Nominal: The pinnacle of power began in the sixth province of Handong.

Chapter 11 Gao Yuliang's Suggestions

This was the happiest day for Xia Qing since arriving in Handong.

The new assessment method has been released.

The key personnel have been secured.

The process of easing restrictions on 125 cadres in Handong is progressing very smoothly.

Xia Qing thought to herself that only a week had passed since she arrived in Handong.

Significant progress has already been made on the tasks assigned above.

You'll see results soon.

This smooth-sailing situation made even the usually composed Xia Qing feel a little smug.

"Minister, shall we take you back to the ministry or your residence?"

The liaison officer, Xiao Duan, sitting in the passenger seat, turned around and asked for instructions.

Xia Qing pondered for a moment and said:

"Just drop me off at Building 2, you guys should go back and get some rest too."

"Understood." Xiao Duan didn't ask any more questions. As a liaison officer, all he had to do was carry out his leader's instructions.

After arriving at her destination, Xia Qing did not return to the compound accommodation arranged by the provincial government to rest, but instead headed towards Gao Yuliang's residence.

Upon arriving at Gao Yuliang's residence, Xia Qing rang the doorbell, and someone quickly opened the door.

She is a middle-aged woman with a refined demeanor.

Xia Qing knew that this must be Gao Yuliang's wife, Professor Wu from Handong University of Political Science and Law.

Ms. Wu seemed unsurprised by Xia Qing's arrival. She warmly found a pair of slippers and handed them to Xia Qing, then casually took the briefcase from Xia Qing's hand, asking repeatedly:

"You must be Minister Xia Qing? Please come in and have a seat. Have you eaten yet?"

Xia Qing responded politely and, guided by Teacher Wu, went to the living room, where she met Gao Yuliang, who was sitting on the sofa reading a newspaper.

"Yu-liang, why are you still reading the newspaper! Minister Xia has come to visit in person!"

"Oh? Minister Xia is here? I was so engrossed in the newspaper that I didn't hear the door open. But you're partly to blame, why didn't you let me know on your phone beforehand..."

Gao Yuliang put down his newspaper, stood up, and warmly invited Xia Qing to sit down.

At the same time, he winked at Teacher Wu.

Teacher Wu immediately went to the kitchen under the pretext of making tea, leaving only the two of them to talk in the living room.

Seeing that Teacher Wu had left, Xia Qing opened his briefcase, took out the transcript of the conversation in Guangming District that day, and handed it to Gao Yuliang, saying:

"Secretary Yuliang, thank you for your guidance. I have spoken with those five cadres from Guangming District, especially Director Xu Min."

Gao Yuliang calmly took the interview materials, glanced through them, pondered for a moment, and then asked:

"With the support of the National Development and Reform Commission, pushing forward the process of unfreezing officials will go much more smoothly. Minister Xia, what are your next steps?"

Xia Qing answered decisively:

"I plan to meet with Secretary Sha tomorrow morning to ask him to sign off, and then we will begin a re-evaluation of all the cadres whose accounts have been frozen."

"Minister Xia is so sure that Secretary Sha will sign it readily? Among these cadres, there's a proposal for Qi Tongwei to be appointed as a vice-provincial level official. I don't think it'll be that easy, will it?" Gao Yuliang replied with a smile, his words carrying a hint of sarcasm.

After pondering for a moment, Xia Qing confidently replied:

"I think there's no problem. Among this group of cadres, we definitely have to give face to the National Development and Reform Commission, and Secretary Sha himself doesn't want to keep the cadres in Handong indefinitely. Taking this opportunity to re-evaluate them is the best course of action."

Gao Yuliang gave Xia Qing a deep look.

He could clearly sense it from Xia Qing's words.

Xia Qing, the Organization Minister, was capable, resourceful, and quite cautious.

With smooth sailing and the work nearing completion, we are now facing a challenging situation.

Finally, I felt elated.

But he felt it was understandable.

