Reborn as a Noble's Son

Chapter 739: Chapter 695: Human Effort Matters_1
 

Cao Dingkun’s words didn’t surprise Nie Zhenbang. This was something he had anticipated. Cao Dingkun held a weak position in the Liaodong Provincial Standing Committee. If he wanted to make Lin Mohan the recommended candidate for Liaodong Province, he naturally needed approval from the Provincial Standing Committee meeting. To achieve that, he inevitably had to persuade other Standing Committee members.

He nodded and then said, “Governor Cao Dingkun, you are older than me. We are well acquainted with each other. Let me simply call you Uncle Cao.”

Without waiting for Cao Dingkun to respond, he took up the previous topic and said, “Uncle Cao, I am not very familiar with the situation in Liaodong Province. Could you give me a detailed analysis? I believe that everything depends on human effort.”

He spoke these words with great confidence, reflecting the arrogance inherent in a scion of the Nie family. However, Cao Dingkun took his confidence at face value. After all, to the universal offspring like Nie Zhenbang, whose uncle is Vice Director Nie, and whose father is Nie Guowu, it should be an easy task.

The so-called persuasion can be done in a few ways: through interest, power, or reputation. It all comes down to this. Profit and fame, provide the gravity for this attraction.

Moreover, after exchanging a few sentences, Nie Zhenbang’s composed and humble personality left a good impression on Cao Dingkun.

After pondering for a moment, Cao Dingkun organized his thoughts and began, “The Liaodong Provincial Committee currently consists of thirteen members. Among them, the commander of the provincial military region, Xia Jianhua, is the kind of person who doesn’t get involved in politics. Including me, of the remaining twelve members, I hold three votes, which are those of the Executive Deputy Governor and the Deputy Governor. The reason I want to compete for the Deputy Governor is to prevent Huo Siyuan from interfering in provincial government affairs.”

He paused for a second, then continued, “Huo Siyuan holds four votes, which are his own, the Minister of the Provincial Party Committee’s Organization Department, the Minister of the Provincial Party Committee’s Propaganda Department, and the Secretary-General of the Provincial Party Committee.”

“Also, the Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, the Secretary of the Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission, the Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee’s Political and Legal Commission, the Secretary of the Shenjing City Party Committee, and the Secretary of the Lianda City Party Committee each have their own small groups. Among them, the Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, He Duixiang, and the Secretary of the Shenjing City Party Committee are aligned. The Secretary of the Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission and the Secretary of the Political and Legal Commission are independent of the two main factions. Lastly, the Secretary of the Lianda City Party Committee, a newcomer to the committee, who was appointed just last year. His intentions are not yet clear.”

Nie Zhenbang listened carefully to Cao Dingkun’s detailed introduction. It was not surprising. Liaodong Province was rumored to be divided into two opposing factions represented by Huo Siyuan and Cao Dingkun. But if all the Standing Committee members belonged to these two factions, that would be abnormal.

At the county-level committee, it’s quite common for a County Party Secretary or a County Mayor to have control over most of the Standing Committee votes. This is a common occurrence nationwide.

The same holds true at the department-level committee, but it would be quite unusual at the provincial level. Any Provincial Party Secretary who manages to completely control the Provincial Standing Committee would be on the verge of losing his position.

The authorities would not allow any province to be dominated by one faction. This is a political balance and a necessary measure for national stability. A single dominant party would simply turn into a Local Emperor, which would not be beneficial for the state.

The situations in Liaodong Province are typical at the provincial level: there is mutual restraint, but also cooperation. No one party can dominate.

“Uncle Cao, among these committee members, how confident are you that you could persuade them to support you?” As the saying goes, knowing oneself and the enemy leads to victory in every battle. Since the aim is to proceed, it must be perfectly executed. This is Nie Zhenbang’s consistent style. Now, it is crucial to understand the spread of votes within the Standing Committee.

As if considering and calculating, Cao Dingkun remained silent for a while, very cautious. Only after a while did he slowly respond, “Apart from the three people on my side, the main ones I can hope to win over are the Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, He Duixiang, and the Shenjing City Party Secretary. I am not confident at all about the others.”

This was no surprise to Nie Zhenbang. He Duixiang, the Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, is in charge of organizational ideology and personnel work, similar to the functions of the Provincial Party Committee Organization Department. Only, He Duixiang has a higher party rank and broader jurisdiction.

The Minister of the Provincial Party Committee’s Organization Department is Huo Siyuan’s man. Thus, it is natural for He Duixiang and Cao Dingkun to team up to resist Huo Siyuan.

Five against four votes. There is no absolute advantage; however, since matters have already progressed this far, we must press on steadily. Also, it’s foreseeable that Huo Siyuan will surely exert considerable effort and time into winning the votes of other standing committee members.

