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

Li Xuanzhang stared intently at Lei Liang sitting opposite him, his tone carrying an undeniable firmness: "Old Lei, we've known each other and worked together for over ten years. I know you too well. Given your personality and past behavior, I absolutely do not believe you would give up so easily. This is completely out of character for you."

He leaned forward slightly, his voice lower but more forceful: "Since that's the case, I won't beat around the bush. I specifically invited you out this time because I hope you can continue to support my work as you have in the past. I can assure you clearly that at the appropriate time, I will personally introduce you to the benefactor who helped me through this crisis. As long as we can work together and support each other, this game is not over yet, and there will definitely be a turning point and a way out in the future."

Lei Liang remained silent for a long time, tapping his knuckles lightly on the table. Finally, he sighed and said, "Governor Xuanzhang, you know me. I have always supported you over the years. But this time is different. The higher-ups have made their intentions very clear, and I'm worried that I may really never have a chance to rise again."

Upon hearing this, Li Xuanzhang immediately shook his head, saying firmly, "Do you remember? Some people were so sure I'd never recover, even Old Xu thought I was definitely going to be sidelined for good. But what happened in the end? I managed to escape danger and keep my position. What does that show? It shows that nothing is absolute! You have to understand, the higher-ups aren't a monolith; various forces are vying for power. Maybe at some crucial moment, you'll be reinstated. But if you continue to be so despondent, then you'll truly have no chance at all."

Lei Liang was visibly moved upon hearing this. He raised his glass and said solemnly, "Thank you for your words, Governor Xuanzhang. If I ever rise again, I will certainly toast you three times to express my gratitude."

"I also look forward to that day."

Li Xuanzhang raised his cup in greeting and said, "Then we can join hands again, support each other, and make progress together."

The two looked at each other and smiled, then drank the wine in their cups in one gulp.

Although Li Xuanzhang did harbor some resentment towards Lei Liang—after all, when the incident occurred, Lei Liang ignored his warnings, chose to protect himself, and even shifted some of the blame onto him—the current situation forced him to reconcile with this former subordinate.

Previously, due to the crisis that had erupted around him, many of the Standing Committee members who had originally supported him switched their allegiance to Du Jiale when rumors circulated that he was in trouble, causing him to lose many supporters. The reason why Lei Liang did not have the opportunity to get close to Du Jiale was not because he did not want to, but because Du Jiale would never accept him.

That is why they actually need each other right now. Only by re-establishing cooperation can they show those who are hesitant and wavering that they still have a voice and strength, and only then can they possibly win back their support.

The following day, Xiao Shumin invited Vice Governor Zhao, who was in charge of health work, and Director Xu to a joint important symposium. The core topic of the meeting was the pilot program for centralized procurement of medicines and medical devices that Jiangcheng City was about to launch.

At the meeting, Vice Governor Zhao expressed some concerns, but did not directly reject Jiangcheng's bold reform attempts. He emphasized the need to maintain stability and uphold bottom lines during the reform process, especially to guard against public opinion risks and systemic backlash.

Seeing that none of the leaders in charge had explicitly objected, Director Xu naturally did not raise any objections, but instead offered some suggestions for proceeding with caution.

Although the symposium did not achieve the desired effect, it at least conveyed the message to the provincial authorities and gained their tacit approval, which could be considered a small endorsement. Upon receiving this signal, Xiao Shumin and Jiang Yiming immediately ordered the commencement of the pilot program for centralized procurement of medicines and medical devices.

Relevant departments began to work intensively to prepare for various tasks: formulating centralized procurement plans, selecting enterprises, building platforms, organizing expert reviews... Every step was like walking on thin ice, and the slightest carelessness could trigger a chain reaction.

At the same time, Jiang Yiming and Xiao Shumin went to the capital together to visit Director Liu of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission and asked him to arrange a meeting with the general manager of a state-owned chemical plant.

At the dinner that evening, Jiang Yiming and Xiao Shumin did their best to drink with the boss until he was thoroughly enjoying himself before he relented and expressed his willingness to relax the landing conditions.

After the dinner, Jiang Yiming and Xiao Shumin couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed on the roadside to vomit. Mainly because their partner was such a heavy drinker, and since they needed his help, they had to drink even more. Looking at each other's disheveled state, they both laughed simultaneously.

Despite feeling nauseous, I felt incredibly relieved and gratified to have accomplished the task—a rare sense of accomplishment.

Jiang Yiming took out cigarettes, offered one to Xiao Shumin, and lit one for himself. The two sat on a bench by the roadside, quietly smoking.

