Official Career Storm
Chapter 354

Chapter 354: Chapter 354

"Secretary Wu, regarding Dujiang County, what suggestions do you have?"

Secretary Lu’s sudden visit did not surprise Wu Qiangwei in the slightest.

The situation in Dujiang County was clear; the three of them wanted to split two positions, inevitably meaning they would all seek private consultations, to probe each other’s intentions and stances.

She pondered briefly before replying with a question, "What are Secretary Lu’s thoughts?"

Secretary Lu said, "I think Director Yan of the Judicial Bureau has the ability to take on the role of County Party Secretary."

"Hehe, the main thing is to see what Secretary Wu thinks. I wonder if you have a better candidate in mind?"

Wu Qiangwei said, "The position of County Party Secretary should be arranged by me."

Secretary Lu was taken aback.

She didn’t say who she recommended, she was directly claiming the spot.

As for whom this position should go to, it wasn’t his concern.

He thought that by coming over, Wu Qiangwei would give him some face, at least on the surface.

But Wu Qiangwei was showing too much dominance.

Dominance that made Secretary Lu feel uncomfortable.

He sipped his tea quietly, saying nothing.

Wu Qiangwei said, "Fu Ying, the Deputy County Magistrate of Dujiang County, has impressive abilities. She’s a local official with sufficient experience, and it seems appropriate for her to focus on the county’s economy as the next County Magistrate."

Secretary Lu continued to remain silent; this was taking control of the top two positions and leaving nothing for him.

"Once County Magistrate Fu succeeds, the position of Deputy County Magistrate will become vacant. I haven’t yet decided who should fill that spot. Do you have any recommendations, Secretary Lu?"

The two top positions were set in stone—the County Magistrate to be succeeded by Fu Ying, and the County Party Secretary to be appointed to Zhang Meilin, the secretary of Minister Zhou.

No matter whom Secretary Lu wanted to arrange, it was impossible.

But the situation couldn’t be too extreme.

Thus, after Fu Ying was promoted, her former position as Deputy County Magistrate was something Wu Qiangwei intended to offer him.

Secretary Lu’s expression softened slightly, and he nodded, saying, "Then I’ll go back and think about it."

After Secretary Lu left, Song Guanchao walked in.

Wu Qiangwei briefly recounted their conversation, to which Song Guanchao expressed surprise, "Director Yan?"

He had heard about it from Wu Xiao’e yesterday and found it puzzling.

It was highly unlikely that Director Yan would cooperate with Secretary Lu just for the future of his own niece.

Turns out Secretary Lu was using the top position in Dujiang County for a trade of interests with him.

Wu Qiangwei said, "Secretary Lu might not agree."

Right now, Dujiang County was a large piece of cake.

If you wanted a bite, others did too.

To monopolize it wasn’t impossible, but you needed the power to do so.

Without that power, attempting to exclude others merely invited isolation, ultimately leaving you with no piece of the cake at all.

If Wu Qiangwei merely wanted the position of County Magistrate, it would be simple.

She could open her mouth, recommend Fu Ying’s succession, and no one would obstruct it.

Moreover, the vacancy left by Fu Ying’s promotion to County Magistrate was a bargaining chip that Wu Qiangwei could hold and trade with others for benefits.

But she was unwilling to see people from Secretary Lu and Mayor Zheng taking the top spot.

That’s why things had become complicated.

If she wanted to ensure Minister Zhou’s secretary, Zhang Meilin, took the County Party Secretary position without issue, she had to bleed a bit, offering corresponding benefits to placate Secretary Lu’s emotions.

For example, the spot of Deputy County Magistrate.

But Secretary Lu might not be satisfied with this mediocre position.

Song Guanchao said, "What about offering Secretary Lu the position of Deputy Secretary-General of the City Committee?"

"Not enough," Wu Qiangwei shook her head.

Currently, most of the City Committee’s powers were in Wu Qiangwei’s hands.

The key offices and departments were all staffed by her people.

Even Chu Xiao’e was one of her people.

Under these circumstances, the position of Deputy Secretary-General held no allure for Secretary Lu.

