Chapter 51: Emerging
On April 5, 1998, Hu Jiao received his Doctor of Laws degree.
On the same day, Chang Aijun, who had been elected as a member of the Politburo, resigned from his post as Secretary of the Nanzhao Provincial Party Committee and went to the central government to serve as Minister of the Xinhua Ministry of Agriculture.
At the end of April, after an investigation by the Organization Department of the Central Committee, the central government removed Hu Zhongzhi from his post as governor of Nanzhao Province and appointed him as secretary of the Nanzhao Provincial Committee of the New Communist Party. Tang Guangrong, deputy secretary of the Changshun Provincial Committee, was transferred to serve as member of the Standing Committee and deputy secretary of the Nanzhao Provincial Committee and acting governor of the Nanzhao Provincial People's Government.
On May 8, Provincial Party Secretary Hu Zhongzhi presided over the fourth plenary session of the Nanzhao Provincial Party Committee.
In accordance with the appointment by the Central Committee, the meeting elected a new term of provincial standing committee members: Hu Zhongzhi, Tang Guangrong, Zhou Liming, Qian Keming, He Guizhen, Wu Changjun, Li Mingyong, Hu Jianguo, Tian Fumin, Li Zonghe, Chen Yongqing, Zhang Guoqing and other twelve comrades.
Immediately afterwards, he appointed Zhou Liming, former secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission, as deputy secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Qian Keming, former head of the Organization Department of the Provincial Party Committee, as deputy secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, He Guizhen, former member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and secretary of the Nanhu Municipal Party Committee, as executive vice governor, Wu Changjun, secretary general of the Provincial Party Committee, as deputy secretary and secretary general of the Provincial Party Committee, Li Mingyong, former vice governor, as member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, Hu Jianguo, former mayor of Hongjiang City, Nanzhao Province, as head of the Organization Department of the Provincial Party Committee, Tian Fumin, former secretary of the Fenghuang Municipal Party Committee of Nanzhao Province, as secretary of the Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission, Li Zonghe, former president of Nanzhao University, as secretary of the Nanhu Municipal Party Committee, and Chen Yongqing, former secretary general of the provincial government, as head of the Propaganda Department of the Provincial Party Committee.
The last member of the Standing Committee, Zhang Guoqing, is the commander of the provincial military corps.
All the retired leading cadres of the previous team were transferred to the Provincial People's Congress and the Provincial Political Consultative Conference. At this point, Nanzhao completed the replacement of the provincial party committee leadership team.
What is more unexpected is the emergence of Hu Jianguo and Tian Fumin, which can be regarded as a sudden rise. Some of the cadres at the department level mostly said sourly that Nanzhao is now the world of the Phoenix people.
Four members of the provincial party committee standing committee, including provincial party secretary Hu Zhongzhi who was promoted from Phoenix, account for one-third of the standing committee seats.
Among the members of the Standing Committee, it seems that only Governor Tang Guangrong is left alone. Zhou Liming was promoted from Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission to the No. 1 Deputy Secretary. He is a symbol of the He faction. Qian Keming is one of them. In addition, Li Mingyong is also considered a representative of the He faction.
He Guizhen belongs to the academic school. This time, the president of Nanzhao University was dragged out to take over, and his presence cannot be ignored.
The other four, Wu Changjun, Hu Jianguo, Tian Fumin and Chen Yongqing, are staunch supporters of the Hu faction.
As a result, the Hu faction has an absolute advantage in the leadership of the provincial party committee. If there is a real confrontation, only Zhou Liming can withstand it, but now, the two sides are in a honeymoon period.
On May 10, Hu Jiao received a transfer order from the General Office of the Provincial Party Committee. This time, Hu Zhongzhi personally appointed him to serve as secretary.
Deputy Director of the Secretariat of the General Office of the Provincial Party Committee.
Hu Jiao has been elected as the county magistrate of Tong County, a genuine deputy director-level cadre, but the position in the General Office requires him to be in charge of daily work. He can only hold a deputy position as the secretary, and his rank is also that of a deputy director.
Wu Changjun is now the deputy secretary and secretary-general of the provincial party committee, and he has basically handed over the work of the general office to several deputy secretaries-general.
The deputy secretary-general who received Hu Jiao this time was an old acquaintance of Hu Jiao, Wang Jianxin.
When Hu Jiao was the county magistrate, Wang Jianxin was promoted to director of the Inspection Department. After the provincial party committee changed its term, he became deputy secretary-general and director of the Inspection Department.
