Absolute power in officialdom

Chapter 18, Level 1 of the Municipal Party Committee's Top Secretary Successfully Passed

Lang Wenping coordinated with the General Affairs Department to install a computer with both internal and external networks for Wu Zhiyuan and connect it to the network.

At noon, after a simple meal in the canteen, Wu Zhiyuan returned to his office and carefully revised the speech draft prepared by Ang Yang.

He first quickly read through the draft prepared by Ang Yang.

To be fair, Ang Yang's writing skills are solid, the structure is complete, the arguments are clear, all the key points are included, and the policies and instructions cited by leaders are also very accurate.

However, the entire document is filled with official jargon and clichés such as "further implement in depth," "strengthen organizational leadership," and "focus on building a long-term mechanism." The sentences are lengthy and the pace is sluggish, making it dull and lacking in impact.

Wu Zhiyuan took out his notebook and reviewed the characteristics of Xu Youwei's speech: short, practical, innovative, lively, and down-to-earth.

He decided to give the manuscript a complete overhaul, rather than just making minor repairs.

He started by cutting the beginning part.

The original draft began: "Comrades: Today, we are holding the city's political and legal work conference here. Our main task is to thoroughly study and implement the important instructions from higher authorities regarding political and legal work, analyze the new situation and new tasks we are currently facing, deploy the work for the next stage, and strive to create a new situation for political and legal work in Longcheng..."

Wu Zhiyuan changed it to: "Comrades, the Political and Legal Work Conference is held every year, but this year's situation is particularly different."

What will enable Longcheng to develop, society to remain stable, and its people to live in peace?

The most important thing is safety!

Peace and safety are the '1', and everything else is a '0' following it. Without the '1' of peace and safety, no matter how many zeros there are, they cannot stand or remain stable!

He used a simple numerical analogy to directly point out the fundamental status of political and legal work, which was more powerful than the original draft's "high importance".

When discussing public security and the fight against organized crime, the original manuscript used a long passage to explain the importance, necessity, and work arrangements. Although comprehensive, it was also lengthy.

Wu Zhiyuan recalled Xu Youwei's saying, "Strike the snake at its seven-inch mark, eradicate organized crime at its root," and decided to elaborate on this metaphor.

He wrote: "...Organizations are like weeds in a field. You cut them down today, and they grow back tomorrow. Why?"

Because the roots weren't dug out! Some roots are still buried deep in the fertile 'soil'!

What is this soil? It's all sorts of "protective umbrellas"!

Therefore, in our fight against organized crime, we must not be satisfied with just arresting a few petty thugs and dismantling a few gangs. We must also investigate thoroughly to see how these criminal gangs grew in power.

Who tipped them off? Who stood up for them? We need to be like an old farmer digging up sweet potatoes, digging them up clean, vine and root, with one stroke of the pickaxe!

This is called "pulling out the radish and bringing out the mud." No matter how big and fresh the radish is, no matter who the mud is on, you can't be lenient or hesitant!

This revision visualizes the issue of "protective umbrellas" by using colloquialisms such as "weeds," "digging up sweet potatoes," and "pulling out radishes and bringing out mud," which are both vivid and sharp, hinting at the depth and determination of the next step of the work. This aligns with Xu Youwei's likely plan to push for a deeper crackdown on organized crime and evil forces.

When deploying specific tasks, he concretized the cliché of "strengthening coordination and linkage" into "the public security should act as the sharpest weapon, the courts and procuratorates should expedite trials and conclusions, and all departments should work together as one to create a powerful force."

Wu Zhiyuan meticulously considered every sentence and every word, striving to accurately convey the spirit of the policy while also conforming to Xu Youwei's linguistic style.

He also consulted some local folk proverbs and sayings of Longcheng and cleverly incorporated them into the text to increase its local flavor and approachability.

After a busy morning, the draft was finally finalized.

Wu Zhiyuan checked it twice more to make sure there were no typos or redundant words.

As soon as Xu Youwei arrived at work in the afternoon, Wu Zhiyuan presented the manuscript to him for review.

Xu Youwei's eyes lit up after reading the beginning, and an appreciative look appeared on his face: "Zhiyuan, not bad."

Wu Zhiyuan stood in front of the table and said respectfully, "Secretary Xu, if there is anything that does not conform to your ideas, I will revise it immediately."

