Chapter 35: The New Young Man in the Organization Department

“Finally, we will use the tax domain. All taxes will be calculated and collected in circulation vouchers,” Yi Fan said. “However, our current tax department is very weak. Besides customs duties, we haven’t established any other tax types. The largest tax collection item, the autumn grain levy, won’t happen until the end of the year. So we can only announce it first and then slowly implement it. The transition period might as well be longer. Also, we must strictly restrict the illegal inflow of gold, silver, and copper coins from outside.”

“Alright, I agree with your package plan. But for the issue of subsidiary coins, you’d better go to the industrial sector yourself to see what material is best. Of course, this is on the premise that you can estimate how many small-denomination subsidiary coins are currently in circulation in Lingao. Before the industrial sector can provide a large supply of subsidiary coins, we can use paper money as a temporary substitute.”

“Okay, we’ll go talk to the industrial sector right away.”

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“Comrade Jiang Shan is here,” the new secretary, Li Mochou, reported carefully. She had just graduated from the administrative training class and was assigned to work in the General Office. This name was, of course, given to her during quarantine to sever her original identity.

“Please let him in.” Ming Lang gently closed the file box on his desk. Outside the window, a recently planted jasmine was about to bloom. It was, after all, the subtropical climate of Hainan. Ming Lang remembered that in Sichuan, this flower wouldn’t bloom until early summer.

The air was filled with a moist, floral fragrance, very pleasant. The General Office and the Executive Committee originally shared a large courtyard. After the institutional reform, they were separated. The new General Office was built next to the Executive Committee’s compound, and they were connected by a passage. Although many people went to the Executive Committee for business, they were mainly the heads of various departments. In contrast, it was much more convenient to go to the General Office; council members could visit at any time.

Ming Lang’s office was located in an inconspicuous corner of the courtyard. His current position was “Director of the Organization Department of the Executive Committee’s General Office.” When this important position fell on his head, he was quite stunned. Ming Lang, who came from a family of Party members, certainly knew what the Organization Department was and how important the position of its director was. Many leaders had held positions as local and central Organization Department directors!

His family was a complete outsider in the transmigrator group, and he didn’t have any particular popularity. His mother had even been heavily criticized earlier and was almost labeled a “reactionary capitalist who stole state property” during the “Three-Anti and Five-Anti Campaigns.” The trouble was only resolved after the Second Plenary Session.

The Ming family had a feeling that since the Second Plenary Session, the whole family had been promoted as if on a rocket. Ming Qiu went from a nominal position as an advisor to the People’s Commissar for the Navy. Although Ming Qiu didn’t quite understand the bureaucratic system and positions of the transmigrator group, he generally knew that this position was equivalent to the commander-in-chief of the navy. From advisor to commander-in-chief was a huge leap.

Needless to say, Li Mei, after handing over her shares in the cooperative, became the Deputy Minister of Commerce, President of the General Cooperative, and Deputy Director of the Dongmen Market Management Office, transforming from a high-level executive of a joint-stock company to a high-ranking official and a high-level executive of a central enterprise.

As for Ming Lang’s wife, she was transferred to be the director of the Dongmen Market Police Station. It didn’t sound as prominent as the Director of the Li and Miao Affairs Office, but the importance of this position was self-evident—guarding the gate for the Executive Committee and the council members, it was a position of utmost trust.

As for Ming Lang, he had originally planned to continue living a mediocre life, but unexpectedly, he was suddenly nominated to be the director of the Organization Department of the General Office.

The Organization Department of the transmigrator group was mainly responsible for managing the personnel files of the council members. Of course, it was also responsible for the issues that the council members cared about most: the selection, appointment, and removal of cadres.

This issue was the most acute topic at the Second Plenary Session. How to promote and appoint cadres became a matter that was hard to explain. No one had such experience. In the end, a principled concept was passed: cadre positions would be openly recruited, with voluntary registration, competitive selection, and public announcement of the results.

