134: Chapter 134 Everything Goes Wrong

Returning to his office, he slammed the folder onto the desk and sat in his chair, fuming.

Having stayed in Hukuang Township for so many years, when had he ever been subjected to this kind of treatment?

He couldn't even make a decision regarding the adjustment of a Forestry Station Station Chief.

What kind of Township Head was he?

As the head of the government branch, if he couldn't even have a say in the personnel of the departments under his jurisdiction, how was he supposed to do his job?

When Luan Ping entered, Township Head Jiang Tiansheng was leaning back in his chair, smoking.

Several cigarette butts had already piled up in the ashtray, and the smoke in the office hadn't yet dissipated.

Luan Ping closed the door, sat down opposite him, watched his expression, and asked cautiously.

"Township Head Jiang, Secretary Xu doesn't agree?"

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng did not answer this question; he stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray.

Then he sat up straight, his gaze falling on Luan Ping's face, with an expression of unwillingness but helplessness.

Luan Ping didn't know what to say; he knew Xu Weidong was not like those previous secretaries.

Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming had been promoted, Committee Member Chen Ruo had been suppressed, and Township Head Jiang Tiansheng found himself stuck in the middle, unable to advance or retreat.

"Township Head Jiang, if Secretary Xu doesn't agree, we can't force it."

Luan Ping's voice was very low, carrying a cautious probing tone.

"You know what Station Chief Sun Changhe is like; he's a fence-sitter who leans whichever way the wind blows."

"It's not worth getting angry at him."

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng didn't respond; he lit a cigarette and took a puff.

"Force it? Who said I wanted to force it?"

His voice suddenly calmed down, unnaturally so.

"Xu Weidong is the Party Secretary, the top leader. If he doesn't agree, what use is it for me to force it?"

"But Luan Ping, have you ever thought that he doesn't agree not because Station Chief Sun Changhe is capable, but because he doesn't want me to have the final say?"

Luan Ping didn't respond; he knew Township Head Jiang Tiansheng was right.

But he wasn't a fool either; this situation couldn't be changed in a day or two.

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng stubbed out the cigarette, leaned back in his chair, and fixed his gaze on the ceiling, as if calculating something.

"As for the Party Committee, you know the situation now. Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming and Committee Member Gao Jin are Xu Weidong's people; that goes without saying."

"Committee Member Chen Ruo used to be my man, but now he's been scared witless by Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming. He's like a mouse seeing a cat when he meets Xu Weidong; he can't be relied upon."

"Secretary Zhou Song never takes sides; he can't be counted on."

"Zhou Lan is about to retire and doesn't care about anything."

"As for Deputy Township Head Gong Zizhen, he manages the economy and has always remained neutral, helping no one and offending no one."

"If we really count it up, I only have you and Committee Member Chen Ruo on my side."

"The way Committee Member Chen Ruo is now, it's no different than not having him. With just you, we can't make any waves in the Party Committee meeting."

Luan Ping's expression was somewhat unpleasant; he knew Township Head Jiang Tiansheng was speaking the truth, but it was too harsh.

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng sat up straight and lowered his voice, as if speaking about something only two people should know.

"So I've thought about it; relying on just the two of us isn't enough. We need to win over Deputy Township Head Gong Zizhen."

"He is the Executive Deputy Township Head and has a vote on the Party Committee."

"If he can stand on our side, plus you and Committee Member Chen Ruo, that's four votes."

"On Xu Weidong's side, Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming and Committee Member Gao Jin make three votes."

"If Secretary Zhou Song and Zhou Lan don't take a stand, we'll be the majority. By then, if Xu Weidong wants to reject me outright like he did today, he'll have to think twice."

Luan Ping's eyes lit up, but they quickly dimmed again.

"You know what Deputy Township Head Gong Zizhen is like; he never gets involved in these things."

"Can he really stand on our side?"

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng didn't answer, but the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, with a look that suggested, "Just wait and see."

He picked up the document on the desk, flipped through two pages, and his tone returned to that unhurried pace.

"The reason Deputy Township Head Gong Zizhen remains neutral is because there's no reason for him to lean one way. Give him a reason, and he will naturally come over to our side."

That afternoon, Township Head Jiang Tiansheng invited Deputy Township Head Gong Zizhen to his office under the pretext of discussing the economic work of the first half of the year.

When Deputy Township Head Gong Zizhen arrived, he brought a notebook, wore a jacket that had been washed until it was somewhat faded, and his hair was combed meticulously.

He sat down opposite Township Head Jiang Tiansheng, opened the notebook, and assumed a neutral posture, exactly the same as his performance at the Party Committee meeting.

"Deputy Township Head Gong, I called you here today to chat about the economic work for the first half of the year."

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng poured him a cup of tea, his tone as casual as if they were just making small talk.

"You are in charge of the economy and are most familiar with the situation in the township. We are almost halfway through the year; how are the various indicators coming along?"

Deputy Township Head Gong Zizhen picked up the teacup, took a sip, opened the notebook unhurriedly, and reported the economic data for the first half of the year one by one.

