official career

Chapter 2991 At a loss

The two chatted about this and that, but never got to the point.

Qin Feng was very patient. As long as Ma Shanming didn't speak, he would keep chatting with him. He didn't have any other skills, but he had learned to talk nonsense quite well over the years.

Ma Shanming hadn't dealt with Qin Feng that many times. No matter how much Jiang Longjun and Yang Guoqiang thought highly of Qin Feng, in his mind Qin Feng was just a young man who had gotten to his position at such a young age simply because he was lucky and had a powerful background.

Ma Shanming thought to himself, dealing with a mere kid would be a piece of cake. So after entering the office, Ma Shanming began to play mind games with Qin Feng. On the surface, he flattered Qin Feng and said all sorts of nice things, but he kept talking about business. He was playing psychological warfare, waiting for Qin Feng to take it a step further and start a conversation with him.

To Ma Shanming's disappointment, Qin Feng was even more prone to rambling, spouting off one thing after another without ever getting to the point.

In the end, Ma Shanming was defeated and was the first to raise the white flag, taking the initiative to bring up the real business.

"Mayor, I'm here today to discuss the financial budget for Nanshan New Area," Ma Shanming said proactively.

"I guess the Secretary-General came for this reason too." Qin Feng smiled, but didn't elaborate further.

"Mayor, Secretary Jiang asked me to come and discuss this matter with you. Secretary Jiang still believes that the development of Nanshan New Area is very important for the development of our Shazhou City. Developing Nanshan New Area is also a strategic layout for our Shazhou City and a key point of development. These are all clearly written in the documents."

"The continued increase in investment in Nanshan New Area this year is a strategic plan that has been reviewed and approved by the Standing Committee. The Municipal Party Committee attaches great importance to this matter. Secretary Jiang hopes that the Mayor can obey the overall situation and the organization's decision in this regard." Ma Shanming immediately started to escalate the issue and put a big accusation on Qin Feng.

If it were someone else, they might have been intimidated by Ma Shanming's impressive credentials, but was Qin Feng someone who could be intimidated? Moreover, this was just Ma Shanming; even Jiang Longjun couldn't suppress him.

Qin Feng smiled but didn't say anything.

Qin Feng's lack of response made Ma Shanming very uncomfortable, because he couldn't figure out what Qin Feng's attitude was.

Ma Shanming took out a cigarette and offered it to Qin Feng while saying, "Mayor, you and the secretary had a very unpleasant argument about this matter at the last Finance Committee meeting. These days, there have been a lot of rumors circulating in the entire organization because of this, which has caused a lot of negative impact."

“There’s never a shortage of busybodies in government offices. Actually, there’s nothing to talk about in this matter. Although you and the secretary have disagreements, you’re just discussing the matter at hand. You’re both working for the sake of the work and the development of Shazhou. It’s just that you have different starting points.”

"But Mayor, you know what government offices are like. If the budget for the Nanshan New Area isn't released soon, the discussions below will become even more outrageous. People will say all sorts of things, which will be very detrimental to the work and will have a very bad impact. It would be even worse if this matter reached the ears of the provincial leaders."

“So from this perspective, Secretary Jiang also hopes that the mayor can put forward the financial allocation plan for Nanshan New Area as soon as possible…” Ma Shanming continued to persuade Qin Feng.

Qin Feng nodded and said, "Secretary Jiang is far-sighted, and what the Secretary-General said is also true. No matter how you look at it, our Shazhou New Year's fiscal expenditure plan should be made as soon as possible. According to our usual practice, these funds should be in place one after another after the New Year, and the projects that should be launched should be launched."

"Actually, our government has already prepared a plan for fiscal expenditures, but it was not approved during the last review by the Finance and Economics Committee. We are currently facing some difficulties, so this plan may not be available for the time being," Qin Feng said, changing the subject.

"I came here today specifically for this matter, Mayor. I wonder what the difficulties are? Secretary Jiang hoped I would come to have a good talk with you. If there are any difficulties, the municipal party committee and government can work together to find a solution." Qin Feng finally took the initiative to speak, which relieved Ma Shanming.

"There's only one difficulty, and that's the lack of money. The budget is limited, but there are so many places where we need to spend money. Secretary-General, it's tough!" Qin Feng sighed.

"Yes, I can understand the mayor's difficulties. Although Shazhou is not an impoverished area, its finances have been a major problem in recent years, especially since the development of the Nanshan New Area, which has put even greater pressure on its finances."

"But no matter what, Nanshan New Area is a key area for the development of Shazhou City. No matter how difficult the finances are, the support for Nanshan New Area cannot be interrupted, and I also believe that the mayor has the ability to solve these problems."

“Mayor, these are Secretary Jiang’s exact words,” Ma Shanming said with a smile.

"Secretary Jiang, you flatter me. I can find a way to solve other problems, but I can't solve this money problem. No matter how capable I am, I can't conjure money out of thin air, right? Secretary-General, to tell you the truth, I'm at my wit's end."

"On the one hand, there is the pressure from Secretary Jiang regarding the fiscal allocation for Nanshan New Area, and on the other hand, there is a shortage of fiscal funds. All aspects are in dire need of support. As I said before, it's tough."

"Secretary-General, do you know why Comrade Xinming made you wait two days before coming over? It's because he was afraid!"

“It’s not that he’s afraid, it’s that I’m afraid. Knowing that we’re going to split the money, he’s been coming to me for money every day lately, and each of them has a legitimate reason and an urgent need. I can’t refuse, but I only have so little money, so I can only hide.”

"I instructed Comrade Xinming to tell everyone I was busy and didn't have time, no matter who contacted me. But I didn't expect the Secretary-General to come to me personally, which caused this misunderstanding and made him wait for two extra days. I'm truly sorry," Qin Feng said.

Ma Shanming frowned slightly. He could tell that Qin Feng was only going to act after seeing the benefits. If he continued to talk to Qin Feng about the financial allocation of Nanshan New District, it would never come to a conclusion. Qin Feng's simple statement that he had no money meant that no matter how much Ma Shanming talked, it would be useless.

“I understand the mayor’s difficulties, and Secretary Jiang understands them too, but I also agree with Secretary Jiang that the mayor can easily handle this small problem.”

“So I won’t go into that matter further, Mayor. I have another task for you today. Secretary Jiang asked me to come and discuss with you again the issue of the disciplinary action and job adjustment of Comrade Wang Yalin from the Public Security Bureau.” Ma Shanming began to offer Qin Feng his “bargaining chips.”

"Wasn't a preliminary decision already made at the last meeting regarding Comrade Wang Yalin's issue?" Qin Feng asked, feigning nonchalance.