I Cultivate in a Government Office

Chapter 153: Chapter 103: Expanded Meeting

At 9:00 AM sharp, Yang Wenqing left his office and headed for the conference room on the top floor.

He arrived relatively early, but hushed whispers could already be heard outside the conference room door. As he pushed it open, a mixed scent of tea, tobacco, and paper ink washed over him.

Most of the deputies from the various sections were already seated around the long, oval table. Some had their heads down, flipping through documents or notebooks. Others were gathered in twos and threes, speaking in low voices. A few were even leaning back in their chairs, resting with their eyes closed.

Wang Ren was the only section chief to arrive early. Accompanied by two young, capable female officers from the Comprehensive Section, he was systematically placing nameplates for the attendees on the table.

He saw Yang Wenqing come in and gave him a subtle nod, his hands never ceasing their task.

Yang Wenqing found his seat and sat down, placing the file folder he had brought in front of him. He didn’t speak to anyone, simply waiting in silence.

As nine o’clock approached, Deputy Director Zhou was the first of the higher-ups to arrive. He carried his usual gentle yet slightly detached air, looking at no one as he walked straight to his seat. He sat down, picked up the cup he had brought with him, and blew on it gently.

Following him, the section chiefs from the various departments filed in.

When the wall clock struck nine-thirty, the sound of distinct footsteps came from the doorway. As one, everyone in the room straightened their backs, their gazes turning—some openly, some subtly—toward the entrance.

The first to enter was Vice Director Gao. He wore a crisp white uniform, the silver stars on his epaulets glinting coldly under the lights.

Hot on his heels, Director Zhang entered. He too wore a white uniform, but the number of silver stars on his epaulets was different, a clear sign of his authority as the man in charge.

With the Director and Vice Director seated, the conference room fell utterly silent. The air seemed to freeze. The only sound was the soft TICK, TOCK of the second hand on the wall clock, a reminder to all that it was time to begin.

Director Zhang cleared his throat. His smile never wavered as he began in a resonant voice, ”Since everyone is here, let’s get started. Today’s expanded meeting will focus on three main items, all concerning the preparations for the New Town to the south. I expect your full attention.”

He paused briefly, his gaze sweeping over the room. Seeing no objections, he opened the agenda in front of him and announced, ”The first matter is the naming of the New Town. The Comprehensive Section has submitted several candidates. We’ll make a decision today...”

He paused again before continuing, ”The options are: Hailan Town, Bibo Town, Qixia South Town, Lingshan Town, and Sea Guard.” He tapped his finger on the table as he read each name. ”A name projects an image and has long-term implications. I’d like to hear everyone’s thoughts. Let’s pool our ideas.”

This was a relatively relaxed topic, and the atmosphere in the room lightened somewhat.

The Technical Section Chief spoke first. ”The name Sea Guard is the most impressive. It fits the New Town’s role as a future mining frontier and implies a ’guarding’ function.”

The Public Security Section Chief leaned toward Hailan Town or Bibo Town, believing they better reflected the area’s hydrological features. Several other section chiefs, however, expressed support for Qixia South Town, arguing that continuing the naming system of the main mountain range would simplify administration.

Vice Director Gao also offered a brief opinion. ”Lingshan Town is a good choice. It highlights the unique coral spirit ore and also alludes to the gathering of Spiritual Qi.”

Deputy Director Zhou added with a chuckle, ”A name should be both impressive and easy to remember. I think these are all fine choices. Let’s just have everyone vote on it.”

The discussion was amicable, and Lingshan Town was quickly approved as the official name for the New Town by a majority vote.

Director Zhang seemed to have no objection to this result. He smiled and made a note on his document before his tone shifted, growing serious. ”Good. Next is the second major item. For the initial development of Lingshan Town, our City Defense Bureau, in response to the Civil Affairs Bureau’s request, must form three permanent patrol teams to replace the current militia.”

He swept his customary gaze across the room. ”The New Town is being built from the ground up, so the pressure on public security will be immense. These three teams will form the backbone of its future public security office. My view is that, to ensure combat readiness, we must assemble them by selecting the top-performing key personnel from our various public security offices and action teams, based on recent evaluations.”

”The initial plan is for each team to have a full complement of twenty members, with one captain and two vice-captains. Nominations have been vetted by the Public Security and Archives Sections for the past month. The list of candidates is in the documents before you. If there are no objections, we’ll finalize this matter now.”

At his words, everyone lowered their heads to flip through the newly distributed documents. Yang Wenqing quickly pulled out the list as well, his eyes sweeping over it.

The candidates for captain of the three patrol teams were listed clearly. The first was Zhou Yong, the very man who had schemed against Yang Wenqing before; he was one of Director Zhang’s confidants. The second candidate was, surprisingly, Wang Ze’en from the East City Public Security Office—a member of Wang Ren’s family.

’Seeing Wang Ze’en’s name, Yang Wenqing couldn’t help but think, ’This Section Chief Wang really is something else. As expected of someone vying for a Vice Director position; he clearly has some real influence.’’

The third candidate for captain was a man named Zhang Li, a patrol leader from the South City Public Security Office. It was obvious he was one of Vice Director Gao’s people.

’They called it a discussion, but with only one candidate for each captain spot, no one even had the right to object. No, that wasn’t quite right. There were five or six candidates for the vice-captain positions. That was the real topic up for debate.’

Half an hour later, the list was finalized. The three captains, naturally, remained unchanged; only the selections for their deputies were locked in.

Once the list was officially recorded and passed as a resolution, the smile on Director Zhang’s face deepened. He scanned the room and declared, ”It’s settled then. The relevant transfer procedures will be handled immediately after this meeting. Ensure they assemble and report to the designated area in Lingshan Town within three days!”