Reborn as a Noble’s Son

Chapter 356: Chapter 347: Big Brother is Very Dominant_1

Li Guohua’s calculations were abuzz as the new acting mayor proposed reassigning the duties within the city government—a move which didn’t just touch on Li Guohua’s own interests. Undoubtedly, the other deputy mayors would all feel a sense of self-threat. Li Guohua rashly interrupted Nie Zhenbang’s words, an obvious tactic to garner support from those unfamiliar with the actual situation, banking on their opposition. As long as the other deputy mayors all objected, even if Nie Zhenbang was acting mayor, it wouldn’t be easy for him to enforce his plan. If he did force it, it would leave people with the impression of him being autocratic and undemocratic. Strength may be key in official circles, but one must not lose their reputation.

From the side, Zhao Xintian slowly said, “Mayor Li, I think we should let Mayor Nie finish his statement before drawing any conclusions.”

Nie Zhenbang was very clear about Li Guohua’s strategy, and of course Zhao Xintian also understood. To prevent it, it was not sufficient to rely on this alone. This was the difference in hierarchy. Nie Zhenbang, though only the acting mayor, was still the mayor and thus held the power to rearrange the team.

Even knowing there were issues, Nie Zhenbang boldly started with a transparent scheme—that was something Li Guohua really had no solution for.

Gently reprimanded by Zhao Xintian, Li Guohua’s face showed a hint of embarrassment. In his eyes flashed a spark of resentment. If he had known what kind of person Zhao Xintian was, he would have worked to bring him down right away.

But at this moment, Li Guohua had no opportunities left. He laughed awkwardly, then, looking towards Nie Zhenbang said, “Well, I was just thinking since our current team duties are clear, and everyone is performing well, I saw no need to marginally adjust. But since Mayor Nie has different ideas, feel free to share them.”

Nie Zhenbang did not pay any mind to Li Guohua’s leadership style of talking. Still maintaining his indifferent expression, he continued, “Indeed, as Deputy Mayor Li said, our team’s divisions of duties are already good. But now is a special situation. The matter of the three factories in Qingfang City has become a top priority for us. System reform, enterprise asset restructuring, and bad asset stripping are all complex issues. I suggest that since Deputy Mayor Li Guohua proposed the reform plan, we should have him pulled away from his heavy daily workload to focus on Qingfang City matters only. This would be appropriate, given that Deputy Mayor Guohua is a member of the city’s standing committee, and also a standing deputy mayor—someone weighty enough to maintain authority. Apart from that, the reform of the three factories in Qingfang City was his idea to begin with. He is the first hand planner, so it’s only suitable for Deputy Mayor Guohua to follow up.”

Having said this, Nie Zhenbang shifted the conversation’s direction, sweeping his gaze over the members of the city government. Each one of them was sitting upright, while Li Guohua’s face turned ashen. At this point, Li Guohua was helpless, with grievances he couldn’t voice. To argue? The feel of being too power-hungry would be unavoidable.

Nie Zhenbang wore a smile on his face, satisfied with this specific result and reaction. He continued, “So, considering the gravity of Mayor Guohua’s work, I propose a rearrangement of duties, assigning the tasks of economic development to Mayor Zhao. As for territories and transportation, Mayor Zhang can take the responsibility—though it means more hard work for him. In terms of public security and armed police forces, I must trouble Mayor Jin. Lastly, for the city’s state-owned assets oversight committee and planning committee, I think Mayors Qin and Shi could take over more duties.”

Before he finished speaking, Li Guohua’s face grew quite pale. This move of Nie Zhenbang was too ruthless. All these units under charge were ones he had painstakingly wrested from the hands of these people. Now, with just a few words of Nie Zhenbang, all were distributed elsewhere.

At this time, Li Guohua was acutely aware that those present were not all easygoing. Who would spit out tasty prey once it was in their mouth? Although everyone knew he was not easy to provoke, with Nie Zhenbang backing them up, they no longer held any fears.

As Li Guohua had predicted, just as Nie Zhenbang finished his remarks, Zhao Xintian slowly said, “Mayor Nie makes sense. I think this is a good idea. Having Deputy Mayor Li taking exclusive charge of the Qingfang City project, I believe it will be handled smoothly. Half a year or a year from now, once the three factories in Qingfang City have turned their losses into profits, we can adjust the divisions of work back again.”

From the side, Zhang Keqiang, Qin Baoqiang, and others also expressed their agreement one after another. At this point, even if Li Guohua objected, it would have no significance. The overall situation was settled. Nie Zhenbang spoke again: “Alright, since we have settled the division of work, let’s discuss the matters of Qingfang City next.”

As he took in everyone’s reactions, Nie Zhenbang’s tone turned serious: “Comrades, the reform of Qingfang City. First, I set the tone. Reform is inevitable. The government cannot, and will not continue to play nursemaid forever, supporting three textile factories from generation to generation. Even if we are capable of supporting them, we cannot. Previously, I made a commitment to the workers of the three textile factories—I will come up with a plan within three days. Now, we need everyone’s ideas.”

