Among the former directors of the Water Conservancy Bureau, Li Zhonghua's predecessor was the most outstanding. After Li Zhonghua took office, he gradually revealed his dazzling brilliance, making his predecessor seem slightly inferior by comparison. Although Li Zhonghua was domineering, he had excellent coordination skills and was adept at finding his place in complex conflicts, thus standing tall and firmly in his position.
Therefore, some of the more experienced people in the Water Conservancy Bureau privately praised him, saying that while some leaders talked about leadership art every day, the only one who truly turned leadership into an art was Li Zhonghua. Cheng Jie民用 his heart that Li Zhonghua deserved such praise, not just for show, but because it was so fitting and accurate.
After Zhao Huazhong left, Li Zhonghua picked up a document and read it quietly, completely ignoring Cheng Jie民用's presence. The silent environment gave Cheng Jie民用 a sense of pressure that was hard to resist.
He knew that Li Zhonghua was observing him, so Cheng Jie民用 remained calm and watched him silently.
After about five minutes, Li Zhonghua finished reading the document and looked up, as if just noticing Cheng Jie民用 standing at the office door. "Xiao Cheng, do you have anything else?"
"Director, I'm waiting for your instructions."
Li Zhonghua nodded inwardly, thinking that this young man was quite composed. He took a sip of water and said slowly, "Yesterday, I had dinner with a leader from the Provincial Party Committee's Organization Department. In a week, there will be a mobilization meeting attended by a senior provincial leader, after which your group of agricultural support cadres will be dispatched to various townships. Once you get there, you must quickly adapt and live up to everyone's expectations by doing a good job."
"Please rest assured, Director Li. I will work hard and not disgrace the Water Conservancy Bureau," Cheng Jie民用 said honestly, even though Li Zhonghua's words were somewhat routine and lacked practical significance.
"Hmm, in the next few days, make sure to hand over your work in the bureau and prepare well for the rural assignment. If you have any difficulties, come and talk to me."
Cheng Jie民用 bit his lip and said, "Director, I was puzzled by a question yesterday. I've been thinking about it all night and still can't find an answer. You are an expert in the history of our Water Conservancy Bureau, could you help me with this?"
Li Zhonghua studied history, and the black notebook recorded half a page of conversations between Cheng Jie民用 and the retired Li Zhonghua. Without the aura of being a director, Li Zhonghua seemed like a learned old man, not as stern as he was now.
As a history enthusiast, Li Zhonghua's favorite period was the Spring and Autumn and Warring States era.
"Oh, what is it that you can't figure out?" When the topic turned to history, Li Zhonghua immediately became animated, putting down the document and smiling as he asked.
"Director, I was reading 'The Chronicles of the Eastern Zhou' yesterday and found some parts unrealistic. King Fuchai of Wu was a shrewd person. Even if he became arrogant, he should have known some essential things. No matter how submissive Goujian was, Fuchai should have killed him to eliminate future troubles. Why did he let him go?" Cheng Jie民用 asked softly, standing beside Li Zhonghua like a student.
Li Zhonghua took a puff of his cigarette and said, "Have you read about the behavior of Wu and Yue after the war?"
"I have, but I think it's too novelized. The part about tasting feces and praying for Fuchai's health—anyone with a brain would know Goujian was faking it. Fuchai wasn't a fool; he should have known. Why did he let Goujian go? Is there a deeper reason?" Cheng Jie民用 asked cautiously.
"Xiao Cheng, the fact that you can think about these things shows that you are starting to read history critically. Some historical records are reliable, while others are not. History is written by the victors, so we should read it with a skeptical attitude!" Li Zhonghua took a sip of water and continued, "The relationship between Wu and Yue is complex. I think one aspect is King Fuchai's consideration, and the other is King Goujian's deceptive behavior when he was in a weak position."
"For example, his behavior in the palace of King Fuchai was deeply influenced by the principles of Duke Wen of Zhou. Duke Wen once ate the flesh of his own son, knowing it was his son's flesh. This was a kind of ruthlessness..."
As he spoke, Li Zhonghua seemed to have a sudden thought. He looked at Cheng Jie民用 and hesitated to continue.
"Xiao Cheng, I have a book on the historical records of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States period. Take it and study it; it will be beneficial for you." After a moment's thought, Li Zhonghua took a book from his bookshelf and handed it to Cheng Jie民用.
Cheng Jie民用 received the book as if it were a treasure, holding it with both hands and said, "Director Li, I will read this book carefully. If I have any questions, I may have to disturb your valuable time."
