Chang Mengyuan slowly raised his hand, the Secretary of the Party Working Committee of the Economic Development Zone Guan Qijun raised his hand, and the Minister of United Front Work Yuan Suhua raised his hand. Qu Kang's face became extremely solemn. He glanced at Chen Yuejin, whose expression was in line with the Standing Committee. To his surprise, Chen Yuejin did not raise his hand, which meant that there were only three votes in favor.
Qu Kang slowly raised his hand and glanced at Lu Baojuan. Propaganda Minister Lu Baojuan secretly complained, sighed helplessly, and raised her hand. There were still only five votes on the scene. Qu Kang's eyes fell on Chen Yuejin again, and his eyes shouted expectation and encouragement.
It’s a pity that Chen Yuejin held the teacup and took a sip of tea, as if Qu Kang was air.
Wang Guoyue was a little surprised when he saw this scene, because Chen Yuejin did not help Qu Kang to vote in favor, which was a very strange thing. Of course, on his side, Lu Baojuan turned against him.
Wang Guoyue thought about it carefully and was not surprised. Before he came to Caoyao, there were rumors in the officialdom that Mayor Qu Kang and Propaganda Minister Lu Baojuan were not on good terms. So after he became the secretary of the municipal party committee, he often had long talks with Lu Baojuan. Lu Baojuan seemed to be submissive on the surface, but there was always a feeling of indifference. Now he understood that the disagreement between Lu Baojuan and Qu Kang was only superficial, and it was a false impression secretly created by Qu Kang, just to play a surprise role at a critical moment.
There were only five votes in favor of Zhang Xian's appointment as an additional member of the Standing Committee, which was less than half a vote, so Zhang Xian's chances were slim.
However, Wang Guoyue continued to preside over the meeting according to the procedure. "Please raise your hands if you are against Comrade Zhang Xian's appointment as a member of the Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee!"
Guan Ruofei raised his hand first, followed by Executive Vice Mayor Sui Qi, Discipline Inspection Committee Secretary Mai Zhaolong, and Political and Legal Committee Secretary Deng Zhanying. There were only four votes on the floor, and even if Wang Guoyue raised his hand, there would only be five votes, which meant that the number of votes against did not exceed five. This situation would be very embarrassing.
Qu Kang's face was solemn, with deep wrinkles on his face. He focused his attention on Fang Zhicheng, because if Fang Zhicheng raised his hand, he would lose today.
Fang Zhicheng kept smiling and did not raise his hand. Wang Guoyue was a little disappointed. He had arranged Sui Qi to do the persuasion. Could it be that there was no effect
Fang Zhicheng put down the pen in his hand, glanced at Chen Yuejin, and smiled playfully.
Military sub-district commander Chen Yuejin slowly raised his hand. Wang Guoyue's pupils dilated, he breathed a sigh of relief, and also raised his hand.
The result came out, and the number of votes against increased from four to six. In other words, more than half of the Standing Committee members opposed Zhang Xian's addition to the Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee. This meant that Chen Zhen, the Municipal Party Committee Secretary-General, was successfully approved.
How could this happen? How could the Standing Committee completely lose control
According to Qu Kang's idea, there should have been six votes in favor and five against, with Fang Zhicheng choosing to abstain. But the result was unexpected, Lu Baojuan became his surprise soldier, while Chen Yuejin became Wang Guoyue's secret weapon for victory.
Qu Kang subconsciously touched the teacup and found that he was not holding it firmly, and the water almost splashed out.
Although it was just a small detail, everyone present noticed it. Everyone's facial expression was normal, but they were all sighing in their hearts. Cao Yao's municipal party committee officially entered another era.
Chapter 0945: Fence-sitters
The Standing Committee's additional list is first discussed internally and, after review, is then submitted to the province. Generally speaking, the province will fully consider the opinions of the local governments and approve them.
After Qu Kang returned to the office, he threw away the ceramic thermos cup that he had been carrying for seven or eight years in front of Chang Mengyuan. In Chang Mengyuan's impression, this was a rare moment of Qu Kang's rage in the past few years. It was not the failure of the special committee that made Qu Kang feel unhappy, but from the beginning to the end, Qu Kang felt like he was being fooled.
The person who played tricks on him was not Wang Guoyue, but Fang Zhicheng, the deputy mayor on secondment.
Chang Mengyuan waited for Qu Kang's expression to gradually calm down, and whispered: "I didn't expect Fang Zhicheng to be so treacherous."
Qu Kang sat on a chair, tapping his fingers on the table, and whispered, "We can't hold him accountable. He didn't vote against it at the Standing Committee meeting, so he didn't breach the contract. What we agreed on before was that Xue Fulian would give up the power of the Municipal Development and Reform Commission, and Fang Zhicheng would remain neutral. He abstained from voting, so he fulfilled our conditions."
Chang Mengyuan was a little excited and clenched his fists and said, "Chen Yuejin obviously chose to support Wang Guoyue under his instructions."
