Chapter 268: Management (Part 1)

After the meeting of the grassroots civil servants concluded, Yi Zhongcheng felt a profound sense of kinship with Hou Weidong. He had pondered for a long time how to define the role of the new management committee, and he had even raised the issue with Zhang Jin, the deputy director who was effectively in charge at the time. However, Zhang Jin was constantly besieged by residents facing demolition, his head spinning from the endless arguments, leaving him no mental space to deeply consider the positioning of the new committee.

Back in his office, Yi Zhongcheng retrieved a draft he had written earlier titled "Several Suggestions on the Development of the New Management Committee." Combining it with the points Hou Weidong had mentioned, he pondered over it for a while, then carefully rewrote it and eagerly delivered it to Hou Weidong.

Yi Zhongcheng’s draft was handwritten in beautiful fountain pen script, pleasing to the eye. Hou Weidong quickly scanned the title, his face expressionless, and asked, "Did you write this?"

Yi Zhongcheng replied, "I believe the Nanjiao New City should be a modern, livable small city, primarily focused on real estate and commerce, rather than being turned into an industrial park. Otherwise, it would be no different from the development zone. My suggestion is to invite a professional urban design institute to conduct a thorough and detailed study of the new district and formulate a practical development plan."

"Your opinion is highly valuable. Regarding the planning you mentioned, I agree. Urban development must prioritize planning. The plan for the new management committee must be created by top domestic experts. We shouldn't fear the high cost. Once the plan is established, all projects must comply with it."

Yi Zhongcheng’s ideas received full affirmation. Though he maintained a calm exterior, he was thrilled inside. As he left Hou Weidong’s office, his steps were unusually light.

Hou Weidong examined the draft carefully. To be honest, it was a substantive article, and he agreed with most of the viewpoints. "Yi Zhongcheng is indeed a thoughtful person with good capability. If he weren’t Yi Zhongling’s cousin, I could have used him effectively."

Despite this, Hou Weidong was still looking for ways to move Yi Zhongcheng out of the position. At the very least, he needed to adjust his role and could not let him remain the office director. Hou Weidong took the lessons from the procuratorate’s internal oversight failures to heart.

At ten o’clock, he sent a pager message to his driver, Wang Bing, and took the new Mitsubishi directly to the development zone.

The development zone was located west of Yiyang County town. A narrow small road connected the new management committee office to the development zone. This small road would serve as the main channel for trucks entering and exiting the highway for the development zone.

After waiting for a while, Qin Feiyue arrived in his car.

"How do you feel about being in the new management committee, brother?" Qin Feiyue asked.

"I just arrived, and I’m completely in the dark. I’ve been wandering around blindly these past few days. I want to make some decisive moves, but I don’t know where to start."

Qin Feiyue, having experienced his own ups and downs, was more open and relaxed than he had been in Qinglin. Looking at the new Mitsubishi, he clicked his tongue several times and said, "You arrived and were immediately assigned a new Mitsubishi. The county clearly values the new city, which has received high recognition from Secretary Changquan. Our development zone feels like the child of a stepmother."

A truck passed by, kicking up a heavy cloud of dust. Hou Weidong and Qin Feiyue moved to a slightly higher small hill to avoid it. Although it was just a small hill, the wind was much stronger than on the flat ground. Soon, the northwest wind scattered the dust, which settled on the trees, leaving everything looking gray and hazy.

Qin Feiyue’s temples seemed to have a few gray hairs. Compared to when he was the town mayor in Qinglin a few years ago, his sharp edge had dulled considerably. "We are in the central region. Compared to the coastal areas, we lack locational advantages and policy advantages. Businesses invest to make money. Why would they invest in Yiyang?"

He pointed at the road and shouted, "It’s this small road leading to the new highway exit that has scared away many investors. I invited you to see the site today to find a solution to the development zone’s exit problem."

Standing on the small hill, Hou Weidong had other thoughts.

There was a large expanse of farmland to the south of the new management committee, covering an area of three or four square kilometers, distributed along both sides of the small road. This area was located downwind from Yiyang County town, about six or seven kilometers from the old city center. It was suitable for locating some enterprises, while the main part of the Nanjiao urban area should serve as the core of the new city.

Qin Feiyue was very clear about the current situation in Yiyang. "Zhu Yan’s promotion is only a matter of time. You are his trusted subordinate. You should take advantage of the time before he leaves to propose specific issues. He will be happy to resolve them. To put it bluntly, he asked for your help mainly to use your relationship with Zhu Yan to finalize the construction of the small road. This is a matter of great importance to the development of the entire zone."

He paused, drawing out his words. "If you miss this village, there won’t be another shop. No matter who takes the helm in the future, they will replace a batch of people in Yiyang or adjust policies."

Hou Weidong understood Qin Feiyue’s intentions. He wanted to use Hou Weidong’s relationship with Zhu Yan to promote the construction of the small road. Hou Weidong thought to himself, "Things in Yiyang are truly strange. Obviously good and legitimate matters are delayed for a long time through proper channels, and can only be resolved through other means. Social relationships are also productive forces. This slogan truly fits China’s national conditions."

Another thought flashed through his mind. "I always want to drive Yi Zhongcheng out of the new management committee. He is actually a talented person. Have I already become a bureaucrat skilled in internal struggles and indifferent to practical work?"

Seeing Hou Weidong lost in thought, Qin Feiyue, unaware of the thoughts flashing through his mind, continued, "I heard Ma Youcai is going to become the party secretary. You need to be careful. Although Zhu Yan is looking out for you in Shazhou, the local officials have more immediate power than distant ones. No one can predict what the future situation will be."