A 40-year-old vice-ministerial-level official arrived in the local area with the expectations of his superiors. In less than a month, he solved the problems that the previous organization minister could not handle, quelled the dissatisfaction of the higher-ups, and stabilized the situation in Handong.

With such tremendous achievements so close at hand, anyone would be restless and only think about pressing on and achieving a quick victory.

but.

Do it all at once, second time tired, third time exhausted.

Kao Yu-liang likes to think in terms of "positional assumptions," which is also an effective way for him to remain in power in Handong for decades.

Gao Yuliang sees the current situation very clearly.

Xia Qing was in a hurry, but Sha Ruijin wasn't.

On the contrary, Sha Ruijin would hold Xia Qing down and not let her rush.

After all, this new assessment method, and the entire issue of freezing cadre positions...

From Sha Ruijin's perspective, he did not gain any political reward.

On the contrary, Xia Qing benefited greatly.

Would Sha Ruijin agree to such a deal?

They will definitely interfere.

At that point, Xia Qing's all-out efforts to thaw the ice will falter and eventually be exhausted.

Until it becomes impossible to break through.

Xia Qing was put on the defensive.

Gao Yuliang didn't want to see this happen, but he knew that people who were blinded by the impending victory couldn't listen to anyone's words of advice to calm down.

So, Gao Yuliang looked directly into Xia Qing's eyes and asked, word by word, in the most direct way possible:

"Minister Xia, don't you think your actions tend to force the top leader to make decisions?"

Xia Qing was taken aback.

Gao Yuliang's words were quite serious.

But at this moment, Xia Qing still wanted to trust her own judgment.

This was due to pressure from Director Pei of the National Development and Reform Commission, as well as the higher-ups' desire to unfreeze the cadres in Handong as soon as possible.

While employing a two-pronged approach, even though his actions were indeed forcing Sha Ruijin to sign.

Sha Ruijin had no choice but to sign.

Not signing would go against the wishes of Director Pei and even the higher-ups!

Weighing the pros and cons, Sha Ruijin will definitely sign it.

The work of thawing cadres can definitely be rolled out at the fastest speed!

Thinking of this, Xia Qing looked back into Gao Yuliang's eyes and said earnestly:

"Secretary Yuliang, I think it's worth a gamble, and the odds of winning are very high."

Gao Yuliang's pupils flickered for a moment, then quickly returned to a calm state.

He said with a smile:

"Okay, whatever decision you make, I will support you. As the full-time deputy secretary, I certainly can't hold you back."

After speaking, Gao Yuliang signed a line on the interview materials that Xia Qing had brought, especially the interview materials with Xu Min:

"This is submitted to Secretary Ruijin for review."

After finishing, he handed the materials back to Xia Qing.

Xia Qing gratefully accepted it, as if victory was already beckoning to him.

Just then, as the two finished their conversation, Teacher Wu's tea was served on the table at the perfect moment.

After chatting with Gao Yuliang and his wife about literature and history, Xia Qing returned to her residence.

Even after Xia Qing left and the door closed, Gao Yuliang still had a smile on his face.

Until the door closed gently.

Gao Yuliang's smile vanished instantly.

Teacher Wu noticed Gao Yuliang's attitude and asked:

"Yuliang, you don't seem very happy?"

"This is bad. Secretary Sha Ruijin's methods are not that simple." Gao Yuliang sat back on the sofa, his expression grave.

Teacher Wu said with some surprise:

"Then why didn't you just tell Minister Xia the truth? Wouldn't it be more difficult to handle if things really went wrong?"

"No. Secretary Sha and we share the same goal regarding unfreezing the cadres; it's just that Minister Xia didn't offer Secretary Sha satisfactory terms. Things won't get too bad." Gao Yuliang stared straight ahead, his eyes filled with depth and wisdom, revealing the shrewdness honed over decades of navigating the officialdom.

"As for pointing it out proactively, I think it's unnecessary. Firstly, letting Xia Qing figure it out himself once is more effective than me reminding him ten times. Secondly..."

Gao Yuliang stood up and said with a deep gaze:

"I want Xia Qing to know that I have something that makes me worthy of his cooperation."