Thunder over Jingzhou, Handong

This work was a derivative creation based purely on the original framework-the plot, character interactions, and even the timeline differed from the original. All settings were fictional and served the logic of the story.

Comrades, leaders, and chiefs, please leave your brains at the door.

There was no need to fret over real-world government procedures, much less pick apart the details of the logic. Just follow the story and enjoy a light, satisfying ride!

Those who obediently checked their brains would enjoy flourishing official careers, wealth pouring in, and endless romantic luck.

Anyone determined to nitpick would be exiled to "Ningguta" and made to send "180 gifts"~

The main text follows! "No entry with brains. Go in and leave comments, thirty cents apiece, with a chance to settle up with the protagonist."

On the homepage of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection's website, a notice with a bold black headline exploded across Handong Province like a peal of soundless thunder.

"Wu Xiongfei, deputy Party secretary and mayor of Jingzhou City, is suspected of serious disciplinary violations and violations of the law. He is currently undergoing disciplinary review and supervisory investigation by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection."

The shorter the announcement, the bigger the trouble. For a time, everyone in Handong's officialdom feared for their own safety, speculating wildly and dreading that the flames might reach them. But no one imagined that Jingzhou's skies would change. In Jingzhou, Li Dakang had always had the final say.

On the day the notice was released, thousands of miles away in Yanjing, a Lingyan Pavilion meeting that would determine Handong's future was taking place in a lakeside courtyard residence. Its agenda was precisely how to handle the complicated situation left behind by departing Handong provincial Party secretary Zhao Lichun.

Smoke swirled through the meeting room. Everyone seated there was a household name, and any one of them was enough to leave the outside world breathless.

An elderly man spoke first, tapping his finger lightly on the "Departure Audit Report on Comrade Zhao Lichun, Party Secretary of Handong Province." "Comrade Lichun spent many years in Handong. He achieved results, but he also left plenty of problems. As things stand, the problem of conduct is particularly prominent. Mayor Wu Xiongfei has fallen, and this is by no means an isolated incident. It may well be only the tip of the iceberg. This shows that Handong's political environment has reached a point where we have no choice but to make a major effort to put it in order!"

Another comrade responsible for disciplinary inspection took up the thread, his tone troubled. "Indeed. In a major economic province, the highest-ranking officials investigated over the past few years were only at full division level, yet the reports stressed year after year that its cadres were upright and its politics clean. Even then, I wondered what miraculous powers this Zhao Lichun possessed that allowed him to 'control' human nature. Now it appears he was simply reporting good news and concealing the bad, showing neither loyalty nor honesty toward the organization. Someone like this must be thoroughly investigated."

As soon as he finished, a comrade overseeing organizational affairs added, "Judging from the material we have, the problems within Handong's cadre ranks cannot be underestimated. Before leaving office, Zhao Lichun rushed through the promotion of 125 cadres. This was an extremely irresponsible act toward the organization and seriously disrupted the appointment process. Moreover, during its recent investigation of a case involving a central ministry, the Anti-Corruption General Bureau uncovered leads pointing to Handong once again. Problems keep arising, and that is deeply worrying."

He paused briefly, his voice growing heavy. "The most crucial issue now is how to achieve a smooth transition and ensure overall stability in Handong. Also, the governor's health isn't looking very good. Should we consider that at the same time?"

The elderly man at the head of the table shook his head and settled the matter. "Leave the governor in place for now. Replacing the Party secretary and governor simultaneously would cause too great a shock and undermine stability. What Handong needs now isn't wholesale demolition and reconstruction, but precise positioning. First steady our footing, then proceed gradually."

Once the meeting's direction was set, the discussion naturally turned to Zhao Lichun's successor. Someone mentioned Gao Yuliang, the current deputy provincial Party secretary, a cadre Zhao Lichun had recommended to the higher authorities before leaving office.

An older comrade overseeing political and legal affairs clearly knew the inside story and immediately objected. "Comrade Yuliang? I hear he's passionate about Ming history and especially fond of The Fifteenth Year of Wanli. He's taken Shen Shixing as his role model. Not only must we not recommend a cadre like this, I suggest we investigate him as well."

He continued, "His theoretical grounding is certainly solid, but 'if you cannot sweep one room, how can you sweep the world clean'? Those family problems of his have been kept tightly under wraps in Handong, but does anyone here truly not know about them? Once they're exposed to the outside world, they'll only make him a laughingstock. With such improper personal conduct, how could we promote him with unresolved problems, and how could he serve as an example to Handong's cadres? My position is clear: once the situation in Handong stabilizes, his problems must also be dealt with seriously."

Gao Yuliang's path was completely blocked.