Although Jiang Yiming rarely smoked, it seemed reasonable for him to have one occasionally in this setting. They chatted casually, and only after the effects of the alcohol wore off did they return to their hotel to rest, accompanied by their respective secretaries.

The establishment of this major state-owned chemical plant means that laid-off employees from many chemical plants in Jiangcheng City have hope for re-employment, and at the same time, it revitalizes the existing facilities and equipment.

Several companies that had previously shut down faced huge environmental fines, and the pollution control of Gouwei Lake was hoping for this funding.

However, since the company had already closed down, was short of funds, and its equipment had been seized, it could only be sold off at a low price, and the proceeds were not even enough to cover the fine.

Now that state-owned enterprises have moved in, they have directly taken over the idle facilities and equipment, and the corresponding purchase costs can be used to pay fines, thereby promoting the management of Gouwei Lake.

More importantly, this project will also effectively alleviate local employment pressure and inject new vitality into the economic recovery of Jiangcheng.

Through precise policies and systematic implementation, Jiangcheng City has successfully achieved a smooth transformation of its industrial structure, completely eliminating potential social instability factors that could have been caused by the closure of chemical enterprises, and ensuring a stable employment market and social harmony.

Many regions hesitate when faced with the decision to shut down highly polluting enterprises. On the surface, they are worried about environmental accountability, but the deeper concerns are: fear that large-scale unemployment will lead to mass incidents, concern that the revenue from the disposal of old equipment will not be able to cover the shortfall in environmental penalties, and even more concern that local finances will be sharply reduced due to the closure of enterprises, making it difficult to guarantee the salaries of civil servants.

This was precisely the focus of attention for provincial leaders such as Du Jiale. Now that the problem has been successfully resolved in Jiangcheng, not only has the municipal government been relieved of its heavy burden, but the provincial party committee and government are also greatly encouraged.

Du Jiale also personally called Jiang Yiming and the Jiangcheng Municipal Government to fully affirm their achievements in industrial transformation and social stability.

Around the same time, a group of major companies from Europe and the United States visited Jiangcheng City for investment and inspection, focusing on the local automotive industry chain supporting capabilities and the overall business environment.

Mayor Xiao Shumin and Party Secretary Jiang Yiming personally received the delegation and accompanied them throughout the two-day in-depth exchange.

Chen Dongfeng, Chairman of Dongfeng Motor, and Du Hongyuan, Chairman of Damai Technology, also fully cooperated and actively participated in the reception and negotiations.

The delegation not only visited the Dongfeng Automotive Industrial Park but also toured Damai Technology's new energy vehicle R&D center. Du Hongyuan provided a detailed introduction to the company's strategic layout and technological reserves in the fields of electrification and intelligentization.

The delegation repeatedly praised Jiangcheng's industrial resilience, supply chain efficiency, and the high degree of collaboration between the government and enterprises. In the end, several auto parts companies signed letters of intent for cooperation on the spot.

The other companies also indicated that they will continue to maintain close communication and strive to reach specific cooperation agreements as soon as possible.

With the arrival of these key component manufacturers, related enterprises from surrounding provinces have followed suit, setting up regional service centers or branch factories in Jiangcheng Automotive Industrial Park, further improving the local industrial chain.

With this, Jiangcheng's automotive industry has officially upgraded from a single vehicle manufacturing sector to a three-dimensional ecosystem encompassing "vehicle manufacturing + core components + new energy R&D," initially forming a cluster development trend.

At the same time, electronic information technology companies, represented by Damai Technology and Ali Cloud, are accelerating their clustering in Wuhan, initially forming a digital industry cluster of a certain scale, providing support for the intelligent upgrading of traditional manufacturing.

Jiangcheng is one of the three major shipbuilding bases in China, with a rich history in shipbuilding. At the previous "Jiangcheng Investment and Trade Fair", it successfully attracted several large shipbuilding supporting enterprises, covering high value-added segments such as intelligent navigation systems, green power modules, and special marine materials.

Jiangcheng's shipbuilding industry is undergoing a strategic transformation from "being able to build" to "building high-quality, usable, and sold far and wide."

In addition, the much-anticipated pilot project for centralized procurement of pharmaceuticals and medical devices has officially launched its online bidding process.

As the first pilot program for centralized procurement of medicines and medical devices in the country, the news quickly attracted widespread attention in the industry and received continuous follow-up reports from mainstream media across the country, marking Jiangcheng City as once again at the forefront in deepening medical reform and promoting the coordinated development of industry and people's livelihood.

However, any reform faces uncertain risks, and at this time, some people have their eyes on the loopholes and want to trip up Jiang Yiming.