Chapter 64 Handling the Crisis

Inside the Shannan County Party Committee office, after the Head of the Publicity Department briefed the County Party Secretary on the entire situation, the Secretary flew into a rage and unleashed a furious tirade upon him.

The County Party Secretary was on the verge of a promotion, moving up half a rank to a position in the municipal government. His heart was long gone from Shannan; recently, aside from major matters requiring his personal approval, he had left minor issues entirely to the county government to handle on their own, rarely intervening.

Yet today, the sudden eruption of such a massive incident left him deeply exasperated. At this critical juncture just prior to his promotion, Shannan could not afford any mishaps whatsoever. Once a major problem occurred, it would directly impact his advancement, which was the primary reason for his fury.

Before the County Party Secretary finished venting his anger, Luo Xuemin, the Head of the Organization Department of the County Party Committee, knocked on the door and walked in.

"Secretary, the Municipal Party Committee Organization Department has just issued a letter of commendation for Comrade Qin Feng, and has simultaneously listed him as a candidate for this year's Municipal Party Committee Outstanding Party Member. They've asked us to prepare the relevant materials," Luo Xuemin reported.

"Look at this! Even the Municipal Party Committee moves faster than we do. What on earth are you people in the Publicity Department doing?! And this Li Chunsheng, he is simply playing reckless tunes. Fortunately, their disciplinary decision hasn't been officially issued yet, otherwise we would be placed in a completely passive position," the County Party Secretary said, growing angrier by the moment.

" Convene an enlarged meeting of the Standing Committee immediately. Have comrades from the Public Security Bureau, the Forest Fire Prevention Office, and the Emergency Management Bureau all attend. Make it fast; we must make an immediate response," declared the County Party Secretary with decisive resolve.

Meanwhile, over in Bishan, Hong Haifeng hurried into Xu Guoli's office.

"Secretary Xu, something big, something huge has happened," Hong Haifeng said anxiously.

"What could have happened? Can't you be a bit more steady? You're jumping out of your skin every single day."

"Secretary Xu, it's on television, and it's trending all over the internet. Take a look for yourself." Hong Haifeng handed his phone to Xu Guoli.

After watching the video, Xu Guoli lit a cigarette with an unnatural expression and fell into deep thought. Before he even finished the cigarette, he stubbed it out and said to Hong Haifeng, "Tell the driver to get the car ready immediately. You're coming with me to Shannan."

"Huh? What are we going to Shannan for?"

"What for? Are you a pig-brained idiot? We're going to the hospital to visit Qin Feng, of course! We must arrive before the county government reacts to this situation. Visiting before they take action and visiting after are two entirely different things, understand? Hurry up and go. Oh, and prepare some extra gifts," Xu Guoli instructed hurriedly.

Although Hong Haifeng did not fully understand, he still followed Xu Guoli's arrangements. The two of them boarded a car and headed toward the Shannan County People's Hospital, the driver speeding along the road.

The small meeting room of the Shannan County Party Committee was packed with people. The soon-to-depart County Party Secretary sat at the head of the table with an iron-grey expression.

"The situation right now is perilous. We must make an immediate response to address public opinion and the concerns of our superiors. Therefore, we don't have time for a lengthy discussion at today's meeting. I will directly issue the assignments, and implementation must begin the moment they are handed down."

"First, Comrade Chunsheng, your county government must immediately rescind the disciplinary decisions issued to the comrades involved in the Bishan forest fire. All those in the know must keep their mouths tightly shut. No one is permitted to spread word that a disciplinary decision was ever made against the relevant comrades. This is of the utmost importance, or it will leave us in a severely passive position."

"Second, commend the relevant personnel, especially Comrade Qin Feng. On the government side, award him a Class-II Merit and issue a county-wide notice. On the organization side, make preparations to evaluate him as a county-level Outstanding Party Member and Outstanding Young Cadre. Additionally, I noticed that Bishan Township just happened to lose a deputy township head; appoint him as the acting deputy head, boosting his rank by half a step."

"Third, the Public Security Bureau and relevant departments must form a joint investigation team to thoroughly and swiftly investigate the cause of the Bishan forest fire for me. I am warning you, there is no room for the slightest negligence in this matter. We must seek truth from facts, produce concrete and irrefutable evidence to address public concerns, and under no circumstances draw any conclusions that run counter to public opinion. The true culprit must be found," the County Party Secretary said, staring directly at the Director of the Public Security Bureau.

The Public Security Bureau Director understood the underlying meaning of the Secretary's words and nodded immediately. Nearby, Li Chunsheng frowned; he hadn't anticipated such a rapid reversal of events.

"Fourth, after the meeting adjourns, Comrade Chunsheng, you will accompany me to the hospital to visit this comrade."

Li Chunsheng nodded.

"Fifth, the publicity department must step up its propaganda work, proactively promoting this matter while placing special emphasis on our commendation of Comrade Qin Feng. Organize all party members and cadres across the county to study Comrade Qin Feng's advanced deeds. We must turn passivity into initiative and transform a bad thing into a good thing."

"Lastly, strengthen forest fire prevention work. No further fire incidents will be tolerated under any circumstances in the near future." The County Party Secretary rattled off all his work deployments in one breath. One had to admit that he was indeed a highly capable and decisive leader; otherwise, he would not have earned a promotion.

When the meeting concluded, a grim-faced Li Chunsheng said to the Director of the Public Security Bureau, "Come to my office for a moment."

The Public Security Bureau Director nodded and followed Li Chunsheng out.

Qin Feng had a very busy day. Early in the morning, Yang Delin and Lin Xiaoyan arrived at the hospital to visit him, which deeply moved Qin Feng. Given that he was currently suspended and everyone knew he was about to face disciplinary action, the fact that they still came to see him at such a time proved their genuine affection.

Not long after Yang Delin and Lin Xiaoyan left, Li Dejun arrived. Sharing the same miserable fate, Li Dejun had also been suspended from his post.

Eventually, Li Dejun, Yang Delin, and Lin Xiaoyan left together.

Scarcely had the three of them departed when Xu Guoli and Hong Haifeng entered the hospital room, which caught Qin Feng somewhat off guard. As a disgraced man bearing the weight of potential punishment, was he truly worth a personal hospital visit from Xu Guoli?

"Qin Feng, I'm terribly sorry. I should have come to see you much earlier, but as you know, with such a massive incident breaking out, I simply couldn't get away. So the moment I had some free time today, I rushed right over," Xu Guoli said, pulling up a chair directly beside the hospital bed and taking Qin Feng's hand.

"Thank you, Secretary Xu," Qin Feng said, finding it a bit difficult to accept Xu Guoli's overly affectionate gesture.

"Regarding your suspension and the potential accountability measures to follow, I've gone to the leadership multiple times over the past couple of days to make my case. But as you know, I'm only a township party secretary with limited influence, and I honestly don't know if it will make any difference. Sigh..." Xu Guoli sighed heavily, putting on a display of righteous indignation mixed with helplessness.

Had he not known the true nature of Xu Guoli beforehand, Qin Feng might genuinely have been moved by him.