Reborn as a Noble's Son

Chapter 730: Chapter 686: For the Next Generation_1
 

Although, at this point, Nie Zhenbang couldn’t guess why Fan Changsheng wanted to pay him a visit. He also couldn’t ascertain Fan Changsheng’s true intention behind this. However, Nie Zhenbang still planned to meet Fan Changsheng.

Inside, two factors influenced Nie Zhenbang’s decision. The first was his understanding of Fan Changsheng. He spent only one year in Liangxi City, but as the former deputy leader of the Liangxi City, he worked alongside Fan Changsheng. This gave Nie Zhenbang a thorough understanding of Fan Changsheng’s character. Fan Changsheng was the kind of person who would not go out of his way unless there was a benefit. His visit this time surely indicated a problem.

The second factor was Fan Changsheng’s unusual behavior this time. The grand welcome, the courteous attitude, and other subtle changes made Nie Zhenbang feel that something was off.

In the end, these were the reasons why Nie Zhenbang decided to meet with Fan Changsheng.

Actually, it wasn’t that complicated. As the Secretary of the Liangxi City Committee, it was reasonable for Fan Changsheng to pay him a visit.

Soon, guided by Li Jupeng, Fan Changsheng entered the room from outside. Today’s Fan Changsheng, dressed casually, looked different from when they met the previous afternoon. At this moment, Nie Zhenbang took a serious look at Fan Changsheng. His temples were already gray, and wrinkles on his face were very deep. Fan Changsheng had indeed aged. This was Nie Zhenbang’s first impression.

As Fan Changsheng entered, Nie Zhenbang had already stood up, indicating respect.

Before Fan Changsheng could speak, Nie Zhenbang actively said, “Secretary Fan, please come in.”

Nie Zhenbang’s enthusiastic attitude eased the slight stiffness on Fan Changsheng’s face. Such a visit, especially at this time, placed a great deal of pressure on Fan Changsheng.

After adjusting his mindset, Fan Changsheng smiled and said, “Director Nie, please.”

After sitting on the living room sofa, Li Jupeng poured them a cup of hot tea. Looking at Fan Changsheng, Nie Zhenbang smiled, “Secretary Fan, we are old acquaintances, old friends. You know my attitude well. If there’s anything, just say it.”

This sincere attitude touched Fan Changsheng a bit. But he wasn’t a young chap who would commit himself to someone with just a few words. After a lifetime in politics, Fan Changsheng was a man who wouldn’t act without a guarantee.

The matter went back to last night, upon seeing Nie Zhenbang again, Fan Changsheng felt a sense of nostalgia.

After entertaining Nie Zhenbang and his team, Fan Changsheng went home and locked himself in his study. He carefully recalled the events after forming a team with Nie Zhenbang. He diligently studied every detail of Nie Zhenbang’s political career.

Through careful study, Fan Changsheng discovered that from the moment of Nie Zhenbang’s entry into the Youth League Committee, each of Nie Zhenbang’s decisions seemed incredibly risky and rampant. However, the reality was every decision made by Nie Zhenbang turned out to be the perfect choice. This was quite miraculous and also the foundation of his promotion.

In addition, Fan Changsheng also found that ever since Nie Zhenbang was officially in the public eye, he got along well with several generations of the country’s leadership– starting with Secretary-General Yuan and then Secretary-General Shen. It was always thus.

Furthermore, anyone who followed Nie Zhenbang rose quickly in their ranks. The situation in Lixian is a case in point. The officials who followed Nie Zhenbang in those days have all become high-ranking officials of the department and vice-ministry level. News that Chen Le is set to move to Yuzhou Province is like a nail on a board; it’s done and dusted.

Fan Changsheng knew very well that although Chen Le was to serve as the standing deputy director of the Public Security Bureau in Yuzhou Province, he would very likely become the next Secretary of the Committee for Political and Legal Committee of Yuzhou Province once the current 62-year-old secretary stepped down. This would make Chen an unofficially appointed vice-ministerial level official.

Now looking at Wanghai City, the staffers around Nie Zhenbang who had moved to this city with a higher grade had gained even more. Li Taishi and Tian Xujian are two provincial and ministerial officials from Wanghai City. Among other city and department-level leaders, the number is even larger. The current leadership of the Wanghai Municipal Party Committee are all from Nie Zhenbang’s faction.

You see, Nie Zhenbang himself is nothing more than a deputy minister-level official. Yet, he has successfully advocated for the appointment of two officials to minister-level positions and two to deputy minister-level positions. Such influence is unrivalled nationwide.

As for himself, even though he is an official from the Li faction, he has always been on the fringes, persistently suppressed by the Li family. This stark contrast makes it difficult for Fan Changsheng to accept.

Even Fan Changsheng has found himself wondering, if he had maintained a good relationship with Nie Zhenbang initially, would he too be a deputy minister-level official by now?