Someone else ventured, "What about Li Dakang, then? He has a knack for managing the economy and plenty of drive. At present, he's the strongest contender to succeed the governor."

However, this proposal likewise failed to win approval.

A comrade responsible for economic affairs voiced his reservations. "Comrade Dakang? His work is overly focused on GDP growth and large-scale construction projects. What about the overall quality of development? Have people's living standards risen at the same pace? How great is the environmental cost? He falls short in all these areas. I'm afraid there is a certain gap between this development philosophy and the high-quality development we currently emphasize. If he took charge of the entire province, its future development might take a crooked path."

The limitations of Li Dakang's working style were subjected to full scrutiny from a broader perspective.

The meeting fell briefly silent. Clearly, after Zhao Lichun's departure, Handong's various sides held differing positions and approaches. The current situation called all the more for a strong cadre with no direct ties to the existing system to break the deadlock, restore order, and lead Handong into a new stage of development.

"Comrade Tian Guofu doesn't seem to have achieved particularly significant results over these past few months?" someone asked quietly. As the disciplinary inspection commission secretary dispatched there earlier, he had clearly failed to exert an effective deterrent in Handong. According to his reports, Handong's cadre ranks were currently disorganized and lacked unified leadership, with everyone already pursuing their own agenda. Comrade Lichun had previously kept things under control. Now that those restraints were gone, every faction was raising its head, as though "once Five Finger Mountain was lifted, everyone thought he was Sun Wukong."

"Precisely for that reason, we must send someone better able to withstand pressure and break the deadlock," the elderly man who had spoken first replied. "What about Comrade Sha Ruijin? He has been tempered in a variety of posts, is politically dependable, and has strong principles. He is particularly adept at handling complicated situations. More importantly-he has no historical ties to any of Handong's factions."

Sha Ruijin's name prompted some discussion. There were objections that his style might be too forceful, hindering unity with Handong's local comrades and proving counterproductive. But the person proposing him carried too much weight. When it came to an actual vote, no one opposed it, and a consensus finally emerged: under Handong's present circumstances, it needed precisely such an iron-fisted figure to scrape poison from the bone and demonstrate Lingyan Pavilion's resolve and stance.

Just as everyone thought the choice of Party secretary was settled and only formalities remained, another elderly man who had been listening all along suddenly spoke. His voice was quiet, yet it instantly drew everyone's attention:

"The Party secretary is settled, and we have no suitable candidate for governor. Should we consider sending a vice governor over to stabilize the economy? Handong is only a palm-sized patch of land-what storms could it possibly stir up? Comrade Ruijin will oversee the overall work there, and the governorship is crucial, serving both as an assistant and a balance. Neither Gao Yuliang nor Li Dakang is suitable. Could we consider sending someone younger, sharper, and also knowledgeable about economics? Inject some fresh blood into Handong's leadership?"

His gaze swept across the room before finally settling on a solemn-faced middle-aged man.

"I think Comrade Lin Yanzhou would be a good choice. He's young and enterprising, studied economics systematically at Peking University, spent several years in central ministries, and understands our grand economic vision. Even my economic development plans have drawn on and quoted articles he published in internal journals. He has done a flourishing job in Menxia City, achieving rapid economic development of high quality and earning an excellent reputation among the public. He fully meets the conditions for exceptional promotion. Could we consider having him take over as governor of Handong and partner with Comrade Ruijin?"

Everyone was startled by these words! Every gaze instantly swung toward another participant-Lin Yanzhou's father, Lin Xingguo.

Lin Xingguo's heart sank, but his expression did not change in the slightest. He had never imagined that the flames would reach his own son.

What sort of place was Handong now? The mouth of a volcano! The center of a whirlpool! Zhao Lichun's mess, a tangled web of relationships. Even Tian Guofu had failed to gain a foothold; sending Sha Ruijin was a heavy punch meant to break the deadlock.

If Lin Yanzhou went straight there as vice governor, he would become the target of every arrow. If things went badly, he might be brought down in Handong. He was their family's only hope in half a century.

A second-generation scion from his own cohort had once served as governor of a northern province, far ahead of the others in terms of age advantage. Yet precisely because he had been too young, after a few glorious years, he had ultimately found himself unable to advance any further!

He spoke without hesitation, his tone exceptionally firm. "Thank you for thinking so highly of Yanzhou! However, I believe this proposal is inappropriate!"

"Yanzhou is too young. Handong's situation is complicated, and it needs a seasoned, steady comrade to stabilize it."

Several of his allies immediately chimed in. "Comrade Xingguo has a point! Comrade Yanzhou is a promising seedling, but he needs tempering. Dropping him straight into a situation as complicated as Handong's would do more harm than good!"