The old town mayor, Qin Feiyue, spoke without reservation, every word hitting the mark.

Hou Weidong thought for a moment and said, "Director Qin, I agree with your point of view. Lingxi is currently focusing on building the second ring road. All traffic entering the first ring road comes from the south and southwest, where the development zone and the new management committee are located. The distance between them is not far. This small road happens to be on the edge of the two zones and can serve as a connecting ring road. In the future, trucks from both zones can reach the highway via this ring road."

This proposal perfectly aligned with Qin Feiyue’s thinking.

Qin Feiyue said, "I suggest that the development zone and the new management committee jointly submit a document to the county government, striving to include the small road construction in the county’s key projects. Before issuing the document, we will act separately. You go to find Secretary Zhu, and I will go to find County Mayor Ma, to争取 their support."

Hou Weidong returned to his office after eleven o’clock. He called Yi Zhongcheng in and asked, "Do you know about the small road from the new management committee to the development zone?"

Yi Zhongcheng nodded. "I’ve walked it twice."

"Does the infrastructure section have a topographic map of the area from Nanjiao to the development zone? A 1:10,000 scale map. If so, bring it to my office."

After a while, Yi Zhongcheng and the infrastructure section chief, Yang Zhong, came to Hou Weidong’s office. The map was usually left in the infrastructure section, wrinkled and dirty. When unfolded on the table, it looked quite unappealing. Hou Weidong glanced at Yang Zhong but did not criticize him.

Although it was early spring and the weather was not hot, Yang Zhong felt a warmth spreading through his body.

The three of them leaned over the table, struggling a bit before they could trace the entire winding, narrow small road.

"Look at the map. There are two roads from the development zone to the highway exit. One goes through the urban area first, then to Nanjiao, and finally to the highway exit. The other goes directly from this small road to the highway exit. From the perspective of future development trends, this small road is the lifeline of the development zone."

Hou Weidong pointed at the map. "Look at this area. This is the south side of the new management committee, covering two or three square kilometers. The straight-line distance to the county town is probably six or seven li. It is exactly downwind from the county town, and there is an unnamed river with low flow. The enterprises recruited by our new management committee should all be concentrated in this area, completely separated from other areas of the new management committee. This makes the small road very important."

Hou Weidong spoke with enthusiasm. He seemed to see through the drawings the great changes already coming to the new management committee, changes that he was personally controlling. As he spoke, he felt a subtle sense of achievement.

"Director Yi, write a report to the district government to initiate the construction of the small road. After writing it, issue it jointly with the development zone."

He added, "We will hold a leadership team meeting this afternoon to discuss this matter. You have Yang Zhong present the main points, and I will supplement."

Yi Zhongcheng hesitated for a moment, then couldn’t help but suggest, "Director Hou, yesterday you arranged to invite a famous national urban design institute to conduct high-level urban planning. Can we wait until the planning is completed before building this road?"

Hou Weidong said, "Director Yi makes a valid point. However, we cannot afford to delay. Secretary Changquan of the Shazhou Municipal Party Committee has high hopes for the new management committee. When I accompanied him, he explicitly stated that he would come to visit again next year. If we don’t have tangible achievements and only present a plan, how will the municipal party committee and government evaluate the new management committee?"

Yi Zhongcheng originally wanted to say more but held back, shaking his head silently in his heart. He thought, "Hou Weidong is young and eager for quick success. If that’s the case, what’s the use of spending a lot of money on planning?"

Before they left, Hou Weidong said to Yang Zhong of the infrastructure section, "Get me a large map of Yiyang and a panoramic map of the new management committee."

As soon as Yi Zhongcheng and Yang Zhong left, Shen Yonghua, the finance section chief, walked in. He was tall and thin, wearing a crisp suit. If one didn’t look at the parts below his elbows, he would appear to be a genuine handsome man. But seeing the parts below his elbows, people would suddenly realize he must be a financial officer.

Hou Weidong looked at the sleeve covers Shen Yonghua was wearing and was reminded of the cadres of the 1970s. Yet, he was wearing a suit of no low quality.

The finance section chief is very important for any unit, usually being the confidant of the top leader. A flexible finance section chief not only enjoys good food and drink but also holds a status in the unit that is even more important than some deputy positions. Hou Weidong, as the head of an enterprise, had a deep understanding of this.

Shen Yonghua sat respectfully opposite Hou Weidong and said, "Director Hou, this is the plan for April."

Hou Weidong casually handed the comprehensive report to Shen Yonghua and said, "There’s about 400,000 left in the small account, right?"

"Last year, each ordinary cadre received a year-end bonus of 5,000 yuan. Deputy directors of the second leadership team received 7,000, directors received 8,000, and first-tier leadership received 10,000. The small account has 1,475,000 yuan remaining."

The small account was the new management committee’s slush fund. On the second day after Hou Weidong reported for duty, Shen Yonghua had proactively reported the status of the slush fund. Hou Weidong was quite satisfied with Shen Yonghua’s initiative.

"I see." He responded casually, took the April plan, and began to read it carefully, leaving Shen Yonghua waiting patiently on the opposite side.

After finishing, Hou Weidong took the fountain pen sent by Ji Haiyang and signed two characters: "Approved." Shen Yonghua walked out of the office as if holding a treasure.

As it approached twelve o’clock, Hou Weidong was stretching when Zhu Yan personally called. "Prepare 50,000 yuan this afternoon. Come with me to Shazhou."