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

Guo Shenglin, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, presided over the opening ceremony and pointed out: "Discipline is the lifeline of the Party. Strictly enforcing Party discipline is the healthy gene for our Party to maintain its vigorous vitality, the foundation and guarantee for comprehensively and strictly governing the Party, and also a protective shield for Party members and cadres on their political path. As the 'leader of the team,' 'commander-in-chief on the front line,' 'servant of the people,' and 'weathervane of the political ecology,' the county Party secretary should play an exemplary role and set a benchmark in abiding by Party discipline, always sound the alarm, keep the string of discipline taut, and maintain a sense of awe, always fulfilling his duties, exercising his power, and carrying out his work on the correct track..."

The meeting covered a lot of topics, and Jiang Yiming took several pages of notes, especially circling the words "Shanghai-Jiangsu-Chongqing Railway".

After the meeting, he went directly to Guo Shenglin, the deputy secretary of the provincial party committee.

"Secretary Guo, could I have a few minutes of your time?"

Jiang Yiming said, "I have something I'd like to consult with you about."

"We still have a few minutes. Let's talk about what's going on."

Guo Shenglin inquired.

"Secretary Li just mentioned that the 'Shanghai-Jiangxi-Chongqing' railway has been included in the '15th Five-Year Plan' for construction. Is there any more detailed progress information now?"

Jiang Yiming inquired.

"What, you're interested in 'Hujiangyu'?"

Guo Shenglin inquired.

“Secretary, Yiyang City is a necessary route for the Shanghai-Jiangxi-Chongqing Railway. If the Shanghai-Jiangxi-Chongqing Railway is built, it will be difficult to bypass Yiyang City. Xichuan County is also on the necessary route. So I would like to understand the situation and strive to have the railway pass through Xichuan County and establish a station there.”

Jiang Yiming said with a hint of excitement, "This gives me even more confidence to lead the people of the whole county out of poverty."

The construction and operation of railways can have multifaceted impacts on the local economy. They not only facilitate the flow of goods and people but also stimulate the development of related industries, create jobs, and enhance regional economic vitality.

Railways have made freight transport more efficient, reduced logistics costs, and facilitated access to wider markets for local products, thus promoting trade and commerce. Furthermore, railways have facilitated travel, increased tourism and population movement, and created opportunities for local service and tourism industries.

Railway construction and operation require a large workforce, including railway workers, technicians, and managers. This provides abundant employment opportunities for local residents, promoting population growth and community development. Simultaneously, the rise of railway-related industries, such as businesses and logistics services around stations, injects new vitality into the local economy.

Overall, the railway has a positive and far-reaching impact on the local economy. It serves as a vital support for regional development, promoting economic growth and diversification, and improving the quality of life for local residents.

His proposal to build strong agricultural and tourism counties is more of a vision; it will take a very long time to realize it.

It may take several county party secretaries working persistently on this task to achieve the goal of becoming a strong county in tourism and agriculture.

But things are different now. If the railway can pass through Xichuan County and establish a station there, it will have a significant and far-reaching impact on Xichuan County.

It is now more convenient for tourists to visit Xichuan County, and agricultural products produced in Xichuan County can now be transported out by rail.

As a result, Xichuan County's economy will inevitably experience rapid growth and development.

Therefore, he was very excited and eager to have the railway pass through Xichuan County.

"How come I didn't see that the Shanghai-Jiangxi-Chongqing Railway must pass through Yiyang City?"

Guo Shenglin glanced at the map and said, "Comrade Yiming, I understand your feelings, but this matter is extremely difficult to handle. After all, the decision-making power rests with the Ministry of Railways. The provincial level has very little say in this matter."

"Besides, it's still uncertain whether the Shanghai-Jiangxi-Chongqing Railway will pass through Yiyang City, let alone Xichuan County. From what I know, many cities are vying for this project. Yiyang City's chances of winning it are slim. Of course, in our province, Governor Wei Dong is in charge of this aspect, so you'd better ask him for clarification."

"Okay, Secretary Guo, I'll go visit Governor Hou now, so I won't disturb your work any longer."

"Okay, go find Governor Wei Dong and ask him. I'll put in a good word for you so you don't make a wasted trip."

Guo Shenglin picked up the landline phone and called Hou Weidong.

“Governor Wei Dong, are you in your office? Jiang Yiming, the Party Secretary of Xichuan County, came to me to inquire about the Shanghai-Jiangyu Railway. I told him that you are an authoritative expert and asked him to come to you to report on his work and learn about the situation.”