The Organization Department of the Executive Committee’s General Office was the product of this resolution. Xiao Zishan had not been able to find a suitable candidate for the director of the Organization Department. This position was too sensitive; the first step in many internal party struggles was to seize the position of the Organization Department. Not only talent but also stance had to be considered.

After repeated consideration, he decided to appoint Ming Lang.

The main reason for appointing this person was that the Ming family had no foundation. In addition, according to his resume, he had studied finance but had mainly worked in government departments unrelated to his major after graduation. The Political Security General Bureau had his secret appraisal report—the person responsible for his personal investigation was Lin Biguang, who had been ordered to contact the Ming family and make individual appraisals of them based on the contact.

In his secret appraisal of Ming Lang, Lin Biguang wrote: “…has a strong sensitivity to the flattery and sycophancy within the organization… holds a lofty attitude of ‘knowing what can be done but disdaining to do it’ towards certain matters within the organization… has many years of administrative management experience and experience in the assessment and operation of bureaucratic cadres.”

With these two points, Xiao Zishan believed that Ming Lang was the most suitable candidate. He reported this candidate to the Executive Committee members, and everyone expressed no objection.

After Xiao Zishan talked to him and asked him to be the director of the Organization Department, the Ming family was thrown into a state of both panic and excitement.

“I think we should decline this position!” Ming Qiu said after thinking for a long time. “Think about it, what kind of position is this? To put it nicely, it’s a hot seat. To put it bluntly, you’re being roasted on a fire. Our family has no roots in the group. It’s not like they’re grooming you as a successor. Making you the director of the Organization Department is clearly a consideration for factional balance!”

“I also think this position is very tricky!” Li Mei naturally hoped her son would be safe. “It’s impossible to groom you as a successor. The several Executive Committee members are not much older than you. Why would they let you succeed them? Don’t become a scapegoat after a few months—this job easily offends people!”

“I don’t think it’s a big deal!” Mu Min said nonchalantly. “This position is very prestigious! You won’t be laughed at anymore. Besides, isn’t my position as the police station director also due to factional balance? I think as long as you stick to the principle of impartiality, it will be fine! You won’t have problems if you don’t sway with the wind. It’s actually better than taking a side.”

“I’m just afraid the pressure from all sides will be too great,” Ming Qiu said, taking a drag from his cigarette. “The council members are slowly being promoted now. If we endure for a while, there will be no problem getting a middle-level position in the future. Why rush to this hot stove? Climbing so high on a rocket, you’ll fall hard.”

“How bad can the fall be?” Mu Min still supported him. “The worst that can happen is becoming Dugu Qiuhun’s companion. He’s doing fine as an agricultural technician now, and no one is persecuting him. Right now, Ming Lang is not even as good as Dugu Qiuhun.”

Ming Lang coughed. His wife was right. He was not even as good as Dugu Qiuhun now—Dugu Qiuhun was at least a small leader in the Tiandihui’s agricultural technology promotion department, managing more than twenty native agricultural technicians. He was just a clerk in some department. In terms of administrative level, Dugu was at least a deputy section chief, while he was at most a deputy section-level clerk.

“Little Mu, you don’t know the cruelty of political struggle,” Li Mei said, still having lingering fears about it.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. There are only about five hundred people here. What’s there to be afraid of? If you want to reason things out, are you afraid you can’t make it clear?” Mu Min said casually. “Anyway, just remember one thing: follow the rules! If some black-hearted person really wants to mess with you, I’ll demand a plenary session and pull out his dirty secrets for everyone to see!”

Encouraged by his wife, Ming Lang mustered up his courage—he was getting a little tired of his mediocre life, even in this new environment. All five hundred-plus people had to start over. Why shouldn’t he? It would be too foolish to refuse such a good opportunity when it fell into his lap.

