee Member Chen Ruo felt as uncomfortable as if he had eaten something everyone else disliked. The person who had pushed him up had left the Party Committee sector…

Wouldn't he, as the Organization Committee Member, just be catching flak from both sides?

"Who you are in Secretary Xu's eyes doesn't depend on what Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming says; it depends on how well you do your job."

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng tried to manipulate Committee Member Chen Ruo, saying, "If you do the organizational work well, straighten out the village-level leadership teams, and standardize the development of Party members, Xu Weidong will naturally see it."

"The more fiercely Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming digs up old accounts, the pettier he will appear. Just do your work steadily and don't argue with him over short-term gains."

Committee Member Chen Ruo was silent for a while, then let out a long sigh and said, "I suppose that's all I can do. After all, Township Head, you aren't the top leader."

This was spoken bluntly, as bluntly as a knife.

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng's expression changed for a moment, then quickly returned to normal.

He picked up his teacup and took a sip; the water had gone cold, and it was so astringent that he frowned.

"Whether I am the top leader or not is not something you should be worrying about."

He put down the teacup, his voice as flat as if he were talking about someone else's business.

"Just do your own job well."

"Go back and reorganize the ledgers for the Organization Office. Make the necessary additions and changes. If Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming comes looking for you again, just say you are currently rectifying them."

"Don't worry about anything else."

Committee Member Chen Ruo stood up, walked to the door, and stopped, looking back.

"Township Head, what do you think Xu Weidong is trying to achieve by doing all this?"

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng didn't answer. Committee Member Chen Ruo waited for a moment, and seeing he wouldn't speak, opened the door and left.

The office was left with just Township Head Jiang Tiansheng and Luan Ping.

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng leaned back in his chair, stared at the ceiling for a while, and then said to Luan Ping, "What is he trying to achieve?"

"It's just to muddy the waters, to get our two factions fighting, so he can sit securely on top and act as the referee."

"This young man may not be old, but he certainly has plenty of schemes."

Luan Ping hesitated for a moment and asked in a low voice, "Township Head, what should we do then?"

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng didn't answer. He stood up and walked to the window, looking at The Government Compound downstairs.

Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming was just coming out of the office building, talking to Committee Member Gao Jin; their steps were full of an irrepressible lightness.

"What can we do? We wait…"

"He is still young; he won't stay in Hukuang Township for too long."

"Once he leaves, what belongs to whom will remain what it is."

"Before that, just do what needs to be done and don't let anyone catch you in a mistake. As for Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming, endure it if you can."

"He won't be smug for long."

If I don't wait, what else can I do?

Do I really want to get into a heated, ugly fight with the Party Committee Secretary?

Not to mention anything else, the man has a background in the public security department; with my old arms and legs, could I even beat him?

Day after day, always asking questions that are so hard to answer…