Industrial output value, fixed asset investment, fiscal revenue, per capita net income of farmers—every item of data was there, with comparisons, analysis, existing problems, and suggestions for the next steps.

The report was conventional and standard; one couldn't find fault with it, nor could one see any bias.

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng listened, nodding from time to time, and occasionally asked a few questions, all of which were trivial matters.

After chatting for about twenty minutes, the economic work matters were mostly covered, and Township Head Jiang Tiansheng changed the subject.

"Deputy Township Head Gong, you've been working in Hukuang Township for several years now."

"Over these years, you've made a great contribution to keeping the township's economic work stable."

"I am well aware of that."

Deputy Township Head Gong Zizhen smiled, his smile very faint: "Township Head Jiang, you flatter me; it's all part of my duty."

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng refilled his tea, his tone even more casual than before.

"Deputy Township Head Gong, there's a matter I'd like to hear your opinion on. You've seen the recent work state of Comrade Station Chief Sun Changhe at the Forestry Station."

"The data for returning farmland to forest was wrong, causing a joke at the leadership meeting. I'm considering whether we should make an adjustment."

"Let Comrade Li Ming go to the Forestry Station; he has served as a Deputy Station Chief there, is familiar with the business, and is young and energetic."

"What do you think?"

Deputy Township Head Gong Zizhen's hand holding the teacup paused, but quickly returned to normal.

He didn't rush to answer, took a sip of tea, put down the teacup, as if savoring something.

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng waited for him to speak, and on his own, picked up his own teacup and drank slowly.

"Township Head Jiang, from a work perspective, your idea makes sense."

"Comrade Li Ming has indeed worked at the Forestry Station and is familiar with the business, but..."

Deputy Township Head Gong Zizhen paused, his voice unhurried.

"Comrade Station Chief Sun Changhe has worked at the Forestry Station for so many years; although there have been some oversights in his work, his recent attitude toward rectification has been quite good."

"I read that rectification report last time; the data was organized very clearly and was much more standardized than before. This shows that he still wants to do the job well."

"If we change personnel rashly, no one can say for sure whether the new person will be able to do better than him."

"For the work at the Forestry Station, having business capability is not enough; one must also be familiar with the situation."

"Which village, which forest area is in which location, which plot of land returned to forest is prone to problems—these things cannot be figured out in a day or two."

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng listened, and the expression on his face sank bit by bit.

He hadn't expected Deputy Township Head Gong Zizhen to speak up for Station Chief Sun Changhe. This person usually never got involved in such things; why had he suddenly changed his nature today?

"Deputy Township Head Gong, are you very close with Station Chief Sun Changhe?"

Deputy Township Head Gong Zizhen smiled, a smile carrying something indescribable.

"I wouldn't say close; we have some professional dealings."

"I am speaking based on the facts; the work of the Forestry Station relates to the forestry development and forest fire prevention of the entire township. Personnel adjustments must be handled with caution."

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng didn't say anything more; he picked up his teacup and took another sip. The water had already cooled, and it was so astringent that he frowned.

Deputy Township Head Gong Zizhen stood up, saying he had other matters to handle, and left first.

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng did not keep him. Watching him walk out, the moment the door closed, his expression sank completely.

He sat in his chair, replaying the previous conversation in his mind.

Deputy Township Head Gong Zizhen's attitude was wrong. This person usually never got involved in personnel matters; today, not only did he get involved, but he also stood unequivocally on the side of Station Chief Sun Changhe.

What did he mean by "speaking based on facts"? What did he mean by "personnel adjustments must be handled with caution"?

These words sounded high-sounding, but in reality, they were just telling him:

Don't mess with the Forestry Station!

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng stood up and walked to the window, then walked back and sat down, picked up the phone, and dialed a number.

It rang a few times, and the other side answered.

"Old Zhou, I want to ask you something. Have Deputy Township Head Gong Zizhen and Station Chief Sun Changhe been getting very close recently?"

There was a silence on the other end of the phone, and the voice was lowered very low.

"Township Head Jiang, you don't know yet?"

"Last month, Station Chief Sun Changhe arranged for the younger sister of Deputy Township Head Gong Zizhen's mistress to work at the nursery under the Forestry Station."

"She's a contract worker, but the benefits are good, with all five social insurances and the housing provident fund paid."

"As for Deputy Township Head Gong Zizhen, you understand."

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng's fingers tightened around the receiver. He took a deep breath, put the receiver down, leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and his chest heaved several times.

That bastard Station Chief Sun Changhe; he thought he was just complaining in front of Xu Weidong, but it turns out he had already paved the way underneath.

Arranging for Deputy Township Head Gong Zizhen's mistress's sister to be at the nursery—that was a pretty devious move.

No wonder Deputy Township Head Gong Zizhen helped him speak today; no wonder he kept saying "Comrade Station Chief Sun Changhe has a good attitude toward rectification."

"Speaking based on facts," "personnel adjustments must be handled with caution"—it's all bullshit!

Since he accepted benefits from Station Chief Sun Changhe, of course he has to speak up for Station Chief Sun Changhe.