Chapter 9: The Two Deputy Generals' Separate Courts

  The heating was turned up, and the pipes clanged loudly for a while. The warm sunlight streaming into the room mixed with the heat from the radiator, making him feel drowsy. He had been lying down for two hours in the afternoon, but when he woke up, he still felt sleepy and couldn't muster up any energy.

  In the outer room, the two telephones on the office desk rang alternately without stopping. He ignored them all. Following his instructions, Secretary Liu refused all visitors and presented matters at the door, focusing on the internal phone call that was about to come with a voice full of helpless begging.

  This morning, Director of Finance Ji Cai-xiu quarreled with him for half a day. In the end, neither of them was able to convince the other who was right or wrong, nor did either emerge victorious. This goddess of wealth relied on her husband being the manager of the provincial trust investment company and became incredibly arrogant in this land of Ji yuan, not even putting this vice mayor in her eyes.

  This month's taxes are in arrears, and there is no reserve in the treasury. The money for paying salaries to government officials is clearly insufficient. She actually had the audacity to suggest using funds from the securities company. Saying that the new mayor has just taken office, it wouldn't look good to cut off their funding, so we should support them a bit...

  Haha, whether or not you support the new mayor is none of your business! If that Yu guy tries to shift the blame onto me, I'll take the fall for it!

  But this surname Yu is also strange. After taking office, he has been transferred to the grassroots level. Under the guise of investigation and research. Alas, now the municipal government is so poor that it can't even afford to eat, and you are still pretending to be busy running around down there. I'd like to see what kind of wonderful things you can come up with by running around like this?

  With his many years of governance experience, local government affairs are simply too simple. It all boils down to one word: "money". With ample financial resources, as mayor, you can repair bridges, pave roads, build houses, raise salaries, and add flowers to the city's construction. Your political achievements will emerge. However, if your financial resources are meager, even paying salaries is difficult, no matter how great your abilities are, it's hard to put them into practice.

  As for where the money comes from, that's a big question. Generally, people think that as long as a company's economic efficiency is good, the government's financial situation will be good too. But it's not entirely like that. Sometimes, companies lose a lot of money, but the government's finances become more relaxed... It all depends on how well you, as the mayor, handle relationships and whether you can smooth out relations with those above and below you. If you have good relations, the province will collect less taxes and allocate more funds, and several hundred million yuan will be yours for the taking. And if you also get central enterprises to make some contributions to the local government, all the money will come together. Of course, this kind of thing requires a lot of effort, eating and drinking, and giving out red envelopes... He Lüqiang relies on this method to maintain the survival of this administration. If he followed Qin Bo's theory, shouting about structural adjustments, grasping enterprise management, and promoting clean government construction, it would be strange if this administration didn't collapse... Not to mention other things, just look at electricity fees - local enterprises owe over 1 billion yuan in electricity fees already. The total profit of those companies is less than 200 million yuan. If you were to get tough with the power bureau, they'd just pull the plug and the whole city would be plunged into darkness. At that point, what could you, Qin Bo, do?

  Hey, this kind of truth, Yu Ming probably still doesn't quite understand. With such a high family background and education, he has a bookworm air about him. This type of person can get by in a big organization, but in this small society that's rotten to the core, they're at a loss. Spending all day doing investigations and research, what's the point? If you don't have money on you, you can't even hear a true word.

  From the day the new mayor took office, Lü Qiang wanted to have a heart-to-heart talk with him and instill this logic into him. He believed that the other party would definitely accept his point of view. For these flying officials, maintaining one's own "integrity" is very important. And in order to be clean and selfless in this corrupt economic circle, the only way is to hand over specific affairs to subordinates and transcend oneself. In this way, even if there are any problems, one can ask three questions and unknowingly escape easily. Moreover, a strong dragon cannot suppress a local snake. From the beginning of taking office, how can you sit firmly on your throne without relying on these deputy mayors?

  The grandfather clock struck four, but the expected phone call still hadn't come. This Yu Ming was indeed able to remain calm. The financial crisis had emerged, why didn't they understand that they should first seek help from him, this veteran government official? Wasn't Ji Pengxiu's message conveyed? No way. This fiery-tempered woman, once she had something on her mind, couldn't keep it in for even a minute... let alone such a crucial matter!

  The phone calls gradually became less frequent. At 4:30, it was time for government officials to attend the banquet. The silence in the room made him feel a bit anxious. He couldn't help but take out his mobile phone and think about actively reporting this matter to the new mayor. Now, the division of labor among vice mayors had not been adjusted yet, and financial work was still handled by Lu Qiang, so if there were any problems, he would be responsible. Such a big thing wouldn't be reported, and letting others turn it around and ask him questions would ruin everything!

  However, he dialed the phone and pressed it again. Hehe, who is Lv Qiang? I am the pillar of Jiyuan City Government! Who doesn't know that there is a Lv Qiang in Jiyuan government, both inside and outside the province? If Qin Bai hadn't made trouble, applying for the provincial party committee to send cadres to take over his post, I would have sat in the first chair of Jiyuan City Government long ago. You, Yu, with a middle name, are equivalent to taking my train on the path of officialdom. You should show me three points of respect; why should I put on a humble and low-key posture in front of you?!

  Ding ding... After half a day, the phone finally rang. Although Deputy Mayor Lu had been holding back his anger, his eyes lit up when he heard the ringtone.

  "Oh, it's a call from the Secretary-General." The secretary walked into the room and said disappointedly, "He informed you that there will be an executive meeting of the government at 8 o'clock tomorrow."

  "What's the content of the State Council executive meeting?"

  The secretary shook her head, meaning she didn't know.

  Huh? He knocked his own head in puzzlement...

  A government executive meeting was held without even notifying him, the vice mayor! In his anger, he vaguely sensed that something was amiss.