"Secretary Sheng Lin, you can just have your secretary bring him over directly. There's no need to call him."

Hou Weidong laughed.

He naturally had to give Guo Shenglin face, especially since it wasn't anything difficult.

"Okay, I'll have Xiao Zhao take him there."

After hanging up the phone, Guo Shenglin called his secretary, Xiao Zhao, in.

"Xiao Zhao, accompany Secretary Yiming to Governor Weidong's office. I've already spoken to him on the phone."

"Okay, Secretary."

Secretary Zhao said, "Secretary Jiang, please come with me."

"Secretary Guo, I won't disturb your work any longer. I'll come to visit you again later."

After leaving Guo Shenglin's office, led by Secretary Zhao, they arrived at the office of Vice Governor Hou Weidong.

As a county party secretary, it is extremely difficult to meet with a vice governor.

Fortunately, Guo Shenglin had given prior notice, and with Secretary Zhao leading the way, Jiang Yiming went directly into Hou Weidong's office.

"Governor Hou, I'm bothering you again."

Jiang Yiming offered his respectful greetings.

The last time he came to see Hou Weidong was to discuss the construction of the road from Xichuan County to Linjiang City.

With Li Zhengquan's approval, the matter was resolved.

"It's all work, there's no need to disturb you, sit down and chat."

Hou Weidong stood up from his boss's chair and sat down opposite Jiang Yiming.

This detail shows that Hou Weidong still values ​​Jiang Yiming quite a bit.

Jiang Yiming is the youngest county party secretary in the province. Of course, this is not enough to make Hou Weidong pay enough attention to him. After all, there are still many young cadres, and not everyone can reach an important leadership position.

Most importantly, his achievements have had a significant impact throughout the province.

Both the "Xinping Model" on optimizing the environment and the "Xichuan Model" on televised political inquiry have won the appreciation and attention of Secretary Li of the Provincial Party Committee.

"Tell me what's going on."

After the secretary finished pouring the tea, Hou Weidong asked.

"Governor, today Secretary Li mentioned the Shanghai-Jiangxi-Chongqing Railway at the training course for county party secretaries across the province. It is currently in the design phase. I would like to know the route of this railway. I wonder if it passes through Yiyang City?"

"This railway is a key project in the '15th Five-Year Plan' and involves multiple provinces and cities. Both the national government and the relevant provinces and cities attach great importance to it. Specifically in our province, all counties and cities that have the opportunity to be involved are very proactive."

Hou Weidong said, "Currently, there are two alternative routes, but the final decision has not yet been made. One is the southern route of Jiangcheng, Linjiang, and Yiyang, and the other is the northern route of Jiangcheng, Tianshui, and Dongping. Both Linjiang and Yiyang, as well as Tianshui and Dongping, are being actively pursued. However, both routes are equally important, and it is difficult for our province to make a decision. Moreover, the decision-making power in this matter rests with the Ministry of Railways, so the final outcome is still uncertain."

"Comrade Yiming, I understand your feelings, but this matter is extremely difficult. We haven't been able to get things done in your city. According to our information, the Ministry of Railways prefers the northern route, so the chances of Yiyang City getting it are slim."

"Thank you for informing me, Governor. I'm just here to find out more about the situation."

Jiang Yiming understood the meaning behind Hou Weidong's words. If even the city government couldn't resolve the issue, then it was even less likely that a county party secretary could.

After leaving Hou Weidong's office, Jiang Yiming headed to the capital.

He did not directly contact Xiao Zhenhua of the Ministry of Railways.

The two had only met once before and had no prior interaction. Going to him directly would be very abrupt, and it was uncertain whether he would even have time to see her.

Let alone asking him for help.

Since I can't offer him any benefits and our relationship isn't strong enough, he's unlikely to help me.

Therefore, he needs to create opportunities.

After arriving in the capital, Jiang Yiming visited Professor Ji Huaixin.

"Teacher, I'm in the capital on some business. I'm bringing you some local specialties, all genuine mountain products."

Jiang Yiming carried the bags into the house.

"Slow down, don't bump your head."

Ji Huaixin saw that Jiang Yiming, as the county party secretary, not only had no airs of an official but was also as simple and honest as a farmer, which he greatly admired.

They truly lived up to this, never being arrogant because of their talents, nor abusing their power because of favor.

"You can drink, right? No one's home at noon, so I'll cook a couple of dishes, and we can have a couple of drinks together."

Ji Huaixin asked with a smile.

"I'll have a drink."

