Absolute power in officialdom

Chapter 341 Loyalty is more important than ability

Wu Zhiyuan smiled and said, "The tax figures are basically accurate because the tax authorities are vertically managed units and are less subject to interference from local governments."

Of course, there are also some inflated figures. This does not include artificially adjusted income, such as living beyond one's means or imposing additional taxes.

What I mean by "water" is that local governments sometimes resort to tricks when they can't meet their tax revenue targets, or when they need to achieve political achievements.

For example, most counties have county-owned state-owned enterprises such as urban investment companies. The county finance allocates 100 million yuan to these urban investment companies for tax payment.

Of course, the taxes paid are those that go to local governments in the vast majority, such as farmland occupation tax.

To put it bluntly, it's just money going from one pocket to another; tax revenue is circulating without any real impact. The tax revenue figures look good, but the county's financial resources haven't actually increased.

Lu Xinghua looked as if he had just realized something: "County Chief Wu, I've learned something new. So there's this trick of 'fiscal scrambling'!"

Wu Zhiyuan asked with a smile, "Is Wei Zhiliang still as upright as he was back in the Finance Bureau?"

Lü Xinghua said, "It feels like his sharp edges have been gradually smoothed out by reality."

We're no longer so concerned about the accuracy of statistics.

To be honest, statistical fraud is not unique to Qingyan County; it is even more serious in other places.

Officials produce figures, and figures produce officials; this phenomenon exists to varying degrees.

Even if promotions are not linked to statistics, it is unreasonable that the GDP of other counties in Longcheng City has increased by more than 10%, while Qingyan County has only increased by 5%.

How will the city leaders view the leadership team of Qingyan County? Will they be ineffective in their work? Will they lack competence?

Therefore, numbers are often more than just numbers; they represent political achievements, face, and the future of many people.

Wu Zhiyuan nodded in agreement.

The distortion of local statistical data is an open secret.

With superiors demanding performance evaluations and subordinates demanding political achievements, the statistics departments in the middle often become "data beauticians."

Wu Zhiyuan then asked about Liu Jingjing.

Although Ding Yiyi has provided an introduction, it is wise to listen to both sides; otherwise, one-sided listening will lead to confusion.

Besides, Ding Yiyi also said that people change; just because someone was like that a few years ago doesn't mean they're still like that now.

For example, Wei Zhiliang was very particular about the accuracy of figures when he first arrived at the Statistics Bureau, but now he turns a blind eye to some things.

"County Chief Wu, Liu Jingjing is now the chairwoman of the county women's federation."

She accomplished a lot of practical things in Nanping Town.

Nanping Town is one of the most remote towns in Qingyan County, and it is a mountainous town.

Driving there from the county town involves many twists and turns in the mountain road, taking more than an hour.

The town has a population of over 20,000, scattered across dozens of mountain valleys.

After Liu Jingjing arrived, the first thing she did was to repair the road.

She went to the provincial and municipal governments to ask for projects, making no fewer than ten trips, and managed to get that road out of the mountains completed, securing several million yuan in funding.

With the roads built, mountain products can be sold, and people's incomes can increase.

"To get rich, build roads first"—this is an irrefutable truth.

Wu Zhiyuan asked, "How did she do it? It's not easy for a female cadre from a remote township to secure a road project worth millions."

"County Chief Wu, there's something fishy going on here. Liu Jingjing's father-in-law is a retired section chief from the Provincial Department of Transportation."

Although she's retired, her connections remain. It was through these connections that Liu Jingjing secured the provincial project.

Someone else might not have been able to secure project funding.

Wu Zhiyuan was taken aback; yet another one with connections.

However, this background is for getting things done, and it's completely different from Chen Youliang using his connections to make mistakes and get promoted.

Wu Zhiyuan nodded, then changed the subject: "Xinghua, what do you think of Shi Xianqiang, the director of the county government office?"