Even if he placed his own people in the role of Deputy Secretary-General, they’d eventually be marginalized given the fierce competition, amounting to nothing more than a hollow title.

Song Guanchao said, "What about Minister Zhou’s side? He can’t just take the advantages without doing anything, right?"

Wu Qiangwei said, "This time, it was me asking for his help, not him actively offering. His willingness to accept is already a sign of support for me."

She intended to form an alliance with Minister Zhou from the start.

But this was her actively seeking an alliance, and Minister Zhou could completely refuse.

Therefore, the position of County Party Secretary was something she was offering to Minister Zhou, to exchange for his cooperation with her future work in the city.

In such a situation, she couldn’t demand Minister Zhou to do anything.

Song Guanchao didn’t know what to say for a moment.

Wu Qiangwei’s ambition was too great.

She wanted to sideline Secretary Lu and Mayor Zheng, but she didn’t have any impressive bargaining chips to present.

This had created an extremely awkward situation.

If Secretary Lu went to join forces with Mayor Zheng and neither side was willing to give in, then the outcome would most likely be that the County Party Secretary position promised to Minister Zhou would be snatched away by Secretary Lu and Mayor Zheng.

"Huayuan District," Song Guanchao suddenly said.

"What?" Wu Qiangwei didn’t understand.

Song Guanchao said, "Give Huayuan District to them!"

"Giving them the Chief of Huayuan District and Deputy County Magistrate for the position of County Party Secretary, Secretary Lu would not be at a loss."

Wu Qiangwei did not respond immediately.

Huayuan District was Liang Hao’s territory, and Liang Hao was her person.

Just like that, to hand over a key economic region to Secretary Lu, she was weighing whether it would be worth it.

"Secretary," Song Guanchao said, "Now isn’t the time to consider whether it is worth it."

"Since you’ve decided to court Minister Zhou, this is the necessary trade-off."

Wu Qiangwei was silent for a moment, then asked, "On Liang Hao’s end, is he willing to let go?"

"That side can be left to me, there won’t be any problems."

Since he had proposed it, he was fully confident.

Wu Qiangwei hmm’ed in response, and asked again, "So is it cooperation with Secretary Lu or with Mayor Zheng?"

"Secretary Lu!"

Song Guanchao didn’t hesitate.

Originally, he had hoped that Mayor Zheng would have the edge over Secretary Lu.

But the matter had to be considered in light of the current situation.

If Deputy County Magistrate was enough to get the job done, he would have definitely preferred to cooperate with Mayor Zheng.

But now with the addition of Huayuan District, it could only be a partnership with Secretary Lu.

Because he needed to use Mayor Zheng as a bargaining chip when negotiating with Liang Hao.

No matter how much Liang Hao trusted him, getting him to just hand over Huayuan District was not going to be easy.

To persuade him, there needed to be enough of a weighted benefit.

The position under Mayor Zheng’s backside was the condition he would use to negotiate with Liang Hao.

"Before that, Secretary, you need to have a talk with Mayor Zheng. If Deputy County Magistrate can win his support, then there’s no need to talk with Secretary Lu."

"If Mayor Zheng disagrees, then give both Huayuan District and the Deputy County Magistrate to Secretary Lu, and let him handle Mayor Zheng."

"Alright."

That was the best option available at the moment.

Wu Qiangwei was hoping Mayor Zheng would agree.

In that case, there would be no need to hand over Huayuan District.

At that moment, his cell phone rang.

He glanced at it; it was a call from County Magistrate Fu.

"County Magistrate Fu is calling."

He answered the call in front of Wu Qiangwei.

"You’ve set off? Okay, let me know when you arrive."

After hanging up, Song Guanchao said, "County Magistrate Fu has gathered all the evidence and is now on her way."

Wu Qiangwei checked the time, "You handle the reception, and tonight, I’ll arrange to have dinner with Secretary Wang."

"Also, contact Secretary Li for me, I’m heading to the City Hall now."

"Alright." After Song Guanchao made the arrangements, Wu Qiangwei proceeded to the City Hall.

He didn’t follow; he had other matters to attend to.

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