Jiang Yiming laughed and said, "Leave the cooking to me. I'll show off my skills and make a couple of dishes for the teacher to try."

"You can cook?"

Ji Huaixin said in surprise, "Young people these days don't like to cook, and as the county party secretary, you don't have time to cook, do you?"

“I would have done this before I became the Party Secretary.”

Jiang Yiming laughed and said, "I also come from the countryside. When I was a child, my parents were busy with farm work in the fields and usually didn't come back until very late. My younger sister would cry loudly from hunger, so I learned to cook. Gradually, I developed my skills. After I started working, although I was quite busy, I would still take the time to cook so that I wouldn't become rusty."

"good."

Ji Huaixin gave a thumbs up and laughed, "A man who can cook won't be a bachelor; a man who can make soup won't have a sad life; a man with excellent cooking skills won't be a womanizer."

"I became my wife because I'm a good cook."

Jiang Yiming cooked while Ji Huaixin assisted him. The two chatted and got along very well.

After the meal was ready, Ji Huaixin gave a thumbs up and said, "It's very well done, truly masterful."

"The only shortcoming is that I'm still a little bit short of it."

Jiang Yiming didn't expect Ji Huaixin to be so humorous, and laughed, "Teacher, you praised me earlier to set the stage for this sentence, right?"

"Haha, you figured that out."

As they chatted, the conversation turned to finance and economics, and they discussed the development trends of finance and economics both domestically and internationally.

"Many scholars nowadays are touting the prosperity of the Western economy, predicting the decline of our economic system, and even asserting that our economy will collapse within ten years. That's utter nonsense."

After a few rounds of drinks, Ji Huaixin hiccuped and said, "In my opinion, the Western financial and economic system, led by the United States, is hiding a bigger crisis. It may collapse and trigger a financial crisis in the whole country and even the world."

Jiang Yiming hadn't expected Ji Huaixin to have such a profound understanding of the global economy.

Indeed, just as Ji Huaixin said, two or three years later, in 2008, the financial crisis swept the globe, and many countries were not spared, suffering heavy losses.

"The teacher is right. The Western economy is not as magical as they claim. Their financial system will be the first to collapse within three years."

Jiang Yiming echoed.

"Oh, you think so too?"

Ji Huaixin said, "Tell me from what perspective you came to this conclusion."

"Since the 90s, the United States has entered the longest economic expansion cycle in its history. In response to the potential for deflation and recession, the Federal Reserve took decisive action and cut interest rates one after another, successfully stabilizing the US economy. The continuously low interest rates stimulated people's enthusiasm for home buying, and the US housing market, which had been heating up since the 90s, continued to reach new highs."

"The risks to the US economy have been masked by an unprecedented housing boom, causing everyone to overlook these risks. This boom was partly driven by low interest rates, which were precisely what helped the US emerge from the downturn following the bursting of the tech bubble. So they are very reliant on this approach, and even if they know it, they won't expose it. The root of the housing bubble is the expansion of subprime lending, where borrowers with lower credit ratings obtained more loans, pushing homeownership rates to historic levels."

“Financial institutions in the United States packaged subprime loans into securities and launched them on the market, amplifying the risks. Led by the five major investment banks in the United States, including the government-sponsored companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, as well as numerous financial institutions, they all participated in this frenzy. In addition, the overly high ratings given to these products by data rating agencies were undeserved, and these troubled assets quickly became the new darlings of the market.”

"However, the arrival of the interest rate hike cycle will burst the bubble, and subprime mortgage companies will go bankrupt one by one, which will affect the banking industry, the entire financial system, and finally cause a financial crisis."

In his previous life, Jiang Yiming paid attention to stocks and finance, especially the global financial crisis of 2008, which left a deep impression on him.

In response to the financial crisis, countries around the world have used every means at their disposal to minimize losses.

"Great job, Xiao Jiang. You have a very deep understanding of global finance and economics."

Ji Huaixin was somewhat surprised; Jiang Yiming's level of knowledge had already caught up with his own, a senior figure deeply immersed in the economic world.

"The higher-ups have asked me to help write an internal report on the economy. Could you give me some advice and suggestions?"

As he spoke, he went into the study and took out the manuscript he had written.

Jiang Yiming glanced at it; it was about measures to address risks in the financial system.

As the dean of Tsinghua University's School of Economics and Management and a prominent figure in the economic field, Ji Huaixin naturally had the opportunity to offer suggestions to his superiors.

"After reading it, would you like to offer some thoughts?"

Ji Huaixin said expectantly.