Hong Liang's confidence soared as soon as his secretary mentioned this.
Indeed, Chen Feng had connections in the provincial capital. So did he. Who was he afraid of?
Thus, Hong Liang immediately went to the provincial capital.
Hong Liang's connection in the provincial capital's power circles was Xiao Shan, the second-in-command at the provincial Personnel Department.
"Elder Xiao, I'm about to be transferred to the provincial capital as the head of the Religious Affairs Bureau. Do you know about this?" Hong Liang asked tentatively.
"Of course, I know. I'm even handling the specific procedures," Xiao Shan replied without concealment.
"Elder Xiao, you must know that while my transfer to the provincial capital as the head of the Religious Affairs Bureau is nominally a promotion, it's actually a demotion. The Religious Affairs Bureau is even more of a sinecure than the Civil Affairs Bureau. If I really come to the provincial capital to head the Religious Affairs Bureau, my path in the power circles will be completely blocked," Hong Liang said with a dejected expression.
"Hong Liang, I'm not a fool. How could I not know about your situation? However, even so, there's nothing that can be done. To be honest with you, this transfer of you to the provincial capital as the head of the Religious Affairs Bureau is not my doing. You've given me quite a bit of 'benefits' every year. Would I be so foolish as to harm my own cash cow?" Xiao Shan replied, also looking quite depressed.
Frankly speaking, when he was told that Hong Liang was to be transferred to the provincial capital as the head of the Religious Affairs Bureau, Xiao Shan was stunned.
Hong Liang was the district mayor of Ming Shan District in Jiang City. The sudden transfer of a district mayor to the provincial capital was a major personnel move. For him, the second-in-command of the provincial Personnel Department, not to know about this personnel change was telling.
It could only mean one thing: this transfer decided by Xiao Shan was made by higher-ups in the Personnel Department.
As the second-in-command of the Personnel Department, he should have been the first to know about any appointment handled by the department.
The question was, since Xiao Shan received significant funds from the provincial capital annually, he shouldn't have offended anyone.
Given that Xiao Shan hadn't offended anyone in the provincial capital's power circles, why would the provincial capital's high-ranking officials suddenly sideline him?
Let's put it this way: even the national Religious Affairs Bureau, let alone the provincial one, was a sinecure, a position with a fixed salary and little responsibility.
Although the fixed salary was considerably higher than that of ordinary workers, it was still far from the lucrative positions in the power circles.
Even though Hong Liang was only a district mayor, with a sharp mind, it wasn't difficult to amass billions.
There were countless examples of minor positions leading to major corruption over the years.
Even a director of a township supply and marketing cooperative could embezzle hundreds of millions, let alone a position of real power at the municipal level.
In the power circles, there was never a limit to how much money could be embezzled; there was always more to be had.
"It wasn't your decision?" Hong Liang was stunned.
He had initially thought Chen Feng's connections in the provincial capital's power circles were limited to the provincial Personnel Department. Little did he know, judging by Xiao Shan's expression, the situation was far more complicated than he had imagined.
"Aren't you asking the obvious? You're not stupid, would you do something that harms yourself? On the other hand, why did you offend the provincial capital's high-level officials? Are you tired of living?" Xiao Shan questioned Hong Liang.
"Elder Xiao, I swear to heaven and earth, I'm not an idiot. I'm eager to curry favor with the provincial capital, so why would I offend the provincial capital's power circles?" Hong Liang replied aggrievedly.
"That's strange. If you hadn't offended the provincial capital's power circles, why would the provincial capital's high officials target you for no reason? You're an experienced player in the power game. Every personnel move, whether it's a reward or a punishment, has a reason. You wouldn't be transferred without cause," Xiao Shan explained.
"Elder Xiao, I can assure you, I truly did not offend the provincial capital's power circles. However, I did offend Chen Feng, the director of the Ming Shan District Development and Reform Commission. This guy neglects his duties and has hindered the economic growth of Ming Shan District, so I planned to transfer him to Jiang City as the head of the Religious Affairs Bureau. Unexpectedly, the next day, I was informed of my transfer to the provincial capital as the head of the Religious Affairs Bureau," Hong Liang confessed without reservation.