Qu Kang sighed and said, "Old Chen and I have a good relationship, but we don't have common interests after all. He supported me in the past because he voted symbolically. Chen Yuejin voted this time from the standpoint of faction. It was also my mistake. The Ning family has a huge influence in the military of Huainan, and Fang Zhicheng is the third son-in-law of the Ning family. As long as Fang Zhicheng nods, Chen Yuejin will definitely support him wholeheartedly."
Chang Mengyuan sneered and said, "Fang Zhicheng, the fence-sitter, is doing a really good job. He agreed to our request and secretly helped Wang Guoyue to attack us. Isn't he afraid of our revenge?"
Qu Kang slowly calmed down, his eyes fell on the porcelain pieces on the ground, and waved his hand, saying, "In fact, we shouldn't be the most anxious ones now. Wang Guoyue is probably more surprised than us, because the situation of the Standing Committee seems to have turned to his side, but he only won by a slight advantage. Besides, the one who dominated the situation was another person!"
Chang Mengyuan understood Qu Kang's meaning. The game between Wang Guoyue and Qu Kang was a battle between the top two leaders. The temporary victory or defeat did not mean anything. But Fang Zhicheng's majestic aura was enough to make Wang Guoyue worried.
There is no room for two tigers in one mountain, and how can I allow others to sleep soundly beside my bed
Chang Mengyuan whispered, "Wang Guoyue is known as a wise man with a broad mind. I'm afraid he won't make things too difficult for Fang Zhicheng. On the contrary, he may even win over Fang Zhicheng and make him his assistant."
Qu Kang shook his head and analyzed: "Everyone knows that Fang Zhicheng came to Cao Yao because Song Wendi attracted the power to fight against Wang Guoyue and hinder the influence of the northern faction in Huainan. If Wang Guoyue can tolerate this, he is not a wise man, but a fool."
Chang Mengyuan whispered, "Are we going to keep giving in like this? Compared to a year ago, our strength has been greatly weakened. If we continue to retreat, I'm afraid that within a year, we will be sidelined by Wang Guoyue. Now there's Fang Zhicheng, isn't he the future Cao Yao? Our local officials will have no place to stand."
Qu Kang frowned again, and said in a serious tone: "Meng Yuan, you are younger than me. You need to remember one thing. If you want to do great things, you must remain silent. Keeping a low profile is not a bad thing for you. Cao Yao has two princes. A lot of resources will flow in. The economic situation is definitely very good. Standing next to a giant, a dwarf can also become a general."
Chang Mengyuan could naturally understand this truth, but as the third member of the Standing Committee, how could he remain calm and composed without any power
Qu Kang is much more conservative than before. Chang Mengyuan knows very well that Qu Kang has no room for promotion. His next step may be to go to a department in the province, get a vice-ministerial title, and then slowly retire. He has no motivation to move forward and just wants to get out of here safely.
But Chang Mengyuan still had ambitions and ideals, and he couldn't just sit there and wait for Wang Guoyue to replace his staff. Even if he could take advantage of the development in the future, what would it be of use if his core network of relationships in Cao Yao was completely destroyed
After Chang Mengyuan left the office, Qu Kang's brows suddenly relaxed. He knew that Chang Mengyuan would not sit still and wait for death, and he understood the character of this deputy secretary who was promoted by him.
It is basically impossible to expect Chang Mengyuan to give up power easily.
Just as Chang Mengyuan analyzed, Qu Kang is already at the age limit. After Cao Yao serves as mayor for a maximum of one term, he will be transferred to the province, join the CPPCC or the National People's Congress, hold a vice-ministerial position, and then end his political career.
Looking back on his past experiences, Qu Kang thought he was a good official who was dedicated to serving the people. He had a high reputation in Caoyao, especially since he became the mayor, he had created several core projects and formed the Caoyao metropolitan area, which was also his credit. But people always get old, and the development of the city takes time to settle. Qu Kang could not continue to carry out his revenge, and the arrival of Wang Guoyue at this moment made Qu Kang feel both pressured and happy, because Wang Guoyue lived at a high angle, was young, and had great potential. If he was willing to take root in Caoyao, Caoyao would surely usher in great development within five to ten years.
However, Wang Guoyue was not familiar with the local characteristics of Caoyao, especially the complexity of the old city area, so Qu Kang kept the old city area projects firmly in his hands. On the one hand, he was afraid that Wang Guoyue would disrupt the distribution of power in the old city area and cause chaos; on the other hand, he also hoped to help Wang Guoyue control the situation and share the pressure of the old forces on the new squad leader.
The power struggle between the top two leaders is an eternal topic, but Qu Kang handled many things very tactfully, and Wang Guoyue was well aware of this, so the two of them basically maintained a delicate balance.
The two will have a fierce confrontation over the additional seats for the Standing Committee, but when it comes to the principled issues of Cao Yao's great development, Qu Kang and Wang Guoyue can share the benefits and risks.
Because Qu Kang has a high level of political awareness, the provincial party committee has a high opinion of him. That is why they appointed Wang Guoyue, a young cadre, as the municipal party secretary and also equipped him with an experienced mayor to assist him, making the team more stable.
If Fang Zhicheng had not come to Cao Yao, Qu Kang would have continued to maintain a prudent strategy, supporting Wang Guoyue in the overall situation while correcting some of Wang Guoyue's radical actions in small details.