Chapter 61: Breaking the Deadlock and Development

From the moment Li Jin was publicly taken away and the finance section chief—the town's financial purse strings—was cast as bait by Li Yifei, the political climate within the Duogang Town Government compound shifted completely.

The once-deserted Party Secretary's office, which used to be nothing more than a symbolic fixture, had now become the most sought-after place in the entire compound. An endless stream of people came to "report on their ideological standing," "seek instructions on work," and "express their support."

Deputy Secretary Liu Changhe, Publicity Commissioner Li Hongxia, and even Organization Commissioner Sun Yumei—who had previously clearly leaned toward Wang Chenggui—all became exceptionally diligent.

Even the Head of the Armed Forces Department, Zhao Tiezhuzhu, a peripheral figure who usually rarely participated in specific affairs, found an opportunity to show his face and establish his presence.

Li Yifei sat behind the spacious mahogany desk, his expression remaining gentle and calm, but deep within his eyes lay the sharpness of someone in total control of the overall situation and the cool insight of a man who could read people's minds.

Like a master chess player, he calmly and silently filtered through the numerous "defectors." For these faces approaching with various motives, he neither kept them at arm's length nor acted overly enthusiastic.

When he needed to listen to reports, he listened attentively; when he needed to give instructions, he was clear and concise; and when he needed to play diplomatic tai chi, he did not hesitate at all.

He knew that the vacuum of power had been broken, but rebuilding order could not rely solely on deterrence; it required solid interest alignment and matched capabilities. The position of the finance section chief served as a touchstone.

Over the next few days, Li Yifei interviewed the candidates recommended by Liu Changhe, Li Hongxia, Sun Yumei, and others one by one.

His questions were direct: their understanding of financial work, their views on ledger management, their hypothetical procedures for supervising special funds, and their ideas for solving Duogang Town's financial difficulties.

He placed greater emphasis on professionalism, a sense of responsibility, and whether they possessed a basic bottom line of integrity.

In the end, he chose Chen Lijun, the candidate recommended by Deputy Secretary Liu Changhe.

Chen was a young man in his early thirties, a finance major with a bachelor's degree who had worked in the town's Economic Development Office for five years. He possessed solid professional skills, a steady personality, and no obvious factional labels. More importantly, his proposal to "establish a special fund tracking ledger, make regular public disclosures, and accept supervision from villagers' representatives" highly matched Li Yifei's core philosophy of transparency and serving the people.

Li Yifei picked up the internal telephone. "Comrade Yumei, please come to my office for a moment."

Sun Yumei hurried over shortly after, her posture more respectful and cautious than ever before. "Secretary, did you look for me?"

Li Yifei pushed a pre-prepared draft of the appointment proposal across the table to her, his tone calm yet carrying unquestionable weight. "After evaluation and interviews, I believe Comrade Chen Lijun is quite suitable for the work in the finance section. Please follow the proper procedures to finalize the appointment document and issue it as soon as possible. Remember, the procedures must be standardized and the paperwork must be solid."

"Understood, Secretary! I'll get right on it!" Sun Yumei accepted the task without a moment of hesitation.

Having witnessed Li Yifei's thunderous methods, she had long since put away all her petty thoughts. She understood that the young secretary before her was meticulous in his thinking and decisive in his actions; he was certainly not someone she could fool.

The most important thing now was to follow his pace closely, do her job well, and keep her position.

The appointment document was promptly issued. Chen Lijun assumed office immediately. Li Yifei summoned him alone at the earliest opportunity, cutting straight to the chase without unnecessary pleasantries:

"Section Chief Chen, I've given you the position and handed over the burden. The first task is to cooperate with the Discipline Inspection Commission and the county authorities to thoroughly sort out Li Jin's mess of accounts! Not a single cent of the funds that should be recovered can be missing! Second, immediately conduct a comprehensive audit of all village-level accounts and the flow of special funds across the entire town! Establish a clear, transparent, and traceable ledger! Third, starting today, all fund disbursements must strictly adhere to regulations and be confirmed through my signature. Do you understand?"

Chen Lijun straightened his back, his expression solemn. "Understood, Secretary! I will certainly live up to your trust and run the finance section well, ensuring everything is standard and compliant!"

The initial breakthrough had been achieved, and the core of power began to revolve around Li Yifei. However, Li Yifei knew deeply that struggle was merely a means, while development was the fundamental goal.

