135: Chapter 135 The Hilltop (Part 1)

The idea crystallized in Township Head Jiang Tiansheng's mind the night after Deputy Township Head Gong Zizhen left; he tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep.

Yu Lili was woken up by him twice, and after cursing at him, she turned over and went back to sleep.

He stared at the ceiling with wide eyes, running through the accounts of Hukuang Township over the past few years in his mind.

He had been in Hukuang Township for fifteen years; in those fifteen years, he had helped so many people and promoted so many others that he couldn't even remember them all.

Station Chief Sun Changhe of the Forestry Station was someone he had promoted; Station Head Zhu Yan of the Water Conservancy Station was someone he had supported all the way up from a technician; Station Master Liu Ping of the Animal Husbandry Station was someone he had poached from another township.

He had helped Station Master Zhao Sen of the Culture Station resolve employment issues for his family; he had pushed Station Head Jin Ming of the Family Planning Station into his position despite the pressure from the previous Party Secretary; and Liu Hao of the Statistics Station was also someone he had promoted.

Among these people, who hadn't eaten at his table?

Who hadn't accepted favors from him?

Who wasn't one of Township Head Jiang Tiansheng's people?

In ordinary times, whenever Township Head Jiang Tiansheng spoke, which of them wouldn't scurry around eagerly to do his bidding?

But what about now?

He couldn't even move a single Station Chief Sun Changhe.

With a casual remark about "observing for a while longer," Xu Weidong had rejected his proposal.

As for Deputy Township Head Gong Zizhen, before he could even try to win him over, the man had already been bought off by Station Chief Sun Changhe.

For a Township Head like Jiang Tiansheng to be unable to even replace a head of the Forestry Station—if word got out, it would be a joke.

He rolled over and sat up, leaning against the headboard, and fumbled in the dark to light a cigarette.

The flame flared in the darkness and then dimmed.

He took a drag and exhaled slowly, the smoke dissipating into the dark.

Yu Lili turned over again and muttered something, but he didn't hear it clearly, nor did he pay any attention.

From the adjustment of responsibilities to the leadership meetings, from Committee Member Chen Ruo being manipulated to Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming being promoted, Xu Weidong was telling him something with every move.

In Hukuang Township, he, Xu Weidong, was the one who called the shots.

But Township Head Jiang Tiansheng was the local powerhouse here!

No matter how strong Xu Weidong's background was, or how young and promising he might be, he couldn't just treat him like a pushover.

Early the next morning, Township Head Jiang Tiansheng arrived at his office, shut the door tight, and picked up the phone to dial the first number.

"Luan Ping, come here for a moment."

Luan Ping arrived quickly. He sat down opposite him, and seeing the expression on Township Head Jiang Tiansheng's face, he knew something big was happening.

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng didn't beat around the bush; he recounted the results of his discussion with Xu Weidong yesterday and mentioned how Deputy Township Head Gong Zizhen had already been bought off by Station Chief Sun Changhe.

Luan Ping's expression shifted, but he remained silent.

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng leaned back in his chair. His voice was low, but every word carried an unquestionable sense of certainty.

"Luan Ping, you haven't been in Hukuang Township for just a day or two. You know how I've treated you over these years."

Luan Ping nodded quickly and said, "Township Head Jiang, you've been nothing but good to me."

"Good."

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng straightened up and stared at him, saying, "I need you to do something for me now."

"That bastard Station Chief Sun Changhe, doesn't he want to cling to Xu Weidong's coattails? Doesn't he think that because he has the backing of the Party Secretary, he doesn't have to put me in his eyes anymore?"

"I want him to know that in Hukuang Township, it's not just the Party Secretary who calls the shots."

"Go find Xu Weidong. Whether you're reporting on work or reflecting on the situation, make sure to explain every single thing Station Chief Sun Changhe has done over the years to Xu Weidong, item by item."

"It's not lodging a complaint; it's reporting the situation factually."

"You are the Political and Legal Affairs Commissioner; you should have materials on the forest rights disputes and forest land encroachments over at the Forestry Station."

Luan Ping was stunned for a moment, but he quickly understood Township Head Jiang Tiansheng's intent.

This was about using a "human wave" tactic to show Xu Weidong who had more people and whose people were more effective in Hukuang Township.

He nodded without hesitation.

"Township Head Jiang, I understand. I'll go this afternoon."

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng nodded and dialed the second number.

Director Bai Jie was organizing records in the Comprehensive Management Office and was somewhat surprised to receive the call.

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng rarely contacted her directly; whenever there was something, it was usually through Luan Ping. She put down her work and went to Township Head Jiang Tiansheng's office.

The door was closed, and Luan Ping had already left.

"Little Bai, sit."

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng pointed to the chair opposite him, his attitude a few degrees more polite than usual.

Director Bai Jie sat down opposite him, her back straight, looking at him with a calm gaze.

She had worked in Hukuang Township for four years. She didn't deal with Township Head Jiang Tiansheng much, but every time she did, it was direct and straightforward.