Among the thirteen positions, the key is to secure seven votes. Right now, we are two votes short. One of those votes belongs to the military district commander. If Nie Zhenbang were to go there, that might be a possibility. However, now, many factions within the country are watching this place – there is no way to keep his visiting the provincial military district under wraps. Although it is possible to convince this person, what would Director Shen and Comrade Qiao Yiren think if they found out about this? If all the military officers around the country are listening to your Nie family, then what’s the purpose of the national government? Hence, it is absolutely prohibited to approach the military district.

Thus, the only options left for persuasion are the Secretary of the Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission, the Secretary of the Provincial Political and Legal Affairs Commission, and the Secretary of the Lianda City Party Committee. Moreover, we must secure two out of these three people which is no small challenge.

After a moment of silence, Nie Zhenbang chimed in, “Uncle Cao, let’s not discuss the Secretary of the Lianda City Party Committee for now. Could you introduce the Secretary of the Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission and the Secretary of the Provincial Political and Legal Affairs Commission to me?”

At this moment, Cao Dingkun nodded, “Sure. Comrade Liu Sanhai, Secretary of the Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission, is a cadre born and raised in Liaodong Province. In Liaodong, he is known as ‘Close Liu San’. He is a typical discipline inspection cadre who abides by principals, not personal feelings. If something is right, he supports it; if it’s wrong, he openly opposes it. He has a significant reputation within the province and also enjoys the trust of Comrade Minfu in the central government. He himself is a member of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. Even Huo Siyuan has to give him face.”

“Additionally, Comrade Zhu Lijun, Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, has a military background. He was promoted from common public security police officer. He holds a great deal of prestige within political and legal circles. At the time, the infamous person known as ‘Qiao Siye’ in the northern three provinces was due to a case personally supervised by him. Back then, he was the vice-head of the provincial department.”

Upon hearing this, Nie Zhenbang furrowed his brow. In Nie Zhenbang’s consideration, his foremost priority was to win over the Secretary of Lianda City Party Committee. On one hand, the person had newly arrived in Liaodong and was certainly keen on maintaining a good relationship with the people of the Liaodong Provincial Committee. At this moment, proposing to link him closely with Cao Dingkun would likely be welcomed. Moreover, having a good relationship with Cao Dingkun would be like achieving timely help while maintaining a good relationship with Huo Siyuan would be like gilding the lily. Weighing the pros and cons, we trust that he would have a right estimation.

As for the other two, they appeared to be tough nuts to crack, difficult to persuade. Thinking about this, Nie Zhenbang started to feel a headache. Upon reflection, it indeed constituted a problem. If they were easily swayed, these two individuals would have already established a connection with either Huo Siyuan or Cao Dingkun.

After a moment of silence, Nie Zhenbang said in a deep voice, “Uncle Cao, what do the children of Liu Sanhai and Zhu Lijun do? Besides, do these two have any hobbies?”

Nie Zhenbang does not ask this without reason—this issue was, in fact, influenced by Fan Changsheng’s situation.

Fan Changsheng was willing to collaborate with him to secure his son’s future. This, in turn, might provide a breakthrough. Secondly, when you try to sway someone, you typically entice them with either fame, wealth, power, or status. But at times, exploiting their interests could also provide a good entry point.

Nie Zhenbang’s words revived Cao Dingkun’s spirits. Nie Zhenbang’s pragmatic attitude towards the matter filled Cao Dingkun with confidence. Regardless of success or not, he believed he would still reap benefits.

Upon thinking this, Cao Dingkun pondered a while then said, “I haven’t heard much about Liu Sanhai. He only has a daughter who reportedly studies Economic and Financial Management in America. As for hobbies, I can’t say. He did not exploit even the slightest advantage from the public even before the enactment of government regulations. He rides a bicycle to and from work, leads a secluded and simple life with a family that keeps a low profile. I haven’t heard about any particular hobbies.”

Upon hearing this, Nie Zhenbang smirked bitterly. That was indeed a tough nut to crack. No, it should rather be compared to gnawing on a rock.

“As for Zhu Lijun, he has a son and a daughter. The older one, a daughter, apparently works in Hucheng City. His son, Zhu Zhengkang, allegedly runs some company in Heishui Province which specifically deals with the supply of equipment for political and legal departments. However, as per my knowledge, all these matters undergo the normal procedures, and Zhu Lijun has never used his influence.”

Upon hearing this, Nie Zhenbang’s eyes lit up. Perhaps, this Zhu Zhengkang could be the breakthrough. As for using influence, Zhu Lijun is at a level where this is not necessary due to the countless people willing to curry favor with him. Moreover, these kinds of transactions often occur locally. It is not any violation or disorderly conduct but merely a simple business negotiation which cannot be challenged by the country.

As for going to Heishui Province, it was probably to circumvent a policy. It prevents the direct spouse and children of party and government cadres from doing business in the region they serve.

Upon thinking this, Nie Zhenbang stood up and said, “Uncle Cao, I’m bothering you again but could you arrange a meeting with Zhu Lijun for me?” (