Absolute power in officialdom

Chapter 100 The Petition Incident Before the Meeting

Xu Youwei looked solemn; he knew which people Secretary Sha was referring to when he said "some forces."

Secretary Sha continued, "Youwei, after I step down, the situation in Longcheng may become more complicated. You need to be fully prepared."

Of course, you shouldn't let this hold you back or prevent you from taking action.

As long as you act uprightly, do everything with impartiality, and strictly abide by Party discipline and national laws, there is nothing to be afraid of.

The greatest support is not any leader, but the support of the people.

You must be good at uniting the majority, pay attention to the strategies and methods of struggle, and sometimes, taking a roundabout approach is for the sake of advancing more effectively.

Secretary Sha, like a wise and venerable elder, added, "Aikun is the mayor, your partner. It's normal for you to have different opinions, but you must be careful to maintain the unity of the team."

On non-principle issues, it's okay to be more magnanimous. Of course, on matters of principle, you must not yield an inch. You need to find the right balance...

The conversation lasted for more than ten minutes.

Xu Youwei listened attentively to every word.

He knew that this was Secretary Sha using his life's worth of political wisdom to guide him through his predicament.

He wasn't unaware of these principles, but at this moment, hearing them spoken by an elder about to retire, a leader who had shown him great kindness, carried an especially heavy weight.

It can be said that without Secretary Sha's appreciation, he could not have been promoted to the rank of director-general at the age of forty and become the municipal party secretary at the age of forty-two.

Xu Youwei solemnly said, "Secretary Sha, I have kept every word of your teachings in my heart."

Please rest assured that no matter how great the difficulties and storms we encounter, I will remain true to my original aspiration, perform my duties diligently, and live up to your expectations and the trust of the organization.

Secretary Sha nodded in satisfaction, stood up, and patted Xu Youwei on the shoulder: "Good! With you saying that, I'm relieved."

Remember, a selfless heart brings peace of mind. Okay, let's take a break; there's a live event this afternoon.

Xu Youwei had a premonition that after Secretary Sha stepped down, he probably wouldn't stay in Longcheng for long.

With Chiang Kai-shek's rise to power, Ai Kun's rise to authority was inevitable. It was almost a certainty that Ai Kun, this stumbling block, would be transferred or demoted in name only. The only difference was the timing and the manner of the transfer.

……

In the afternoon, the provincial on-site meeting on building a strong agricultural province was successfully held.

What many people don't know is that what appears to be a calm scene is actually fraught with undercurrents.

On the eve of the meeting, Wu Zhiyuan received definite information that some members of the public planned to block the provincial leaders' motorcade at the entrance of the venue and kneel down to protest their grievances.

Kneeling and pleading for justice may not be considered causing trouble, but the effect is no different from causing trouble, seriously affecting the order of the meeting and severely damaging the image of Longcheng.

With time running out, he immediately activated the emergency plan.

On the municipal public security bureau's side, the person in charge of maintaining order was Lin Keke, the deputy head of the public security detachment.

After Tao Sizhong died, Lin Keke's mental state improved a lot.

After all, the feeling of being eyed by an older man is understandably oppressive.

Lin Keke had already identified the gathering point in advance—a small park about 500 meters from the entrance of the venue.

Wu Zhiyuan and Lin Keke arrived at the gathering point.

Last time, Wu Zhiyuan accompanied Xu Youwei to meet with petitioners.

Several people recognized Wu Zhiyuan.

Wu Zhiyuan said loudly, "Fellow villagers, please be quiet! I am Wu Zhiyuan, Secretary Xu's secretary. I have something to report to you."

The public was puzzled: how was the plan leaked?

Originally, they intended to surprise the provincial leaders by stopping their motorcade, kneeling down and pleading their innocence, thus creating a stir.

As soon as Wu Zhiyuan finished speaking, the crowd gathered in the small park stirred up, and many people showed expressions of surprise and wariness.

Their plan was discovered beforehand, which made them uneasy and aroused a stronger rebellious mentality.

"Secretary Wu, how did you know we were here?"

"Did someone tip you off?"

"What do you want? Are you here to arrest us?"

