The Official Ladder: I ascend to the pinnacle of power, wielding the power of life and death.

Jiang Yiming and Lu Ruan arrived at Jiangcheng University, where they were received by President Huang Zhenqiang in the conference room.

Jiang Yiming and Lu Ruan are both at the level of a department director, while the president of Jiangcheng University is at the level of a vice minister. However, since the university is an educational institution, it is different from the administrative system. Although the president is of a higher rank, he still listened to the purpose of the visit with humility.

Jiang Yiming succinctly outlined the development prospects of the Linjiang branch school, the financial support from Damai Technology, and the high importance attached to it by the provincial party committee leaders.

Lu Ruan timely added policy benefits and provincial-level coordination and support, emphasizing the strategic significance of this cooperation for the school to expand its development space.

Huang Zhenqiang was very pleased to hear this. It wasn't that he particularly liked Linjiang City, but rather that a municipal station had taken the initiative to approach them, which gave them more leverage in their negotiations with Jiangcheng City.

"We are very pleased that Secretary Jiang and Director Lu have paid attention to Jiangcheng University. We have always been committed to promoting the deep integration of higher education and local development. The construction of the Jiangcheng University branch campus is an important path to realize this vision. Linjiang City is very sincere, and we will carefully study the site selection plan and cooperation model to strive to reach a consensus as soon as possible."

Huang Zhenqiang did not give a very positive response, but rather a polite reply.

He prefers the branch school to be located in Jiangcheng City, as it would be easier to manage. Jiangcheng is also the provincial capital, with concentrated resources and convenient transportation, making it more attractive for attracting teachers and providing employment for students. Although Linjiang City is sincere, its geographical location is relatively remote and its supporting facilities are not yet complete. Without strong support measures, it will be difficult to form an educational advantage in the short term.

Therefore, Huang Zhenqiang prefers to use Linjiang's proposal as a bargaining chip to enhance his negotiating power with Jiangcheng City, rather than pushing for its immediate implementation.

Jiang Yiming keenly sensed the reservations in Huang Zhenqiang's words and knew in his heart that this game had only just begun.

However, such things cannot be rushed or forced. He demonstrated Linjiang City's sincerity, and as for Jiangcheng University's decision, that would depend on their weighing of the pros and cons.

After leaving Jiangcheng University, Jiang Yiming thanked Lu Ruan for his support and care, and then returned to Linjiang City.

Lu Ruan then reported Jiangcheng University's stance to Secretary Du of the Provincial Party Committee.

After listening to the report, Du Jiale said, "Jiangcheng University's attitude is as expected. After all, Jiangcheng City has geographical advantages and a resource agglomeration effect, so it's reasonable for them to prefer setting up a branch campus in the provincial capital. However, it's not impossible. Jiangcheng City has nearly a hundred universities, and the layout of universities is already saturated. Their willingness to support Jiangcheng University's expansion of its campus is not strong. On the other hand, Linjiang City is eager to attract high-quality higher education resources and is willing to offer very attractive conditions in terms of policy, land, and funding. The possibility of cooperation is quite high. You should assist Linjiang City in communication and coordination, grasp the policy direction, and promote provincial-level guidance and support when appropriate."

"Yes, Secretary. I will closely monitor the progress of the cooperation between Jiangcheng University and Linjiang City, as well as Jiangcheng City, and promptly assist Linjiang City in advancing various preliminary preparations to strive for substantial breakthroughs in the cooperation."

Lu Ruan quickly replied.

After returning to Linjiang City, Jiang Yiming immediately convened a special meeting with the heads of the Municipal Development and Reform Commission, the Education Bureau, and the Land and Resources Bureau to deploy and advance the research on the site selection and supporting policies for the Jiangcheng University branch campus.

Although Jiangcheng University's interest is not yet strong, Linjiang City must take the initiative and take concrete actions to thoroughly and effectively carry out all preliminary work.

Only by presenting a clear plan can we have a chance to impress Jiangcheng University, and only then can we start the project immediately after they agree to cooperate, promote it with the highest efficiency, and achieve the best results.

The meeting established a special working group, personally led by Jiang Yiming, to delineate candidate sites around the Chengxi Science and Education Park and simultaneously initiate the preparation of infrastructure planning schemes for transportation, water, electricity, and communications. The Education Bureau, in conjunction with the Finance Bureau, proposed allocating special funds annually for five years to support school construction and talent recruitment. The Development and Reform Commission will align with provincial industrial policies to plan and promote the implementation of industry-university-research integration projects. The Land and Resources Bureau will complete preliminary opinions on land use planning adjustments within three working days. All tasks will be scheduled with a tight timeline to ensure a comprehensive plan that can be presented to Jiangcheng University within two weeks.

For the next two weeks, Jiang Yiming conducted intensive research and argumentation on the Jiangcheng University branch project, the talent introduction policy of Linjiang City, and the policy for introducing electronic industry enterprises.

Meanwhile, the special campaign against "ghost employees" has also achieved phased results, identifying a total of 1087 people who are on the payroll but not at their posts. Among them, long-term absences, false attendance records, and nominal salaries are prominent issues. The relevant units have been ordered to rectify the situation within a specified period, and the illegally disbursed funds have been recovered.

After listening to the report from the special task force, Jiang Yiming gave instructions: "Through the preliminary investigation and verification by the task force, it has been found that there are more than 1,000 people in the city who are on the payroll but not working, and who are receiving salaries without working. This number is shocking and has caused huge losses to the Party and the country, and seriously damaged the government's image and credibility. We must resolutely rectify this with zero tolerance, investigate, punish, and report every case we find, and never tolerate it."

