171: Chapter 171 A Show of Force

In June, night fell later in Cangyun County than in Jiangzhou.

By the time Zhao Yang arrived at the County Committee guesthouse and settled his luggage, it was nearly six o'clock.

The guesthouse attendant led him to the room at the very end of the third floor. When she pushed the door open, a musty smell rushed out to meet him.

"County Magistrate Zhao, this room isn't usually occupied, so it's a bit damp."

The attendant was a woman in her forties; her tone carried a hint of appraisal as she asked, "Would you like me to get you a different electric fan?"

There was no air conditioning in the room, only a dusty floor fan.

No matter how poor Cangyun County was, it shouldn't be so broke that they couldn't install air conditioning for a Deputy County Magistrate.

Zhao Yang knew this was a deliberate show of power intended to intimidate him.

"No need, opening the window for ventilation will be fine."

After the attendant left, Zhao Yang pushed the window open, and the musty smell dissipated a little.

He didn't fuss any further, put away his simple luggage, and washed his face.

His phone rang; it was Liu Heng from the Government Office.

"County Magistrate Zhao, Secretary Wang said there will be a Standing Committee meeting in the small conference room at six-thirty. Please attend on time."

"Alright, I'll be there right away."

Zhao Yang checked the time; he had twenty minutes left.

He changed into a white shirt, tucked his notebook into his pocket, and went out.

The County Committee's small conference room was on the east side of the second floor. When Zhao Yang arrived, the door was open, and several people were already seated inside.

The room was thick with cigarette smoke.

Around the long conference table, the Standing Committee members sat scattered about; some were reading documents, while others chatted in low voices.

"Leaders, you've arrived quite early!" Zhao Yang greeted everyone.

The voices in the conference room stopped for a moment.

Some people looked up at him, while others didn't move at all.

Minister Lin Wanqiu, the Propaganda Department Head of the County Committee who was sitting by the door, was the first to react, giving him a slight nod.

"County Magistrate Zhao is here, please come in."

Zhao Yang found a seat on the side and sat down.

Executive Deputy County Magistrate Lu Bingkun sat opposite him. He was in his early fifties, his hair combed meticulously. He held a cigarette in his hand and was flipping through some materials.

When Zhao Yang sat down, he didn't even lift his eyelids.

Jiang Ruoxi, the Director of the County Committee Office, sat at the other end of the conference table, a notebook spread out in front of her.

Jiang Ruoxi looked very young and was strikingly beautiful.

When Zhao Yang walked in, she cast a calm glance at him before lowering her head to continue writing.

Before Zhao Yang could open his notebook, Secretary Wang Shoucheng walked in from outside.

Everyone's posture changed almost simultaneously.

Some put down their crossed legs, while others stubbed out their cigarettes.

Wang Shoucheng sat at the head of the table, scanned the room, and his gaze lingered on Zhao Yang's face for a second.

"Is everyone here?"

Jiang Ruoxi nodded. "Everyone is here."

Wang Shoucheng began, "We're holding a short meeting today, mainly for two things. First, to welcome Comrade Zhao Yang to work in Cangyun, and second, to discuss how to allocate the poverty alleviation funds provided by our superiors."

His tone was flat, unhurried, carrying the drawl characteristic of people from the mountain regions.

"Comrade Zhao Yang is young and promising. The organization sending him to Cangyun is a show of support for our work. In the future, Comrade Zhao Yang will be in charge of industry and investment attraction; I hope everyone will give him your full support."

After finishing, he looked at Zhao Yang. "Comrade Zhao Yang, would you like to say a few words?"

Zhao Yang stood up and greeted everyone.

"Leaders, I have just come into contact with the situation in Cangyun and there is still much I do not understand. In the future, I hope you will offer your guidance and criticism."

The speech was short, and his posture was very humble.

Among all the Standing Committee members, Zhao Yang was the youngest and had the shortest tenure at the deputy division level, placing him at the bottom of the order.

The conference room was quiet for a few seconds.

Lu Bingkun picked up his teacup and took a sip of water, while Jiang Ruoxi's gaze lingered on Zhao Yang for a moment.

Then it slid away, landing on Wang Shoucheng.

Wang Shoucheng gave Zhao Yang no response and turned directly to the second item. "Now, let's talk about the poverty alleviation funds. Old Lu, you start."

Lu Bingkun put down his teacup and opened his notebook.

"The province has allocated 300,000 in poverty alleviation funds. My suggestion is to follow the old rules. There are eleven townships in the county; each township gets 20,000, and the remaining 80,000 is kept as emergency funds for the county."

