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

"I think this is not only his own idea, but also possibly Secretary Luo's idea."

After Huang Shaohua returned from the city, he began to implement the municipal infrastructure renovation project. It is very likely that Luo Zhangwen gave him some pointers, which led to his sudden realization.

Huang Shaohua is his secretary, and he definitely wants to promote Huang Shaohua to a higher position.

Promotion of cadres is not something that can be done on a whim; it requires a certain level of political achievement.

However, Huang Shaohua did not do anything remarkable after arriving in Xichuan County.

Luo Zhangwen had no choice but to guide him and help him achieve some political accomplishments, which would give him more confidence in his promotion.

"No wonder he's so tough."

Tang Zhichao nodded and said, "Secretary, if Secretary Luo gets involved, then your situation will be somewhat awkward."

“I am happy to see Huang Shaohua achieve results. As long as he comes up with good ways to benefit the people, he will have political achievements and the people will benefit. I will not only not oppose him, but I will also strongly support him.”

Jiang Yiming said, "But he wants to take shortcuts and realize his political ambitions through image projects, which I will never allow!"

Tuesday came in a flash.

Xichuan County convened a meeting of the Standing Committee of the County Party Committee.

The first item on the agenda is to study relevant documents from higher authorities and understand the spirit of relevant meetings.

The second item on the agenda was the review of the "Municipal Infrastructure Renovation and Upgrading Project," with a report delivered by Wei Tao, Director of the County Construction Bureau.

"Distinguished leaders, according to the research and assessment of relevant experts from the Construction Bureau, the infrastructure of our county, including Renmin Road, Fumin Road, Chaoyang Lake Scenic Bridge, and Renmin Square, is seriously aging, which not only affects the image of our county government but also poses certain safety risks."

Wei Tao stated, “Through municipal infrastructure renovation and upgrading projects, firstly, traffic congestion can be effectively alleviated by widening roads and adding traffic facilities. Secondly, it can enhance the city's image and quality. As mentioned earlier, several key nodes are considered the ‘face’ of the county town, closely related to its image and taste. Narrow and dilapidated roads and broken infrastructure not only cause inconvenience to residents but also affect the overall image of the city. By upgrading and renovating infrastructure, improving road surface quality, beautifying streetlights and greenery, and upgrading infrastructure, we can improve the overall image and quality of the city, enhancing citizens' sense of belonging and happiness. Thirdly, the upgrading and renovation of municipal infrastructure aims to enhance the city's functionality and safety. Upgrading infrastructure is not simply about expansion and beautification; more importantly, it's about enhancing its functionality and safety…”

"Comrade Wei Tao has presented a report on the municipal infrastructure renovation and upgrading project. Please share your thoughts."

Jiang Yiming said.

“I think it’s very necessary to renovate and upgrade these important locations. Every time it rains, Renmin Road floods, which greatly affects people’s travel. Also, when comrades from other counties come to our county for exchanges, they see how poor our infrastructure is and they joke that their town governments are better than our county government. Every time I hear this, I smile on the outside but feel very uncomfortable inside. So, I strongly support infrastructure renovation and upgrading projects.”

The first speaker was Gao Zhenliang, a member of the Standing Committee of the County Party Committee and Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission.

"Upgrading infrastructure is a good thing for the country and its people, and it is indeed very necessary. I support this project."

Yang Zhengtao, member of the Standing Committee of the County Party Committee and Executive Deputy County Head, then continued.

“I think the Construction Bureau’s research was very thorough, and I support this project.”

Zhang Yufeng, a member of the Standing Committee of the County Party Committee, echoed this sentiment.

“I strongly support improving the infrastructure in our county. But as far as I know, this project requires nearly ten million yuan, while our county's finances are tight. We even need to borrow money to repair roads, and we are almost unable to pay teachers' salaries. Yet we are spending such a large sum of money to upgrade the infrastructure, some of which are even vanity projects. I think this is inappropriate.”

Xiang Yuanwu, a member of the Standing Committee of the County Party Committee and Minister of the Organization Department, spoke up.

“I agree with Minister Yuanwu’s opinion. As the saying goes, one should do what one is capable of. Our county’s financial resources are limited, so we should prioritize spending money on more pressing livelihood projects. Improving infrastructure can be delayed, and there won’t be any major problems, but delaying livelihood issues could lead to serious problems.”

"This was said by Jiang Fengying, member of the Standing Committee of the County Party Committee and Minister of the Publicity Department."

"I agree with the opinions of Minister Yuanwu and Minister Fengying."

Wang Yundong, a member of the Standing Committee of the County Party Committee and Secretary of the County Commission for Discipline Inspection, spoke up.

Sun Liangcai, a member of the Standing Committee of the County Party Committee and Minister of the United Front Work Department, looked around and said, "I also agree with Minister Yuanwu's opinion."

Seven members of the county party committee standing committee have spoken so far, achieving a ratio of four to three.

Besides the Party Secretary, the County Head, and the Minister of the People's Armed Forces Department, only Deputy Party Secretary Meng Chunsheng remained silent.

All eyes turned to him.

"I support the renovation and upgrading of infrastructure such as Renmin Road."

As soon as Meng Chunsheng spoke, the expressions of the people present varied.

Some were surprised, some were delighted, some were indifferent, and some looked like spectators.

The deputy secretary of the county party committee is generally required to maintain consistency with the secretary, but in a few cases, he or she may maintain consistency with the county head.

There are instances where the deputy secretary and the county head collude to sideline the top leader.

The current situation is developing in this direction.

"Comrade Wei Tao has already explained the significance of implementing municipal infrastructure renovation and upgrading projects, so I will not repeat it here."

County Head Huang Shaohua, with a faint smile on his face, said, "Public welfare projects certainly cannot be delayed, but municipal projects cannot be neglected either. They need to be properly allocated and adjusted. What do you think, Secretary?"

Jiang Yiming did not show any emotion in the face of Huang Shaohua's provocation.

"Minister Lin, do you have any thoughts on this?"

Jiang Yiming did not respond to Huang Shaohua's words, but instead looked at Lin Yuanzhi, the head of the People's Armed Forces Department.

"I'm not very familiar with the situation, so I won't comment."

Lin Yuanzhi abstained.

"Now that everyone has expressed their opinions, let's decide whether to implement the project by raising our hands."

Jiang Yiming said, "Those who agree, please raise your hands."

As expected, all five members of the Standing Committee eventually raised their hands.

"Those who disagree, please raise your hand."

In the end, all five members of the Standing Committee raised their hands.

"Based on the voting results, there were five votes in favor and five votes against. This matter will be temporarily put on hold and discussed again later."

Jiang Yiming made a decision.

Those present naturally had no objections.

A faint smile appeared on Huang Shaohua's face.

In his view, he had achieved his goal for the day and had won.

"The third item on the agenda is to review the revised version of the 'County's Plan for Optimizing the Business Environment'."

Jiang Yiming said, "County Chief Zhichao will give a brief explanation."

After Tang Zhichao distributed the revised plan to everyone, those present looked somewhat astonished.

Some frowned, looking somewhat displeased; others wore faint smiles.