"However, as far as I know, there are still quite a few people missed in the current investigation. One reason is the high degree of concealment, and another is the cover-up by the units, which makes it difficult to discover many absentees in a timely manner. The Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection has issued a notice requiring these more than 1,000 cadres and employees to turn over all illegally obtained funds to the municipal finance account within one week. Anyone who fails to turn them over on time will be dismissed. At the same time, all units are required to conduct another investigation into personnel receiving salaries without working. If a unit fails to investigate or covers them up, the main person in charge of the unit will be directly punished."

"Yes, Secretary. Our Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection will immediately organize a special inspection team to conduct spot checks and verifications of the secondary investigations conducted by various units. Anyone found to have concealed or omitted information will be held strictly accountable. At the same time, a reporting platform will be established to encourage the public to provide clues, ensuring that the rectification work leaves no blind spots and is not merely a formality. Once a report is verified, the whistleblower will be rewarded in accordance with regulations."

Ge Shengwu quickly replied.

Following the meeting, the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection quickly issued a document requiring all counties, districts, and municipal departments to immediately conduct a further investigation and rectification of the issue of "receiving salaries without working," strictly implement their primary responsibilities, establish ledgers, verify information on a case-by-case basis, and ensure the accuracy of information. Anyone who fails to voluntarily return the illegally obtained funds within the stipulated time will be dealt with seriously according to discipline and law, and relevant leaders will be held accountable.

The heads of all counties, districts and municipal departments immediately convened special meetings to convey the spirit of the document, and organized personnel, finance and other departments to conduct a comprehensive self-inspection, verifying the on-duty status and salary payment records of each person.

Although they had previously held meetings to convey the relevant spirit, they did not think the city would take it seriously. However, they did not expect the city to act so swiftly and decisively.

Although many people tried to plead their case and smooth things over by making introductions, the city seemed to be serious this time, so the heads of various units dared not slack off and demanded that the absent personnel return to their units immediately and hand over the funds obtained through illegal means.

After receiving the notification, some of the absent employees returned to their units to report for duty, while others still harbored illusions and attempted to evade punishment through their networks of connections.

Some people chose to voluntarily hand over the illegally obtained funds and explain the situation to the organization in hopes of receiving leniency. However, there were still some people who, although they returned to their workplaces, were unwilling to hand over their wages for the period they were not working, arguing that they were only absent due to leave or special circumstances and should not be refunded in full.

After all, some people haven't worked for nearly ten years, and the accumulated amount of these funds is not small. They are unwilling to easily hand over this easily obtained "income".

A week passed quickly, and the city once again uncovered more than a thousand people receiving salaries without working, involving a huge amount of money. Some of these people had voluntarily returned their illegal gains, but some still failed to return the funds within the stipulated time, showing a negative attitude and even attempting to falsify attendance records to cover up the facts.

Jiang Yiming convened another coordination meeting to understand the progress of the rectification efforts in various regions.

"Currently, 57% of the illicit funds have been received, but 43% involves 467 people who have not fulfilled their obligation to return the funds. Among these people, 282 people still refuse to return the funds after being urged, and another 185 people have engaged in deceptive behavior such as falsifying on-duty records and falsely reporting sick leave."

Ge Shengwu reported: "We are issuing notices to the newly added employees who are receiving salaries without working, giving them time to turn over their illegal gains and explain the situation."

"Since these 467 people are so stubborn, the Municipal Party Committee Organization Department and the Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau have, in accordance with relevant regulations, dismissed them and made the decision public."

Jiang Yiming stated, "For any newly added employees receiving salaries without working, they must fully return the illegally obtained funds within three days and voluntarily report to their unit to accept disciplinary action. They will be dealt with according to their length of service. Those who have been receiving salaries for more than three years will be dismissed; those who have been receiving salaries for one year but less than three years will be placed on probation within the Party and removed from their administrative posts; those who have been receiving salaries for less than one year will be demoted and transferred from their original positions. Those who falsify information or forge documents will be severely punished without exception."

"As for any cases discovered later, after confiscating any illegal gains, they will all be dismissed! And the responsible persons of their units will be held accountable!"

Upon hearing Jiang Yiming's instructions, everyone present felt an unprecedented sense of awe, and the room fell into a solemn silence.

"Secretary, I support dealing with these people seriously. They've been absent from their posts for a long time but still receiving salaries, which severely damages the government's image and credibility. If they aren't severely punished, it will be difficult to convince the public. This crackdown must be deterrent to stop this unhealthy trend. However, is direct dismissal too harsh?"

Guo Linye said, "Moreover, many of these people have complicated relationships. Once they are expelled, it will trigger a series of chain reactions, and may even lead to petitions or public opinion storms."

Other city leaders also nodded in agreement with Guo Linye's point of view.

Many of these are local officials from Linjiang City, or have worked in Linjiang City for many years. Many leaders are integrated into the personal networks of Linjiang City, where a single move can have far-reaching consequences.

Among these people are their relatives or acquaintances, and dealing with them will also have a certain impact on them.

"I understand your point of view: you're afraid that so many people will petition and cause trouble, putting pressure on the municipal government. But the rules cannot be compromised for this reason. It is precisely because they are so deeply entrenched that we must cut the vines. If we make an exception today because of personal relationships, hundreds of people will follow suit tomorrow, and the system will ultimately become a dead letter. We are not afraid of the turmoil, but we are afraid of losing the hearts of the people. As long as the handling is fair and the procedures are legal, neither petitions nor public opinion can shake our determination. The eyes of the masses are discerning; what they want is not leniency, but fairness."

Jiang Yiming said firmly, "This matter will be carried out according to the established plan. No favoritism or backdoors are allowed. Anyone who tries to interfere or plead for leniency will be held strictly accountable."