Reborn as a Noble’s Son
Chapter 1228 - Chapter 1228 Chapter 1183 Everyone Wants a Piece of the

Chapter 1228: Chapter 1183: Everyone Wants a Piece of the Action Chapter 1228: Chapter 1183: Everyone Wants a Piece of the Action October 1, the National Day holiday. Golden Week. Nie Zhenbang made a trip back to Jingcheng. He didn’t concern himself with anything and temporarily put down all his work. He devoted himself wholeheartedly to accompanying his family and enjoyed the festival thoroughly.

On the evening of October 7, he returned to Longxi Province. The morning of October 8, Nie Zhenbang, Liu Zhentao, and other provincial leaders attended the urban renewal project launching ceremony in the South City District of Ancient City.

Under Nie Zhenbang’s command, the brand new excavator, with its mechanical arm adorned in red silk, waited for the signal. As the order was given, the excavator swung its mechanical arm and began to dig slowly towards the slum area.

The reason for the name “slum” stemmed primarily from the fact that most of the buildings within the area were makeshift shacks. There was hardly any solid construction to speak of. Such houses were fragile; they fell with just one sweep.

With the excavation work underway at the ceremony site, dozens of excavators along the adjacent road also started their operation. This signified the official commencement of the Ancient City Slum renewal project.

Starting today, many roads around the slum area in South City District would begin to be closed off for construction. The current excavation was to widen the foundations for the roads. Following this, Ancient City would establish a special command center for the urban renewal, which would manage the renewal projects for both South City District and West City District. The government-led reconstruction would focus mainly on municipal engineering facilities such as roads, water supply, electricity, natural gas, and sewers. Other projects would gradually see the entry of commercial companies and various enterprises.

With the commencement of the Ancient City project, Nie Zhenbang finally breathed a sigh of relief. Since taking office in Ancient City in June, four months had passed, and at last, a project had begun. Now, Nie Zhenbang’s priorities would shift to focus on the Automotive City, Oil City, and Environmental Protection Forest projects.

In the office, in front of the desk, Zhou Chaoguo, the Secretary of the Yizhou City Committee, sat upright and said, “Secretary, the general situation in Shuishan County has been basically clarified. The East Eagle Company involved in the land expropriation and demolition is actually a shell company registered in Donggang by Sun Aimin’s son, Sun Jian, the deputy secretary of the Shuishan County Committee.”

Zhou Chaoguo paused for a moment, glanced at Nie Zhenbang, and continued, “For his personal gain, Sun Aimin not only hinted at the colleagues from the Shuishan County Investment Promotion Bureau to bring in this Flying Journey Company, but he also made calls to influence the people below. During the expropriation process, they adopted the strategy of suppressing prices to derive undue benefits. At present, all related persons involved in the case have been controlled, and the investigation and evidence collection are also underway. Sun Aimin and his son have been taken into custody.”

Hearing this, Nie Zhenbang’s eyebrows furrowed. He had originally thought that the problem in Shuishan County was due to the county committee and government’s unprincipled concessions to retain investors. He had not expected such a situation.

One could imagine that after this shell company entered Shuishan County under the guise of investment promotion, it would inevitably take out substantial loans. This was essentially getting something for nothing. That alone would have been tolerable; after all, few real estate enterprises don’t take out loans. However, the fact that the interests of the people were seriously harmed in the process was what made Nie Zhenbang angry.

After contemplating for a moment, Nie Zhenbang finally said, “Comrade Chaoguo, the situation in Shuishan County is a profound lesson. What on earth are the top leaders of the county doing?”

“The Secretary’s criticism is valid. After the case in Shuishan County came to light, the city committee has already convened a meeting to seriously discuss the issues in Shuishan County. The secretary of the Shuishan County Committee has been transferred out of the county and assigned to be the party group secretary of the Municipal Agricultural Bureau. Additionally, the county’s mayor has been reassigned to serve as the full-time deputy secretary of the Lin Shan County Committee.”

These two decisions were basically demotions. Moving from the top position in a county to being the party group secretary in an agricultural bureau was a step down, even though one would still hold a division-level rank, especially since there was a division-level bureau director overseeing the agricultural bureau.

And moving from county mayor to full-time deputy secretary of the county committee was a significant loss of real power, effectively a lateral transfer.

“Hmm, the disciplinary measures seem appropriate. This incident fully illustrates the importance of local grassroots work. The slightest negligence can lead to significant chaos and serious incidents. This also indirectly reflects the limited supervisory strength that the Yizhou City Committee and City Government exert over the grassroots level. The Yizhou City Committee needs to enhance the intensity of local grassroots work. We must be unrestricted in our effort. Moreover, regarding the mess left by this Flying Journey Company, the Yizhou City Committee must make proper arrangements. For one, concerning the bank commercial loans issue, we must coordinate and negotiate deferment. Secondly, we need to step up efforts in attracting investment, hoping to find someone to take over the project. Thirdly, we must pacify the evicted residents and quickly develop a plan. Furthermore, one prerequisite must be heeded: no delay in farming should occur before the plan is implemented.”

As Nie Zhenbang finished speaking, Zhou Chaoguo nodded and also felt a sense of relief. The affairs of Shuishan County were finally behind them. Nie Zhenbang’s remarks were a clear stance.

