Forged in the fires of war: The Qi family's generals rewrite the fate of eastern Hebei.

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It was noon when Secretary Gong got out of the car and spoke to Sun Liancheng.

"Liancheng! Are you having lunch at your county government canteen?"

"Yes, Secretary, everything will be done according to your requirements, and there will be absolutely no extravagance or waste."

"Good, good, good. It's right to avoid extravagance and waste. As leaders, we should set an example."

In fact, Wen Qihang and his associates had followed Secretary Gong on his research trip for so long that they had come to understand his style.

No welcoming banquets will be held, and there will be absolutely no extravagance or waste.

Therefore, it was not surprising to these provincial leaders that Jinshan County did this, given Sun Liancheng's status.

But why did Secretary Gong bring it up himself?

They just didn't want Sun Liancheng to lose face in front of the provincial party committee leaders.

Secretary Gong is actively helping Sun Liancheng.

This approach made Wen Qihang and several other provincial leaders realize what was going on.

Sun Liancheng is someone you can't afford to offend!

After having lunch at the Jinshan County Party Committee, the group of leaders went to the Jinshan County Party Committee Guesthouse to rest.

It was at this time, under the watchful eyes of all the leading cadres in Jinshan County, that Sun Liancheng came alone to the county party committee guesthouse.

The leaders and cadres of Jinshan County were all taken aback.

It really is Secretary Sun! Only he has such great influence over Secretary Gong.

Sun Liancheng knew Secretary Gong's daily routine, so at this time, he did not disturb Secretary Gong, but instead knocked on the other door.

The person living in this room is Qi Tongwei.

When Qi Tongwei opened the door, he saw Sun Liancheng and a bright smile appeared on his face.

"Brother Sun, come in quickly, come in quickly."

After Sun Liancheng entered the room, Qi Tongwei brewed a cup of tea and placed it on the tea table. The two sat on the sofa, and Sun Liancheng spoke first.

"How has your work as a secretary been lately? Are you settling in well?"

"I'm slowly getting the hang of it, but I've realized there's still so much I need to learn."

"No rush. You'll be staying in Jinshan for a few more days. I'll come to the guesthouse every day. We can talk about any problems you have, and I'll help you."

"Then I can't call him Brother Sun anymore, I have to call him Teacher Sun."

"Haha, we're all brothers, why be so formal? Even though I've left the boss, I hope he can find a better secretary. We're all in the same boat!"

"I heard you did something big in Lincheng. What's the situation with Qiao Ning?"

Sun Liancheng wasn't in the city, so the news was somewhat delayed, and he was very curious.

Chapter 166 Teacher Sun's Teachings

Qi Tongwei recounted Qiao Ning's story in detail, which left Sun Liancheng speechless.

"This is the Party Secretary of the Municipal Committee! When I first took office in Jinshan, I met Qiao Ning. This Party Secretary is quite impressive."

After hearing this, Qi Tongwei couldn't help but sneer.

"No matter how powerful he is, can he be more powerful than the boss? The boss is a provincial party secretary, and he's incredibly low-key. Qiao Ning is just a municipal party secretary. How dare he act so recklessly? If he doesn't die, who will?"

"That's not entirely true. The boss has just arrived in Handong and is bound to make a big impression on everyone there. Qiao Ning just happened to run into his hands, so naturally the boss wants to make an example of him."

For the leading cadres in the Hantong government, Secretary Gong's style of conduct was directly related to their future prospects, so they paid close attention to it.

Secretary Gong used Qiao Ning as a warning to others, partly to let everyone in Handong know that he, Gong Kaichen, is now in charge of the entire Handong, and that everyone should keep their eyes open.

On the other hand, it was also to show the higher-ups that Gong Kaichen could handle such a major incident as the Xujia Kiln collapse perfectly.

The latter, in particular, may be the most important for someone of Gong Kaichen's level.

At this point, Sun Liancheng continued.

"I'm afraid you won't be able to stay at Kingsoft for long, as the boss's research is probably coming to an end soon."

