Absolute power in officialdom

Chapter 72 Though in a military position, he harbored the strategies of a commander.

Xu Youwei paused for a moment, then continued, "Mr. Zhou, our main focus right now is on understanding the situation, providing guidance and regulation, and promoting its compliant operation and healthy development."

Unless there is irrefutable and verifiable evidence, we will never easily take drastic measures.

Zhou Mingxuan said approvingly, "Youwei, I'm relieved that you can think and act this way."

You are young and energetic, which is good, but you can't be impulsive. When dealing with these kinds of complex and sensitive issues, you need to weigh the pros and cons, grasp the right balance, and have political wisdom.

If you encounter any difficulties, or if you need coordination from the provincial government, you can always let us old folks know.

Xu Youwei humbly said, "Thank you for your understanding and support, Mr. Zhou! With your words, I feel more confident and know how to handle things properly."

After hanging up the phone, Xu Youwei called Wu Zhiyuan to his office.

"Chairman Zhou called again to test the waters. Sure enough, Zhang Wanlin had become aware of the secret investigation and sensed danger. He asked Chairman Zhou to call, both to probe my situation and to exert pressure in a roundabout way."

How can we further stabilize Zhang Wanlin's position? Zhiyuan, what do you think?

Based on the current situation, Wu Zhiyuan proposed a bold yet meticulous strategy: "Secretary Xu, I think we can adopt a strategy of 'openly loosening restrictions while secretly tightening them, and taking multiple measures' to create a series of illusions and make Zhang Wanlin make a misjudgment."

Xu Youwei smiled and encouraged, "Zhiyuan, tell me about it."

Wu Zhiyuan said: "First, we should send a clear signal of easing tensions. For example, we could hold a high-profile city-wide conference on optimizing the business environment in the near future."

In your speech, you emphasized the importance of protecting the legitimate rights and interests of private enterprises and supporting the healthy development of leading enterprises. You also mentioned vague statements about historical issues, such as "we should view them objectively and focus on regulation and guidance," which could easily be interpreted as a softening of stance.

Inviting Zhang Wanlin, the CEO of Jintang Group, to the meeting was intended to reassure him and also to present him with awards such as the Outstanding Contribution Award for Private Enterprises. Your personal presentation of the award to Zhang Wanlin would lower his guard.

Xu Youwei nodded approvingly: "Well said, go on."

Wu Zhiyuan continued, "Secondly, you personally instructed that the Longcheng Daily, Longcheng TV, Longcheng Radio, Longcheng Municipal Government and other official media should conduct a large-scale joint interview activity."

However, the topic cannot be limited to Jintang Group or Zhang Wanlin personally, as that would be too obvious and easily arouse his suspicion.

We can title this joint interview "Focusing on the High-Quality Development of Private Enterprises in Longcheng - A Series of Interviews with Outstanding Entrepreneurs".

The interviewees included several representative private entrepreneurs in Longcheng City who have shown good development momentum and made great social contributions in recent years, and Zhang Wanlin was just one of them.

This way, Zhang Wanlin can be included, giving him positive exposure, without seeming abrupt, thus lowering his guard.

Wu Zhiyuan continued, "Third, you could consider taking a short vacation soon, such as two days."

You can claim to the outside world that you are under too much work pressure recently and need to make some adjustments.

This can create multiple illusions for Zhang Wanlin and his protectors:

Either Chairman Zhou's instructions had an effect, or you felt immense pressure and were physically and mentally exhausted;

Either the false rumors on the internet are causing you trouble and you need time to deal with them and calm public opinion;

Either you are weighing the pros and cons of certain sensitive issues and are in a wait-and-see state.

This kind of "silence" or "showing weakness" is most effective at lulling the opponent into a false sense of security; it's a strategic retreat.

Xu Youwei nodded: "Zhiyuan, you executed this 'combination punch' very well!"

By blending the real and the fake, he completely grasped the opponent's psychology!

This perfectly illustrates the saying: "Warfare is based on deception. When capable, feign incapacity; when active, feign inactivity."

Our goal through this series of actions is to reassure Zhang Wanlin.

