Guan Xun said, "Yeah, who would have thought this guy was so tough? Secretary Xiang, what do we do now? Being rejected by him, we've endured quite a bit of gossip! Our reputation... haha..."

Xiang Mingdong remained steady, "Forget about reputation. What do those below understand? Once this military zone is revealed, which of those gossipers wouldn't be scared out of their wits?"

"So... do we just not deal with him?"

"Do you still feel unwilling?"

"Haha..." Guan Xun laughed self-deprecatingly, "How dare I feel unwilling? Isn't this... aren't we just following the Xiang Family's lead in our actions?"

Xiang Mingdong took a deep breath and said, "Alright, let's leave it at that, let's not look for trouble unnecessarily."

"If you can't beat them, join them?"

"Nonsense! Liu Zhizhong has his path and future, we have our own dreams and ways of living, they're unrelated! He might just be accumulating political achievements for a few years before getting promoted. We can't provoke such a person, but we don't need to suck up either, right? Keep to ourselves, everything will go smoothly."

Guan Xun knew that a local family member like Xiang Mingdong still had some pride.

However, Guan Xun thought for a while and said, "Secretary Xiang, since Liu Zhizhong is someone with prospects and a military background, why don't we... really pledge loyalty and make friendly gestures, forge relationships, it would be beneficial for the future!"

"No need. The military's not peaceful lately, hard to say who can be stable. Haven't you seen how much they've suffered? Locally, we're afraid of the military, but it doesn't mean the military can suppress us. Who ultimately holds the power, those in the know understand. Besides, when Liu Zhizhong took office in Daxi City, doesn't he have a clue about how we've treated him? He probably isn't happy with us either, just hasn't erupted. According to your suggestion, to suddenly surrender to him, wouldn't it be too abrupt? Forget it, the principle is: don't provoke him, don't offend him, don't seek profit from his projects, when he leaves, the skies of Daxi and Huayang will still be ours."

Listening to this, Guan Xun grasped the essence, "Alright, Secretary Xiang, I understand. Your analysis is very fair and spot-on. Shall I pass along your intention?"

"Yes, pass it on, make sure everyone stays sharp and avoids foolishness. Let's peacefully pass through Liu Zhizhong's time in Daxi, less trouble is better than more."

"Understood!"

Looking at it this way, Xiang Mingdong, being a descendant, seems to have a slightly higher political level than Zhang Hongyang!

At least, this guy can see issues, can analyze issues, not just a fool.

If you can't beat them, don't fight, certainly don't join them either, think things through.

In less than half a month, Liu Zhizhong felt something strange!

Throughout Daxi City, up and down, there used to be some people who would act contrarily, but now they're polite to him, some even seem eager to please him.

In pushing for work, the usual problems like favoritism and demands for money, from Daxi City to Huayang City, and even the leadership at Provincial City, haven't happened anymore.

He couldn't quite understand why, but since this is the case, it's actually good, it benefits his future work!

Vice Mayor Liu's beautiful era in Daxi seems to have just begun, haha...