Absolute power in officialdom

Chapter 339 Radish Recruitment

Wu Zhiyuan returned to his office, leaned back in his chair, and recalled Lin Xue and Han Jie's words, both of which reminded him of the same thing—in Qingyan County, without people you can rely on, you can't get anywhere.

Of course, building your own elite force is a universally applicable strategy.

This applies to any leader, both ancient and modern, from all over the world.

In Qingyan, he was unfamiliar with the place and the people. Without his own team, it wouldn't be easy for him to accomplish anything.

Who are trustworthy? Wu Zhiyuan had no idea.

He thought of Ding Yiyi.

Ding Yiyi once served as a member of the Standing Committee of the County Party Committee and Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission in Qingyan County, and is quite familiar with the situation in Qingyan County.

Said Cao Cao, Cao Cao.

Just as Wu Zhiyuan was about to call Ding Yiyi, Ding Yiyi called him back.

Could it be that we are telepathically connected?

"Congratulations on your new appointment, County Chief Wu!" Ding Yiyi's hearty laughter came from the other end of the phone.

Wu Zhiyuan laughed as well: "County Chief Ding, taking office is not exactly a happy thing, but it is definitely giving me a headache."

Ding Yi asked with a smile, "What's wrong? The water in Qingyan tastes off?"

"It's not just wrong, it's bottomless and incredibly murky." Wu Zhiyuan sighed softly and asked directly, "County Chief Ding, I have something to ask you."

You used to work in Qingyan. Do you know any of the county's cadres who are capable and willing to work?

I'm new here and completely clueless, so I need to have a general idea of ​​what to expect first.

Ding Yi paused for a moment, seemingly considering his options.

After a while, he slowly spoke: "Zhiyuan, in Qingyan, without many of our own people, it is indeed difficult to move an inch."

When I was the secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission, I saw some storms.

To be honest, there aren't many cadres who are capable, principled, and haven't been assimilated by unhealthy tendencies, but there are some.

Okay, I'll recommend three people to you. You can get to know them and see if they're suitable. First, Deputy County Head Liu Feng.

Wu Zhiyuan pictured a thin, tall, middle-aged man in his mind.

He met with several deputy county heads today.

Liu Feng is in charge of agriculture, forestry, water resources, poverty alleviation, and civil affairs.

"Liu Feng is very capable and has a flexible mind. He has served as the secretary of a township party committee and the director of an agricultural bureau, and he did well in both. Later, he was promoted to deputy county head."

But because he was capable, a bit arrogant, and not good at networking, he was never promoted. If I remember correctly, he had been the deputy county head for four or five years.

Liu Feng rose through the ranks from a township-level cadre and is very familiar with work related to agriculture, rural areas, and farmers.

He understands the difficulties faced by ordinary people better than anyone else;

He can pinpoint the key points of whatever township officials are thinking.

Liu Feng is a straightforward person who isn't good at socializing and doesn't like forming cliques.

As far as I know, before Yuan Jin went to Qingyan County, Liu Feng was in charge of departments such as construction and land.

He didn't listen to Yuan Jin on some matters, so Yuan Jin adjusted his job assignments.

Liu Feng was the kind of cadre who was marginalized but not completely defeated, and who harbored a strong sense of determination.

Zhiyuan, you've worked at the grassroots level, so you naturally understand agriculture and poverty alleviation.

There were no grand, spectacular projects; they were all small, tedious, and unproductive tasks.

Liu Feng was capable of getting things done. He led several people from the agricultural sector to visit all the industrial poverty alleviation projects in the county. He knew exactly what each village was planting, raising, and what difficulties they were facing.

At this year's city-wide agricultural work conference, Qingyan County was also presented as an advanced example.

Wu Zhiyuan asked, "And the second one?"

"The second one is Wei Zhiliang, who is now the director of the county statistics bureau."

It's a bit of a pity about this person.

He used to be the director of the county finance bureau. He was very capable and also known for his stubbornness and inflexibility.

Back then, a conflict arose with Yuan Jin's secretary over the allocation of a special fiscal fund.

I'm not entirely clear on the specifics. The amount of money wasn't large, only a few million, but there were flaws in the paperwork. The county party committee office intervened and made arrangements to expedite the process, disbursing the funds first and then completing the paperwork later.