Several of the ringleaders became agitated and started shouting, instantly creating a tense atmosphere.

Seeing this, Lin Ke stepped forward and stood side by side with Wu Zhiyuan.

Dressed in her police uniform, she stood tall and straight, exuding a heroic and spirited air, her gaze calm and authoritative: "Everyone, quiet down! I am Lin Keke from the Municipal Public Security Bureau's Public Security Detachment! Please remain calm and let us explain the situation!"

Taking advantage of this moment, Wu Zhiyuan said sincerely, "Fellow villagers, we are not here to arrest people. On the contrary, we are here to help you and to prevent you from making serious mistakes!"

Think about it, everyone. What was the purpose of your planned actions—blocking cars and kneeling? Was it to get the provincial leaders' attention and solve the problem, right?

Someone shouted, "That's right! Otherwise, who will take care of our hard-earned money?"

Wu Zhiyuan said loudly, "I understand everyone's feelings, but have you all considered the consequences of using this method on such an important occasion?"

He looked around at everyone and said loudly, "First of all, the motorcade of Secretary Sha of the Provincial Party Committee has strict safety procedures. Forcibly stopping it is a serious violation of the law. Not only will it fail to achieve its purpose, but the security personnel on site will immediately take coercive measures. You may end up in a detention center before you even get your money!"

Secondly, even if you successfully attract attention, what impression will Secretary Sha and the Provincial Party Committee have of Longcheng if such an extreme petition occurs in the presence of the top provincial and municipal leaders? They will think that we have widespread public discontent and are poorly governed!

This will seriously damage the overall image of Longcheng, affect the interests of all Longcheng residents, including potential future investment and development opportunities, and ultimately harm ourselves!

Third, and most importantly, this confrontational approach will only exacerbate the conflict and make solving the problem more complicated and difficult!

Last time, Secretary Xu already met with everyone and said everything he wanted to say! He made all the promises he was supposed to make!

He takes this matter very seriously! I believe everyone can feel that!

Seeing the whispers among the crowd, Wu Zhiyuan seized the opportunity to say, "The municipal party committee and government have decided to arrange special vehicles to take everyone to a designated location where provincial and municipal leaders will communicate with you face-to-face, listen to your opinions directly, and address your concerns on the spot!"

"Really? Are you kidding us again?"

"Which leader? When do I need to see him?"

……

Amidst the noise and commotion of the crowd, Wu Zhiyuan said, "The leaders are already coordinating the time; the location is being kept confidential for now to ensure uninterrupted communication. Everyone, get on the bus now, we're leaving immediately!"

Some people boarded the bus. Most of them were skeptical, but under the coaxing of Wu Zhiyuan and Lin Keke, they all got on the bus.

Two buses, carrying about seventy or eighty people.

According to the plan, the bus drove to a tourist attraction about 70 kilometers away from the venue.

After the car left the city and traveled twenty or thirty kilometers, someone noticed something was wrong and asked Wu Zhiyuan, "Secretary Wu, where are we going?"

Wu Zhiyuan evaded the question by saying, "Soon. I just received word that the leaders have arrived and are waiting for us there."

Xu Youwei did arrange a meeting with leaders, but the leaders were the vice mayor in charge of financial affairs, as well as leaders from the Municipal Financial Office and the Municipal Letters and Visits Bureau. There were no main leaders of the Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government, let alone provincial leaders.

After driving another twenty or thirty kilometers, the car headed towards the town.

"No! This is already in another county!" A middle-aged woman sitting in the front row, who had been staring intently out the window, suddenly stood up. "Secretary Wu! Where are you taking us? We're already in the countryside!"

Wu Zhiyuan continued to cover up the lie: "Don't worry, everyone, we'll be there soon!"

This time, nobody believed it.

"Yes! What place is this?"

"How could provincial leaders possibly be waiting for us in a place like this?"

"Are they trying to get rid of us and prevent us from seeing the provincial leaders?"

"You're lying! You're all liars! You're making a fool of us!"

"Stop the car! Stop the car right now! We want to get off!"

Enraged, several agitated men rushed to the front of the carriage, pounding on the partition between the driver's and passenger seats and shouting at the driver to stop the vehicle.