The main responsibility of the County Party Committee Office is to supervise and implement the major decisions of the County Party Committee. But now, there are three deputy directors in the County Party Committee Office, divided into three factions—how can government affairs be coordinated and handled like this? This is clearly a case of everyone acting independently!

“小张, I personally have always attached great importance to the promotion of young cadres, but the promotion and appointment of young cadres has always been a sensitive topic within our Party. Many comrades in the Party have differing opinions on this issue, so it’s very difficult to carry out work in this area!” Henry Clark said earnestly.

William Bolton’s mind raced. Henry Clark was hinting that he had made a lot of effort for his promotion. What he said was probably true—after all, he didn’t have personnel authority, and William Bolton’s entry into the County Party Committee was definitely the result of some kind of compromise.

Thinking further about how quickly Henry Clark let him see these things, William Bolton immediately understood his intention—he wanted him to take a stand. With this in mind, he quickly said, “County Head Clark, please rest assured, you yourself are an outstanding young cadre, and when it comes to the issue of young cadres, you have the most say. As for the leaders’ differing opinions, I think that’s only on the surface. In my view, most of the leaders are actually open-minded.” said William Bolton. He knew very well that simply pledging loyalty wasn’t enough; Henry Clark wanted him to offer advice and strategies. The best way to show loyalty was to help him break the ice and take control of the situation.

“Oh? I really hadn’t noticed that. Can you elaborate?” Henry Clark asked with great interest.

William Bolton smiled and said, “As far as our Yongping County is concerned, we’ve always been ahead of other counties in cultivating and promoting young cadres. Back then, the promotion of Deputy Township Head of Yanshan, Sarah Smith, and Deputy Director of the Forestry Bureau, Benjamin Wood, were both personally approved by Secretary Green. Also, the promotion of Richard Walker, the mayor of Qinghe Town, and Mark Cooper, the deputy mayor, was strongly supported by Deputy County Head Walker! So from this perspective, when it comes to young cadres, the leaders of Yongping County have relatively few differences. What do you think, County Head Clark?”

“Ha, ha, ha.” Henry Clark laughed heartily several times, and the look in his eyes toward William Bolton immediately changed.

This statement from William Bolton not only hit the soft spots of Paul Green and Brian Walker, indirectly helping Henry Clark clarify his thoughts, but more importantly, it completely distinguished himself from Paul Green and Brian Walker. This was a very skillful way of showing loyalty—William Bolton was essentially telling Henry Clark, “I, William Bolton, am your man now.” How could Henry Clark not be pleased?

William Bolton knew that in officialdom, the biggest taboo is trying to have a foot in both camps. Either you don’t become an official, or if you do, you must know how to pick a side. Someone who tries to jump the queue everywhere often ends up badly.

In the Yongping officialdom, although Henry Clark hasn’t yet firmly established himself, as the saying goes: “Make friends before they become successful.” (Roughly meaning, it’s best to build relationships before the other party becomes powerful.) Once Henry Clark truly rises, with no seniority or background, what chance would he have then?

It’s easy to “add flowers to the brocade,” but hard to “send charcoal in the snow.” However, anyone who wants to make a name for themselves must know how to skillfully “send charcoal in the snow.” Otherwise, mediocrity is inevitable.

Of course, William Bolton chose Henry Clark also because he saw potential in him. No matter how passive Henry Clark is, he still has two advantages. First, he is the county magistrate, the nominal number two, so whatever he does can be justified—Brian Walker can’t compare to him in this regard. Second, Henry Clark definitely has a strong background, which is especially important.

Because this means that even if Henry Clark doesn’t gain a foothold in Yongping this time, it’s just a small setback in his political career. As long as he picks the right side, a comeback is only a matter of time. After all, in officialdom, patience is fundamental!

“小张, I really didn’t misjudge you. The younger generation is truly impressive! Here, take a look at this! This is the pre-holiday schedule I asked Director Harris to arrange for me. See if you have any suggestions?” said Henry Clark.

William Bolton respectfully took the schedule from Henry Clark, glanced over it, and frowned. The schedule arranged by Charles Harris was mostly about visiting retired cadres and offering condolences to people in need and elderly widows and widowers—basically reasonable.

However, William Bolton knew that Henry Clark had a purpose in showing him this; it couldn’t be just for him to agree blindly.

“County Head Clark, I think there’s still a lot of work for the government to do before the holiday. As for the specific arrangements, the leaders need to discuss and coordinate, so it’s not my place to comment. However, there are a few important areas—one is the Spring Festival travel rush. Our Yongping is a large county, and the northwest region is mountainous, so the Spring Festival travel rush has always been a major challenge. This work must be done well.”