Reborn as a Noble’s Son
Chapter 994 - Chapter 994 Chapter 950 The Second Fire

Chapter 994: Chapter 950: The Second Fire Chapter 994: Chapter 950: The Second Fire Liu Yong’s words left all the standing committee members somewhat intrigued. Wen Baogui remained impassive, watching Liu Yong and Nie Zhenbang, at this moment, Liu Yong’s words seemed to be slightly exaggerating the importance of the issue, a complete misinterpretation.

In any place, any government, no matter the level or the layer, the construction and development of the locality, the social and economic development of the locality, must not come at the expense of public security, which is a basic principle and consensus.

Liu Yong’s words were very clever, playing close to the edge without explicitly stating that public security should be sacrificed for GDP. But the implication was clear, the so-called damaging of the investment environment, affecting the investment climate, and damaging the reputation of Hongjiang Province, wasn’t this precisely the point? However, the cleverness lies precisely here, although this was clearly the message, you still couldn’t directly confront him with these words, which showed the cunning of an old hand in officialdom.

At this moment, Wen Baogui was as unmoved as a mountain, with a slight air of sitting back and watching the tides of power shift, as if waiting to profit from others’ conflicts. At this time, it was the perfect opportunity for the fisherman to benefit. Regardless of who won in this situation, there was no downside for Wen Baogui. In fact, Wen Baogui would rather see Nie Zhenbang take a slight loss so that his own support would seem all the more precious and bring him the greatest benefit.

Nie Zhenbang’s brows furrowed as well, Liu Yong’s words clearly dissatisfied Nie Zhenbang, and no one present could misinterpret their meaning.

After a pause, Nie Zhenbang spoke in a deep voice, “Governor Liu, with some issues, some tasks, I do feel that there needs to be a differentiated approach. This operation, I think, was very good. It not only reflected our Hongjiang’s determination to fight corruption and uphold integrity but also demonstrated Hongjiang’s sincerity in improving the comprehensive management of public security and the investment environment. Governor Liu, to say it in such a way, could it be an overstatement?”

As he spoke, Nie Zhenbang calmly looked at Liu Yong once more and continued, “Moreover, this province-wide comprehensive public security operation was approved at the provincial political and law work conference. It is completely in accordance with the procedure.”

At this point, Nie Zhenbang turned to Chen Le and said, “Comrade Chen Le, you are the Secretary of the Political and Law Committee and also hold the post of Director of the Public Security Department. How did the surprise inspection operation go today? Please, give us a report.”

In his choice of words, Nie Zhenbang was extremely careful, using the term “report” rather than “brief,” which was more fitting and appropriate, also implying that Secretary of the Political and Law Committee Chen Le was the top authority within the entire Hongjiang political and legal system. He had Nie Zhenbang’s firm support.

Chen Le nodded his head, at this moment, he showed no signs of panic. Over the years, Chen Le had honed his skills well. When he was just a deputy director of a county-level public security bureau, Chen Le had dared to join Nie Zhenbang in toppling a county party secretary. Later, while serving in Liangxi, when Nie Zhenbang suddenly left and Li Guohua fell, almost all the anger was directed at Chen Le, but even so, Chen Le did not fall. All this was proof of Chen Le’s capabilities.

Just now, at Golden Brilliant Entertainment City, in the very moment of the incident, Chen Le had already prepared a full set of countermeasures.

At this moment, Chen Le spoke calmly, “Secretary Nie, comrades. Tonight’s surprise inspection of all business establishments in Hongcheng City is a start of the Red River Provincial Political and Law Committee’s Spring Thunder operation. The operation began at seven this evening. All the police forces involved gathered at the provincial police training center. We confiscated all communication devices to ensure the confidentiality of the operation. At ten o’clock tonight, more than four thousand police officers were deployed throughout Hongcheng City, in collaboration with the city bureau and various district bureaus and police stations. The inspection team responsible for Jinbihuihuang Entertainment City was led by me. During the inspection, we seized a total of thirty-five packets of ecstasy and arrested eighty-seven drug users. Additionally, in the fifth-floor bathhouse, we captured seventeen couples involved in prostitution. Specifically, in room 5028, the former deputy director of Hongcheng’s Urban Construction Bureau, Comrade Wei Zhongmao, in an attempt to evade inspection and punishment, climbed out through the toilet window and accidentally fell to his death. At the scene, Wei Zhongmao’s clothing was sealed and sampled. Moreover, in the room’s trash can, we found a used condom. The semen residue is currently being tested for evidence. The whole operation was carried out completely according to legal and reasonable procedures. That’s all I have to say.”

The words of Chen Le made Liu Yong’s face turn rather unsightly. With the conversation reaching this point, it was clear that there was no problem on Chen Le’s side. Not only that, but more importantly, it also unearthed other issues, such as the corruption of party members and officials.