The key is the brackets that follow: in charge of the work of the General Office.
In fact, the so-called presiding work is just the signing authority, which includes signing reimbursements and document review within the general office.
"Secretary Hu! A hidden dragon emerges from the abyss. There is a saying that plans are not as fast as changes. I feel this more and more deeply, deeply." Wang Jianxin shook Hu Jiao's hand, and the face of the old man, who had already appeared, turned a little red.
Hu Jiao also smiled, "Teacher, I will be working under your leadership this time. I hope to learn more from you. If there is anything I lack…"
Wang Jianxin's eyes were still calm and steady, without any arrogance or complacency. He interrupted Hu Jiao and said, "Don't try to be polite to me! Do we need to be polite to each other? It's just that you have suffered a lot in the past two years. You must be unhappy staying in Nanjing University, right?"
Hu Jiao chuckled, and Wang Jianxin pulled his arm, and the two of them walked and talked arm in arm.
"I'm not unhappy at all! I just got my doctorate and finally fulfilled my promise to Professor Li. Haha, if it weren't for these two years, how would I have had the time?"
Wang Jianxin nodded and laughed heartily, "I heard about it! You are a natural scholar. You got your doctorate in two years. This is a record in Nanzhao history."
The provincial party committee office compound has just completed renovation and expansion. It has a total of nine buildings and was the seat of the Kuomintang provincial government before liberation.
Located in Nanhu, where every inch of land is valuable, next to Nanhu Lake in the city center and backed by Nanshan Mountain , it covers an area of nearly 100 acres.
The nine main buildings are arranged in an orderly manner, and the subsidiary office areas are spread out close to the main buildings , with four buildings on each side. The middle building is seven stories high and is the only office area equipped with an elevator.
This is the highest leadership body of the entire Nanzhao, the General Office of the Provincial Party Committee.
After Hu Zhongzhi moved here from the provincial government, he unexpectedly did not choose the previous secretary's office and forcibly requisitioned the provincial party committee's organization department.
It happened to be in the later decoration stage of renovation and expansion, so the General Office of the Provincial Party Committee and the Organization Department of the Provincial Party Committee shared the original Main Building No. 1.
The secretaries followed Hu Zhongzhi and moved to Building No. 4.
Building No. 4 is a combination of Chinese and Western styles. Its appearance resembles the style of the Ming and Qing dynasties, but its sculptures and decorations are European style.
Building No. 4 is located behind the main building No. 1. The first floor of the general office is well connected and can lead to various office buildings.
Wang Jianxin took Hu Jiao to the Personnel Department of the General Office to handle the formalities, and then took Hu Jiao to Building No. 4, where Hu Zhongzhi was waiting in the office.
The staff in the General Office looked at the two people's backs and whispered, "Who are they?" They were so impressive that they were accompanied by the First Deputy Secretary-General.
If you are curious and courageous, please come to the Personnel Department to inquire.
"Who? Minister Hu's son! The secretary appointed by Secretary Hu himself."
"What's your name?"
"Hu Jiao."
The visitor looked as if he had suddenly realized something, and people who knew Hu Jiao began to introduce him to others.
"It seems that he worked in our Inspectorate for a while? Oh, right! Minister Hu's wife became a model of bravery that year, right? It's a pity that he didn't come to work for a few days..."
Someone sneered with disdain, "You can't even get the job. You have to be strong yourself to be a good ironmaker. You have no future just by boasting!"
Wang Jianxin and Hu Jiao, who were nominally teacher and student, did not hear the discussions behind them, but they both knew that with this high-profile appearance, Hu Jiao would become truly famous in this provincial party committee compound.
Even if Hu Jiao wanted to be famous, it would be difficult. As the secretary of the provincial party secretary, the real top secretary, to put it bluntly, he might be more popular than the deputy secretary-general.
He is also the son of Minister Hu and the son-in-law of Li Mingyong. He has two members of the Standing Committee protecting him and has a bright future .
Building No. 4 has four floors in total. After reconstruction, it becomes a tower shape. The first floor is the widest, the second floor is slightly smaller, and the third floor is smaller.
The fourth floor is the office and rest area for the provincial party secretary, the third floor is the office and rest area for deputy secretary Zhou Liming, and the second floor is the office and rest area for deputy secretaries Qian Keming and Wu Changjun.