Wei Zhiliang firmly disagreed, saying that fiscal discipline is not a game, and not a single penny could be touched without proper procedures.

As a result, he was reassigned within a few days, transferred from the Finance Bureau to the Statistics Bureau.

Although it's called a lateral transfer, everyone knows that the Finance Bureau is a powerful and crucial department, while the Statistics Bureau is seen by many as a place where one can only sit on the sidelines.

He is a man of strong principles who cannot tolerate any flaws, but sometimes he is too serious and inflexible.

In officialdom, this kind of personality is easy to suffer.

He works at the statistics bureau, and I imagine he's having a tough time; his spirits have probably worn thin.

But he was very knowledgeable; he had a clear understanding of Qingyan's financial situation and the intricacies of its statistical data.

If you want to truly understand Qingyan's economic situation, instead of looking at those misleading reports, then he's the one to contact.

Wu Zhiyuan chimed in, "From a god of wealth to the head of the statistics bureau, that's quite a fall from grace. I understand, County Chief Ding, please continue."

"The third one is a woman named Liu Jingjing."

I'm not entirely sure what her exact position is now.

When I left Qingyan, she was the mayor of Nanping Town.

Nanping Town is one of the most remote towns in Qingyan County, with harsh conditions, but she did a great job there. She worked hard on road construction, developing specialty planting and breeding, and strengthening grassroots Party building, earning a good reputation among the people.

She has a straightforward personality, is outspoken and decisive, a bit feisty, and is a pragmatist.

She was promoted to town mayor, which was said to have caused some controversy at the county party committee standing committee meeting. Some people felt that she was too impulsive and not steady enough, but in the end, the county party secretary at the time overruled the objections and appointed her.

You'd better find out what her current job is.

If he's reassigned to a sinecure, he'll likely be a frustrated and unfulfilled official.

Wu Zhiyuan said, "Thank you so much! You've shown me three paths."

Ding Yi reminded him, "Zhiyuan, what I'm providing is just for reference. People change, and the environment changes people too."

These are my recommendations based on my impressions from a few years ago. As for their actual quality, you'll have to get to know them and judge for yourself.

Furthermore, you need to be mindful of your approach when making contact; don't be too aggressive from the start, lest you cause trouble for them and for yourself.

"I understand, I will be careful."

The two chatted for a while longer before hanging up.

The cell phone on the table rang. It was an unfamiliar local number.

"Hello, is this County Chief Wu?" A male voice came from the other end of the phone.

"I am Wu Zhiyuan. And who are you?" Wu Zhiyuan asked politely.

"County Chief Wu, hello! I'm Lü Xinghua! Do you remember me?"

"When I was handling the Chen Zhenglei case, the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection seconded me for a period of time, and I worked under your leadership for a while."

Lü Xinghua? Wu Zhiyuan remembered.

Several years ago, when the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection investigated the case of Chen Zhenglei, deputy secretary of the Longdong District Committee, a special task force was established, and the team leader was Ding Yiyi.

Due to a shortage of personnel at the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection, several key personnel were transferred from the county and district commissions for discipline inspection, including Lü Xinghua from the Qingyan County Commission for Discipline Inspection.

As far as I can remember, Lü Xinghua was a year or two older than him, quick-witted, and meticulous in his work.

I didn't work with him for long, but I had a good impression of him.

"Xinghua, I remember you. Long time no see. Are you still in the disciplinary committee system?"

"County Chief Wu, it's so good that you still remember me!"

Congratulations on coming to Qingyan to take charge of government work!

When I heard the news today, I could hardly believe it, but I was also extremely happy!

I'd like to report to you that shortly after I was assigned to Chen Zhenglei's special task force, I was promoted to deputy mayor. A year later, I was transferred to the county's Human Resources and Social Security Bureau as deputy director. The year before last, I was transferred again to the county's Archives Bureau as deputy director, where I remain to this day.

Wu Zhiyuan had an idea.

He was new to the area and eager to understand the situation. Lü Xinghua, on the other hand, was a local cadre who had worked in townships, served as deputy director of the Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, and worked in the Archives Bureau. He should be very familiar with the situation in the county.

Through him, one might be able to understand some people and some things.