“Yes, once I return, I will meticulously convey the instructions from the Secretary. Given the current situation, we will indeed learn profound lessons. We will earnestly work hard and not fail the expectations of Secretary Nie and the organization,” Zhou replied.

To these kinds of phrases, those resolute declarations, Nie Zhenbang had long become accustomed. He nodded, waved his hand, and said, “All right, you may leave now. If there’s anything else, you can report to me at any time.”

After seeing Zhou Chaoguo out, Nie Zhenbang had just started to review the progress report documents for the Automotive City project when his phone on the desk began to vibrate.

The cellphone was Nie Zhenbang’s private one. Not many people knew this number–in the province, it was only a handful of leaders such as Liu Zhentao, Liu Xiaomin, Li Hongying, and Zhang Fangwen who were aware. Besides them, family members as well as some department leaders and chiefs from the central government knew it.

As soon as he saw the number, the display showed the name Jiang Yonghua, and Nie Zhenbang was taken aback. The Jiang Yonghua from the Ministry of Transport. This was indeed a rare occurrence.

After connecting the call and just uttering a “hello,” Jiang Yonghua’s voice came through from the other end, “Zhenbang, my younger brother, I am really sorry to disturb you.”

Jiang Yonghua was a Southerner, and his speech carried a Southern accent. It sounded like it had a bit of a Yuedong flavor to it.

At this moment, Nie Zhenbang also began to ponder. As the Minister of Transport, Jiang Yonghua held substantial power in the ministry, responsible for the planning and construction of national roads, ports, airports, and railways. Each year, the funds handled by the Ministry of Transport were in the tens or even hundreds of trillions.

They had never been in contact before, so a sudden call from Jiang Yonghua took Nie Zhenbang by surprise. He pondered the purpose of Jiang Yonghua’s call.

On the surface, however, Nie Zhenbang responded with a smile, “Minister Yonghua? You’re quite the rare visitor. Is there any directive you’re calling with? Minister Yonghua, look, for this year and the next, in terms of infrastructure construction, could the ministry consider giving Longxi Province a bit more attention? You know how hard it is to work here. To get rich, build the roads first, but relying solely on provincial financial support is just a drop in the bucket, far from enough.”

“No, no, Zhenbang, my younger brother, now you’re lamenting to me. In all of Jingcheng’s ministries, who doesn’t know how formidable Nie Zhenbang is? Asking for money, projects, support–in all of the country’s high-ranking leaders, you, Nie Zhenbang, are second to none. But on the Ministry of Transport’s end, we have to be fair to everyone. If I give all my support to you, I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to keep my seat. Then, the other provinces, they’d turn the world upside down, wouldn’t they?” Jiang Yonghua was very straightforward and laid it all out for Nie Zhenbang.

This made Nie Zhenbang chuckle wryly, “How could that be? Who doesn’t know the energy of Minister Yonghua of the Ministry of Transport? Your abilities, they are absolutely more than enough.”

“Well, more than enough, but that’s only when there’s water to work with, to swim like a fish in water, right? A fish out of water, no matter the type, even if it’s a carp that leaps over the dragon gate, is going to die of thirst,” Jiang Yonghua was unmoved, completely ignoring the subject Nie Zhenbang was bringing up.

At this point, Jiang Yonghua turned serious, “Zhenbang, my younger brother, this time, the reason I’m calling you is that I’m seeking your help.”

After a pause, Jiang Yonghua explained, “Brother, I hear that in Ancient City, there’s this old city district redevelopment project going on. The investment amount is around several hundred billion yuan?”

As soon as he heard these words, Nie Zhenbang’s brows instantly knit tightly. The serious matter had arrived. Old city district redevelopment. Such projects had always been among the profitable ones.

An “old” city district. In front of the term “district,” there is the word “old,” indicating that this area may have been a bustling urban area in the past but had failed to adapt to the development of the times or the government’s planning direction, leading to its gradual decline. However, such locations are still very mature and have all kinds of comprehensive surrounding amenities. The land prices in these areas are also extremely high, and profits can be significant. Additionally, the scale of the construction work and the funds required for these old city redevelopment projects are substantial. These two aspects have always been the most fiercely competitive.

Jiang Yonghua was surely here for this, but it was unclear whether he wanted a construction project or was looking to invest.

After a moment of contemplation, Nie Zhenbang nonetheless replied with a smile, “Minister Yonghua, your sources are indeed well-informed. This time, the total investment scale for the redevelopment project in Ancient City has reached several hundred billion yuan. Minister Yonghua, are you perhaps also interested in adding a touch of splendor to the economic construction of our Ancient City?”

On his end, Jiang Yonghua hesitated for a moment. Nie Zhenbang’s implication was clear to him. Obviously, Nie Zhenbang did not welcome anyone approaching him asking for favors or projects.

However, this time, the person asking him for a favor had a very good relationship with him. Jiang Yonghua found it hard to turn the request down.

After a long silence, Jiang Yonghua also spoke up, “Brother, I hear that the Dingjian Construction Company is also bidding for the old city district project. Do you happen to be aware of this, Secretary Zhenbang?” (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (NovelFire.net) to vote for recommendation and monthly tickets, your support is my greatest motivation.)