Just as he finished, Zhao Xintian spoke up: “Mayor Nie, regarding the textile factory issue, I think we should lay off and demote. Pay those who should be paid off. Lay off those who should be laid off. We should adopt fair and impartial practices, promoting the capable and demoting the mediocre. Also, we need to invest funds, adjust industrial structures, and change product direction.”

“I agree. I think we could conduct a commercial market survey, fully understand market demand, and adjust production accordingly. This way, we avoid a blind plunge into things,” chimed in Shi Hongbo from the side.

This scene made even Nie Zhenbang somewhat contemplative. After all, it’s an economically developed area. If it weren’t for his guidance, the officials of New Li City would probably not have had so many strategies and methods.

Upon this, Nie Zhenbang glanced at Li Guohua, who was standing next to him with an indifferent expression, and then said, “Vice Mayor Li, I’d like to ask for more of your help regarding Qingfang City. Please hand me a detailed reform plan for the three textile factories in Qingfang City in two days. Will there be any issues?”

Upon hearing Nie Zhenbang’s words, Li Guohua felt a bit of resentment bubbling up within him. However, just as Nie Zhenbang must maintain the prestige of the Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee, Li Guohua, at this moment, can’t just shrug off his responsibilities. If he did, Nie Zhenbang could easily label Li Guohua as disregarding the leadership of the organization. For someone like Li Guohua, who has grand ambitions and aspirations, this was something he could not bear.

…

Bang!

Inside Li Guohua’s office, the sound of a purple clay teacup from Zisha City shattering could be heard.

At that moment, Li Guohua’s secretary, Huang Bao, walked in from outside. He silently swept the shattered pieces off the floor with a broom. Then, from a storage space inside the office, he brought out a new teacup for Li Guohua. After brewing a cup of tea, he handed it to Li Guohua and said, “Mayor, don’t get angry. Since Nie Zhenbang dares to scheme against us. Wasn’t he the one who asked us to take charge of Qingfang City? Mayor, why don’t we just let things slide for a few days? By the time the workers start causing trouble in three days, Nie Zhenbang will probably have a hard time dealing with it.”

Upon hearing these words, Li Guohua’s eyes lit up. However, his mood quickly dampened. If they did this, it would be a case of ‘fishing nets breaking and fish dying.’ Although it could cause Nie Zhenbang to lose face, it could also inevitably affect Fan Changsheng. Would Fan Changsheng agree to such a plan?

Upon this thought, Li Guohua stood up and said in a low voice, “Huang, let’s go to the Municipal Party Committee compound.”

Little did Li Guohua know that at this moment, in the office of the municipal government building, Nie Zhenbang was standing by the window, watching Li Guohua’s car leave the municipal government gate. A slight smile appeared on Nie Zhenbang’s face.

He had never found a perfect way to deal with Li Guohua. Simply put, he always felt constrained on all sides. However, this had a lot to do with the principles of their respective families. For Li Guohua, having full access to the resources of the Li family was the main reason for his sense of entitlement. On the other hand, the Nie family’s patriarch wouldn’t let Nie Zhenbang tap into the family’s connections. Hence, Nie Zhenbang always felt restricted. But now, as they face off directly, those so-called connections and power have instantly leveled off. Naturally, Li Guohua must be feeling uncomfortable.

Meanwhile, Yi Jun came up and handed Nie Zhenbang a cup of green tea. Then he said softly, “Mayor, presumably Li Guohua is going to discuss countermeasures with Fan Changsheng. Do you think Fan Changsheng will let Li Guohua take risks?”

Upon hearing Yi Jun’s words, Nie Zhenbang couldn’t help but laugh. He then said, “Xiaoyi, it’s true that Fan Changsheng belongs to the Li faction, but his real backing is Shen Yanshuo. In the case of ‘fishing nets breaking and fish dying,’ not to mention whether Li Guohua himself dares to take the risk, even if he does, Fan Changsheng would never agree. Compared to his political future, the Li family is insignificant. Unless Fan Changsheng has lost his mind, would he willingly sacrifice himself for the sake of Li Guohua’s future? If Fan Changsheng loses everything, what use does he have for the Li family? Shen Yanshuo would never allow Fan Changsheng to do that.”

Regardless of factions, they are essentially alliances of interests. If a subordinate commits a serious disciplinary violation, the faction would not protect them if it harms the core of the faction. The same principle applies here. Shen Yanshuo would never allow Fan Changsheng to be sacrificed for Li Guohua’s benefit. This is a matter of principle. Even if Li Guohua is the legitimate heir of the Li faction, there’s no such way of doing things. It’s a principle. While both may belong to the same faction, neither Shen Yanshuo nor Fan Changsheng are slaves of the Li family.

After a pause, a ruthless expression appeared on Nie Zhenbang’s face as he said in a deep voice, “As for Qingfang City, I’m even less afraid. I’ve already given myself some time. If Li Guohua does not cooperate, he will face a joint crackdown from me and Fan Changsheng. As for the Qingfang City issue, I believe I have nothing to fear.”