Zhang Chaoping’s words immediately drew everyone’s attention, and they all looked at him.
Zhang Chaoping said, "There are eight counties and one district, a total of nine areas, especially the Huahe District where the government is located; this area has suffered the most in this disaster. If we were to rely solely on funding from higher authorities, we could at best settle the disaster victims. However, if we wish to develop, that won’t be possible. Therefore, I have a proposal, which is for everyone to share the workload and treat attracting investment as a major task. Each comrade should focus on assisting one area. What do you all think?" Thɪs chapter is updated by n̷o̷v̷e̷l̷f̷i̷r̷e̷.net
Zuo Lin said, "We have exactly nine members in our team."
Wu Jing said, "How will the tasks be distributed? The nine areas each have different circumstances, especially Huahe District, which has been severely affected. It’s practically rebuilding a new city; the workload is incomparable to that of ordinary areas."
"Mr. Ji Yang, you are the mayor. What do you think about this?" Zhang Chaoping looked at Ji Yang.
Facing everyone’s gaze, Ji Yang realized that Zhang Chaoping indeed knew how to stir things up. As the mayor, he would definitely have to take on the most significant tasks in the reconstruction, and Huahe District was his responsibility.
Ji Yang was not too concerned about this matter; after all, he also had a large amount of funds to invest. However, with Zhang Chaoping’s maneuvering, no matter what he did, he would seem weaker in terms of momentum, which would lead everyone to expect him to bear the burden no matter the issue.
Thinking this, Ji Yang said, "Comrade Zhang Chaoping’s suggestion is good, but we have not yet reached Ximu City, and we are completely unaware of the situation there. Any policy implementation should not be decided rashly. We should first arrive at Ximu City, fully understand the situation there, and then discuss this matter. What does everyone think?"
Zhang Chaoping’s eyelid twitched. He sensed that Ji Yang was criticizing him for making decisions impulsively. If this reached the higher-ups, it might label him as someone who does not ground his actions in reality, which could damage his image and influence his future use by his superiors.
Wow! Initially, he wanted to use this opportunity to suppress Ji Yang, but Ji Yang counterattacked unexpectedly.
Seeing the top two leaders making moves, everyone else remained silent. After all, they were not familiar with the situation at the moment and could not possibly take sides.
Zhang Chaoping glanced at Ji Yang again and nodded slightly, "Comrade Ji Yang makes some sense; we should first look at the local conditions before making decisions."
"Yes, Comrade Zhang Chaoping is right; no investigation, no right to speak," Ji Yang remarked.
This round ended in a draw. Zhang Chaoping had intended to test Ji Yang’s authority and see if he could gain the upper hand, but Ji Yang not only thwarted his strategy but made him gain a reputation for acting impulsively.
Neither of them looked at each other, treating it as if it was just a professional discussion. They stopped talking about this matter and instead exchanged information about Ximu City.
By then, everyone could see that Ji Yang was not someone easy to manipulate, and there would likely be some struggles between the top leaders in the future.
Which side should they align with next?
Currently, everyone was faced with this decision. Given the circumstances, choosing sides was inevitable, and which side to choose required careful consideration.
Of course, there was another option, which was to remain neutral or to carve out their own path.
However, whether one could maintain stability in that case was uncertain.
At this time, Chai Heping said, "This time, due to inaction and the deaths in the earthquake, many positions in Ximu City are vacant. The higher-ups intend to promote from local cadres as much as possible. What does everyone think about this matter regarding the selection of officers?" Although he was the chief of the organization department, he did not assume he could control everything and wanted to gauge everyone’s attitudes.
Zuo Lin said, "We must ensure openness, fairness, and justice in the inspection of officers; we cannot allow for criticisms."
Zhang Chaoping said, "Rebuilding the party organization is of the utmost importance. In this task, comrades responsible for party affairs should take on more responsibilities. This is also a major project, and while everyone is undertaking assistance tasks, we cannot overlook this important work."
Alright then, his implication was to tell everyone that party affairs were the most important, and those responsible for party affairs would focus on organizational development, while economic development would still be managed by government departments.
Zhang Chaoping already had the idea of controlling everything?
Ji Yang realized that Zhang Chaoping’s desire for power was strong. As the top leader, he aimed to keep the entire Ximu City under his control, unaware of who had given him such confidence. It seemed Ji Yang needed to have someone investigate his background, lest there be any hidden forces behind him.