Transferred to Jingzhou as mayor
Note: This is a parallel, fictional world. Please do not equate it with reality.
The atmosphere was solemn at the assembly of all Jingzhou City officials. Seated in the principal seat, the executive deputy director of the Central Organization Department spoke into the microphone, his voice steady and forceful:
"Following deliberation, the central leadership has decided to appoint Comrade Lin Yanzhou as deputy secretary, member, and standing committee member of the Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee, and secretary of the Party leadership group of the municipal government, and to nominate him as a candidate for mayor of the Jingzhou Municipal People's Government."
Comrade Lin Yanzhou, aged forty-two, held a doctorate in economics from Peking University and possessed a solid theoretical foundation and a broad macroeconomic perspective. During his early service in central ministries and commissions, he had participated extensively in formulating multiple national economic policies and plans, demonstrating outstanding abilities in policy research and design.
During his service in local government, his achievements had been remarkable:
As county head of Fengnan County in Bianxi Province, he had pursued reform with determination and rigorously enforced implementation, leading the county to rank first in the province in economic growth for three consecutive years and successfully lifting the area out of poverty.
After taking over as Party secretary of Linfeng County in Bianxi Province, he had built on local resources and pioneered an integrated development model encompassing agriculture, industry, and commerce. He had carefully cultivated and successfully established internationally renowned brands such as "Linfeng Apples," generating powerful brand influence and economic returns, and had been awarded the title of "Outstanding County Party Secretary."
Promoted to executive vice mayor of Nanmu City in Bianxi Province, he had spearheaded the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries, focused on moving industrial chains toward the middle and high end, and vigorously attracted and nurtured high-tech industries. At the same time, he had steadfastly pursued green, low-carbon, sustainable development, achieving an effective balance between economic growth and ecological protection.
Transferred to Menxia City as full-time deputy secretary of its municipal Party committee, he had focused on Party building and leadership, translating strengths in Party building into effective governance. His innovative Party-building model had delivered significant results, providing strong organizational support for the region's development.
He had subsequently served as mayor of Menxia City, scientifically planning the city's development blueprint and demonstrating extraordinary strategic foresight and leadership while advancing urban planning and economic development to high standards. His pragmatic, people-oriented working style had earned the affection and respect of officials and the public alike.
As those words ended, they stirred a thousand waves like a stone cast into water, and discussion broke out among the audience.
"Menxia is an economic powerhouse in Min Province, a frontier of reform, a Whampoa Military Academy."
"First the discipline inspection commission secretary, with a provincial Party secretary still to come, and now they're transferring a mayor like this here. Does that mean the higher-ups want both to stabilize the situation and push reform?"
"This is unusual. In previous years, having the provincial Organization Department director attend a mayor's inauguration was already the highest level of ceremony. This time, the executive deputy director of the Central Organization Department actually came in person."
"When Secretary Dakang took office, only the provincial Organization Department director attended."
"That's right. Neither Secretary Zhao Lichun nor the full-time deputy secretary came that year."
"Now look at today. The executive deputy director of the Central Organization Department, the governor, and the provincial Organization Department director are all here. This kind of reception is unprecedented."
"Could his connections already reach the heavens?" Someone quietly pointed toward the portrait on the wall, startling the surrounding officials into sitting bolt upright and keeping their eyes straight ahead. In their eyes, those seated on the stage already held the highest ranks they could come into contact with. Anyone higher was an existence they dared not even imagine.
The central official's voice rang out again:
"You may not yet know this. To decide on Comrade Lin Yanzhou's appointment in Jingzhou, the Ministry of Personnel held three special meetings. The grand secretary instructed us: Jingzhou is an economic powerhouse in Handong, but its current situation is complicated. We cannot simply send a firefighter. We must select an official capable of establishing long-term mechanisms and planning for lasting development."
He paused briefly, his gaze sweeping over Governor Liu, Wu Chunlin, Li Dakang, and the others:
"The central leadership is not merely assigning an official. It is entrusting the weighty responsibility of stabilizing Jingzhou and pursuing high-quality development to Comrade Lin Yanzhou, and to every one of you present. This represents both the organization's trust and, even more, the higher leadership's deep concern for Jingzhou's officials and people."
The moment he finished, Governor Liu, Wu Chunlin, Li Dakang, and the others immediately led the applause, afraid that even a second's delay might be misread as doubt about the higher leadership's decision.
Afterward, Governor Liu and Li Dakang expressed their support for the central decision on behalf of the Handong Provincial Party Committee and the Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee, respectively.
When it was Lin Yanzhou's turn to deliver his inaugural address, he rose and walked calmly to the lectern.
The observant officials in the audience immediately noticed an unusual detail: his hands were empty. He had brought no written speech.
Who did not know that leaders' speeches were polished repeatedly by their secretaries and office staff, who would practically revise even a hundred words seven or eight times?
Was this new mayor actually going to speak without a script?
Just as everyone was silently marveling, Lin Yanzhou's voice carried throughout the hall through the microphone:
"Esteemed leaders, comrades: my heartfelt thanks to the central leadership and the Handong Provincial Party Committee for their trust and the important responsibility they have entrusted to me."
His gaze swept across the hall as he continued, "In my future work, I will firmly uphold the municipal Party committee's leadership and conscientiously fulfill my duties. In our development approach, we will emphasize high-quality development and vigorously cultivate emerging high-tech industries; in our priorities, we will pay particular attention to safeguarding people's livelihoods and effectively address concrete projects concerning their urgent needs, difficulties, worries, and hopes."