“I do have some ideas about organization work,” Ming Lang said. “At least for the cadre selection and appointment system, and cadre assessment, I dare say that among these five hundred-plus people, no one knows more than me…”

“Nonsense!” Ming Qiu interrupted him. “Not to mention others, would Lin Biguang not know? He used to be the deputy director of a county party committee office. He’s seen more than you have. Didn’t he get himself out of Lingao? Why? The water is too deep!”

“Lin Biguang’s pursuit is different. It’s not to avoid disaster,” Mu Min once again supported her husband’s comeback. “Dad, Mom, it’s not as complicated as you think here! Besides, these five hundred council members are not made of dough, to be kneaded by those above. The democratic atmosphere within the Yuanlaoyuan is still very strong! A few people can’t just do whatever they want.”

In the end, Ming Lang decided to accept the position of director of the Organization Department and went to work at the General Office compound.

Xiao Zishan warmly welcomed his arrival.

“It’s great that you’re here. I’m clueless about cadre appointments. And council members are different from natives. There are many opinions now. Your first task is to come up with a cadre appointment system.”

“For the cadre appointment system, I suggest first, open recruitment, and second, it must go through an organizational process. Of course, the organizational process must be open to the council members,” Ming Lang said modestly. “If needed, I can introduce in detail every detail of the cadre selection and appointment in the old world. It’s actually very scientific. As long as the Executive Committee and the Yuanlaoyuan put more effort into supervision, the results won’t be bad.”

“I’d like to hear the details.”

“The levels are different, but the procedures are similar. Let’s talk about the formal route first: first, the cadre section of the Organization Department compiles a list of vacant leading cadre positions and submits it to the deputy minister of the Organization Department in charge of cadre management. Then, the department’s affairs committee deliberates on the conditions and scope. But usually, it goes directly to the individual. Then, a four-person inspection team is organized, which must include a department leader from the Organization Department, one cadre from the Discipline Inspection Commission, and two staff members from the Organization Department. They go to the unit of the candidate to be inspected to start the inspection for a certain position. The first step is democratic recommendation. All cadres and employees of the unit cast one vote each for democratic recommendation. This step is very important. The person with the absolute majority of votes enters the next round. Otherwise, a second round of democratic recommendation will be held. So no matter how arrogant a person is, it is necessary to maintain a good relationship with their colleagues, at least with the majority of them. After a candidate is recommended democratically, the unit conducts an evaluation, which is rated as satisfactory, unsatisfactory, or abstain. If there are too many unsatisfactory votes, it won’t work, and they have to start over. After the evaluation, the inspection team will have one-on-one talks with the majority of the middle-level and above cadres of the unit and the cadres of the candidate’s department to understand all matters concerning the candidate. The most important thing here is the issue of integrity. If someone is framed, it will be troublesome. After the inspection team completes its inspection, it will form an inspection report on the candidate and report it to the Organization Department’s affairs committee. After the affairs committee discusses and agrees, it will be reported to the regional party committee’s standing committee. It usually passes. Finally, there is a seven-day public announcement period. If there are no problems, the appointment can be made official.”

“It’s still quite complicated,” Xiao Zishan said.

“Of course, this system is actually very scientific, and the process is very strictly regulated. This procedure goes from top to bottom and from bottom to top. If any link has a problem, the person cannot be promoted. The problem is: the consideration from top to bottom is there, but from bottom to top… it’s still a bit of a formality. The main problem is that sometimes the interference from superiors can disrupt the entire selection process. So sometimes the effect is not good,” Ming Lang said, speaking with expertise. “Of course, there are also informal routes. For example, the direct appointment of introduced talents—a certain doctor is directly appointed as a deputy county magistrate. This only requires the higher-level organization department to go through two procedures: nomination by the department’s affairs committee and decision by the standing committee.”

“Let’s not talk about the informal ones. Our organization department only needs to manage five hundred people. We don’t need to make it too complicated. What do you think of this work?” Xiao Zishan said. “The key is to convince the public. You probably also know that the council members have opinions about the past cadre appointment system of the Executive Committee.”