Liu Yong was very clear in his mind that from the moment Nie Zhenbang and Chen Le launched the province-wide comprehensive public security management operation, they probably had the intention to take this opportunity to ignite a second fire since Nie Zhenbang’s appointment.

A new official fires up three initiatives; even setting these fires is a deliberate and strategic process. The main reason for the new official’s three fires is to take control. As a newcomer, colleagues below are unfamiliar, and naturally, some adjustments in certain units are needed, with loyal officials being appointed. Only by doing so can one act without restraint and have subordinates who will listen to you.

However, starting a fire is not something one can do whenever they wish; everything must be done under a set of rules. The intensity of the first fire also varies; some people manage to start the fire but carelessly engulf themselves in the flames.

Undoubtedly, Nie Zhenbang was extremely skilled. After taking office, he proceeded steadily and methodically. Just when the entire province’s cadres believed that Secretary Nie had begun to stabilize his position and would not start a fire, he suddenly ignited the first blaze. Moreover, he started from external departments, and eventually made the ministries apologize and undergo suspension and investigation. These series of actions were naturally visible to all the cadres in the province.

And now, the comprehensive management of public security is the second fire that Nie Zhenbang had planned. If such an incident had not occurred, Chen Le’s control over the political and legal systems would have been the most tangible benefit. But now, this incident provided Nie Zhenbang with a pretext for his second fire.

After pausing, Liu Yong was about to speak when Nie Zhenbang suddenly said, “Absurd! Shameful!”

With these two sentences, he immediately drew everyone’s attention. Nie Zhenbang continued in a grave tone, “It’s truly unexpected that such an incident would occur within our party and government ranks. Prostitution is an extremely vile act. I think it’s very necessary to strengthen the ideological and disciplinary education of party and government leaders across the province. Bao Gui, as the deputy secretary in charge, you are an expert in this area. It’s imperative to promptly develop an effective plan to deepen the ideological and political education of the cadres and focus on serving the people well and dealing with their practical issues as important content of the study. We must enhance integrity education and thoroughly study the spirit of the 21st Party Congress, deeply understanding the directives of the Central Party Committee. We need to improve the quality of our cadre team.”

This was Nie Zhenbang’s cleverness. Obviously, such an incident was beneficial to him, but it was impossible for one person to monopolize this advantage. Now, by assigning Wen Baogui to take charge of this task, on one hand, it was justified since Wen Baogui was the Secretary of the Masses and was responsible for this matter. It also garnered strong support for himself within the leadership.

After a pause, Nie Zhenbang continued, “Furthermore, I think we should come up with a plan for the aftermath of this Wei Zhongmao incident at the provincial level.”

Looking at everyone, Nie Zhenbang went on, “As for the Propaganda Department, Comrade Wei Ran, you are in charge. The propaganda work needs to be done carefully, ensuring that no negative news appears in the media both inside and outside the province. As for the death of Comrade Wei Zhongmao, I think we should classify it as an accidental death. In addition, Secretary Yao, the Hongcheng City Municipal Committee must do a good job of pacifying the family, clarifying and explaining the situation. Make sure there are no emotional reactions.”

As Nie Zhenbang finished speaking, Yao Dingguo exchanged glances with Wen Baogui, and they both nodded their heads. Indeed, Wei Zhongmao’s incident was his own problem, but if investigated thoroughly, although Secretary Yao would not be held responsible, it would still be a stain on his record. Moreover, Nie Zhenbang’s approach aligned with traditional Chinese values–showing leniency. The man was already dead; even if he had committed grave sins, pursuing the matter further would appear unkind. Now, with such an approach, even the deceased’s family could accept it.

Yao Dingguo also nodded and said, “Please rest assured, Secretary Nie. The Hongcheng City Municipal Committee will definitely do a good job of comforting the family of the deceased. We will ensure that the impact of this incident is minimized.”

Next to him, Li Wei also spoke up, “Please rest assured, Secretary Nie. I will immediately arrange for the Propaganda Department to issue instructions, ensuring the consistency of our propaganda efforts. We will not tarnish the reputation of the Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government.”

Witnessing this scene, Liu Yong’s expression darkened. Nie Zhenbang had played his cards so beautifully, both striking and deflecting effortlessly. It was foreseeable that a major personnel change would sweep across the province. That was the essence of Nie Zhenbang’s second fire.

After contemplating briefly, Governor Liu glanced at He Yusheng and then said, “Secretary Nie, I object! I am against rolling out such a formalistic learning campaign across the entire province.”

This statement silenced the whole room. Nie Zhenbang’s eyebrows raised slightly. Had Liu Yong finally lost his patience?

At this moment, Liu Yong, with a very solemn expression, surveyed the crowd and slowly said, “I believe the issue with Wei Zhongmao is merely an isolated case and doesn’t have any representativeness. I see no need for such an extensive rectification campaign to be conducted across the entire province. We are no longer in the era of political movements.”

(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please vote with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets at NovelFire.net. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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