Colorful years

After concluding his meeting with his office colleagues, Section Chief Qin took Zhang Cong to visit Vice Ministers He, Li, and Tian. At each meeting, Zhang Cong felt the leaders' earnest expectations and encouragement, which undoubtedly injected strong motivation into his future work.

As a member of the Standing Committee of the State Party Committee, Minister Xiang, who holds the important position of Commander of the Dayong Airport Construction Headquarters, needs to frequently travel between the county seat, the provincial capital, and the capital.

He is busy all day coordinating resources from all parties and advancing project progress, so he rarely has time to stay in the department to handle daily work.

During this period, the heavy burden of various tasks in the ministry naturally fell on the shoulders of Executive Vice Minister He. Except for matters involving important personnel arrangements that still required collective discussion, all other work was entrusted to Minister He for full responsibility, and he made the final decisions.

In this way, Minister He has effectively become the de facto head of the propaganda department.

Minister He, who wields considerable power, acts decisively and efficiently, without any hesitation. Faced with various complex and thorny issues and emergencies, he always makes quick decisions and takes effective measures.

However, going back to the special year of 1968, He Qi'an, then director of the state forestry bureau, was criticized and denounced as a "capitalist roader in power" and was dismissed from his post.

In 1981, after many twists and turns, He Qi'an finally returned to his original post. Two years later, an opportunity arose—the Propaganda Department of the Prefectural Committee faced a major reshuffle of its leadership.

With his outstanding abilities and accumulated experience, He Qi'an was successfully appointed as the deputy minister and took charge of the daily work.

However, although he has now returned to a high position, the dark years when he was criticized and lost power still haunt him and make it difficult for him to let go.

The resentment buried deep in his heart was like a spark, waiting for the slightest breeze to ignite a raging fire. He had been looking for an opportunity to vent this pent-up frustration and anger and carry out a meticulously planned revenge.

For the young and promising Zhang Cong, He Qi'an was undoubtedly a contradictory figure. On the one hand, from the perspective of work ability, He Qi'an could indeed be described as a shrewd and capable leader, whose decisive style and unique vision often impressed people;

On the other hand, Zhang Cong also knew that his boss was narrow-minded and could not tolerate others going against his wishes. He was more like a politician who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

The year was 1985, and He Qi'an finally got the moment he had been waiting for. At that time, there was a purge of the "three types of people" (those who rose to power by following the Lin Biao and Jiang Qing counter-revolutionary cliques during the Cultural Revolution, those with strong factionalism, and those who engaged in violence and looting). He used this as an opportunity and tool to retaliate against people, targeting Section Chief Qin, who had once competed with him for the position of vice minister but now held different political views, as a "rebel."

After a long period of careful consideration and meticulous planning, he decided to secretly assign his trusted confidant to carry out an important mission—to conduct a two-year-long secret investigation and evidence collection operation against Section Chief Qin.

However, despite investing a great deal of time, energy, and human and material resources, the expected goals were ultimately not achieved.

But this did not stop him. Relying on the enormous power he held, he convened a general meeting of all party members of the department's branch, and moved and forcibly passed a resolution to give Section Chief Qin a serious warning within the party.

This decision caused quite a stir and controversy, with many people expressing doubt and dissatisfaction.

Comrade Zhang Cong, due to his special relationship with Section Chief Qin (he was able to work in the department through Section Chief Qin's recommendation), was unfortunately caught up in this turmoil.

Because He Qi'an held the power of personnel appointments, Zhang Cong was not given important positions and remained on the sidelines for four long years.

During this period, no matter how hard he tried or how proactive he was, he was unable to change his predicament.

In fact, on the very day Zhang Cong went to the ministry to report for duty and officially start his job, and went to pay his respects to Minister He, Minister He waved his hand to signal everyone else around him to temporarily leave.

Afterwards, only Zhang Cong remained in the room. Then, Minister He slowly walked to the door, gently closed it, and the entire room fell into a solemn and respectful atmosphere.

Minister He turned around, his gaze fixed intently on Zhang Cong, and said with a serious expression, "Little Zhang, I wholeheartedly supported the organization's decision to transfer you to our department. This proves that you are indeed quite outstanding and excellent!"

You must understand, our state governs a full ten counties, a veritable treasure trove of talent. Therefore, this rare opportunity can be given not only to you, but to anyone else as well. So, I hope you will cherish this hard-won opportunity!

After speaking these words with a solemn expression and a firm tone, He Qi'an paused for a moment, then stared intently into Zhang Cong's eyes once more.

In that instant, he exuded an unparalleled majesty and imposing aura, like a towering mountain, inspiring awe and even sending a chill down one's spine.

After a brief moment of adjustment, Minister He took a deep breath, his already tense face becoming even more serious. He continued in a deep voice, "Next, I want to entrust you with an extremely glorious yet highly challenging and important task..."

Before Minister He could finish speaking, Zhang Cong, who was standing to the side, hurriedly interjected, "Minister He, please feel free to give your orders! No matter what the task is, I will do my best to complete it." Zhang Cong's words revealed his confidence and proactive attitude.