"Yes. As the old saying goes, the bird that sticks its head out gets shot. Those of us who lived through that era have seen too many examples of people who held high office in their youth, only to become targets of every arrow because they stood out too much, ultimately running out of momentum. Protecting young cadres is also our responsibility."

The leader who had made the proposal listened to their objections without showing any displeasure. Instead, he smiled and offered a compromise:

"Comrade Xingguo's concerns, and everyone else's, are reasonable. Taking care of young cadres has always been one of our principles. But Handong's economic development has been sluggish for two years, especially in Jingzhou City. If it doesn't overtake on the bend soon, I fear it will fall behind."

He looked at Lin Xingguo again. "Let Comrade Yanzhou go to Jingzhou and take over as mayor. On the one hand, it is an important enough platform for him to make full use of his economic expertise. On the other, he will be directly within Comrade Ruijin's field of vision and can receive guidance and assistance at any time. This will both temper him and test his abilities. What does everyone think?"

This turn once again caught everyone off guard. Menxia's standing was no worse than Jingzhou's. It looked like a lateral transfer, but with the growing prominence of Menxia and Minnan Province's geographical position and changes in their strategic position over recent years, they were already showing signs of overtaking Jingzhou.

A brief murmur ran through the meeting room. Everyone looked at Lin Xingguo, then at the leader who had proposed it and the older comrades. The older comrades all nodded slightly, evidently approving of this compromise, but none explicitly voiced support.

Old Master Lin and Old Madam Lin were both still alive. Although they had retired many years ago, their lingering influence remained. Lin Xingguo himself was a core member of Lingyan Pavilion, and his opinion had to be fully respected as well.

Although some had private misgivings, the proposal came from an older comrade, and the other older comrades had not opposed it. One was a sub-provincial city, the other a city with independent planning status, and both posts were at vice-ministerial rank. Each had its own merits, with no absolute better or worse, so they had no grounds to refuse. In the end, they expressed their agreement one after another.

Waves surged within Lin Xingguo. A thousand times, ten thousand times over, he did not want his son wading into Handong's muddy waters.

But matters had reached this point. The older comrade had personally named his choice twice and made an enormous concession. If he continued to object firmly, he would be failing to see the bigger picture, and might even be misunderstood as resisting the organization's arrangements.

He drew a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his worries, and squeezed a trace of gratitude onto his face. "Thank you for the organization's trust and nurturing, and I'm sorry for troubling all the leaders here. On Yanzhou's behalf, I will abide by the organization's decision."

Then his tone shifted. "Considering the governor's poor health and limited energy, coupled with Handong's continuously slowing economic growth, I recommend that we further reinforce and strengthen the provincial government's leadership team to ensure that Comrade Ruijin and the future governor can fulfill their duties smoothly and advance their work effectively."

He paused briefly. "On that basis, I propose replacing Handong's executive vice governor. We must select a comrade who is politically dependable, outstandingly capable, willing to take responsibility, and truly able to shoulder the heavy burden of economic work."

"I believe Comrade Zhou Mingxian, deputy director of the Policy Research Office, is a suitable candidate. Comrade Mingxian has spent many years in policy research. He has a solid theoretical foundation, a broad macro-level perspective, strong coordination skills, and a pragmatic working style. Sending him to Handong would help improve the provincial government leadership's overall effectiveness and decision-making, and genuinely reverse the current passive position in economic work."

The proposal immediately met fierce resistance from an opponent. "Comrade Xingguo! What do you mean by this? Comrade Lin Yanzhou is going there to work, not to wage war. Does he need an 'army supervisor' sent along to escort and protect him? Handong's cadre appointments require comprehensive consideration. We cannot engage in this sort of small-circle maneuvering!"

Lin Xingguo's face darkened, and he was about to speak.

"Enough!" The older comrade seated in the middle interrupted the suddenly tense atmosphere. He glanced at Lin Xingguo. "Comrade Xingguo's concern for strengthening Handong's leadership team is understandable. However, the choice of executive vice governor is a major matter requiring careful consideration. We won't settle it today. Let's discuss it at the next meeting. The immediate priority is to finalize the arrangements for Comrades Yanzhou and Ruijin."

The matter was settled with a single stroke.

After the meeting, Lin Xingguo walked out of the room with a calm expression, but his heart was unbearably heavy. His son's future had been pushed into the teeth of the storm, and the chess piece he had tried to position had been casually rejected.

After getting into his car, he took out his phone and called his son, his voice laden with conflicting feelings. "Yanzhou, the organization may be giving you a heavier burden. Your next post will be mayor of Jingzhou. Prepare yourself; there will be a formal discussion soon. Make time to come home tomorrow. Your grandfather misses you."