Toppling the corrupt elements only cleared the obstacles; how to lead this declining township out of its predicament was the true test.

A few days later, Li Yifei once again summoned all members of the leadership team and heads of various stations and offices for a meeting.

This time, less than ten minutes after the meeting notice was sent out, everyone was already seated neatly in the conference room, including Wang Chenggui, whose expression remained grim yet who dared not be late. The tiny red dot of the security camera in the corner still flickered faintly.

As the meeting commenced, Li Yifei first announced the preliminary progress of the Li Jin case: "Li Jin is suspected of serious violations of discipline and law, having embezzled and misappropriated a total of more than 1.8 million yuan in various special subsidy funds. Currently, under the supervision of the Discipline Inspection Commission, he and other related individuals involved have returned more than 1.2 million yuan in illicit gains, and efforts are fully underway to recover the remainder. All recovered funds will be used entirely to compensate for the projects that were withheld and diverted, especially dilapidated housing renovations and subsidies for disadvantaged residents!"

This news gave the attendees a mental boost, particularly the village party secretary representatives from the grassroots level, whose faces showed a long-lost spark of hope.

"The corrupt worms must be caught, but development cannot stop!" Li Yifei changed the subject, his voice rising with strength and vigor. He walked to the front of the conference room and pointed to the hanging map of Duogang Town. "Over the past half month, I have visited all nine administrative villages in the town. What I saw was not a lack of resources, but resources lying dormant! It's not that there is no way out, but that our thinking is unclear!"

His finger heavily poked the northernmost village on the map: "Liuzhuang! Sitting right on the golden waterway of the Grand Canal, yet the villagers can only sigh at the water! Why? Because there is no startup capital, no technical support, and no market connection!"

He immediately laid out his long-concocted plan: "My idea is to use Liuzhuang as a pilot to build a specialized aquaculture base in Duogang Town! Using the recovered special funds and the upcoming support funds from the county, we will immediately launch the renovation and expansion of Liuzhuang's small fishing port dock to resolve infrastructure issues. Then, we will hire municipal and county aquaculture technology experts to station themselves in the village for guidance, select fish and shrimp species suitable for the canal's water quality and market demand, and conduct large-scale cage culture. Simultaneously, we will connect with large agricultural wholesale markets and fresh food supermarkets in the city, and even try to interface with e-commerce platforms to establish stable sales channels. Once conditions mature, we will use the canal to develop specialty sightseeing fishing and waterfront agritourism, forming a complete industrial chain!"

Next, his finger swept across the other villages:

"Donggou Village! Shutting down the heavily polluting brick kilns is imperative! But closure is not the end; we must guide their transformation! Utilizing their land and labor advantages, we will develop greenhouse organic vegetable cultivation or introduce suitable fruit tree varieties to build a green agricultural product brand!"

"Zhangjia Village! We will excavate and restore traditional bamboo and straw weaving handicrafts! Led by the town government, we will organize training, implement unified designs, and connect with tourism souvenir companies or online handicraft platforms, turning 'old craftsmanship' into 'new wealth'!"

"For villages with many left-behind children, like Liujia Village! We will integrate idle schoolhouse and village committee activity room resources to establish a village-level left-behind children's care center! We will recruit volunteers to set up reading corners and activity rooms, ensuring the children have a place to go after school and allowing migrant worker parents to have peace of mind!"

Li Yifei's planning was clear and concrete, no longer empty slogans, but actionable blueprints combined with the actual conditions of each village.

The conference room fell into pin-drop silence. Everyone was captivated by this grand vision and clear pathway; even Wang Chenggui subconsciously sat up straight.

"The blueprint has been drawn, and the key lies in implementation!" Li Yifei's gaze swept across the room. "Every single person here must shoulder their responsibilities! I announce the establishment of the Duogang Town Revitalization and Development Leadership Group, with myself as the group leader and Town Mayor Wang Chenggui as the deputy group leader. All leadership team members and heads of relevant stations and offices will serve as members. We will implement a project responsibility system: the Liuzhuang Village aquaculture project will be led by Deputy Secretary Liu Changhe, with full cooperation from the agricultural technology station and water conservancy station! The Donggou Village transformation project will be led by Publicity Commissioner Li Hongxia, with the land resources bureau, environmental protection bureau, and agricultural technology station responsible for closures, land transfer, and transformation guidance! The Zhangjia Village handicraft project will be led by Organization Commissioner Sun Yumei, with the culture station and women's federation responsible for organizing training and market connection! The left-behind children care project will be led by Deputy Town Mayor Qian Dayong, with the town's youth league committee, women's federation, and central school responsible for specific implementation! The work of attracting investment and business will be handled directly by me, with the economic development office responsible for sorting out the town's resources, producing investment promotion brochures, and widely collecting information! Everyone must provide leads, which will be incorporated into performance appraisals!"

