Chapter 2336 - The Hearing (IV)

His remarks were extremely mild, exonerating not only Xie Erren but also the other responsible departments. Yet Ma Jia understood the subtext clearly: the Liangguang Campaign had exceeded the Senate's capabilities.

And since it had exceeded their capabilities, what came next was obvious.

This young man has a future, Ma Jia thought. The plan Comrade Zhou has been quietly plotting is finally showing its true colors.

What would happen next? Even Ma Jia couldn't say. But judging from how stretched Liangguang was at every turn, proposals to further expand the war—pushing into Jiangxi, Hunan and Hubei, launching amphibious assaults into Jiangnan or Shandong, landing on the Liaodong Peninsula—were essentially dead in the water. Even if something emerged, the scale of any projection would be limited.

What remained was either consolidating locally or going south to open mines. Ma Jia knew about Zhou Wei's lobbying trip to Danzhou Industrial Park in the preceding stage, and what he had said at the meeting there.

But Ma Jia had no particular interest in these activities. Whether they went south or stayed in Liangguang made little practical difference to the Law Society. What interested the Law Society most right now was establishing a new judicial system in Liangguang—if successful, he and his Law Society would be making history.

Several more Senators spoke next. Xie Erren had become a dead tiger; criticism of him was now little more than an opening pleasantry before moving on. Fire was gradually concentrating on the Personnel Department and the Political Security Bureau.

Why had Xie Erren received the Wuzhou Director appointment? This was the most common question—obviously, Xie Erren had no local administrative experience before assuming this post. Had there been some "backstage deal" behind his appointment? And naturally, there was the Political Security Bureau's absence in Wuzhou.

Someone proposed a motion requiring both departments to send representatives to address these issues. If the answers failed to satisfy and pass at the hearing, a specialized investigation team would be proposed at the General Assembly to conduct "in-depth investigation" of both departments.

The motion passed unanimously. Given that both departments had pressing work, the hearing would normally have adjourned here and resumed the next day. But Hai Lin objected, arguing that the principal officials of both departments were in Lingao and should send representatives immediately. This was a matter of "respect" for the Senate. His motion quickly passed. The Organization Section was one thing—usually low-profile—but the Political Security Bureau had always ranked first in many Senators' persecution anxieties.

Ma Jia understood his thinking: waiting until the next day would let the current atmosphere dissipate and give them time to prepare.

"Since the motion has passed, we will send for their representatives now," Ma Jia announced. "If there's nothing further to discuss, the meeting is in recess."

The previously tense assembly hall instantly relaxed. Attending Senators gathered in clusters of three and five, whispering among themselves. Judging from many excited faces and barely concealed satisfaction, quite a few were confident. Several people, remembering that Ma Jia was the Director of the Political Security Bureau, kept glancing his way, trying to read something from his expression. Ma Jia couldn't help smiling inwardly, and deliberately put on an air of worried unease.

This didn't escape Dong Shiye, who asked, "Court President Ma, you look..."

"Nothing, nothing—I just find it amusing." Ma Jia's expression remained troubled.

"I don't find it amusing at all." Dong Shiye's expression was grave. "Honestly, I rather approve of Pan Jiexin's formulation. The Senate should conduct a Rectification—not these bewildering hearings that have turned into who knows what." He paused. "Frankly, the current atmosphere in the Senate is terrible. Any matter becomes a tool for factional exploitation. How to handle a matter or person isn't decided by first considering the Senate's interests and consequences, but by putting striking opponents or advancing one's faction first. There's even a growing trend that nothing can be accomplished without joining some faction: if you want to get things done, you must form cliques and expand influence. If this continues, how are we different from the bureaucrats obsessed with factional struggles in the late Ming?"

"You're right," Ma Jia said. "He Ming spoke with me privately about this not long ago. This phenomenon of gloating when other departments stumble, even using it as evidence, is appearing more and more. Even in the military, there are similar signs."

"Good heavens, surely he wasn't talking about Hai—"

Ma Jia cut him off: "Who it is doesn't matter. The atmosphere has already formed. Reversing it won't happen overnight." He sighed. "We have inherent defects. Honestly, the fact that such a bizarre system has operated smoothly until now can only be attributed to our having used cheats in this timeline..."