"Chen Feng, that name sounds familiar. Is he the Chen Feng who governed the chaos of medical insurance in Jiang City District?" Xiao Shan asked tentatively.
"It's him, Chen Feng. He's a typical example of neglecting his duties. He's just the director of the Ming Shan District Development and Reform Commission, yet he's interfering with medical insurance. Isn't that a case of having too much time on his hands?" Hong Liang said with disdain.
"Hong Liang, Hong Liang, your political sensitivity is too low. Haven't you realized a problem? Why would a district director dare to deal with municipal-level medical insurance issues? Without powerful connections, even with ten thousand times the courage, he wouldn't dare to meddle!" Xiao Shan retorted.
Hong Liang was speechless.
Upon careful consideration, it did make sense.
It was his own foolishness for not realizing such a simple issue.
Damn it, if he had known earlier, he wouldn't have tried to suppress Chen Feng.
Now, not only did he fail to suppress Chen Feng, but he was suppressed by Chen Feng.
"Elder Xiao, what should we do now? I don't want to spend the rest of my life idly waiting in the Religious Affairs Bureau," Hong Liang asked in despair.
"What else can we do? You can only accept your fate. You're not a child; you're an adult and an experienced player in the power game. You have to bear the consequences of your own mistakes," Xiao Shan replied irritably.
If Hong Liang hadn't been as foolish as a pig, why would he have provoked someone he shouldn't have?
"Is there any room for maneuver?" Hong Liang asked, unwilling to give up.
"Hong Liang, Hong Liang, your question is so amateurish. Do you think being suppressed in the power circles is like playing house, where you can negotiate and get a discount? If you offend the wrong person, your fate is sealed, and even gods can't save you. Don't struggle anymore; if you keep struggling, you might even lose your life. Remember, power struggles are brutal and bloody," Xiao Shan explained with a grave expression.
Hong Liang's entire body turned cold after hearing this.
Damn it, if he had known this would be the outcome, he wouldn't have dared to provoke Chen Feng even with ten thousand times the courage.
Although his path in the power circles was now blocked, the fortunate thing was that his life was spared.
Speaking of which, who would have thought that an ordinary official, who started as a driver for a town leader, would have such an incredible network of connections?
Even the second-in-command of the provincial Personnel Department was wary of him.
After a brief moment of thought, Hong Liang decided not to struggle anymore.
Forget it, a bet is a bet.
He was ten thousand times happier than those who ended up in prison or lost their lives due to power struggles.
To be fair, Chen Feng had shown him some mercy. Otherwise, with Chen Feng's connections, he could have been imprisoned for the rest of his life.
After chatting with Xiao Shan for a few more minutes, Hong Liang returned to Jiang City immediately.
The first thing he did upon returning to Jiang City was to fire his secretary.
According to the usual practice in the power circles, when the top leader left, the secretary would continue to serve the next leader.
As the saying goes, secretaries were like iron, while leaders came and went.
However, this time, Hong Liang had no intention of doing that.
Damn it, if it weren't for this foolish secretary's instigation, how could he have gone to the provincial capital to humiliate himself in front of Xiao Shan?
After being fired, the secretary was filled with regret.
He should never have underestimated Chen Feng.
He thought Hong Liang could easily defeat Chen Feng, but who knew Chen Feng was a wolf in sheep's clothing.
"Chen Feng, thank you. The transfer order from above has come down. I've been promoted to district mayor," Qin Yan said excitedly in Chen Feng's office.
"Congratulations, congratulations. You don't have to call yourself Deputy District Mayor anymore; you can call yourself District Mayor Qin," Chen Feng said with a smile.
"Chen Feng, I have a question for you. You could have taken the deputy district mayor position, but why didn't you, and instead chose to remain the head of the Ming Shan District Development and Reform Commission?" Qin Yan asked with a puzzled expression.