252: We must be bold in innovation and do more to benefit the people.

At the same time that Lin Zifeng was on the phone, Zhao Liqiang also received a call from Jia Zhongqi.

Zhao Liqiang answered the phone, his face full of anticipation, and couldn't help but excitedly call out, "Old Leader."

He expected to hear "Congratulations, Liqiang" from Jia Zhongqi's lips, but there was only silence on the other end of the line.

Just as Zhao Liqiang felt like he was living through years in a single day, a soft sigh sounded from the receiver, followed by Jia Zhongqi's low voice.

"We failed at the last moment."

Upon hearing these words, Zhao Liqiang's mood plummeted to the bottom, like a roller coaster.

He understood what those words meant; it meant that all their schemes had come to nothing.

Feeling incredibly dejected, Zhao Liqiang asked with lingering hope, "Old Leader, I am still one of the candidates for County Magistrate, surely I can at least take a step forward?"

"Do you know what it means when a plan fails? It means a complete defeat in the political struggle. You should be glad you can keep your public position, and you're still thinking about advancing? Zhao Liqiang, oh Zhao Liqiang, how can you be so ambitious?"

There was a trace of mockery in Jia Zhongqi's voice.

"Does that mean I'm staying exactly where I am, Old Leader?" Zhao Liqiang continued to press.

Jia Zhongqi had not expected Zhao Liqiang's political sensitivity to be so low, so he had completely lost patience with him.

He said in a cold tone, "You had better prepare yourself mentally to accept the worst outcome, otherwise, you will only lose more. This is political struggle. I have said all I can; your new appointment will be issued in a few days. Take care of yourself!"

After saying this, Jia Zhongqi did not give Zhao Liqiang a chance to speak and hung up the phone directly.

Zhao Liqiang slumped into his Office chair. Even as dull as he was, he could hear that he would likely not even be able to keep his current position.

It was as if all his strength had been drained away; he slumped in his seat without any regard for his image, panting like a dead fish.

He was now filled with immense regret; he shouldn't have harbored such illusions. If he had honestly planned for the position of County Magistrate, there might have been a chance.

Even if he had failed in the competition, at worst he would have stayed where he was, and he wouldn't be facing such an outcome. But now, it was too late to regret it.

What he didn't know was that while he might have wanted that, how could certain people have agreed to it?

Because he was merely a tool pushed out to compete against and suppress Lin Zifeng.

That is why it is so important to follow the right person; otherwise, once failure occurs, the one who bears the bitter consequences is only him, the pawn.

Besides Lin Zifeng and Zhao Liqiang receiving news about the Standing Committee, there was another person who also received the news. This person was none other than the Executive Deputy County Mayor, Xu Minghao.

After receiving the news, Xu Minghao was excited and happy in his Office for a few minutes before he managed to calm down.

Just now on the phone, Wan Guoliang had clearly told him that the recommendation for him to become a candidate for Acting County Magistrate was made jointly by him and Lin Zifeng.

Wan Guoliang had repeatedly urged him not to have any crooked thoughts in the future or attempt to rival Lin Zifeng.

He must cooperate well with Lin Zifeng and carry out the overall work of Yushu County effectively.

Only by doing so would he have better opportunities for promotion in the future.

Xu Minghao took Wan Guoliang's words to heart completely, because Wan Guoliang was not only his mentor, but had also just revealed a piece of news to him.

What Wan Guoliang said was simple: Zhao Liqiang, who intended to compete with Lin Zifeng and used improper means to scheme against him, would be taking up the post of Vice Chairman of the Municipal Disabled Persons' Federation in a few days.

Therefore, after calming down, Xu Minghao left his Office and headed towards Lin Zifeng's Office.

Led by Wang Zhongyu, Xu Minghao walked into Lin Zifeng's Office.

After shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries, the two sat on the sofa, and Wang Zhongyu poured tea before exiting the Office.

When only the two of them were left in the Office, Xu Minghao's expression turned serious, and he said in a very sincere tone, "County Magistrate, thank you for recommending me to the Municipal Party Committee. Please rest assured, I will absolutely not let you down. I will continue to implement all the development policies you have formulated, cooperate with you to carry out the county's overall work well, become your most capable assistant, and not fail to live up to the support and expectations of you and Secretary Wan."

Hearing Xu Minghao express his determination so solemnly, Lin Zifeng smiled and quickly said, "County Magistrate Xu, there is no need for such formalities. From now on, the County Government will be carrying out the county's various tasks under your leadership. You must lead the other Comrades in the government to broaden your thinking, and everything must take the development of the whole county as the core of your work. You must be courageous in innovation to seek development for the entire county, and strive for the welfare of the masses."

Although Lin Zifeng's words were very general, his meaning was very clear.

That is, there is no need for infighting and internal consumption, nor does he need a yes-man County Magistrate. He wants Xu Minghao to exert all his working abilities and devote himself entirely to the development of all aspects of the county.

Xu Minghao was also a smart person who understood immediately, so he quickly said, "Please rest assured, County Magistrate, I will definitely do my utmost."

Xu Minghao did not stay long. He only spent a little over half an hour in Lin Zifeng's Office before taking his leave, yet the two had reached many points of consensus.

Lin Zifeng was satisfied in his heart, and Xu Minghao had also achieved his goal; it could be said that everyone was happy.

The two tacitly chose not to spread the news they had received. Zhao Liqiang, in a terrible mood, wished that such news would never spread! Therefore, he also kept it deeply concealed.

Knowing that he might leave Yushu County in disgrace, he had already started making preparations secretly.

Just before it was time to get off work, Lin Zifeng's cell phone rang again.

Seeing that it was a call from Chen Yuanhua's private number, he quickly answered the phone and respectfully called out, "Dad."

Chen Yuanhua's hearty voice sounded from the receiver, "Zifeng, I didn't expect that you would rely on your own influence to so easily break the layout of certain people. Truly, the younger generation is to be regarded with respect!"

"Dad, I was just lucky. If it hadn't been for the great assistance of my former partner, Secretary Wan Guoliang, and the fact that the majority of the Standing Committee Members in the Municipal Party Committee uphold justice in their hearts, such a result would not have occurred," Lin Zifeng said modestly.

Hearing Lin Zifeng's reply, Chen Yuanhua was even more satisfied and said again, "I was aware of the situation in advance regarding some matters. Some people hold a grudge against you because of their son, but he knows the relationship between you and me, so even if he wants to deal with you, he dares not do it openly. Moreover, he instructed some people to do this without giving clear instructions; it was all done through hints, so even if I wanted to catch him, it would be very difficult. That person does things quite covertly, and he also knows that because of this small fluctuation, I wouldn't intervene too much. But I can tell you responsibly that after this incident, he won't dare to make small moves against you for a period of time. The reason I didn't intervene is because I felt this was a test for you. If you passed the test, you would naturally succeed to the position of County Party Secretary. If you didn't pass the test, it would be better to stay in the position of County Magistrate for another two years to settle down; after all, you are too young. If I had intervened, I would be talked about behind my back in the future. I didn't expect you to give me a surprise. Zifeng, you don't blame me for standing by and watching this matter, do you?"