Chapter 65: What is Advance and Retreat?

  Zhang Qingyun secretly smiled to herself, thinking that Liu Chuan was lingering outside her room door so late at night, definitely because something was on his mind. Perhaps it was about the banquet and he felt a bit embarrassed, so he hesitated and didn't knock on the door.

  "Secretary Liu, what's with the politeness? Come on, let's go inside and talk, it's cold out here." Zhang Qingyun said with a smile.

  After entering the house, Liu Chuan didn't show any courtesy and directly asked Huang Songshan about his intention for this visit. Zhang Qingyun also frankly told him about the situation.

  "What? This... this will cause me a huge loss, and besides, the sedimentation in Yannan Reservoir has been severe over the decades, it's not as big as it used to be. Director Zhang, isn't this inappropriate?" Liu said with great surprise and distress, followed by a torrent of complaints, saying that the people of Yannan are not easy to deal with, and Yongping cannot give up Yannan, which is a granary, etc.

  Zhang Qing listened quietly, knowing that Liu Chuan was being alarmist. As long as the operation is done well, the loss to Yannan is actually limited. The reason why Liu Chuan is pouring out his grievances is largely due to the problem with the current cadres' performance evaluation.

  Currently, the country is reforming and opening up, with economic construction as its central task. When evaluating officials, the party mainly looks at the rate of economic growth and social stability. As for Yongping, every year the county will come up with a comprehensive ranking of the economic development of all towns in the county. The towns that rank high will be heavily rewarded by the county committee and government, and their leaders will have a higher chance of being promoted compared to other town leaders. In this context, who would be willing to take on this thankless task?

  "Secretary Liu! This is nothing between you and me, but I advise you to stop here. If these words reach the ears of Secretary Huang and County Magistrate Li, it won't be good." Zhang Qingyun said indifferently, but suddenly his tone turned sharp and serious:

  "What kind of project is the Gaoyan Yu Bridge? Don't you know? This project concerns the image of our city leaders, even provincial leaders. I, Yongping, and all cadres and masses must be prepared to make sacrifices for the smooth implementation of this project at any time."

  "Secretary Liu, look at you, this thing hasn't even started yet and you're already complaining a lot. Can what I said be counted? This needs to go through scientific analysis and argumentation, and finally the county leaders will hold an executive meeting to listen to experts' opinions before it can be decided. What's the hurry?"

  Liu Chuan's face turned pale, and he was so frightened by Zhang Qingyun's sudden outburst that he broke into a cold sweat. Originally, he dared to say these things to Zhang Qingyun because he saw that Zhang Qingyun seemed relatively easy-going, and even though he had made such a big mistake in receiving him, Zhang Qingyun had glossed over it lightly.

  He hoped to gain sympathy from the other party by telling his own grievances, and then help himself out a bit. Who knows, this matter might just be settled. In his heart, Zhang Qingyun was just a young man with no experience, and as long as he acted well, the other party would definitely take the bait. But unexpectedly, Zhang Qingyun not only didn't take the bait but also directly put him in the category of mountain strongholdism with just a few words, and this mess got bigger.

  Zhang Qingyun sneered in his heart, could Liu Chuan's thoughts escape him? He suddenly flew into a rage also to give this guy a warning, let him know that he wasn't a soft persimmon, whoever wanted to take advantage of him couldn't just do so.

  Of course, Zhang Qingyun's other meaning is also very obvious. Liu Chuan was slow to receive him today, and although he didn't say anything in public, what he really thinks in his heart depends on his mood. If you, Liu Chuan, don't know how to appreciate favors and hit the snake with a stick, then don't blame him for being impolite! Zhang Qingyun has never believed that there is such a thing as magnanimity or gratitude in officialdom; all that exists in officialdom is self-interest!

  Looking at Zhang Qingyun sitting on the sofa with a leisurely expression, Liu Chuan felt a chill run down his back and silently cursed himself for being muddled and not knowing how to advance or retreat. Was the county magistrate's secretary so easy to fool? Had he been wasting his time in officialdom all these years? With this thought, he hastily began to make amends, hanging his head and speaking sincerely:

  "Director Zhang's criticism is reasonable, I was indeed a bit impatient just now. My original intention is still to consider more for the people of Yannan, it's just that the expression is a bit... over-the-top... the word doesn't quite convey the meaning."

  Zhang Qingyun smiled slightly, and his face immediately cleared up. He said, "I knew Secretary Liu was an old cadre of the party and wouldn't make this kind of mistake. I've also worked at the grassroots level, so I understand the difficulties there. It's understandable that Secretary Liu has some worries."

  However, we must have a long-term vision. The leaders of the county where the water source is located are clear about this, and this project was personally led by Secretary Huang and Mayor Li. How much sacrifice did the ordinary people of Yannan make? Can't they be clear about it?

  Liu Chuan's expression changed slightly, and Zhang Qingyun's words struck his weakest point. Isn't the so-called political achievement just a balance in the leader's mind? Once you understand this principle, everything becomes clear. What else can Liu Chuan not open up about?

  "Director Zhang, hearing your words is better than reading books for ten years. I, old Liu, have gained a lot from it! You see...it's not early now, you should rest first! I still need to arrange tomorrow's work, disturbing you for so long, I really feel apologetic!" Liu said respectfully.

  Zhang Qingyun nodded and stood up to see him off at the door. Liu Chuan helped him put on his coat, then turned around and quickly left.

  For three consecutive days, Zhang Qingyun was inspecting in Yannan, and Liu Chuan also had a high enthusiasm for work due to the night talk that evening. As a local snake, he indeed solved many problems for the inspection team.

  Preliminary investigation results show that everyone agrees Zhang Qingyun's water diversion plan is feasible. The irrigation canal network on the south side of Swan Lake is indeed too developed, and as long as it is slightly dredged, the entire river's water volume can be completely absorbed.

  Of course, whether it can be achieved or not still needs to be carefully demonstrated by professionals. After all, some problems cannot be solved just by looking at them with the naked eye, such as the capacity of Yannan Reservoir and the solidity of the dam.

  But with Secretary Huang around, Zhang Qingyun didn't have to worry at all. Huang Songshan had already given a series of instructions in person and it was expected that there would be a conclusion within a week.

  During the investigation, Zhang Qingyun also received some good news that Wang Hua and Zhang Qian had made progress on their end. After staking out for several days, they finally took useful material.

  What interested Zhang Qingyun the most was that Wang Hua and his partner had discovered that those illegal coal mines actually had police helping them guard the scene. Zhang Qingyun immediately instructed the two to obtain evidence in this regard at all costs, on the condition that they must ensure their personal safety is not compromised. If this can be done, Zhang Qingyun is confident that he can put Chen Yunshan to death.

  Sorry about the delay due to a power outage! There's still another update tonight, so please throw some votes!