"I firmly believe that those who achieve deserve positions, and those with talent deserve a platform. As long as we devote ourselves wholeheartedly to the public good and do everything we can for the people, the organization will surely see it."
"I will strive alongside all of you, living up to our times and our people!"
When his closing words, "Thank you, everyone," fell, a brief silence settled over the hall before warm, sustained applause erupted once more. The applause fulfilled the formalities, but mingled within it were strong curiosity and anticipation toward this new mayor, whose words were concise and whose goals were clear.
Once Li Dakang saw that the central official, Governor Liu, and the others had finished shaking hands with Lin Yanzhou, he, too, rose, stepped forward, and clasped his hand.
As his fingers touched Lin Yanzhou's palm, he could not help pausing in surprise. This was certainly not the hand of someone who spent all year sitting in an office.
"Welcome, Mayor Lin. The situation in Jingzhou is complicated at present. Comrade Yanzhou, please get up to speed as soon as possible and help the municipal Party committee stabilize the situation."
"I'll settle into my role as quickly as possible and work with everyone to stabilize the situation under the municipal Party committee's leadership," Lin Yanzhou replied with a smile.
Seated in a corner, the secretary of the municipal Party committee's Political and Legal Affairs Commission quietly sent Gao Yuliang a message.
He had just switched off his screen when he saw that Lin Yanzhou had already come over to shake hands with everyone in turn.
After the meeting, the Central Organization Department official politely declined the invitation to a "welcome banquet," walked over to Lin Yanzhou and patted his shoulder, then got into his vehicle and left.
Meanwhile, Gao Yuliang sat in his office in the provincial Party committee building, looking at the message he had just received. "Lin Yanzhou, from Menxia? Interesting."
Seated opposite him, Qi Tongwei said, "Teacher, I heard from comrades in the ministry that he should be a direct descendant of one of those Lin families in the courtyard residences."
Gao Yuliang immediately grew interested. "There are several Lin families who can live in those courtyard residences. Which one is he from, exactly?"
"I couldn't find out." Qi Tongwei shook his head.
Just then, the red dedicated-line telephone on Gao Yuliang's desk rang.
He immediately raised a hand to stop Qi Tongwei from speaking and waved him out. "Tongwei, step outside for now."
Qi Tongwei understood, quickly withdrawing and closing the door behind him.
Only after the door had shut did Gao Yuliang pick up the receiver.
Zhao Lichun's voice came from the other end. "Yuliang, Handong is quite lively today."
"Old leader, you've already heard the news in Jingdu? Have you been keeping well lately?" Gao Yuliang's tone was respectful.
Zhao Lichun's voice suddenly dropped a little.
"Yuliang, the man who's come to Jingzhou is no ordinary figure. I had people ask around several circles, but none of them could find anything. In the end, it was my old leader's son who let something slip. He said the man might come from Old Master Lin's household, and might even be his direct grandson, but he wasn't certain either?"
Gao Yuliang's heart jolted. "Old leader, do you mean the Lin family whose old master is still alive and whose second generation holds a place in Lingyan Pavilion?"
"Exactly."
Zhao Lichun continued, "His family has protected him very well. He used an assumed name from his earliest grassroots posts, precisely because they feared he might be promoted too quickly and lack a solid foundation. He has reached where he is today entirely through his own abilities. You must pay close attention!"
The shock of this news was difficult for Gao Yuliang to digest for a moment. He instinctively adjusted his glasses:
"But hasn't the Lin family always stayed out of internal affairs and focused on economic development?"
"Those who have never reached the mountaintop in their lifetime all harbor an obsession. They all want to see the view from the summit." A trace of yearning that was hard to conceal seeped into Zhao Lichun's voice.
"Handong is the best place to temper oneself. I heard he was personally handpicked from above. If he really can deliver outstanding results, he'll soar straight into the sky."
"Very few people even in Yanjing's core circles know of this man in Jingzhou. He keeps an exceptionally low profile and almost never shows his face in Yanjing. They say several internal reference reports he wrote received handwritten annotations from the 'Grand Secretary of the Hall of Central Supremacy,' and the 'Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion' has quoted them as well. There are even rumors that a grand secretary wants to take him as his final disciple."
Understanding dawned on Gao Yuliang, and his many questions were instantly resolved:
"So that's it. No wonder the Central Organization Department and Governor Liu made arrangements for him that went so far beyond the usual protocol. I thought earlier that it was out of concern for stabilizing the ranks of officials."
"Yuliang, the wind is about to rise in Handong."
Zhao Lichun's voice pulled him back to reality. "You must hurry and wipe clean everything that needs wiping. My current position hasn't been finalized yet. As long as no major trouble breaks out in Handong, I still have a chance to advance another step."
"Understood, old leader," Gao Yuliang replied solemnly.
After hanging up, he took a deep breath, walked to the door, and opened it, finding Qi Tongwei still waiting respectfully outside.
"Go attend to your work," Gao Yuliang said in a tone that brooked no argument. "I'm going to Comrade Lin Yanzhou's welcome banquet."
As he passed Qi Tongwei, he lowered his voice to barely a murmur:
"Clean up everything around you as soon as possible. A true dragon has arrived. Don't get swept into the wind and waves."