A few days later, the Rong City Joint Action Bureau was officially established. The new office was located in a building owned by the Rongcheng Chamber of Commerce. As the leading commissioner of the Bureau, Yang Xiao held the first meeting of the new department in the brand new conference room.
The Action Bureau, in terms of rank, matched that of deputy-directorate level institutions, but it was a case of high rank with modest staffing. Aside from Yang Xiao, who was the second-in-command, the other group leaders one level below in rank—Qu Muzhi, Fu Qingzhu, and Chi Dan—were the backbone of the three old powers in Rongcheng, with ranks roughly equivalent to deputy-directorate level officials at the Patrol Defense Office. The influence of Xi Yuru, who represented the local forces of Rongcheng, should also not be underestimated.
