Reborn as a Noble’s Son
Chapter 1042 - Chapter 1042 Chapter 998 One Cannot Blame the Government for

Chapter 1042: Chapter 998: One Cannot Blame the Government for Their Hard Fate Chapter 1042: Chapter 998: One Cannot Blame the Government for Their Hard Fate At this moment, Nie Zhenbang was also deeply moved. As the saying goes, “details determine success or failure,” and without a doubt, from Nie Zhenbang’s perspective, Ou Jinnian had met this standard.

Generally speaking, for situations like Qin Fangwen’s, even though he held the patent certificate in his hand and the leaders at Hongcheng Machinery Factory were unaware, a check with the international patent office would reveal that the factory’s name was listed as the owner of the patent. As for whose hands the patent certificates were in, it was irrelevant; as long as an acquisition agreement was signed with Hongcheng Machinery Factory, the rights that the Factory held would naturally be transferred to the acquirer.

Previously, the reason why Ling San Heavy Industries was so eager to acquire Hongcheng Machinery Factory was precisely for this purpose. Now that the goal of Moving Mountain Group had been achieved, and the patent had been obtained, for anyone else, the matter would have been considered concluded, with Qin Fangwen having no involvement whatsoever.

However, Ou Jinnian was different. Not only did he reward Qin Fangwen with one million in cash and a villa to improve his living conditions, but he also offered Qin Fangwen a high-paying job. With these measures, Qin Fangwen naturally worked wholeheartedly for Moving Mountain Group.

From the fact that Qin Fangwen had researched and invented the patent, paid for the patent application out of his own pocket, and even registered the ownership of the patent under Hongcheng Machinery Factory, it was clear that afterward, Qin Fangwen would devote himself even more to Moving Mountain Group. Such a skillful tactic of winning hearts was indeed clever, ensuring undying loyalty without regrets. This was the reason for the successful development and growth of the Moving Mountain Group.

Yet, as soon as Ou Jinnian’s words had finished, an inharmonious voice arose from the audience, “Why should he, Qin Fangwen, get it all? It wasn’t just his research; this is the achievement of our Hongcheng Machinery Factory.”

“Exactly, I heard that this time, Moving Mountain Group is going to lay off a lot of workers, putting them out of work. How can this be good? We people, besides this skill, what else can we do if we’re laid off? We might as well just wait to die.”

The workers of Hongcheng Machinery Factory had been worrying about their lives and job positions being affected after the acquisition.

Before, although the leaders of Hongcheng Machinery Factory had repeatedly reassured them, managing to suppress this panic to an extent, the subsequent detainment of Director Fu and others by the police had made emotions even more suppressed and anxious.

At this point, in the face of Qin Fangwen’s immense benefit, those who were envious, jealous, and resentful inside the factory felt unsettled, and with a spark, all the workers stood up, voicing their concerns one after another, and the atmosphere at the meeting became instantly chaotic. Even the crowd had started moving towards the stage.

Seeing this, He Yusheng’s expression darkened instantly, and he glanced at Yao Dingguo beside him. Hongcheng City was Yao Dingguo’s territory, and Hongcheng Machinery Factory had been transferred from the Provincial State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission to the entrusted management of Hongcheng City Municipal Committee Government two years ago.

Although the management relationship was nominally under the Provincial State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, the actual management was still conducted by Hongcheng City. At this moment, He Yusheng strongly suspected that Yao Dingguo had orchestrated the incident, aiming to embarrass him during the meeting.

After all, the signing ceremony was his, He Yusheng’s, initiative — representing his political achievements and reputation. Moreover, at this critical moment, under Secretary Nie’s scrutiny, if such an incident occurred, Secretary Nie would lose face, which meant there would be no good days ahead for him, He Yusheng, would there?

This gave Wen Baogui the upper hand, didn’t it?

It’s not that He Yusheng was paranoid. In fact, in the bureaucracy, such things could indeed happen. He Yusheng furrowed his brows and instructed his secretary, “Contact the police immediately. Deploy officers right away to maintain order.”

As he spoke, He Yusheng turned to Nie Zhenbang and said, “Secretary Nie, given the situation, should we perhaps step aside for now?”

A celebratory meeting that had ended up in such a predicament made Nie Zhenbang’s face show traces of displeasure. It was a challenge to the Provincial Committee’s authority. An attempt to overturn the outcome against established facts was a challenge to the party and government’s credibility.

Nie Zhenbang cast a casual glance at Yao Dingguo beside him. This incident was certainly not Yao Dingguo’s doing. Given the severity of the event, Yao Dingguo could not absolve himself of responsibility. He would never partake in such a self-damaging act.

“Avoid? No need to avoid. Comrade Yusheng, this is the Party’s territory, and I believe that our people will not be against us. Because we come from the masses,” Nie Zhenbang stood up, decisively rejecting He Yusheng’s request for him to leave.

With extensive experience in such matters, Nie Zhenbang knew that avoiding the issue would not only be ineffective but would also raise suspicions among the people.