Li Yifei's division of labor was clear and detailed, giving everyone a task while placing them within the framework and supervision of the leadership group.

In particular, placing Wang Chenggui in the position of "deputy group leader" seemed like a promotion, but in reality, it incorporated him into the system, binding his hands and feet with responsibilities and frameworks, making it difficult for him to act as arbitrarily as before.

"The recovered special funds and subsequent county allocations will be prioritized to guarantee rigid expenditures for the Liuzhuang pilot, dilapidated housing renovations, and assistance for the disadvantaged!"

Li Yifei emphasized at the end, his gaze lingering purposefully on Wang Chenggui and the newly appointed finance section chief, Chen Lijun. "Section Chief Chen, the finance section must establish a special account to ensure that every cent is spent where it counts most, with transparent procedures and subject to supervision. Anyone who dares to reach out their hand again will find Li Jin as a warning of what is to come!"

With the conclusion of the meeting, the entire town government felt as though it had been injected with a shot of adrenaline. Although the tasks were arduous, the goals were clear, the paths were distinct, and most importantly, people saw hope. Following this meeting, Li Yifei's authority truly transitioned from "breaking the deadlock" to "establishing prestige" and "taking the helm."

Three days later, Li Yifei drove to the county seat. This time, he was not going to report on the results of a political struggle, but rather to secure "ammunition" for development.

Stepping into the luxurious and spacious office of County Party Secretary Wei Shili, Li Yifei maintained his modest and respectful demeanor. "Secretary Wei, I am here to report to you on the recent work progress and development ideas of Duogang Town."

Wei Shili leaned back in his leather executive chair, a seemingly cordial smile plastered across his face. "Yifei, sit, sit, sit! You've done a major deed! That scoundrel Li Jin should have been dealt with long ago! Well done! You've cleared out a pest for our county!" Well-informed, he was naturally well-aware of everything that had happened in Duogang Town.

The fact that Li Yifei could proactively come to report made him feel quite flattered; he felt that this junior brother from the Development and Reform Commission was sensible and knew who the boss was.

Li Yifei concisely reported the progress of asset recovery and the handling direction of the Li Jin case, then shifted the conversation to focus heavily on development.

He respectfully presented the meticulously prepared "Duogang Town Liuzhuang Village Specialized Aquaculture Base Pilot Planning Document" with both hands.

Wei Shili took the thick stack of plans and casually flipped through them.

The planning was indeed well-done; the thinking was clear, the goals were definite, and the feasibility analysis was detailed enough. However, when he saw the budget section, his brows furrowed involuntarily.

"Hmm... The idea is good. Using the canal to develop aquaculture—this direction is not bad." Wei Shili laid down the planning document, tapping his fingers on the desk while wearing a "troubled" expression. "However, Comrade Yifei, you also know the situation in our county... We have a large household with heavy expenses everywhere! The finances are extremely tight! Asking for startup capital, technical support, and market matchmaking all at once... this is no small sum!"

Li Yifei sneered inwardly while maintaining a sincere expression on the outside. "Secretary Wei, I understand the difficulties. But the Liuzhuang pilot is the crucial fulcrum to leverage the development of Duogang Town! If done well, it can not only lift Liuzhuang out of poverty but also explore a new path for the entire town and even the county to develop by relying on inland river resources! The significance is profound! Although the initial investment is not small, once successful, the returns will be considerable. We have recovered over a million yuan in illicit funds now, and the town can squeeze out a portion, but the gap remains huge. We urgently need the county to lend a hand!"

Wei Shili quickly calculated in his mind. The county treasury had indeed been hollowed out by his years of massive demolition, construction, and extravagant enjoyment, leaving behind substantial construction debts. To fork out a large sum of money to support a township pilot project? It pained him.

Yet, refusing to give anything would make him appear unsupportive of this "well-connected" and "sensible" subordinate. Besides, if this pilot project actually succeeded, he would share a portion of the political achievements.