"Hmm, scholarship requires rigor. If you have any questions, feel free to come to me." Li Zhonghua patted Cheng Jie民用's shoulder and said, "It's very rare for a young person to be able to sit down and read books!"
Cheng Jie民用 smiled, expressing his gratitude through his body language, feeling very pleased. He knew that this consultation had planted a deeper seed in Li Zhonghua's mind.
"By the way, take this document to the office and have them retype it according to my revisions." Li Zhonghua handed him the revised document.
Cheng Jie民用 took the document and saw that it was a report, only a little over one page, but heavily revised by Li Zhonghua. Cheng Jie民用 knew that Li Zhonghua was not someone who liked to revise documents, so the detailed revisions indicated that he took this matter very seriously.
"Here... and here, make sure the office doesn't mix up the sections. Also, for our Water Conservancy Bureau's work plan for next year, have them get the numbers from the statistics department, and make sure they are accurate to two decimal places." Li Zhonghua pointed to the revised sections and gave detailed instructions.
Cheng Jie民用 carefully read the document and noted Li Zhonghua's instructions. Within two minutes, he understood that this was a general report. The fact that Li Zhonghua took it so seriously suggested that it was for an important report to the provincial leadership.
"Have them finish it soon. I need to review it this afternoon. This matter cannot be delayed; I have to report to Secretary Liu of the Provincial Party Committee tomorrow."
Li Zhonghua had a distinctive speaking style. Even in the most important meetings, he only spoke three sentences: what to do, how to do it, and what to do if it fails. He was not a verbose person, and today's detailed instructions showed that he placed this matter at the top of his priorities.
In the six months Cheng Jie民用 had worked at the Water Conservancy Bureau, he had basically understood Li Zhonghua's work approach. The content of the report followed Li Zhonghua's work思路. In Cheng Jie民用's view, Li Zhonghua was dedicated to his work, but he had overlooked one aspect.
That was flood control. The diary mentioned that he was demoted to a patrol officer because of a major flood, where his work was not up to par.
Should he give him a reminder about this?
If he did, how should he approach it?
After some thought, Cheng Jie民用 decided to speak up. After all, as long as Li Zhonghua held his position, Zhao Huazhong couldn't advance.
"Director, I think that while we focus on irrigation, we should also put more effort into flood control. Especially the dredging of waterways and the removal of illegal constructions that obstruct the river. These are forward-looking tasks that need to be considered urgently..."
Cheng Jie民用 quickly organized his thoughts, hoping to use the foresight from the notebook to make Li Zhonghua pay more attention to this area and change his fate.
After expressing his views, Cheng Jie民用 looked at Li Zhonghua nervously, hoping that Li Zhonghua would take his advice to heart.
However, to his disappointment, although Li Zhonghua smiled brightly, he said calmly, "Xiao Cheng, it's good that you can think about the big picture. Young people should not only read more but also think more."
In Li Zhonghua's eyes, Cheng Jie民用 was now giving him advice to get closer to him. This young man was smart, but a bit too eager.
Feeling a bit depressed, Cheng Jie民用 left Li Zhonghua's office, secretly stomping his foot. He thought, "Good advice is hard to take, but I've said what I needed to say. If you, Li Zhonghua, repeat the same mistakes, I can't do anything about it!"
At the bureau office, Cheng Jie民用 handed the document to Feng Changhai and repeated Li Zhonghua's instructions. Feng Changhai was surprised to see Cheng Jie民用 with Li Zhonghua's annotated document. He warmly offered Cheng Jie民用 a seat and called him "old brother" repeatedly.
Cheng Jie民用 responded positively to Feng Changhai's enthusiasm. As the office director, Feng Changhai was his direct superior. Although he seemed to have Li Zhonghua's favor, he was still a rootless reed.
If Feng Changhai found out that he didn't have Li Zhonghua's strong support, he could create many obstacles. Therefore, Cheng Jie民用 was happy to maintain a good relationship with Feng Changhai.
"Jie民用, take a look. Is there anything missing from Director Li's requirements?" Feng Changhai handed him his notes and asked with a smile.
Cheng Jie民用 took the document and read it, finding that Feng Changhai had recorded everything accurately. He thought that although Feng Changhai was somewhat opportunistic, he was still competent.
Just as he was about to return the paper to Feng Changhai, a thought struck him. Feng Changhai was now following his instructions closely. If he added the points about waterway dredging and flood control, Feng Changhai would certainly include them. This might lead to higher-level approval of the Water Conservancy Bureau's suggestions.
If the higher-ups paid more attention to this, more preparation would mean less loss. However, doing so could put him at risk, as it could be seen as passing on false orders.
Feeling hesitant, Cheng Jie民用's heart raced.
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