Within an hour, two representatives arrived from the Organization Section and the Pol-Sec Bureau. Both were the actual persons in charge—one was Ming Lang, and the other was Zhao Manxiong, who rarely appeared in public.

Both performed the ceremonial formalities before entering the inquiry stage. Ming Lang went first.

This Section Chief had served in his position for many years, still retaining the appearance and habits of a civil servant from the old era. Simply dressed, expression serious. After sitting in the hearing seat, he took out a notebook and fountain pen.

"I want to ask Section Chief Ming Lang: who made the appointment of Xie Erren as Wuzhou Regional Director?" Hai Lin posed the first question.

Ming Lang first made several notes in his notebook, then answered:

"The appointment was proposed by the Senate Organization Section in accordance with Attachment 11, Interim Regulations on Appointment and Removal of Senator Cadres, reviewed and passed by the Senate Standing Committee, then formally filed and appointed by the State Council."

"What role does your department play in the entire process?"

"Organization work is complex to explain in detail. It can be divided into multiple items. Regarding cadres specifically: we're mainly responsible for macro-management of cadres serving as Senators. This includes planning, research, and guidance on management systems, policies and regulations, personnel systems, and so forth, as well as proposing suggestions on term adjustments, appointments, and removals."

Hai Lin's face twitched with impatience. "Don't lecture me with jargon. Please answer the question directly: regarding Xie Erren becoming Director, how did you handle the matter?"

A trace of imperceptible disdain flickered at the corner of Ming Lang's mouth. He smiled slightly. "I'll explain in simple terms. Any position filled by a Senator Cadre must go through these steps: 'Nomination or Registration' – 'Organization Section Filing and Inspection' – 'Senate Approval' – 'State Council Appointment.'

"Of these, 'Nomination and Registration' is open. Whether the Senator himself or various departments, anyone can propose candidates—including themselves. As long as the nomination conditions are met."

"Who nominated this Xie Erren?"

"Himself."

"Not others? Perhaps someone signaled him to register?"

"I cannot judge such speculation. According to the nomination form, Xie Erren registered himself."

"Even if he registered himself, since you're responsible for filing and inspection, you should have screened out unsuitable candidates, correct? Why wasn't he screened out? Judging by Senator Xie's resume alone, he has fundamentally no local political experience, nor any relevant educational background."

"You're entirely correct." Ming Lang said, "In our preliminary inspection, we indeed concluded he wasn't suitable for a local administrative position. However..."

"Did certain people give you instructions?"

"No." Ming Lang said, "At the time of the second recruitment for Liangguang administrative chiefs, we posted a total of fifteen local administrative cadre positions for Senators. Actual registrants numbered only ten. We essentially had no choice."

"It's said Ma Qianzhu once remarked: 'Give Xie Erren a chance.' Was there such a thing?"

"I've never heard him say such words." Ming Lang said, "All meetings regarding the appointment of Liangguang Senator Cadres have minutes. They can be queried."

"We will query them. Handing such an important location as Wuzhou to someone with zero administrative ability—is that appropriate?" Hai Lin pressed on. "I believe with your professional judgment, you wouldn't have made such a choice."

"Indeed it wasn't appropriate," Ming Lang said without hesitation.

"Then why recommend him anyway?"

"Because among those ten applicants, the environments of the other nine locations were more complex. Most were areas with mixed Han-Yao populations or counties plagued by bandits. In comparison, Wuzhou is behind our front lines and serves as a water and land transportation hub. Whether in terms of defensive posture, social conditions, or local resources, it was relatively better. Assigning him as Wuzhou Director was precisely because we considered his deficiencies in those respects." Ming Lang said, "If needed, we can provide the list of all ten locations and the final appointment results."

"Hah. What you're saying now is just passing the buck. Regardless, you pushed an incompetent person into the Wuzhou Director position, leading to serious mistakes in the end. You cannot claim zero responsibility for this."

"There is certainly responsibility. If the Senate ultimately believes our department should bear primary responsibility in this matter, I have nothing to defend." Ming Lang remained calm.

Hai Lin glared fiercely at Ming Lang for a long moment before finally saying, "I have no further questions."

Several more Senators raised inquiries, but all circled around the same few points. Ming Lang answered each one tirelessly.

Obviously, from Ming Lang, Hai Lin had gotten no handle on Ma Qianzhu. A look of disappointment crept across his face.

(End of Chapter)