The first floor is the office area for car drivers, catering and medical care service personnel, and confidential secretaries, as well as a small canteen, gym, security monitoring center, etc.
At the main entrance on the first floor, there were security personnel on duty and armed police standing guard. When they saw Wang Jianxin coming in, two armed police saluted at the same time, and an officer came out hurriedly, "Secretary-General, which office are you going to?"
This requires prior notification. If the other party doesn't have time, you have to wait on the first floor.
"Go to Secretary Hu. Oh, Xiao Jiang, by the way, let me introduce you to Comrade Hu Jiao, who will be Secretary Hu's secretary."
Hu Jiao took the initiative to extend his hand and shake hands with the two officials who came out.
"Then I'll register first and get the documents." The clerk named Xiao Jiang asked in a flattering tone.
Wang Jianxin waved his hand, "No need. They will send it over right after it's done. Just let them know so that all departments know what's going on."
The clerk inside had already called to ask, "Secretary-General, Secretary Lan wants you to come up."
Wang Jianxin nodded and took Hu Jiao's arm. "You are not familiar with this place. You can go up the stairs on both sides. Remember, the left one is for leaders, and the right one is for staff. This is a small restaurant, and there are people on duty 24 hours a day... This is the gym, you can take time to exercise, it is the capital of revolution, you can't exhaust your body for work."
Along the way, Wang Jianxin introduced the main facilities of Building No. 4, the work content, and the situation of the relevant persons in charge. By the way, he mentioned Secretary Lan Xincheng who is about to hand over the post. He was the secretary of Hu Zhongzhi when he was the governor and has followed Hu Zhongzhi for three years.
I am 35 years old this year, from Yanjing, graduated from Yenching University of Political Science and Law, and was assigned to the General Office of the Provincial Government after graduation.
Now he is being sent to Hongjiang to serve as deputy mayor, which means he has officially started taking on a leadership position.
The two of them went up to the fourth floor and walked into the corridor. There were two mahogany doors with flower and bird patterns. Next to the door hung a sign that read "Secretary's Office". Next to it was a one-way door with "Secretary's Office" on it.
Wang Jianxin knocked on the door and waited for a few seconds. A tall, slightly overweight man opened the door. He had a typical northern physique and wore square black-framed glasses. "Secretary-General, I didn't expect you to come in person. This is Hu Jiao, right?"
After saying that, he grabbed Hu Jiao's hand and shook it vigorously twice, "Brother, we've been waiting for you. Come in and sit down. The secretary-general drinks green tea, what do you want to drink?"
Hu Jiao quickly stopped him, "Brother Lan, I'll do it."
Lan Xincheng smiled and patted Hu Jiao's waist, "Stand up straight, let me see our heights." He gestured with his hands and shook his head, "You should be taller, sit still, I am still the master now, you don't understand the work here."
As Lan Xincheng said this, he stood up and Hu Jiao began to look around the office. In the future, this would be his workplace.
The office is divided into an inner room with an antique wooden lattice window partition in the middle, and the outer room is decorated as a small reception room, with two mahogany three-seater sofas on the left and right and a square mahogany table in the middle.
There are tea sets on top, which seem to be used while waiting for the secretary to meet people.
There is a calligraphy hanging on the left wall: Tranquility leads to far-reaching results.
On the right wall is a replica of the Eight Horses painting. Opposite the partition, on the wall close to the corridor, hangs a map of Nanzhao Province with detailed descriptions.
The real office is inside the partition. There are four telephones on the large desk, and a bookcase is in the same position as the Eight Horses painting.
Lan Xincheng pointed to the cabinet and said, "There are three kinds of tea: Longjing, Tieguanyin, and Pu'er. The visitors are usually the leaders of the provincial government and the prefectures and cities. Don't be too polite. They will usually tell you directly what they want to drink. Now that the leadership has changed, I have recorded some of their habits in the past, and I will pass them all to you later."
There is a refrigerator next to the cabinet, which contains drinks and mineral water, and next to the refrigerator is a water heater.
There are five sets of filing cabinets behind the desk, which are clearly marked so that relevant information can be quickly retrieved.
There is a small door in the same direction as "Nervous and Far-reaching". After opening it, there are two rooms inside. One is a lounge with a toilet and washroom. Lan Xincheng pointed at the door of the other one and said, "This is connected to the secretary's office. If you go in from here, only the secretary can see you. If the guests sit opposite the secretary, they have their backs to you. If they are in the reception area, they can't see you because of the angle."