After he finished, he scanned the room.

"The old rules are reliable."

Organization Department Head Liu Changqing was the first to chime in. "Some townships haven't paid their village cadres in half a year; they are waiting for this money for emergencies. If we really try to introduce new tricks, the people below will only have more complaints."

Zhao Yang felt a jolt in his heart.

Poverty alleviation funds used this way?

These poverty alleviation funds weren't being used to help the impoverished households at all; they were being used to plug the holes in the township budgets.

If they hadn't been paid for half a year, how could the village cadres have any passion for leading the villagers in starting businesses and becoming wealthy?

The other Standing Committee members nodded one after another.

Lu Bingkun's plan had been in operation in Cangyun for more than a year or two. Regardless of whether a township was rich or poor, they all got 20,000.

The remaining 80,000 remained in the county, and how it was used and where it went had always been up to Lu Bingkun.

Zhao Yang did not speak.

It was his first meeting, and he didn't want to seem too pushy.

"I disagree."

Zhao Liqun put down his enamel mug. "Distribute it based on the poverty population base. Whichever township has more impoverished people gets more. That is how poverty alleviation funds should be used."

Lu Bingkun's smile deepened slightly. "Secretary Zhao, the idea is good, but how many years has it been since the poverty population data for the entire county was re-calculated? If the baseline isn't clear, how can we distribute it based on the base number?"

"Then we re-calculate it." Zhao Liqun would not give an inch.

Organization Department Head Liu Changqing chuckled. "Secretary Zhao, there are over three hundred villages in the county. To travel over mountains and ridges to check them all, it would take at least a month or two."

"Exactly," someone echoed. "If the data isn't accurate and we insist on distributing it by base number, who will be responsible if it causes conflicts?"

Zhao Liqun didn't speak again.

Zhao Yang hesitated for a few seconds, then put down his pen. "Leaders, let me say a few words."

Everyone's gaze turned toward him.

"20,000 for each township—once this money is distributed, it will be gone in half a month."

Zhao Yang paused. "My idea is to not distribute it downwards first, but to pool it together to carry out projects and create a way for the impoverished townships to generate their own wealth. Even if the scale is small, as long as it can produce sustained benefits, it is better than spreading it thin like this."

The conference room was silent for a few seconds.

"Spreading it thin?"

Lu Bingkun laughed, with the tolerance of an experienced hand toward a greenhorn. "Generating wealth? County Magistrate Zhao, comrades from the province certainly have different horizons. But Cangyun is full of mountains, and we don't even have a decent road. What kind of project can you do with 300,000?"

Liu Changqing was more direct. "County Magistrate Zhao, you are used to being in the province and might not understand the situation at the grassroots level. Poverty alleviation funds have their own usage, and it has been done this way every year."

"Exactly, what if the project fails? Who will take responsibility for that?" the Deputy Secretary of the County Committee, Su Zhenbang, echoed.

The voices of questioning came crashing down one after another.

Zhao Yang could hear it; among these questions, some didn't believe 300,000 could accomplish anything, while others simply didn't want him to accomplish anything.

A newly arrived Deputy County Magistrate, at his first meeting, wanted to overturn a distribution method that had been in use for many years.

In the eyes of these people, he wasn't making a suggestion; he was poaching their territory.

Lu Bingkun added one last remark, his voice not loud but carrying significant weight. "County Magistrate Zhao, your ideas can be pondered further. But the money this time is awaited by every township; it cannot be delayed."

He glanced at Wang Shoucheng.

Wang Shoucheng had not looked at Zhao Yang from beginning to end. He put down his teacup. "Alright, let's do as Old Lu suggested. Meeting adjourned."

He picked up his notebook and walked out; the others stood up one after another.

As Jiang Ruoxi was packing her things, she paused slightly as she passed by Zhao Yang, her voice very low. "At your first meeting, if you can avoid speaking, try to avoid speaking."

Only Zhao Yang and Zhao Liqun were left in the conference room.

Zhao Liqun took a sip of water and looked at Zhao Yang. "Do you know where the problem lies?"

Zhao Yang smiled. "I was still too impatient; I shouldn't have said it now."

"No, you should have said it. But it was useless to say it."

Zhao Liqun stood up. "How it is distributed is not the point. The point is, who is in charge. You arrived on your first day and wanted to snatch the plate out of Lu Bingkun's hands; if he doesn't deal with you, who would he deal with?"

Zhao Yang sat in the empty conference room when his phone rang.

It was Jiang Nan. After he picked up, her sweet voice came through. "County Magistrate Zhao, how did your first meeting go?"