In the past, Fan Changsheng would have outright dismissed such a thought. After all, switching allegiance didn’t necessarily enhance one’s reputation and could even invite contempt. However, now he is already advanced in his years — fifty-eight to be exact. After this term, he is due to retire. After that, he’ll be forgotten.

After a lifetime in the bureaucratic world, Fan Changsheng sees this clearly. His reputation no longer matters. But he has a son, who is only thirty-two years old and no more than a deputy director level official. Even with a promotion, his son would only reach the director level post. As for his future? Fan Changsheng can’t say for sure.

But now, with Nie Zhenbang’s arrival in Jiangbei Province, as well as the series of moves made by the Nie faction, Fan Changsheng senses a reversal of fortune on the rise. If he were to make the first move and align himself with Nie Zhenbang, perhaps it would pave the way for his son’s future. Fan Changsheng is not worried that Nie Zhenbang would forget him once the bridge has been crossed. Given Nie Zhenbang’s treatment and style toward his subordinates, that does not seem to be his character. That is why Fan Changsheng, who couldn’t sleep all night, came early from the Municipal Committee’s residential area.

After a sip of tea, Fan Changsheng is carefully crafting his own strategy in his mind: how to start, what to say. It’s a problem.

After a brief deliberation, Fan Changsheng put down his cup, looked up at Nie Zhenbang and said, “Director Nie, my main purpose here today is to provide you with an update on the work in Liangxi City. You were a prominent leader in Liangxi. Our development plans in Liangxi were all initiated by you. It is fitting that upon your return to Liangxi, I report to you.”

In reality, Fan Changsheng’s reasoning seems a bit far-fetched. Sure, Nie Zhenbang is now a deputy minister-level official, but he isn’t currently involved with Liangxi’s affairs. If he were the Deputy Governor or a senior official of Jiangbei Province, this rationale would be more legitimate. But as it stands? It’s just a pretext for conversation.

Before Nie Zhenbang could answer, Fan Changsheng proceeded to share Liangxi’s development strategy and accomplishments over the past five years. In conclusion, Fan Changsheng expressed, “If only our application for Liangxi to become a sub-provincial city hadn’t been rejected by the central government. A successful bid would have painted a wonderful picture: three cities, where you have served, being promoted to sub-provincial status.”

Indeed, if that were the case, the accolades accorded to Nie Zhenbang would have been unparalleled. After all, not everyone can achieve sub-provincial status for three cities where they have served.

Nie Zhenbang laughed and waved his hand. Fan Changsheng had made his point. Nie Zhenbang could only play along. Given Fan Changsheng’s abnormal behavior today, Nie Zhenbang carefully responded, “Secretary Fan, sub-provincial city status is not something that can be sought aggressively. The economic and cultural progress in Liangxi is excellent. However, cities surrounding Liangxi are developed as well. It’s not easy for Liangxi to be promoted to a sub-provincial-level city.”

Nie Zhenbang changes the topic and continues, “The development of Liangxi is the result of combined efforts from Secretary Fan, Mayor Zhu, Mayor Huang, and all members of the Municipal Standing Committee. More importantly, the fact that Liangxi could implement the ‘Three Publics’ regulation and adhere to sustainable development makes me very happy. The most frightening thing for officials is inconsistency in policy. Such stability is an integral part of local development. There are many places in the country that change depending on who’s in charge—one day it’s farming, and the next day with a new leader, it’s cultivation. This sort of behavior doesn’t reflect a leader’s capability, rather, it signifies chaos. In the end, it’s the public who has to suffer.”

Nie Zhenbang truly meant every word he said. He was genuinely happy that Liangxi had successfully implemented his development strategy. His prejudice towards Fan Changsheng also depreciated somewhat—despite his assertiveness and domineering nature, Fan Changsheng is incredibly competent. Now, as he is about to retire and has lost this competitive spirit, he is indeed a rare and valuable official.

“Secretary Fan, I must sincerely thank you. I am grateful to everyone from the Liangxi Municipal Committee. You have all made outstanding contributions to the economic development of Liangxi.” Nie Zhenbang said with a smile.

Through Nie Zhenbang’s words, Fan Changsheng sensed sincerity. His perspective had changed—the way he looked at Nie Zhenbang was different. At this moment, Fan Changsheng believed Nie Zhenbang to be a genuine Party member and a reliable official.

After a brief silence, Fan Changsheng laughed, “Director Nie, the credit should really go to your planning. We are merely the executors. The main credit belongs to you.”

Speaking up to here, Fan Changsheng paused and said, “Also, Director Nie, I wanted to discuss with you about some proposed personnel adjustments in Liangxi.”

PS: There was a mistake in the previous part of the story—Huang Junshan should have been referred to as Sun Minghao. Huang Junshan had already retired by then. Later, three more chapters will be updated. Please support Old Cai a little more. (