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

"Although I would like to distribute the money to everyone at once, I can't cook without rice, so I can only try my best to raise it. Of course, to reassure everyone so you can go home with peace of mind, I guarantee that everyone will receive at least 30% of their wages within three days."

"If I can't do it, you can come back here in three days, or go to the city. I won't stop you!"

"Everyone, go home."

Ma Qiyun truly lives up to his title as Party Secretary; his speech is incredibly inspiring.

“Those of Yusha Town, please follow me this way. I’ve called a bus to take you all home.”

"Those from Menlou Township, please assemble here..."

As the shouts of their respective township leaders rang out, the arriving employees began to slowly disperse.

"Everyone, you can all leave now. If the secretary doesn't keep his word, we'll come back in three days."

“Yes, since Secretary Ma has already promised, let’s not stay here any longer. If we don’t receive the money within three days, we’ll go directly to the city.”

"Let's go, let's go. We're here to ask for money, not to cause trouble. The secretary himself promised, so let's trust him this once."

Half an hour later, the county government compound, which was completely blocked, was quickly cleared.

Ma Qiyun lost interest in discussing gymnastics with Luo Yan and went straight back to his office.

"Secretary, the petitioners this time are mainly employees of Yusha Winery. Qiu Tian of Yusha Town dismissed Wang Weifa, the general manager of Yusha Winery, on the spot, and the relevant procedures are underway."

Huang Yonglin reported.

"Have Qiu Tian write a report, and I'll sign it."

Ma Qiyun didn't object, after all, it was necessary to make an example of someone to deter others, otherwise how could the county committee function if everyone did this?

"We invite County Head Xuan Gui, along with relevant departments such as the Finance Bureau, Banking Bureau, and Economic and Trade Bureau, to a meeting in half an hour to discuss the specific implementation details."

Ma Qiyun said something to his secretary, Zhang Hai.

"Okay, Secretary."

Zhang Hai immediately went to inform them.

meeting room.

"Secretary, the finance department really has no funds left. Forget about raising money for them, we ourselves are almost starving to death. Apart from some units, most people in the county haven't received their salaries yet."

Zhu Xinglei, the director of the Finance Bureau, complained repeatedly.

Stop talking nonsense!

Ma Qiyun said impatiently, "Quickly calculate the amount of the shortfall, formulate a plan to raise funds, and the funds must be disbursed within three days."

Zhu Xinglei didn't dare to respond, but secretly glanced at Jiang Xuangui.

“Secretary Qi Yun, Director Xing Lei isn’t telling you he’s poor, but rather stating the true state of our finances.”

The Finance Bureau is under the county head's jurisdiction, so Jiang Xuangui naturally spoke up for his subordinates: "Besides, even if we raise the relevant funds, what will we do next?"

"If we don't have money to pay salaries next month, won't they come and cause trouble again?"

"Let's deal with the immediate problem first, and then we can study what comes next."

Ma Qiyun's sharp gaze fell on the middle-aged man in the back row: "Didn't the comrades from the Economic and Trade Bureau go to other places to learn about advanced experiences in enterprise reform? Haven't they come up with an effective plan yet?"

"The enterprise reform is underway."

Xu Changming, the head of the Economic and Trade Bureau, quickly reported: "During our study, we found that some places have suffered significant losses and petitions due to overly aggressive reforms. To avoid this, we are conducting pilot programs in individual enterprises. Once the experience is mature, we will then promote it throughout the county."

"By the time you figure out a solution, it'll be too late!"

Ma Qiyun said in a deep voice, "I don't care what methods you use, you must select 10% of the companies to be targeted for reform within this month, or you're fired!"

"I will go back and start studying the plan as soon as possible, and implement it according to the secretary's instructions."

Xu Changming only agreed to handle it, but did not promise to operate within a month.

"Zhu Xinglei, if 30% of the employees' wages are not paid within three days, you're fired!"

After finishing his speech, Ma Qiyun stood up and left the venue.

The people present looked at each other.

"County Magistrate..."

"Alright, Xinglei, do as Secretary Ma instructs."

Jiang Xuangui then said to Xu Changming, the head of the Economic and Trade Bureau, "You should also hurry up and implement Secretary Ma's instructions. If you encounter any difficulties, Secretary Ma will step in to resolve them."

Xu Changming understood immediately. Jiang Xuangui meant that he should go ahead and do it boldly, and if anything went wrong, Ma Qiyun would take responsibility.

"Rest assured, County Chief, I will immediately implement the reforms to the enterprises according to the full 10% ratio."

Xu Changming quickly expressed his opinion.

Everyone present knew that Jiang Xuangui and Ma Qiyun were outwardly friendly but inwardly at odds, and the two had often competed with each other in private.

This time, Jiang Xuangui strongly supported Ma Qiyun, clearly knowing that enterprise reform was not easy. However, Ma Qiyun insisted on going his own way, and when problems arose later, Ma Qiyun naturally bore the responsibility.

Jiang Yiming sat in the car waiting for Ma Qiyun. Ma Qiyun had previously told him to go out after the meeting.

"Walk."

Ma Qiyun opened the car door and got in, his face ashen.

Seeing Ma Qiyun's grim expression, Jiang Yiming didn't dare to say anything.

"Yiming, why is it so difficult to do something practical for the people?"

Ma Qiyun said irritably, "The plan was set a long time ago, but it's either all wrangling and passing the buck or dragging their feet!"

Jiang Yiming had also heard about the discord between Ma Qiyun and County Magistrate Jiang Xuangui.

It was rumored that Jiang Xuangui, who had served for three years, would take over as secretary, but Ma Qiyun was suddenly parachuted in from the province.

Ma Qiyun was seven or eight years younger than him, which made Jiang Xuangui even more resentful.

For the two years since Ma Qiyun arrived, the two have been competing with each other.

When the two leaders are at odds, the efficiency of the departments below naturally suffers.

But this was not a matter he could discuss, so he could only talk about other things.

Is the Party Secretary troubled by the issue of enterprise reform?

"Yes, many places across the country are pushing forward with enterprise reform, but there's been no movement here at all."

Ma Qiyun sighed, "Time waits for no one. The company has reached a point where it can hardly survive. If this drags on any longer, something really bad will happen."

Jiang Yiming's heart stirred, and he said, "Secretary, during my spare time in university, I read some books on economics, such as the enterprise reform issues during the reunification of East and West Germany. May I share my thoughts?"

Opportunities often need to be seized, and Jiang Yiming naturally wouldn't miss this one.

"Oh, talk about it."

Ma Qiyun replied with little interest.

In his view, Jiang Yiming had only read a few theoretical books and would never offer any constructive suggestions.

"The reason why state-owned small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are experiencing such comprehensive difficulties is due to policy reasons. The government no longer subsidizes loss-making enterprises, and banks are unwilling to lend to loss-making enterprises. The cessation of financial support to state-owned SMEs by the fiscal and financial systems has exacerbated the problems of state-owned SMEs that had been concealed for a long time, bringing them to full exposure."

"But the real core reasons are twofold: First, the enterprise system is problematic. As a state-owned enterprise, its operation is subject to too much government intervention and cannot adapt to the market. And no matter how hard the person in charge tries, the success or failure of the enterprise has little to do with him, thus lacking the motivation to move forward."