"Xinghua, are you free tonight?" Wu Zhiyuan extended an invitation. "I've just settled in, and my place is fairly quiet."

If it's convenient for you, come over tonight, have some tea, and we can have a good chat.

We worked on a case together back then, but time was limited, so we didn't have much time to talk.

"Perfect timing, I'd also like to ask you about something."

Lu Xinghua was clearly taken aback by Wu Zhiyuan's direct invitation to his residence. His voice betrayed his flattery, excitement, and joy: "I'm free! I'm free! County Chief Wu, you're too kind! I'll definitely come over tonight! What time would be convenient for you?"

"Around eight o'clock. I'll send you the address via text message in a bit," Wu Zhiyuan said.

"Okay, okay! I'll be there on time at eight o'clock! Thank you, County Chief Wu!" Lu Xinghua said hurriedly.

After having dinner at the county government canteen that evening, Wu Zhiyuan walked back to his residence.

His house is a temporary housing unit provided by the county government, just a few minutes' walk from the back gate of the county government, which is very convenient.

Lü Xinghua arrived right on time.

He was carrying a fruit basket and looked somewhat flustered.

"County Magistrate Wu, I'm sorry to bother you, it's been a long time."

"Xinghua, you've come all this way, why did you bring anything? You're being too polite. Please come in."

"County Magistrate Wu, I only brought some fruit. I know you wouldn't accept anything else."

Wu Zhiyuan gestured for Lü Xinghua to sit down and personally brewed tea: "Try this tea of ​​mine, brought from Qingshan. It's high-mountain tea, and the taste is not bad."

"You're too kind, I can do it myself." Lü Xinghua quickly got up.

"Sit down, sit down. Let's skip the formalities now that we're here."

Wu Zhiyuan placed the brewed tea in front of Lü Xinghua, sat down himself, and smiled, saying, "Time flies so fast. In the blink of an eye, several years have passed. It feels like just yesterday that we were working together on a case."

"Have you experienced a lot of on-the-job training over the past few years?"

Lu Xinghua said with a wry smile, "County Chief Wu, you are my old leader, so I won't beat around the bush when I talk to you."

My transfer from deputy director of the Human Resources and Social Security Bureau to deputy director of the Archives Bureau is essentially a disguised exile.

"Exile?" Wu Zhiyuan laughed.

Having worked in officialdom for many years, he certainly knew that if an official was transferred from an important position to a low-level department, it was either because he was being suppressed or ostracized, or because he had made a mistake, but the problem was not serious.

"Yes, County Chief Wu, it all started with the talent recruitment program in Luobogang."

Lu Xinghua explained the whole story.

"County Chief Wu, when I was the deputy director of the Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, I was in charge of personnel recruitment."

Two years ago, the county launched a talent recruitment program. As everyone knows, many of the positions in this program are tailor-made for the children of the powerful and wealthy.

Talent recruitment doesn't require written tests, only interviews, and there's too much shady stuff going on during those interviews.

After landing a government job, you'll have a permanent position. After a few years, you can transfer to a civil service position through other means.

There is a position in the county's key construction projects bureau that requires applicants to be overseas returnees with a master's degree. There are specific requirements for both undergraduate and graduate majors, and both undergraduate and graduate studies must have been conducted abroad.

It looks exactly like Luobogang; they're practically just asking for a specific person.

I raised questions at the time and requested that the conditions be revised, but the director disagreed, saying that he wanted to bring in highly qualified overseas returnees.

During the qualification review, the only candidate who met the requirements for this position was a master's graduate from a university in the Philippines, but did not provide certification from the Ministry of Education's Overseas Study Service Center.

I searched online and found that these kinds of universities are no different from "diploma mills"—you just pay money to buy a diploma that the Ministry of Education doesn't recognize.

I rejected the candidate's application at the time. The director and Secretary Yuan Jin's secretary called me one after the other, hinting that they would handle the matter as a special case, but I insisted on not giving in.

A few days later, the county party committee standing committee approved personnel arrangements for the rotation of cadres, and I was rotated to the archives bureau.

Wu Zhiyuan asked, "What happened to that candidate later?"

Lu Xinghua said, "He got into the county's key construction projects bureau as he wished. From what I've heard, he can't even write a short news report of 200 words; it's full of typos and grammatical errors. But there's nothing we can do; his family has connections."