Lan Xincheng led Hu Jiao into the lounge, which was fully equipped with a large wardrobe, TV, dressing table and bathroom.
Opening the closet, there is a safe inside. Lan Xincheng said, "This is where the public funds are kept. Sometimes the secretary will go out alone, and here is a long-term storage of about 100,000 yuan of activity expenses. Reimbursement is made once a quarter. You just need to keep the relevant documents, and the people in the General Office will help you sort them out. All my clothes were taken away yesterday, and the bedding on the bed is brand new."
Hu Jiao smiled. Lan Xincheng was indeed very attentive and careful. He explained all the details one by one in an orderly manner.
Returning to the office, Lan Xincheng opened the drawer, took out two mobile phones and two phone books, held them in his hands, and said reluctantly, "This is the main work to be handed over today. Two mobile phones, one for the secretary and one for the secretary. Two phone books, one with the contact methods of the main leaders of the Central Committee and the contact numbers of the leaders of the current provincial party committee. The other is the number of the provincial organs and local leaders."
After handing it to Hu Jiao, Lan Xincheng grinned and said, "I have secretly saved my number in my secretary's phone. Don't call me shameless."
Hu Jiao looked at him sincerely, "How could that be possible! I can't thank you enough, Brother Lan. I might call you frequently to harass you in the future."
Lan Xincheng smiled and said it was okay, he was waiting for you to harass him. He opened another drawer and said, "This is the schedule and main tasks for this week. In this book, I have written down many of the secretaries' eating habits and schedules. You can refer to it. In addition, I will not waste time on confidentiality. The secretary general will tell you."
Wang Jianxin laughed, "It's not my turn to talk nonsense, I've prepared it." He took out a book from his briefcase and handed it to Hu Jiao, "Secretary's Work Guidelines, hehe, for secretaries of deputy ministers and above."
After Hu Jiao took it, Wang Jianxin asked Lan Xincheng, "Xincheng, is it almost done? Shall we go meet the secretary?"
Lan Xincheng nodded, looked at Hu Jiao, indicated that it was okay, and then went over to ask for instructions.
Less than half a minute later, Lan Xincheng smiled and opened the small door. "Let's go. The secretary has made tea for you. Haha, it's the authentic pre-rain Longjing tea. You're in for a treat."
The three of them did not go through the main entrance, but followed Lan Xincheng through the small door. After they went out, they were blocked by a row of large cabinets. When they turned the corner, they saw Hu Zhongzhi, wearing a casual sports shirt, sitting cross-legged on the sofa in the reception area. He looked up at the three of them and waved, "Come on, there are just four of us. Come and try the tea ceremony I've been researching recently. The Japanese ones are no good. They are too formalistic. They only have the form, but not the real skills."
Wang Jianxin and Hu Jiao exchanged greetings.
After sitting down, I watched Hu Zhongzhi wash the tea, heat the cups, and pour the soup with a peaceful look on his face, and then he stretched out his hand to signal everyone to start.
Tea tasting requires observing the color, smelling the fragrance, and tasting the taste.
Hu Zhongzhi enjoyed it very much. During the nearly ten minutes, none of the four spoke. Each of them put aside their own thoughts and enjoyed the tea art presented by the provincial party secretary.
After three cups, Hu Zhongzhi looked at them and asked, "Is the handover complete?"
Lan Xincheng nodded, and Hu Zhongzhi said, "Oh, you guys go ahead and do your work. I'll talk to Hu Jiao."
Wang Jianxin and Lan Xincheng stood up and slowly walked out.
It was not until the door locked that Hu Zhongzhi looked at Hu Jiao with a smile, "It's been a while since we last met. How is Beibei now?"
Hu Jiao also relaxed and met with Hu Zhongzhi several times a year. With Hu Jianguo's advice, he had understood a lot of things.
For example, Hu Jianguo and Hu Zhongzhi have been close brothers for decades. Hu Jianguo did not tell how they met and became good friends like brothers, and Hu Jiao did not ask.
"Beibei is very good, a little too good. Uncle knows my mother's temper. She never stops the child from doing anything. Beibei is naughty and has too much energy. He often makes a mess at home."
It is Hu Zhongzhi’s rule that people are not allowed to address each other by their titles in private.
