Chapter 3: The Road is Difficult to Traverse

Hmm! Not bad! Didn't Chairman Mao say that many hands make light work? Our Linquan Town has set up a special team to work on the Tianshui Dam, and the results should be even better.

Hmm! This method is quite good. Next, let's arrange the personnel for the working group. I propose forming a three-person team, to be named the Tianshuiba Village Working Group, with the team leader receiving a position equivalent to that of a department head. This will be at the same level as the various departments in our town. If they perform well, as suggested by the county leaders, they will be promoted to a substantive deputy section chief.

Previous governments have not been inactive; the main issue has been a lack of funds, which limits their options. Consequently, they have resorted to piecemeal efforts, digging here and there. After a decade of fragmented work, it can only be considered as road construction, with no substantial progress made.

The road damage also made that place appear particularly impoverished, with the per capita annual income of each household being less than 300 yuan, which was roughly equivalent to the monthly salary of the top figure in Linquan Town at that time, Secretary Qin.

Tianshuibazi, with an elevation exceeding one thousand meters. It is named Tianshuibazi due to the presence of a large dam. It is located more than 30 kilometers away from Linquan Town

Strangely, none of the committee members present seemed worried at all, as they fundamentally did not believe that there were such 'capable individuals' who could effectively manage the Tianshui Dam. Therefore, the position of deputy section chief was essentially a pie in the sky, much like the moon in the sky—visible to all, yet unattainable. This is why the matter concerning the working group was so readily passed with unanimous approval.

However, the relationships within the town are quite complex. Those vice mayors who are not part of the Party Committee and the members of the Party Committee present here are all intricately connected, forming a complicated web of relationships, where pulling one thread can affect the entire system

The entire Party Committee present unanimously approved this proposal, with Wang Yuancheng, the director of the Party and Government Office attending the meeting, recording it, resulting in an effective document. In fact, each of these individuals harbored their own little calculations ringing in their minds.

If the settlement fee for a household is set at 30,000, that would amount to several million. This figure nearly paralyzed several standing committee members of Yuyang County at the time. Moreover, issues such as personnel placement, land, and a host of other problems led to the county committee's standing committee never discussing the relocation of Tianshuiba Village again.

At that time, the government of Yuyang County planned to relocate the entire population of Tianshui Bazi to Linquan Town to establish a new village. However, upon closer examination, Tianshui Bazi is quite substantial, with a total population of over ten thousand and several thousand households

It is not that the straight-line distance from Linquan Town to that place is particularly far; rather, it is primarily due to the fact that there is only a dilapidated dirt road, merely 5 meters wide, leading there. It is said that this road was haphazardly constructed during the 1960s when the Tianshui Dam was built. After decades of landslides and compression, the road has long since lost its original form

However, Tianshuiba is a revolutionary old area, and the county leaders dare not abandon it. This is because Tianshuiba was once the residence of several generals before the liberation, who fought guerrilla warfare against the Kuomintang and dealt with bandits, among other things. People may not necessarily remember Tianshuiba now.

Qin Zhiming felt somewhat puzzled, as it was known that Tito and Xiao He did not have a good relationship. At this moment, it seemed as if the two were standing on the same front. "Could there be some hidden agenda behind this?" After a moment of thought, Qin Zhiming also found this suggestion feasible

It seems that the current deputy town heads in Linquan Town might need to shuffle a few positions. It is important to note that Linquan Town is among the best in the county, second only to Yuyang Chengguan, among the approximately 20 towns and townships under its jurisdiction.

Moreover, with the addition of Mayor Wu's hanging, everyone naturally associated his hanging with the complex village situation of Tianshui Bazi Village. It is possible that Mayor Wu's hanging is indeed related to Tianshui Bazi. As a result, no one dared to take on this death bomb.

The various party committees present are certainly unafraid, for even if a capable individual were to be appointed as the deputy town mayor, it would not shake their positions within the party committee. At most, it would merely result in the reassignment of some unfortunate deputy town mayor.

For a position that can lead to a substantive deputy department role, it should at least be equivalent to that of a deputy town mayor in the town. Such a favorable opportunity should ideally prompt everyone to compete fiercely for it, while some deputy town mayors related to those present may feel troubled. This is because if someone truly manages to govern the Tianshui Dam well, the secretary and mayor of Yuyang County will have to fulfill their promise and arrange for a substantive deputy department position.

Winding like a snake, it is said to be a small road of mud and stones, yet in reality, there are hardly any gravel pieces visible on that road. It is mostly mud, and on sunny days, riding in a vehicle feels like being carried in a sedan chair. On rainy days, one would not dare to ride, as even if the vehicle comes to a stop, the wheels can still slide several meters on their own. With a moment's carelessness, one might fall off a cliff over a thousand meters deep and become a martyr. Although martyrs are said to receive compensation, one cannot enjoy it in the underworld.

Qin Zhiming set the tone

Being able to hold the position of deputy town head here is already quite good; if one shifts positions, it would likely be to serve as a deputy director or director in a certain bureau at the county level. If one were to move to another town or township, it would essentially be regarded as a demotion, akin to what was referred to as exile in ancient officialdom.

Incidents of injury from hacking occur from time to time, but generally speaking, they are resolved within the village. No one bothers to report them to the Linquan Town police station, as if it has become an established practice since the liberation. Perhaps that is the unspoken rule of the Tianshui Dam area

This is also one of the reasons why Yuyang County dares not to give it up. Just think about it, if it were truly neglected and one day there were an uprising against the government, it would be a serious matter

Secretary Qin, what do you think about this? Why not establish a working group to temporarily take on the role of village head at Tianshui Bazi until a village head is elected

For instance, if the trusted aide of the deputy secretary of the town party committee, Cai Dajiang, namely the deputy town head in charge of urban construction, Xiao Changhe, were to be reassigned, Cai Dajiang, as a member of the party committee, would certainly be displeased. Such an action would be tantamount to directly severing one of his arms

Due to the numerous small hills blocking the way along this minor road, the construction costs are exceedingly high. For a national-level poverty-stricken county like Yuyang, it is nothing short of a pipe dream to completely improve a road that requires an investment of approximately tens of millions.

The chairman of the town people's congress, Xiao Heda, put forward a suggestion

Thus, it has now created a dilemma; this village is like a bare bone without meat. It is a pity to abandon it, yet tasteless to consume, and the local customs are fierce. A disagreement may easily lead to violence with fists, knives, or clubs.

However, if someone truly forgets about it, a concerned individual could bring it to the attention of those nostalgic old generals. All it would take is for them to hum a tune, and it is likely that the county magistrate's official cap would fly off. Moreover, it is said that the dilapidated road was built with the backing of several generals, costing several million.

Moreover, the roads are not very smooth, often interrupted. Occasionally, loose boulders fall from the steep cliffs, which could lead to catastrophic accidents. Even walking to Linquan Town poses risks, as some individuals have been injured by falling rocks. A round trip is estimated to take about 5 hours.

In fact, Qin Zhiming was well aware that the dam that day was indeed a tough nut to crack. Otherwise, under the grand flattery of promotion, there were at least dozens of people in Linquan Town, including deputy section chiefs and section chiefs. Yet, no one dared to take on that hot potato, because that place was too terrifying; describing it as horrific would not be an exaggeration.