Inside the system, many problems arise from this kind of situation. What starts out as a simple, normal issue becomes uncontrollable, growing bigger and bigger, and in the end, it’s this fear that wreaks havoc.

Nie Zhenbang could see through the current situation at a glance. It was nothing more than greed stirring hearts, coupled with the pressure of layoffs and job redistribution. Some people, already knowing their layoffs were inevitable, thus hoped to sabotage the acquisition to continue living off government losses.

In reality, this was also a major difficulty in enterprise restructuring. Putting aside the issues of misappropriating assets and disciplinary violations, many failed restructurings boiled down to conflicting with the interests of those who were used to laziness.

Standing up, Nie Zhenbang picked up the microphone and said loudly, “Comrades, quiet down, please. I am Nie Zhenbang. I think if Governor He, Secretary Yao of Hongcheng, and I can’t solve the problem for everyone here, then Hongcheng Machinery Factory’s problem cannot be solved. The acquisition agreement has already been signed. Here, I would like to make a statement: if you all are unwilling, the Hongjiang Provincial Committee would rather break the contract and compensate Moving Mountain Group with two hundred million in damages. We will break the contract. But, you cannot go on like this. This unrest is unhelpful. In the end, even if the merger and acquisition don’t succeed, Hongcheng Machinery Factory will still face only one path–bankruptcy.”

Nie Zhenbang’s words were clear-cut and resolute. There was no beating around the bush; each sentence rang out strong and true. Moreover, he spoke frankly, without fear of offending anyone or exacerbating conflicts.

This approach actually stunned all the workers.

After a moment of silence, a voice from the crowd asked, “Secretary Nie, I heard that after Moving Mountain Group acquires the factory, they will immediately conduct training and assessments. I also heard that their training and assessment are just a sham, and in the end, they won’t hire a single person. We are all going to be laid off and redistributed. Is that true?”

As these words fell, Nie Zhenbang laughed heartily. Secretary Nie’s forthright manner quieted the crowd.

Following that, Nie Zhenbang’s piercing gaze swept across the workers of Hongcheng Machinery Factory. That look made everyone feel as if Secretary Nie was scrutinizing them, open and honest. To those without ill intent, this gaze only appeared to be majestic. But for those with ulterior motives, it was enough to send a chilling fear through them. If caught by Secretary Nie, their lives would be over.

Almost involuntarily, those with ulterior motives found themselves subconsciously hiding behind others.

At that moment, Nie Zhenbang spoke up loudly, “Who said that? Comrades, all the workers of Hongcheng Machinery Factory, I implore you to use your heads and think carefully. Once again, I advise all workers and their families to consider whether our government would approve an insincere enterprise. We negotiated with Ling San Heavy Industries for a long time and ultimately we chose Moving Mountain Group. What does this imply? It shows that we value the sincerity of Moving Mountain Group.”

Then, Nie Zhenbang continued to challenge, “Comrades, would an insincere company put up hundreds of millions, or even billions, of funds to solve social security and health insurance for the retired workers of Hongcheng Machinery Factory? Would an insincere company sign an investment intent letter with the provincial committee and government, committing to an investment of five billion in Hongcheng over five years? Would an insincere company reward Qin Fangwen with a cash prize of one million and a villa, or offer a high salary of two million a year? I urge everyone to think carefully and not to be deceived by those with ulterior motives.”

At that time, Nie Zhenbang nodded to Ou Jinnian, who was experienced in such acquisitions. During Moving Mountain Group’s development, they had acquired many enterprises, and for Ou Jinnian, it was familiar ground.

Immediately, understanding the cue, Ou Jinnian stepped forward and said loudly, “All the workers and family members of Hongcheng Machinery Factory, I am Ou Jinnian, the chairman of Moving Mountain Group. Here, I solemnly promise you: The training and assessment are only meant to better adapt you to the new environment. It’s not a pretext to dismiss you. Think about it, most of you here are skilled old workers, a little training and you’ll be excellent on the production line. Why would Moving Mountain Group want to dismiss you? To us, you are a treasure.”

The words of Nie Zhenbang and Ou Jinnian immediately calmed the workers down. At this moment, He Yusheng also breathed a sigh of relief, and the anxiety he felt eased. He had great admiration for Secretary Nie’s ability to keep his composure in the face of danger.

Then, He Yusheng also said, “Comrades, you all must have your own opinions, and not be swayed by those with ulterior motives. Think about it, if you are truly skilled, why wouldn’t Moving Mountain Group keep you? Don’t they need workers for production? It’s not like that at all. Not only do they need us, but even with all the workers from our factory, we might still be short-staffed. The reason for the assessments and training is to give everyone an opportunity, as well as to weed out the slackers. Inside the enterprise, I believe everyone is aware that there will always be some who are incompetent and idle. And this threshold is set for them. We should not feel sympathy for such people. They do not strive to improve and want to mooch through life. These people can’t blame the government for their hard lives. I think being laid off is a result of their own doing.” (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (NovelFire.net) to cast your recommendation and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)