Hu Zhongzhi laughed even more happily, "Aiju, she is a great educator. Look at your current diploma. Wow, you have a Bachelor of Chinese Literature, a Bachelor of Philosophy, and a Doctor of Laws. You are a real talent in three majors. But... your son is not like you. You were a little scholar when you were young."
Hu Jiao smiled shyly, "So Beibei is so naughty now, but my mother is so happy that she says she has regained her childhood."
Hu Zhongzhi said, "I'm just worried about whether she can bear it. Too much noise is not good and will affect her health. Sigh... I'm getting busier and busier now. I can only get together with you quietly during the holidays. I'm an incompetent grandfather."
Hu Jiao hurriedly said it was okay, his uncle's work was more important.
"That's why I transferred you here to help me share the burden. Your father... Tsk, he had that temper when he was young. If he had listened to me, he would have transferred you here earlier to follow me. How could this be so troublesome? Let's not talk about this. It's not too late now. The future depends on you young people. As for me, I have lived for decades longer, so I will do my best. I understand your personality and temper, and I am relieved. You are not like Xiaolan, who has done a lot of small things in private. According to his ability, it is not difficult for him to go to the lower level to be the deputy mayor and then become a member of the Standing Committee, but character is crucial. If you have any problems in the future, just ask me directly."
Hu Jiao nodded hurriedly. It seemed that Hu Zhongzhi was very dissatisfied with Lan Xincheng and directly told him not to have any contact with Lan Xincheng. This attitude was not optimistic about Lan Xincheng. Hu Jiao thought to himself, could it be that Lan Xincheng was doing illegal things outside under his name?
Hu Zhongzhi stopped talking and now he was more and more satisfied with Hu Jiao. When he was the county magistrate two years ago, although he was much more stable, his temperament was still a little immature. Now he has studied for two years and is teaching in school. If he can guide him well, he can be regarded as...
Hu Zhongzhi got married relatively late, at the age of 36. His wife was a literary and artistic cadre in a certain PLA unit and the fourth daughter of a general of the General Staff. They had a daughter after marriage, but she was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of five and could not be saved. When they were 42, they had a son, but he was born with an underdeveloped heart. They tried every possible means, but ultimately failed to save him.
Hu Zhongzhi was heartbroken, and his wife's family was also sad for their daughter. The relationship between the couple was getting better and better, but unfortunately, after so many years, they had several checkups and everything was fine, but they just couldn't get pregnant again.
As Hu Zhongzhi grew older, he gradually became more open-minded, so his feelings for Hu Jiao now contain the intimacy and love he would have for his own children.
"There is no important work these two days. We are mainly discussing the positions of the subordinates. You should tidy up here, familiarize yourself with the work, follow Xiaolan's schedule, and get into the role as soon as possible. In addition, go to your father and ask if there is anything in the personnel that requires my intervention."
Hu Jiao took notes carefully. He carried a small notebook and pen with him. As the old saying goes, a good memory is not as good as a bad pen.
Hu Zhongzhi smiled and shook his head. "No need to remember. Your father knows what's going on. Go and take a good look. I remember I need to meet two people today. Go and notify them. I'll be back in half an hour."
Hu Jiao walked back and returned to his office, took a long breath, and relaxed. Even if he was the provincial party secretary who was like a family member, he was still the top leader of the entire province. This kind of pressure made people feel uneasy from the bottom of their hearts.
I opened the itinerary left by Lan Xincheng and saw clearly that at 10:30 today, I would meet the director of the Provincial Development and Reform Commission and the director of the newly established Provincial Environmental Protection Department.
I found the phone numbers of these two people and called them. The phone rang only once and someone answered it. "Is that Secretary Hu?"
Liu Quanyou, director of the Provincial Development and Reform Commission, Hu Jiao was a little surprised to hear this. This was the first call he made after taking over today.
Could it be that Lan Xincheng is selling out?
"Hello, Director Liu. I'm Hu Jiao. Secretary Hu asked you to come over in half an hour."
"Okay, okay, Secretary Hu, you just took office, can we get together sometime?"
Hu Jiao said calmly, "Okay, I will definitely learn from Director Liu if I have the chance."
"Secretary Hu is too modest! Haha, well, I'll be ready and come right over."
"Goodbye, Director Liu."
After saying that, Hu Jiao didn't hang up the phone first. He waited. Sure enough, after waiting for about ten seconds, he heard the other party hang up the phone.
Hu Jiao sighed. Details determine success or failure. Whoever hangs up the phone first may offend others.