Xu Youwei read through the entire manuscript and praised, "Zhiyuan, you are very efficient, and the revisions are excellent. It perfectly meets my requirements."

All the fluff and gimmicks have been removed, the key points are highlighted, and the language is powerful.

The metaphor used is very vivid and down-to-earth. Great, that's settled then.

Wu Zhiyuan finally breathed a sigh of relief and said modestly, "It was Secretary Xu who provided clear guidance; I simply made adjustments according to your requirements."

"Yes, not arrogant or impatient, very good." Xu Youwei nodded. "From now on, my speeches will follow this style."

Working overtime at noon, huh? It doesn't have to be too strenuous. I'm against overtime, especially ineffective overtime.

Of course, if time is tight, we'll still have to work overtime.

The first battle was won.

At least in terms of writing style, Wu Zhiyuan believes he has passed the test.

But for a secretary, writing skills are just a basic skill, not the whole picture.

No leader likes a bookworm who can only write reports.

In the evening, Wu Zhiyuan, Lang Wenping, Sun Runcai, and Jiang Hao chatted while playing cards at a local specialty restaurant in Longcheng.

Jiang Hao was previously the deputy section chief of the First Secretariat Section of the Municipal Party Committee Office, and is now the deputy director of the Office of the Municipal Fisheries Bureau. Although he is still engaged in writing work, his status is vastly different.

Previously, he was the secretary to He Jiaping, the municipal party secretary, and the chief secretary of the municipal party committee. But now, he is working in the marginalized fishery bureau, which clearly indicates that he has been relegated to a lower position.

Wu Zhiyuan thought about himself and realized that he had been doing the same thing not long ago.

Lang Wenping said, "Zhiyuan, Jiang Haowen is a very talented writer and very experienced in dealing with people. It's just that he's had bad luck and is temporarily lying low."

Just like you, weren't you a forest ranger at Qinglongshan Forest Farm before?

Jiang Hao said with a wry smile, "Lang Ke, we're in the same boat, both implicated in Secretary He's case. I've been sidelined, and you're in a similarly frustrating situation."

Jiang Hao looked at Wu Zhiyuan and introduced, "Lang Ke is very outstanding. He was originally going to be promoted to deputy director level. The organization department had already started the investigation, but Secretary He had an accident."

The First Secretariat directly serves the city's top leaders. Lang Ke's promotion was temporarily suspended, but the disciplinary committee's investigation found nothing wrong with him. However, there has been no further news regarding his promotion.

Lang Wenping said self-deprecatingly, "Alas, it's all about timing and luck. In the end, we are just pawns on a chessboard."

When the players change, the fate of the pieces changes as well.

To have a chance like Zhiyuan's, to encounter a new player like Secretary Xu, who values ​​practical skills and doesn't care about background, is a rare opportunity.

Jiang Hao chimed in, "Yes, Zhiyuan, keep up the good work, you have a bright future. We'll be counting on Zhiyuan to mentor us in the future."

Lang Wenping smiled and said, "Jiang Hao, before Zhiyuan promotes you, you should first lend Zhiyuan a hand. Pass on your experience as the chief secretary of the municipal party committee to Zhiyuan."

Jiang Hao smiled wryly: "I don't have much experience, but I've learned a lot. In short, always be careful, especially to pay attention to those seemingly insignificant details."

Sometimes, what trips people up isn't towering mountains or mighty rivers, but rather an inconspicuous stone in a small ditch.

Lang Wenping chimed in, "Zhiyuan, Jiang Hao makes a lot of sense. I'd like to remind you to be wary of someone: Angyang."

He is not only arrogant but also narrow-minded.

He believes you stole his position as the chief secretary of the municipal party committee. He may not hold a grudge against you, but he certainly doesn't like you.

He was a distant relative of Geng Dongqing; otherwise, why would Geng Dongqing have recommended him to be Secretary Xu's secretary?

After Secretary Xu selected you as his secretary, Geng Dongqing had his own thoughts, perhaps thinking that Secretary Xu did not trust him.

You should also be wary of Geng Dongqing, after all, you're not one of his people.

Wu Zhiyuan suddenly realized why Geng Dongqing was so cold to him, and why she gave him less advice than Xu Youwei. There was another reason.

Inviting Lang Wenping to dinner tonight was the right move!

If it were just a business matter, Lang Wenping would unlikely have discussed these things with him.