"Brother Sun, what do you mean?"

"Once Qiao Ning's matter is settled, the boss will definitely return to Jingzhou. After all, he is the secretary of the municipal party committee, and this position will definitely cause a fierce competition in the province."

Qi Tongwei seemed to be deep in thought after hearing this.

This is a powerful local figure in Handong, and countless people throughout the Handong Provincial Party Committee are keeping an eye on him!

Some people want to sit in this position, while others want their people to sit in it.

Although Secretary Gong is the head of the provincial party committee, he also needs to take care of the emotions of all the team members; maintaining balance is the most crucial thing.

However, at this moment, Qi Tongwei thought of a key point.

Secretary Gong has just arrived in Handong, and he probably doesn't have many talented people in his inner circle who could fill the position of secretary of the Lincheng Municipal Party Committee.

Therefore, for Secretary Gong, this position is probably the best bait.

Thinking of this, Qi Tongwei immediately told Sun Liancheng his idea.

At this moment, Sun Liancheng's gaze towards Qi Tongwei became somewhat appreciative.

“Tongwei, your political insight shows that the boss made the right choice in choosing a new secretary. Based on my many years of experience as a secretary, in the current Handong Province, only Chief Prosecutor Wu of the Provincial Procuratorate was promoted by the previous boss.”

"After all, the boss hasn't been in Handong for several years. Some of the former leaders have either retired or been transferred to other provinces."

"Based on my understanding of the boss, if he doesn't have a suitable person to put in the position of secretary of the Lincheng Municipal Party Committee, then there will definitely be some dealings with him."

Sun Liancheng didn't spell it out, but Qi Tongwei understood the implication.

What kind of dealings were they? To put it bluntly, they were private political transactions.

No matter whose person they are, anyone who wants to become the Party Secretary of Lincheng City must get Gong Kaichen's approval; Secretary Gong's vote is extremely crucial.

"Tongwei, if I had to guess, this is probably the boss's third objective: to achieve a political balance through the position of the Party Secretary of Lincheng City."

Secretary Gong also needs support from the Standing Committee members within the Provincial Party Committee, so he will inevitably win over one faction and neglect another.

After all, there is absolutely no such harmonious group among the Standing Committee members.

"Tongwei, after you return to Jingzhou, as the top secretary of Handong, you will inevitably be targeted by countless people. At that time, you must keep a clear head. No matter who comes to you, you only have one thing to do."

"What method?"

"Practicing Tai Chi."

Qi Tongwei's eyes lit up slightly, and Sun Liancheng continued to explain to him.

"Don't directly refuse the provincial leaders. First, you can't afford to offend them, and second, you shouldn't rashly make enemies for the boss. But you also can't agree. So playing it safe and trying to smooth things over is the best approach."

"If someone invites you to dinner, you can go after getting your boss's permission. But once you've accepted the invitation, you have to fight back."

Sun Liancheng's insightful explanation greatly inspired Qi Tongwei.

"Brother Sun, without your guidance, I'm afraid I would have easily fallen into your trap."

Sun Liancheng smiled and shook his head.

"The boss won't blame you for minor mistakes. We're all on the same side, and the boss treats you like a son or nephew. But the more that's the case, the more vigilant you should be. As for mistakes, it's best to avoid them if you can."

"Yes Yes."

Sun Liancheng and Qi Tongwei talked for more than an hour until Secretary Gong woke up.

The two entered Secretary Gong's room and naturally exchanged pleasantries.

Secretary Gong spent a few days in Jinshan County and toured the entire county.

At this moment, Secretary Yan Gangfeng called from Lincheng. On the other end of the phone, Secretary Yan spoke directly.

"Secretary Gong, the investigation into Qiao Ning's case has been basically completed, and the problem is quite serious! Based on the evidence we have so far, the amount of money he embezzled has reached tens of millions."

Secretary Gong listened to the phone call without saying a word.

However, Qi Tongwei, standing next to him, could clearly sense the intense anger emanating from the provincial party secretary.

