"That's right, it's that Elder Wu."
Zhou Kewang nodded and said.
"Elder Zhou, I've thought about it carefully, and Elder Wu has no reason to oppose the merger of Mingshan Town."
Chen Feng explained.
"On the surface, Elder Wu is the second-in-command in charge of land in the provincial capital, and he is also responsible for the overall economic development of several cities below. He has no direct grievances with Jiangcheng. However, this is just on the surface. In reality, Elder Wu has deep-seated conflicts with Jiangcheng."
Zhou Kewang said earnestly.
"I haven't heard of this."
Chen Feng replied, looking bewildered.
"You haven't been in the political arena for long, so you naturally wouldn't know. Ten years ago, Elder Wu worked at the grassroots level in Jiangcheng and was severely hurt by a female teacher there. Therefore, Elder Wu has basically harbored animosity towards Jiangcheng ever since."
Zhou Kewang explained.
Chen Feng was not a fool and understood immediately.
"Elder Zhou, Elder Wu shouldn't be so petty, should he? It's just a woman; there's no need to hold onto it for a lifetime."
Chen Feng asked with a puzzled expression.
"If it were an ordinary woman, there would indeed be no need to hold onto it. But the problem is, this woman is no ordinary woman."
Zhou Kewang replied, shaking his head.
"Not an ordinary woman? Then who is it?"
Chen Feng's curiosity was immediately piqued.
"This woman is the other of the two second-in-commands in the provincial capital. Think about it; there's already intense rivalry between the two second-in-commands in the provincial capital, and with this kind of male-female relationship involved, wouldn't the rivalry be even more intense?"
When Zhou Kewang said this, Chen Feng finally understood the whole story.
"Elder Zhou, could you arrange a dinner for me, Elder Wu, and that woman, Elder Min? That way, I can try to persuade the two second-in-commands."
Chen Feng tentatively asked.
"Chen Feng, I'm just the head of the Development and Reform Commission, several levels below Elder Wu and Elder Min. Do you think I can arrange for you to eat together?"
Zhou Kewang retorted.
Chen Feng smiled awkwardly upon hearing this.
After chatting with Zhou Kewang casually for a few minutes, Chen Feng returned to his presidential suite. The complexity of the matter far exceeded his imagination, and he had to plan carefully.
...
In the provincial office building, in Elder Wu's office, Elder Wu was discussing matters with his subordinates.
"Do not sign any of the documents regarding the merger of Mingshan Town and Yongming County with Jiangcheng."
Elder Wu instructed his subordinate word by word.
"Understood, Elder Wu."
The subordinate agreed directly without asking further questions.
In the political arena, there are too many unexpected small moves; there's no need to delve into the reasons.
"You may go."
Elder Wu suppressed his excitement and said.
He had waited for ten years and finally had an opportunity to trap that damned woman, Min Min, properly. He felt incredibly pleased.
In his excitement, Elder Wu called another second-in-command, who was also Elder Wu's good brother, Elder Sun.
This is how the political arena works; forming factions is perfectly normal.
"Elder Wu, what's got you so happy?"
Elder Sun asked, looking confused.
"That damned Min Min has finally fallen into my hands this time. Aren't you happy for me?"
"What do you mean?"
Elder Sun continued to ask, confused.
"Jiangcheng wants to merge Mingshan Town and Yongming County this time, and it needs the provincial capital's signature. I won't sign it, which will drive Min Min crazy."
Elder Wu said excitedly.
"Elder Wu, we are brothers, and I won't lie to you. I think you should stay out of this matter."
Elder Sun advised.
"Why? Min Min and I are both second-in-commands in the provincial capital, with the same official rank and similar backgrounds. Am I afraid of her?"
Elder Wu replied excitedly.
"Elder Wu, you misunderstand me. I'm not saying you're afraid of Min Min. I'm talking about the deputy town mayor of Mingshan Town, Chen Feng."
Elder Sun said with a serious expression.
"Elder Sun, did I hear you correctly? I'm not even afraid of Min Min, so why would I be afraid of a mere deputy town mayor?"
Elder Wu retorted with a hearty laugh.
"Elder Wu, Chen Feng is quite the rising star lately. You should know that."
"This kid is indeed a rising star, but so what? No matter how much of a rising star he is, it doesn't change the reality that he's at the grassroots level of the political arena."
Elder Wu said dismissively.
"Elder Wu, that's the principle of the matter, but I feel it's unnecessary to provoke someone like him."
Elder Sun frowned.
"Elder Sun, you are too cautious. It's fine to be cautious with peers or superiors in the political arena. However, there's really no need to be so cautious with someone at the grassroots level."
Elder Wu continued to say dismissively.
Elder Sun stopped persuading.
If Elder Wu wanted to create trouble for himself, that was his business. In any case, he would absolutely not get involved in this mess.
Finding an excuse, Elder Sun left Elder Wu's office.
Elder Wu watched Elder Sun's retreating back and sneered disdainfully.
This Elder Sun is truly overly cautious this time.
It doesn't matter; in the end, facts will prove Elder Sun wrong.
As long as he is here, Jiangcheng will not be able to merge Mingshan Town and Yongming County.
And so, a week passed quietly.
Chen Feng also received the rejection letter from the provincial capital.
The reason given in the rejection letter was far-fetched: the timing for Jiangcheng to merge Mingshan Town was not ripe.
Chen Feng, a seasoned veteran of the political arena, naturally knew that this reason was merely an excuse.
After tidying up a bit, Chen Feng took the rejection letter from the provincial capital and went to see Min Min.
"Wu Feng is going too far!"
Min Min cursed directly after glancing at the rejection letter from the provincial capital.
"Elder Min, to speak disrespectfully, Elder Wu is using official duties for personal revenge."
Chen Feng said in a low voice.
"You are speaking the truth. Wu Feng is indeed using official duties for personal revenge. The merger of Mingshan Town and Yongming County with Jiangcheng is a very good thing, beneficial to both the upper and lower levels. Yet, they rejected it with a baseless reason."
Min Min trembled with anger.
"Elder Min, since it has happened, what should we do next? Do we have to wait for several more years?"
Chen Feng asked intentionally.
"Wait for several years? How is that possible? How many years in a lifetime can be wasted? Since Elder Wu is openly using official duties for personal revenge, I will not back down meekly. I must fight back."
Min Min replied with a murderous look.
"Fight back? But the rejection letter has already been issued. Can we fight back?"
Chen Feng asked, looking perplexed.
"Of course, we can fight back. You're not new to the political arena, you should know that in politics, nothing is absolute; there's always room for maneuver. For example, a legally binding court ruling can be appealed."
Min Min explained with a cold, killing look.
"Elder Min, your method is quite good, but it takes too much time. I have a method that takes a very short time. I don't know if I should say it..."
Chen Feng hesitated.
"Tell me."
Min Min said with great interest.
"Elder Min, this is what I'm thinking: if the problem itself is very complex, we'll eliminate the person who created the problem."
Chen Feng explained word by word.
"This method is brilliant! Instead of playing mind games with Wu Feng, it's better to directly bring Wu Feng down. If Wu Feng falls, his rejection letter will naturally become void."
Min Min said excitedly.
"Min Min, you've spent more time with Elder Wu. You should know Elder Wu's weaknesses, right?"
Chen Feng tentatively asked.