“I think we can simplify this process and not copy it verbatim. Make it as scientific and systematic as possible,” Ming Lang thought. The original system was certainly not good. A few positions were just given to whoever came to mind. A nomination and a chat were enough. Wasn’t this just opening the door wide for cronyism!

“Just come up with a concrete charter as soon as possible. Is there anything else you want to talk about regarding the work of this department?”

“The management of cadres must have a scientific procedure and system, even if it’s the ancient imperial examination plus evaluation. The current system of only relying on recommendation and deliberation is not good. When the organization gets bigger, problems will inevitably arise,” Ming Lang said. “According to the Yuanlaoyuan and the Executive Committee, the council members will definitely follow the cadre route, while the natives will follow the civil servant route—am I right in thinking this?”

“Roughly so,” Xiao Zishan nodded. “The council members are naturally cadres and can be appointed at any time.”

“Never mind the native cadres or civil servants, let’s talk about the council member cadres first,” Ming Lang was now more confident. “The management of cadres not only involves the selection and appointment of cadres, but also the training and education of cadres, the supervision and management of cadres, and the performance appraisal of cadres. These systems must be gradually established. However, cadre training and the like should be the business of the cadre department. If possible, it would be best to set up a special administrative college for training.”

“There is an administrative training class now.”

“That’s fine too. First, train a batch for short-term use,” Ming Lang said. “There is another point, which is the institutional establishment. The institutions are getting larger and more numerous now. The institutional establishment and personnel establishment of each department must be reviewed and determined by a department. Otherwise, everyone will say they are short of staff, and everyone will say their department is the most important… Where should human resources be placed, and where should people work to maximize their effectiveness! There should be an evaluation and arrangement agency.”

“This can be handled by the Organization Department for now,” Xiao Zishan said. “The personnel and organization part is up to you now. You’ll have to put in more effort in the future. The office is ready for you. You can decorate it yourself. As for the native personnel, you can first estimate the scale yourself. The fewer the better. Your team is responsible for handling the files and materials of the council members, so use native personnel as little as possible.”

“I understand. I just need a few clerical staff for miscellaneous tasks.”

And so he took office. Xiao Zishan handed over all the personnel files and materials to him and gave him a secretary.

“These are the currently vacant positions,” Xiao Zishan gave him a document. “Some of the positions have been posted on the internal BBS. Some have not yet been released. You can take a look at this first. Get this part of the appointments done first.”

On this list, the first one was the position of “Director of the Foreign Intelligence Bureau.” This position was crucial, and precisely because it was crucial, it had been vacant for a long time.

Moreover, it was difficult to specify the job requirements for this position. After all, among the council members, there were only political security and public security talents, no real intelligence personnel. So it was impossible to say things like “those with work experience or professional knowledge are preferred.”

However, not many of the intelligence work enthusiasts wanted to be the director—though many were eager to be sent abroad.

For the intelligence work enthusiasts, the position of director would obviously not be sent abroad. It would be a long-term stay in Lingao, and the tasks would be nothing more than holding meetings and arranging work. It would definitely involve a lot of clerical work and responsibility. Everyone felt that a work position like Guo Yi’s was more exciting and enjoyable.

Only three people had signed up to be the director. Ming Lang already had a candidate in mind after looking at it, but the organizational process had to be done properly. This was his first job, and he had to make a good start.

He first sorted out the files of the three people. Then he began to organize a four-person inspection team. He called the Political Security General Bureau and the Cheka, asking them to each send one person to participate in the cadre inspection team. The former held the secret appraisals of the council members, and the latter held their consumption records. He himself was one, and for the last person, he decided to choose Ma Qianzhu—the Foreign Intelligence Bureau was subordinate to the Central Government Council, and Ma Qianzhu was the direct leader. It was only natural for him to participate in the inspection.

Ma Qianzhu said he probably didn’t have time to participate in the direct inspection, but he could choose someone to represent the Central Government Council in the inspection team.