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng didn't beat around the bush with her. He went over the issues at the Forestry Station, but he didn't mention Xu Weidong's attitude; he only said that Station Chief Sun Changhe was ineffective in his work and was affecting the overall work of the entire township.

He hoped Director Bai Jie would reflect on the issues regarding the Forestry Station's handling of forest rights disputes from the perspective of the Comprehensive Management Office to Secretary Xu.

Director Bai Jie listened and was silent for two seconds.

She wasn't a fool; Township Head Jiang Tiansheng wanted her to speak ill of Station Chief Sun Changhe in front of Xu Weidong.

She had no particular friendship with Station Chief Sun Changhe, but there was no bad blood either.

There were indeed a few cases of forest rights disputes at the Forestry Station that hadn't been handled well, so reporting them wasn't exactly wrong.

But the question was, why did Township Head Jiang Tiansheng suddenly want her to report it?

There was definitely something going on here, but she didn't ask further and nodded.

"Township Head Jiang, I do indeed have some information regarding the forest rights disputes. I will organize it later and report it to Secretary Xu."

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng nodded with satisfaction. Director Bai Jie stood up and walked out, her pace steady and unhurried.

She returned to her office, closed the door, and sat in her chair for a while.

She recalled what Luan Ping had told her a few days ago—the struggle in the township had already begun...

Now it seemed that this struggle was far more intense than she had imagined.

She didn't rush to organize the materials; instead, she first called Luan Ping.

"Committee Member Luan, Township Head Jiang just spoke to me."

There was a pause on the other end of the line before he said, "What did he say to you?"

Director Bai Jie repeated what Township Head Jiang Tiansheng had said.

Luan Ping sighed on the other end of the line, his voice very low, and said, "Little Bai, just do as he says."

"But remember one thing: when you go to report to Secretary Xu, just state the facts as they are; don't add any embellishments."

"As for Secretary Xu, if you tell a lie in front of him, he can see through it at a glance."

Director Bai Jie acknowledged and hung up the phone.

She leaned back in her chair, looking at the sunlight outside the window, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.

She wasn't afraid to report the situation to Xu Weidong. She had worked in the Comprehensive Management Office for four years, handled countless disputes, and mediated numerous conflicts—wasn't every single one of them based on facts?

She did indeed have plenty of information on Station Chief Sun Changhe's issues, and she wasn't afraid of a confrontation if she spoke them out.

At two o'clock in the afternoon, Luan Ping was the first to walk into Xu Weidong's office.

He brought a document, a thick stack, which was entirely copies of case files from the Forestry Station's handling of forest rights disputes over the years.

He placed the materials on Xu Weidong's desk with a very proper attitude, as if he were giving a formal work report.

"Secretary Xu, I've come today to report to you on some issues regarding the Forestry Station's handling of forest rights disputes."

"I had the Comprehensive Management Office compile these materials; please take a look."

Xu Weidong picked up the materials and flipped through them without looking closely. He looked up at Luan Ping, his gaze calm, and said, "Comrade Luan Ping, go ahead."

Luan Ping cleared his throat and recounted, one by one, the issues with Station Chief Sun Changhe's handling of several forest rights disputes.

He detailed which year, which villager had a boundary dispute with another villager over forest land; Station Chief Sun Changhe had gone to the scene, handled it sloppily, and failed to form any written agreement, which led to the dispute flaring up again three months later and escalating to the county level.

He detailed which year, which plot of land converted from farmland to forest; because the Forestry Station hadn't communicated in time with the Land Resources Office, it led to an overlap between the forest rights certificate and the land certificate. The common people held both certificates, not knowing whose word to follow, and it took half a year of petitioning to resolve it.

He detailed which year, during the forest fire prevention period, there was a gap in the Forestry Station's duty schedule; fortunately, there was no fire that day, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Luan Ping spoke with clear logic; every incident had a time, a place, people involved, and a result—it didn't sound like it was made up on the spot.

Xu Weidong listened, occasionally jotting down a few words in his notebook, his expression showing no change. When Luan Ping finished, he closed the notebook and leaned back in his chair.

"Comrade Luan Ping, some of these issues you mentioned I am aware of, and some I am hearing for the first time."

"The fact that you were able to compile these materials shows that you do your work meticulously. The work of the Forestry Station does indeed have some shortcomings; on this point, you and I are in agreement."

"However, the existence of problems is one thing, and how to handle those problems is another."

"I will carefully consider the situation you have reported."

"Leave the materials here with me; I will find time to look through them carefully."

Luan Ping nodded, stood up, and walked out.

He returned to Township Head Jiang Tiansheng's office and recounted Xu Weidong's attitude exactly as it was.

After listening, Township Head Jiang Tiansheng's mouth curled up slightly.

He didn't make a statement on the spot, but he didn't reject it either—that was a good sign.

As long as Xu Weidong listened, he would hold one more point of dissatisfaction toward Station Chief Sun Changhe in his heart.

If one point wasn't enough, then two; if two weren't enough, then three.

Once everyone had taken their turn, the scale in Xu Weidong's heart would naturally tip.