Absolute power in officialdom

Chapter 316 Yet another shoddy construction project

Wu Zhiyuan hesitated for a few seconds before replying, "County Chief Ding, adjusting the director of the county government office is a major event; it affects the whole situation."

On the one hand, Ang Yang is Secretary Geng's man, so if we want to take action against him, we must have a reasonable and respectable reason. We cannot let Secretary Geng feel that we are targeting him, so as to avoid escalating the conflict.

On the other hand, the new candidate must be loyal, reliable, highly capable, and able to get up to speed quickly; otherwise, it will affect the normal operation of the county government office.

Ding Yi nodded: "You're right. As for the candidate, I hope it's a woman. What do you think of Wang Meili?"

With Ding Yiyi's question, Wu Zhiyuan had already guessed eight or nine parts of the answer.

Wang Meili is a scheming woman. After Gan Simiao left, she needed to find a new backer.

Just like before, when she brought him strawberries late at night and shamelessly said she would be his urinal, she might be looking for various opportunities to show her loyalty to Ding Yiyi and build a relationship with him.

Otherwise, why would Ding Yiyi bring up Wang Meili on her own initiative?

However, Wu Zhiyuan really wanted to know if Wang Meili had given Geng Dongqing strawberries.

Given Wang Meili's personality, she most likely gave it to him, but Geng Dongqing remained unmoved.

In Qingshan County, if you're looking for a powerful backer, Geng Dongqing is undoubtedly the best one.

If Wang Meili had Geng Dongqing as a powerful backer, it would be unlikely that she would seek out Ding Yiyi or Wu Zhiyuan.

Because everyone knows that Ding Yiyi and Geng Dongqing are outwardly friendly but inwardly at odds.

Wu Zhiyuan also became close to Ding Yiyi.

In officialdom, one must either choose sides or remain neutral, trying to please both sides, which often ends up leaving one feeling disliked by both.

Geng Dongqing was naturally aware of the special relationship between Wang Meili and his ex-girlfriend Gan Simiao.

He has no shortage of women, so why would he accept a woman that Gan Semiao had slept with?

Wu Zhiyuan couldn't directly deny it, so he first affirmed Wang Meili's strengths: "Wang Meili has abilities, and her coordination skills are also good."

During her years at the county's Culture and Tourism Bureau, she organized activities and projects, and accomplished a great deal.

Moreover, she is a woman, and if she were placed in the position of director of the county government office, from a gender perspective, it would indeed fit your idea.

Wu Zhiyuan paused for a moment, then changed the subject: "Wang Meili is outgoing and good at socializing, which is her strength."

However, the county government office is a central institution, and what it needs are cadres who are calm, reserved, able to keep secrets, and able to withstand tests.

Moreover, the director of the county government office plays a crucial role in bridging the gap between higher and lower levels, and needs to balance and coordinate relationships with the deputy county heads and the county party committee office. This requires the person in charge to have a high degree of political wisdom and a sense of propriety.

Wang Meili's style of doing things may be a bit flamboyant, and she may not be able to achieve the best results when dealing with complex interpersonal relationships.

Ding Yi nodded, seemingly having taken it to heart.

"Zhiyuan, to be honest, the reason I thought of Wang Meili is because after I was elected county magistrate, she took the initiative to come to me to report her thoughts."

She talked about a lot, including her thoughts on work and some personal dilemmas.

His words conveyed his support and endorsement of me, and he adopted a very humble attitude, hoping to have a broader stage to serve the people.

Of course I understood what she meant. I didn't say anything at the time, but just encouraged her to work hard.

Zhiyuan, are there any other suitable lesbian candidates?

Alternatively, it's not necessary to be fixated on gender; the key is that the person is reliable, their abilities are a good match, and ideally, they should be familiar with government procedures.

Wu Zhiyuan suddenly thought of Hu Lijin, the deputy mayor of Xindian Town. Hu Lijin had served as the director of the town's Party and government office. Unlike Wang Meili, she did not have any issues with her personal conduct, nor was she the kind of person who was two-faced.

"County Chief Ding, I've thought of someone, Hu Lijin, the deputy mayor of Xindian Town. Before her promotion, she was the director of the Party and Government Office. She is familiar with the business of the government office and has worked at the grassroots level for a long time. She has a clean political record."

While thinking, Ding Yi said, "The deputy mayor is a deputy section chief, and the deputy director of the county government office is also a deputy section chief. A lateral transfer does not involve promotion, so there will be less resistance."

The key question is, can she adapt to the pace of the county government directly from the township level?

The workload and complexity of a county government office are on a completely different level compared to that of a township party and government office.

Wu Zhiyuan explained: "Xindian Town is a large town in terms of population and economy in Qingshan County. It is also a town with a sub-county level administrative status. The daily affairs of the town's party and government office are already complicated and trivial."

During her tenure as director of the Party and Government Office, Hu Lijin handled all tasks in an orderly manner, and her comprehensive coordination, document and meeting management, and emergency response capabilities were all tested in practical grassroots experience.

Even if she were transferred to the county government office as deputy director, it wouldn't be a direct promotion to director, so there would be much less resistance in terms of personnel matters.

If she can adapt to the pace of the county government office, it would be natural for her to be promoted to a higher position when the time is right.

If you are not competent, there is ample room for adjustment.

As for Angyang, if it's inconvenient to immediately transfer him from his post, he can be sidelined and his real power gradually diminished and stripped away before a longer-term plan is developed.

