Reborn as a Noble’s Son

Chapter 349: Chapter 340 Mayor Guohua’s High Awareness_1
This act stunned all the members of the standing committee. Li Guohua, in particular, was dumbfounded in this moment, a look of delight emerging on his face. Nie Zhenbang’s action was simply too unwise. Slamming the table during the standing committee meeting – what was he doing? Wasn’t this akin to the behavior of an aggressive woman berating others in the streets?

Furthermore, if Nie Zhenbang were officially the mayor and the deputy secretary of the municipal party committee, it could be excusable. After all, he would be the second in command of the municipal party committee and the top official in the government or, to use a common phrase, the mistress of the landlord’s mansion. But now? An acting mayor was comparable to a concubine awaiting elevation. Acting in such a manner would inevitably give off a domineering impression. Even the other standing committee leaders would be pondering. If Nie Zhenbang behaved this way now, what would happen once he was elected?

Li Guohua, Huang Junshan, and Li Xiaoqin all wore smiles on their faces. Nie Zhenbang’s action had played right into their hands. Li Guohua’s expression once again became one of unparalleled indifference and magnanimity, much like it had been in the Dynasty Club.

On the side, the faces of Zhu Zhuozhen, Lei Dingguo, and Zhao Xintian darkened, looking very displeased. Zhu Zhuozhen and Lei Dingguo immediately regretted their actions. They should not have defended Nie Zhenbang at the secretary’s office meeting, knowing all too well his caliber.

Now Zhao Xintian looked particularly serious. When Nie Zhenbang was assigned to Liangxi City, the senior leader had given a heads up, an act even more solemn than when Young Master Ning took office as a county-level mayor in Zisha City. This action alone spoke volumes about Nie Zhenbang’s standing with the senior leader. But now it seemed too excessive. The dignity and authority of the Party Secretary and the unity of the municipal party committee team were mandatory. You, a mayor, were merely a deputy team leader. The team leader was right there, while you were slamming tables and pounding chairs. What did this mean? Wasn’t this disrespect for the Party Secretary? Just based on this, the Party Secretary could criticize you for lacking in discipline and party spirit.

Nie Zhenbang saw all the expressions of the standing committee members and laughed inwardly. As the saying goes, a chaotic age requires a heavy hand. Given the situation in Liangxi City, a softer approach would not have sufficed to control the situation. The “situation” referred to here was not the people in the standing committee, but people from the five districts, two cities, and various agencies under Liangxi City’s jurisdiction.

Although the power of the standing committee was fundamental and most crucial, at present, the positions of the various standing committee members in the Liangxi City Standing Committee had been mostly fixed. Gaining support was not an easy task. At this moment, Nie Zhenbang had no choice but to try a new approach. And slamming the table was his first step.

Seeing that Fan Changsheng twitched his lips, preparing to speak, Nie Zhenbang preempted him by saying, “Secretary Fan, and comrades, first, I would like to criticize myself. When I slammed the table, I acted impulsively. I did not consider the solemn public image of the standing committee. I offer self-criticism to the Municipal Party Committee and the organization. ”

This thought- Nie Zhenbang was clearly using a retreat as a means of advancing. First of all, Nie Zhenbang understood very clearly that if he were the Party Secretary, no matter how things turned out, everyone, all the team members would have to uphold the dignity and authority of the Party Secretary. This is a hard and fast rule. If even the integrity of the party committee’s top leader is not respected, the team would be in chaos. The upper level would not allow it, nor would the Central Committee. Therefore, the matter of hitting the table would die down.

However, he was not the Party Secretary. On the contrary, the Party Secretary was still sitting on the sidelines, and his actions felt a bit like upstaging the host. Moreover, it damaged the authority of the Party Secretary. One could imagine that what awaited him was a collective backlash.

Therefore, Nie Zhenbang’s first sentence was to start with self-criticism. In this way, everyone was a leader of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee. They should have that degree of tolerance and magnanimity. Since Nie Zhenbang had already taken a stand, for others to cling outstanding issues would make them appear petty.

Indeed, after Nie Zhenbang finished speaking, Zhu Zhuozhen nodded and said, “Mayor Nie’s attitude is good. To err is human and to forgive divine. Our Party has always emphasized the acknowledgment and correction of mistakes. Once changed, they are still good comrades. Besides, Mayor Nie was considering the lives of our city’s old leaders and retired officials. His anxiety caused him to act impulsively, and that is understandable. ”

At this point, Zhu Zhuozhen had no choice but to speak up. He had already offended people during the secretary’s office meeting. Now, even if he were to change his tune, it was uncertain whether Fan Changsheng would accept his goodwill. Zhu Zhuozhen was clear about this. Even though he didn’t think much of Nie Zhenbang, he had no choice but to swallow this bitter pill.