This will mislead him into thinking we've backed down under pressure, causing him to lower his guard.

He stood up and walked to the window: "Why emphasize that a secretary should be 'physically in a soldier's position but have the strategic mind of a commander'?"

This is because a secretary not only needs to be able to execute tasks efficiently, but also needs to be able to think about problems from a holistic perspective and offer advice.

Zhiyuan, your suggestion today fully demonstrates this point. Okay, let's proceed according to your line of thinking.

……

On a sunny summer morning in Longcheng on a weekend, the sun was shining brightly.

Wu Zhiyuan drove to the agreed location to pick up Ye Xiaoman.

Ye Xiaoman has a beautiful oval face and a curvaceous figure. She is full of youthful vigor and vitality and was a striking campus beauty in college.

She wore a white cotton T-shirt, light blue jeans, and white sneakers.

Simple yet sophisticated, elegant yet tasteful.

"Have you been waiting long?" Ye Xiaoman opened the car door and sat in the passenger seat, bringing with her a faint fragrance, her smile as radiant as a flower.

"No, I just arrived." Wu Zhiyuan smiled slightly.

Ye Xiaoman was in a good mood, sometimes admiring the scenery outside the window, and sometimes chatting with Wu Zhiyuan about interesting things from their university days.

"Zhiyuan, Qinglongshan Forest Farm was your former 'place of exile.' Today you're going there as the First Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee. How does it feel?"

Wu Zhiyuan laughed and said, "Reporter Ye, this is your professional instinct; you want to interview about everything."

Life's encounters can sometimes be quite wondrous.

Back then, I felt like the sky was falling, and I even considered giving up entirely. But looking back now, it was just an interlude in my life, a kind of trial.

Ye Xiaoman nodded and said, "Life is full of ups and downs, which is the best way to see people's true nature and also the best way to temper one's character."

The car drove into the forest farm headquarters.

Farm manager Huang Jianbo and deputy farm manager Wang Junhua greeted them.

"Zhiyuan! Welcome back!" Huang Jianbo shook hands with Wu Zhiyuan. "We heard you've been doing an excellent job at the Municipal Party Committee, and Secretary Xu values ​​you highly. We're all so happy for you!"

Wu Zhiyuan has always held Huang Jianbo in high esteem.

When he was sent to the forest farm, Huang Jianbo never took advantage of his misfortune and provided him with care in any way he could.

Wu Zhiyuan grasped Huang Jianbo's hand firmly and said humbly, "Director Huang, you're too kind. I've missed my old leader a lot since I left the forest farm."

Wu Zhiyuan introduced Ye Xiaoman: "Director Huang, this is Ye Xiaoman, a reporter from the Longcheng Daily."

"I'm accompanying Reporter Ye today, firstly to visit our former leader, and secondly to conduct an interview on the forest farm's transformation and development, and ecological protection."

"Welcome, Reporter Ye! Welcome to our forest farm for guidance!" Huang Jianbo warmly shook hands with Ye Xiaoman.

Wang Junhua also came over and shook hands with Wu Zhiyuan.

"Secretary Wu! What brings you here? Welcome back to the forest farm for your inspection!"

At this moment, his face was full of smiles, his waist was slightly bent, and he stretched out his hands to hold Wu Zhiyuan's hands tightly and shook them vigorously, as if he had seen a long-lost relative. He was completely different from the former deputy director Wang who was arrogant and sarcastic towards Wu Zhiyuan.

Wu Zhiyuan said calmly, "Director Wang, I'm not here for an inspection today; I'm here to accompany Reporter Ye on an interview."

"Same to you! It's a great honor for our forest farm that Secretary Wu could come!" Wang Junhua beamed, turning to Ye Xiaoman, "Reporter Ye is young and promising, with an extraordinary temperament. Standing next to Secretary Wu, they are truly a perfect match, a handsome man and a beautiful woman!"

Wang Junhua probably thought Ye Xiaoman was Wu Zhiyuan's girlfriend, which is why he said those words.

Ye Xiaoman's face immediately turned as red as a peach blossom.