However, Secretary Gong was very good at maintaining his composure, and he naturally wouldn't easily unleash this anger.

Meanwhile, Yan Gangfeng continued speaking on the other end of the phone.

"During the investigation, we also discovered that several leading cadres in Lincheng City had improper dealings with Qiao Ning."

"Who are they?"

Secretary Gong finally spoke, but his voice was devoid of any color.

"Including Zheng Dunyi, the Organization Minister of the Lincheng Municipal Party Committee, Qian Guoxin, the Director of the Lincheng Municipal Public Security Bureau, and the top two leaders of several other municipal bureaus, there are two deputy-department-level cadres and 13 division-level cadres involved."

"What is the provincial discipline inspection commission's opinion?"

“From the perspective of our Discipline Inspection Commission, it should naturally be handled strictly, but the specifics of how to do it are still up to you, Secretary Gong, to give instructions.”

"There's no need for me to give instructions. Just handle it according to the law. We absolutely cannot be lenient with these parasites."

Qiao Ning embezzled tens of millions of yuan, which was enough to enrage Secretary Gong.

It's 94! Life isn't easy for ordinary people.

After Secretary Yan Gangfeng replied, Gong Kaichen hung up the phone and said to Qi Tongwei.

"Tongwei, tell Secretary-General Wen that we're going back to Jingzhou."

Chapter 167 Zhao Lichun

The news that Secretary Gong had finished his research trip and was preparing to return to Jingzhou quickly reached Jingzhou.

This kind of news cannot be kept secret, especially not from the members of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee in Handong.

It was at this time that the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection issued its decision on Qiao Ning and others, expelling them from the Party and public office.

This outcome immediately stirred up undercurrents in Jingzhou, the provincial capital of Handong.

Especially the homes of several members of the Standing Committee of the Handong Provincial Party Committee, which were always bustling with activity, with countless officials coming to visit them in private.

Among them are many members of the municipal party committee standing committee and many provincial department leaders.

After all, being the Party Secretary of Lincheng City is an extremely important position, and it is extremely tempting for deputy-department-level cadres and some department-level cadres.

Among these department-level officials, some held positions with relatively low authority, so they naturally set their sights on these positions.

Municipal Party secretaries are provincial-level cadres, and their personnel appointment and removal authority rests with the provincial Party committee and its organization department.

Each member of the provincial Party committee's standing committee holds an extremely important vote.

This is also why Qi Tongwei dared not offend Li Dakang in the original timeline.

Of course, Qi Tongwei's case is different from the current Lincheng Party Secretary's case.

At that time, Qi Tongwei was aiming to become the vice governor, thus entering the vice-ministerial level. While vice-ministerial level officials are centrally managed, the provincial party committee has the power to recommend them.

Li Dakang could not decide whether Qi Tongwei would become vice governor, but he could participate in deciding whether to recommend Qi Tongwei.

At present, the provincial party committee can decide who to appoint as the secretary of the Lincheng Municipal Party Committee.

One can imagine how profound the intricacies involved are.

This subtle difference was enough for the cadres in Handong to take it more seriously than Qi Tongwei.

Jingzhou, the Zhao family.

As the Secretary of the Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee and a member of the Standing Committee of the Handong Provincial Party Committee, Zhao Lichun naturally had many guests at his home.

However, Secretary Zhao refused to accept any of the gifts offered.

This isn't because Zhao Lichun is too incorruptible, but because he clearly understands that now is not the time to do these things.

In the evening, the Zhao family sat down at the dining table for dinner.

Zhao Lichun's second daughter couldn't help but say.

"Dad, you've turned down several leading cadres these past few days. If this continues, it might not be good for you, right?"

Leaders at the provincial and ministerial levels are in a very awkward position. They not only need people above them to pull them along, but also people below them to flatter them.

Zhao Lichun's second daughter was worried that her father's actions would easily arouse public outrage in the officialdom of Handong. If he offended too many leading cadres, it would actually be detrimental to Zhao Lichun's future advancement.