Ding Yiyi accepted Wu Zhiyuan's suggestion: "Zhiyuan, you've thought this through thoroughly. You've considered both the current personnel situation and left enough room for future maneuvering. Let's do it your way."

Just then, Ding Yiyi's secretary announced that Lang Wenping, a member of the Standing Committee of the County Party Committee and Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission, had arrived.

Wu Zhiyuan stood up to take his leave: "County Chief Ding, I'll be going now."

Ding Yiyi said, "Zhiyuan, there's no need to avoid it. Before you came, Secretary Lang and I communicated. He was reporting some problems that had arisen in the Qinghe River embankment reinforcement project."

Lang Wenping has arrived.

All three were old acquaintances, and they had all worked together at the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection and were also Lin Xue's former subordinates.

Lang Wenping pushed open the door and entered. Seeing Wu Zhiyuan there, he smiled slightly and said, "Zhiyuan is here too, that's perfect."

Ding Yi pointed to the sofa: "Secretary Wenping, Zhiyuan and I are discussing some work."

"You've come at the right time. I was just about to hear Zhiyuan's opinion on the Qinghe embankment issue."

Ding Yi personally poured Lang Wenping a glass of water.

Lang Wenping spoke up: "County Chief Ding, Zhiyuan, the Qinghe River embankment reinforcement project is probably facing a major problem, a problem that could potentially cause a major upheaval."

He opened the file bag and took out a stack of materials and some photos.

Lang Wenping explained, "We have received multiple reports, both officially named and anonymous, all pointing to the Qinghe River embankment reinforcement project."

The allegations were very specific and not baseless.

First, a large amount of the stone used in the project was of inferior quality. The granite blocks required by the design were replaced with severely weathered crushed stone and rubble, which did not meet the strength requirements at all.

Secondly, the concrete mix proportions were severely reduced. The concrete grade provided by the commercial concrete plant was far below the design standard. In some sections, cement mortar was even used directly instead, which was ignored by the on-site supervisors.

Third, the construction procedures were severely simplified. The dam foundation, which should have been compacted and properly cured in layers, was hastily backfilled by the construction team in order to rush the construction period and save costs, without even conducting the most basic compaction test...

Wu Zhiyuan frowned. Although he was not a water conservancy expert, he still understood the basic common sense and potential risks of engineering projects.

"If the report is true, then it's simply playing with the lives and property of ordinary people!"

"If the Qinghe River floods, can such a dike withstand it?"

Lang Wenping continued, "I have already arranged for people to conduct an undercover investigation on-site, take photos, and collect evidence. The situation is almost identical to what was reported."

The Qinghe River embankment protects the lives and property of hundreds of thousands of people in Qingshan County and several downstream towns.

With the current construction quality, let alone withstanding a once-in-a-century flood, even a moderate-flow flood during a normal flood season could cause the dikes to collapse, resulting in catastrophic disaster. This is simply a complete and utter shoddy construction project.

Ding Yi carefully reviewed the report materials and photos, and asked, "The construction company is the water conservancy construction company under the Biyuan Group."

"Isn't the construction company for the Wanshan Bridge, which collapsed last time, also a subsidiary of Biyuan Group?"

Lang Wenping nodded and said, "Yes, they are all Bi Yuan's companies."

Wu Zhiyuan interjected, "Bi Yuan and Secretary Geng have a close relationship; they are said to be high school classmates."

After Secretary Geng came to Qingshan, Bi Yuan won many bids for projects, and they were all large-scale projects.

This is an open secret in Qingshan County.

Lang Wenping chimed in: "When a leader goes to a place, his relatives, friends, fellow villagers, and alumni swarm around him, using his name to carry out projects and do business, currying favor with those in power to make huge profits. This is nothing new. Over the years, there have been countless leading cadres who have fallen because of this."

Ding Yiyi said solemnly, "But Bi Yuan is different. He used his special relationship with Geng Dongqing to turn the livelihood projects in Qingshan County into a tool for making money for himself."

The collapse of the Wanshan Bridge was already a bloody lesson, and now the Qinghe embankment dares to so blatantly cut corners. If there weren't protective umbrellas behind it, even if he had a hundred times the courage, Bi Yuan wouldn't dare to tamper with a project that concerns the lives of hundreds of thousands of people!

Ding Yiyi's gaze fell on Lang Wenping: "Secretary Wenping, who was in charge of the bidding process for this project? Were there any problems with the winning bid?"

Lang Wenping said, "The bidding process was conducted in the first half of the year, before you came to Qingshan."

As far as I know, there were seven companies participating in the bidding, and the water conservancy construction company under Biyuan Group was the one that ultimately won the bid.

During the public announcement period for the winning bid, other companies raised questions, but these were later dropped.

Ding Yi asked, "Who is responsible for handling the questions?"

Lin Guorui, Director of the County Key Project Construction Management Center.

In addition, it is understood that the county government gave Biyuan Group a lot of preferential treatment at the time in order to optimize the business environment.

Some key clauses in the tender documents were reportedly tailor-made for Biyuan.

Wu Zhiyuan asked, "Is there any evidence?"

Lang Wenping shook his head: "It's very difficult to check. The bidding documents are public, and there's nothing wrong with them on the surface."

But anyone in the know can tell that there are very few companies in the entire Qingshan County, or even Longcheng City, that meet the qualification and performance requirements, and Biyuan happens to meet them all.

Ding Yiyi sneered, "Tailor-made, that's quite a technical job."

Lang Wenping continued, "Huang Xiaoyong, the deputy county head in charge of water conservancy and key projects, is a close confidant of Secretary Geng."