"County Chief Wu, Director Shi was only promoted from deputy director of the County Party Committee Office last month."

The former director of the government office was transferred to the Bureau of Veteran Cadres to serve as its director.

Although it was a lateral transfer, it was actually a demotion because of his close relationship with the former county magistrate who had gotten into trouble.

His demotion was not unexpected given the previous county magistrate's downfall.

Wu Zhiyuan nodded and asked, "What kind of background does Shi Xianqiang have?"

Lu Xinghua answered crisply: "He is Secretary Yuan's man. When he was the deputy director of the county party committee office, he was specifically there to serve Secretary Yuan."

People from the county party committee office said that Shi Xianqiang was an excellent writer, and many of Secretary Yuan's important speeches and signed articles were written by him.

This person is quick-witted, has a strong writing ability, and his greatest skill is accurately understanding the leader's intentions.

Logically, he should have served as the director of the county party committee office, serving Secretary Yuan Jin, but in reality, he came to the county government office.

Lu Xinghua did not say it aloud, but the hidden meaning was self-evident: Shi Xianqiang was a spy planted by Yuan Jin in the county government office.

Wu Zhiyuan was taken aback.

This tactic is exactly the same as that used in Qingshan County.

When Geng Dongqing was the county head, his confidant Ang Yang served as the director of the county government office.

When Geng Dongqing was promoted to county party secretary, he did not transfer Ang Yang away, but instead kept him in the county government office to "serve" Ding Yiyi.

In reality, what is the service? It's about placing trusted confidants in the county government office.

Yuan Jin is now using almost the same tactics.

It seems that this is a standard practice for powerful secretaries.

"What changes have occurred at the government office since Shi Xianqiang arrived?" Wu Zhiyuan asked.

"There have been significant changes. As soon as Director Shi arrived, he quickly adjusted the division of labor within the government office."

Several key positions have been filled by new personnel. It's clear to everyone that this is an effort to build their own team.

Wu Zhiyuan nodded.

This is not surprising.

Both high-ranking and low-ranking leaders prefer to use their own people because they are more comfortable and trustworthy to use them.

Lin Xue was like that, and so was Wu Zhiyuan.

"After Director Shi arrived, he took a very tight grip on matters such as document circulation, meeting arrangements, and leaders' schedules."

All documents, including requests and reports submitted from below, had to be reviewed by him first.

The leader's schedule was basically determined after he communicated and coordinated with the county party committee office.

Also, Director Shi changed the management of the government office's seals.

Previously, the seal was kept by the General Affairs Department, and the deputy director in charge only needed to sign it.

Although the seal is still kept by the General Affairs Section, it must be signed by him personally; without his signature, it cannot be used.

Wu Zhiyuan appeared calm on the surface, but his heart was in turmoil.

Seals are the most direct symbol of government power.

By holding the seal in his hand, Shi Xianqiang effectively seized control of the government's final decision-making power.

If the county government issues a document, it must go through Shi Xianqiang.

If he disagrees, there's no way to proceed.

Of course, he had many excuses for disagreeing, such as that the matter should have been discussed by the Standing Committee of the County Party Committee, but it had not been.

This person's thoughts are deeper than he imagined.

This person was a spy that Yuan Jin had planted next to him.

Wu Zhiyuan asked casually, "My secretary, Wang Can, was also appointed by Director Shi. What do you think of her?"

"Wang Can and Director Shi are close. I often see them taking a walk together in the county government compound after having lunch at the county government canteen."

There's nothing wrong with taking a walk; I often take walks with my colleagues in the county government compound.

However, the fact that they often take walks together indicates that they have a close relationship.

After Director Shi was transferred to the County Government Office, he appointed Wang Can as the head of the First Secretariat Section.

The First Secretariat directly serves the county magistrate.

Wu Zhiyuan understood immediately.

Shi Xianqiang's intention in placing Wang Can in the key position of head of the secretariat, who directly served him, was all too clear.