Next to him, Lei Dingguo, the Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission, nodded in agreement, saying, “Indeed. I agree with Secretary Zhu’s opinion. On the surface, it seems that Mayor Nie slammed the table. But in my opinion, this slap was for the likes of He Dingbang and other old comrades on behalf of Mayor Nie. I think that the issue of retirement benefits for old cadres has indeed reached a critical point. Treat others as you would be treated. We all will retire one day. How the future and subsequent leaders treat us will be a clear reference. ”

Zhu Zhuozhen and Lei Dingguo worked together seamlessly, with no prior agreement. In the current situation, they were cooperating flawlessly, making Nie Zhenbang’s issues disappear. At this point, it was difficult for Li Guohua and Fan Changsheng to persist with their accusations.

Nie Zhenbang chuckled inwardly, everything was within his expectations. These two had supported him during the secretariat meeting; they could not contradict themselves now. He would leave whatever was to happen afterwards for another time. For now, they would undoubtedly support him.

Then, Nie Zhenbang shifted the topic, smiling as he said, “Colleagues, let’s get back to discussing our financial issues. Despite the common notion that Liangxi has abundant finances, in reality, the more we gain, the more we expand. For Liangxi to develop, we need to keep up with the pace of infrastructure construction including municipal engineering, urban green spaces, industrial park planning, traffic network layout, and facilities such as water, electricity, communication cables, and more. These investments are necessities, and while our sources of revenue are plentiful, our expenditures may be even greater. I am not denying this fact. However, if someone claims that the treasury of Liangxi City can’t even provide over a million, that would be exaggerating. As per the total revenue of Liangxi City last year, our annual income reached 390 million. A mere 1.2 million is but a drop in the bucket.”

As Nie Zhenbang finished speaking, Li Guohua calmly responded, “Deputy Mayor Nie, we shouldn’t simplistically view our financial situation. The fiscal income is just the revenue, it does not mean we suddenly have money. The state of a city’s finances majorly depends on its expenditures. As someone who excelled in economic construction and graduated with a master’s degree in economics from Jingcheng University, you should be clear about this, shouldn’t you?”

Nie Zhenbang nonchalantly waved his hand, not giving Li Guohua a chance to continue. From an outsider’s perspective, Nie’s response might seem natural, but it was far from comfortable for Li Guohua, leaving him feeling ignored.

Nie Zhenbang wore a faint smile, watching Li Guohua’s discomfort was what he had wanted all along. Then, organizing his thoughts for a moment, Nie Zhenbang said with a smile, “Next, let’s talk about the Bureau of Retired Cadres’ vehicle problem.”

He paused for a moment, glanced around at everyone, and continued: “Secretary Fan, this is what I’m thinking. Our city’s financial situation is tight, isn’t it? Last year, didn’t the municipal party committee procure a batch of new official vehicles? I suggest that we consider transferring some cars from the municipal government to the Bureau. Of course, this does not include Secretary Fan’s vehicle. As the head of the Municipal Committee, you represent the image of our Liangxi City. However, my vehicle, Deputy Mayor Guohua’s, Minister Junshan’s, Minister Li’s, and Comrade Xintian’s could be put at the disposal of the Bureau. Wouldn’t this resolve the car issue? As for their housing, we can always have a bidding process. The construction costs can be paid in installments. If we squeeze out a hundred thousand from the municipal government’s office expenses every month, I believe this would not pose a problem. Isn’t this a satisfactory solution?”

No sooner had Nie Zhenbang finished than Huang Junshan retorted, “Mayor Nie, that may not be appropriate. The lives of retired cadres are important, but our work must also be prioritized. If we give away all our vehicles, it will obstruct our operations.”

As Huang Junshan finished, Li Guohua’s expression changed. With those words, wasn’t Huang Junshan giving Nie Zhenbang an opportunity to attack? In the context of Huang Junshan’s argument, no vehicles equaled no work. Didn’t this blatantly show his luxury-loving mistake? And such thinking was a big taboo.

Regardless, Li Guohua smiled and said, “Even without official vehicles, we can still carry out our work. Ordinarily, weren’t the vehicles all stored under the jurisdiction of the municipal party committee and municipal government? We could simply reactivate them. I have no objections.”

Nie Zhenbang gave a small smile, nodded, and said, “Good. Mayor Guohua, your level of consciousness is commendable. I believe all our retired cadres and senior comrades in this city will appreciate your consideration.”

At this point, Nie Zhenbang started to metaphorically throw the high hats, one after another, onto the heads of Li Guohua and others. His simple intent was to make them swallow their words.

Seeing this, Fan Changsheng’s face darkened even further. If he let Nie Zhenbang continue, who knew what he would say next. Hence, Fan Changsheng firmly said, “Enough, let’s stop arguing over this. We, the leaders of the municipal party committee, transferring our vehicles would project an image of putting on a show. I, Fan Changsheng, cannot afford to lose face on the provincial level. As for the Bureau of Retired Cadres affairs, I suggest we decide by raising hands.”

PS: My apologies, dear readers. I’m still in Changsha, and I’m updating this in an internet cafe. I’ll be back home tomorrow and will return to regular updates. Thank you for your continuing support, it greatly motivates me. (To be continued… If you like this work, feel free to vote and recommend it on qidian.com)