He pondered for a long time, as if making a difficult decision, and slapped his thigh. "Alright! Brother Yifei, no matter how difficult things are for the county, we must support your work! I will specially approve 500,000 yuan for you as startup support funds! This is the absolute limit of what I can squeeze out! For the rest, Duogang Town will have to figure it out yourselves—open source and cut expenditures! I believe that with your connections from the Development and Reform Commission, pulling in some investments shouldn't be too difficult, right?" Craftily, he kicked the ball back, offering only a sweet morsel while leaving the heavy lifting to Li Yifei.

500,000 yuan? A drop in the bucket! Li Yifei had anticipated this long ago. A "grateful" smile appeared on his face. "Thank you so much, Secretary Wei! You are truly sending charcoal in the snow! With this 500,000 yuan of support from the county, our confidence is even stronger!"

Changing the subject, his gaze locked directly onto Wei Shili, carrying a hint of imperceptible probing and sharpness. "Secretary Wei, there is something I would like to consult you about. To ensure the success of the pilot, subsequent capital investments may be needed. If... and I mean if, I can secure some additional project funds or investments from other channels on my own, such as the municipal government or through social connections... do you think these funds can be allocated *in full and exclusively dedicated* to our Duogang Town project account? Guaranteed not to be withheld or diverted? After all, only when Duogang Town truly develops can it better feed back into the county. Don't you agree?"

Wei Shili's eyes flickered for a moment. This kid was asking for policy guarantees! Was he afraid the county would swallow the money he brought in?

He felt slightly annoyed, but upon second thought: It's even better if you can bring in money yourself! It saves me from dipping into my own pocket anyway! The money is being invested on county territory after all, and my political achievements won't be lacking!

Moreover, he was quite curious to see just how much capability this Li Yifei—who reportedly had connections in the Development and Reform Commission—truly possessed, and how much money he could pull in.

"Hahaha!" Wei Shili burst into laughter, appearing quite magnanimous. "Brother Yifei! What kind of talk is that? Of course, the county fully supports grassroots development! As long as the funds you secure for the development of Duogang Town are concerned—whether they are municipal project funds or social investments—the county finance department guarantees they will be allocated in full and in a timely manner! Dedicated funds for dedicated use! My word counts!" He patted his chest in assurance, while secretly plotting to sit back and reap the rewards.

"With your words, Secretary Wei, I can rest easy! I will definitely go all out!" Li Yifei stood up and made a solemn statement.

He had obtained what he wanted most—the "dedicated use" promise from the county party secretary.

Although it was just a verbal statement, under the current system, having this promise provided an added amulet of protection. At least on the surface, anyone in the county who wanted to reach out their hands again would have to think twice.

Leaving the county party committee building, Li Yifei did not pause for a second and drove straight to Anyin City. His target was clear—Mayor Sun Guodong.

As the car traveled along the highway leading to the urban area, Li Yifei looked at the somewhat desolate scenery outside the window and calculated in his mind. The 500,000 yuan given by Wei Shili was just an inducement, a stepping stone.

The real heavy lifting had to rely on the municipal level. The Liuzhuang aquaculture pilot was not just a project for Duogang Town; it could be packaged as a municipal-level pilot project relying on canal resources to promote poverty alleviation and prosperity for impoverished villages along the river. Only this could leverage greater resources and support.

He needed Sun Guodong's support—not just financial funds, but also policy endorsement and coordinated resources. Their chance meeting at the entrance of the Development and Reform Commission last time, coupled with the fact that he had helped Sun solve a project approval issue, counted as a favorable connection.

This time, he would use Liuzhuang's blueprint and Wei Shili's "endorsement" to move a mayor who wanted to accomplish things but was constrained by obstacles.

However, would Sun Guodong buy it? The political waters in the city were deeper than those in the county. Was his status as "挂职副县长兼镇党委书记" (deputy county magistrate on temporary assignment concurrently serving as town party secretary) heavy enough in the eyes of municipal leaders?

More importantly, did Sun Guodong still remember him? What would he make of his sudden appearance in Duogang Town to hold a key position?

Did the warning Sun Guodong had revealed over the phone last time regarding Wei Shili having "people upstairs" mean that Sun knew more about the problems in Duogang Town and Duogang County than he imagined?

As the car drove into the bustling urban area, Li Yifei's gaze grew increasingly profound and solemn. Subduing Duogang Town was only the first step; securing Sun Guodong's support would be the crucial battle to leverage a broader landscape.