This is to put his every move and word as the county magistrate under his control.

How capable is Wang Can?

"He has good abilities and a good writing style. He frequently publishes news articles and research articles in newspapers."

He's also very flexible and has strong coordination skills. If he weren't Shi Xianqiang's man, and Shi Xianqiang wasn't Secretary Yuan Jin's man, he would indeed be a suitable candidate for the county magistrate's secretary.

However, County Chief Wu, if I may be so bold, loyalty is more important than ability.

Lu Xinghua didn't elaborate, but his statement, "Loyalty is more important than ability," hit the nail on the head.

In officialdom, loyalty is often the primary consideration.

A secretary, no matter how capable, is not only useless but also harmful if they are not loyal to you and may even stab you in the back at any time.

Changing the secretary is a must.

Just like Xu Youwei, when he came to Longcheng to serve as the municipal party secretary, he replaced the designated secretary Ang Yang with Wu Zhiyuan.

Is it that my writing style is lacking? No; is it that my organizational and coordination skills are lacking? No.

Ultimately, it was because he didn't trust Ang Yang.

Wu Zhiyuan, being from a remote mountain village like Qinglongshan Forest Farm, had no connections and was trustworthy. With the recommendation of Liu Qingqing's sister, Liu Yiyi, he naturally became her secretary.

Changing secretaries is not difficult; you can always find fault with them by nitpicking.

But simply changing the secretary isn't enough; we also need to find a way to get rid of Shi Xianqiang from the county government office and replace him with one of our own people as the director of the county government office.

It's only when your own people use it that you feel comfortable and at ease.

Lu Xinghua seemed to see through Wu Zhiyuan's thoughts: "County Chief Wu, if I may say something, Shi Xianqiang is someone you can't touch, at least not now."

He's one of Secretary Yuan Jin's men. You're new here; if you confront him head-on, you'll be the one who suffers.

But you can't let him hold onto power forever.

We have to take it slow, find opportunities, and gradually take back what we're owed.

Wu Zhiyuan thought that Lü Xinghua was very suitable to work in the county government office.

Up to this point, Lü Xinghua hasn't said a single word asking Wu Zhiyuan for help.

But his initiative to call made his intentions very clear.

Clearly, Lü Xinghua was unwilling to be transferred from the popular Human Resources and Social Security Bureau to the less popular Archives Bureau and hoped to find a powerful backer.

This cannot be called scheming; it's just human nature.

But Wu Zhiyuan will not make any statement or promises at this time.

Lü Xinghua still needs further observation.

"Xinghua, in your opinion, are there any young people in county-level departments and townships who have good writing skills, are quick-witted, hardworking, and most importantly, have a clean background and can be trusted?"

Lü Xinghua immediately understood.

Wu Zhiyuan is changing his secretary.

"County Magistrate Wu, now that you mention it, I do think of someone."

Wu Zhiyuan smiled and said, "Tell me about it."

"There is a young cadre in the county propaganda department named Fang Cheng. He is 27 years old, from another city, and graduated from the Chinese Department of a 211 university. He passed the civil service exam and came to Qingyan."

I worked in the publicity department for five years, mainly writing materials, including news releases, reports, and speeches for leaders, all of which I wrote exceptionally well.

His writing is better than Wang Can's; his thinking is clear, his logic is rigorous, and he is particularly good at sitting still and can concentrate on his studies.

I heard that the county party committee office sometimes needs his help when they're short-staffed to write lengthy reports.

"Is the background simple?" Wu Zhiyuan asked.

"It's simple. He's from another city, his wife is a middle school teacher here, but his parents-in-law are farmers."

He's still just a clerk, and I haven't heard of him having any special dealings with any county leaders. He's like a blank sheet of paper.

"A blank sheet of paper is good; it's perfect for drawing the most beautiful pictures." Wu Zhiyuan nodded slightly.