Reborn as a Noble's Son-Chapter 756 - 712: Provincial Situation_1

Chapter 756: Chapter 712: Provincial Situation_1

Nie Zhenbang had given these words some deep thought before speaking. Asking in this way was indeed somewhat abrupt and reckless. However, Nie Zhenbang was not making a baseless proposition at this moment.

On the one hand, Fang Yuan had been promoted by his father, Nie Guowei, and this fact alone said a lot. At least it indicated that Fang Yuan had been trusted by his father in the past. The sudden appointment of his father to the central government had occurred without any prior indications. This suggested that Fang Yuan’s promotion wasn’t made haphazardly.

On the other hand, Fang Yuan’s current position was rather delicate as a senior departmental cadre. The decision for his promotion could be completely determined within the province. As the chief steward of the provincial government, if the Secretary-General couldn’t gain the approval of the government’s top authority, Fang Yuan would have a hard time within the provincial government party leadership.

Based on all these observations, Nie Zhenbang decided to ask him directly. Currently, he was in the dark regarding the situation in Bashu Province. The circumstances explained by his father, Nie Guowei, half a year ago, had already seen many changes. Therefore, he needed someone familiar with the provincial situation to help him break through the situation as quickly as possible, and so he asked Fang Yuan this question.

At this point, a momentary look of surprise crossed Fang Yuan’s face but quickly disappeared. In his heart, he felt somewhat excited. Nie Zhenbang’s audacity added a new layer to Fang Yuan’s understanding of him. At the same time, Fang Yuan understood that this was an opportunity for him, a chance to win Nie Zhenbang’s trust. If he handled it well, he could soar to new heights. From then on, he wouldn’t have to worry about his official position as long as he kept pace with Nie Zhenbang.

However, earning Nie Zhenbang’s recognition was not something that could be achieved simply by uttering a few words of loyalty. Fang Yuan had had limited interaction with Nie Zhenbang. However, he had recognized that Nie Zhenbang, the Governor, was a quite different character from his father. Old Governor Nie was calm and conservative, while Governor Nie Zhen was a representative of pragmatism. On the surface, Nie Zhenbang was inquiring about the provincial situation. However, the hidden meaning in his words was thought-provoking. How to respond required some tact.

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After some reflection, Fang Yuan finally spoke slowly, “Governor, at present, the overall economic development of Bashu Province is quite good. In the past two years, several highways have been completed and opened in the province, greatly strengthening the connections among all the cities in the province. Last year, the total GDP of the province ranked tenth in the country.”

He paused for a moment while gauging Nie Zhenbang’s reactions. Nie Zhenbang gave nothing away as his face was devoid of any emotion.

This made Fang Yuan a bit tense and he suddenly realized the difficulty of his task. Nie Zhenbang specialized in economics, wasn’t he just trying to impress the expert with his superficial knowledge?

Obviously, what Governor Nie wanted to understand was the main status of the Bashu Provincial Party Committee government team. At this time, Fang Yuan began to explain, “Governor, within the Party committee, Secretary Zeng is known for his incendiary personality and strong will. In addition, the Propaganda Minister Qin and the Provincial Party Committee Secretary-General Lu are old colleagues and subordinates of Secretary Zeng when he served in Changhong City. When Secretary Zeng served as the Changhong City Party Committee Secretary, Minister Qin served as the Propaganda Department Minister, and Secretary-General Lu served as the Deputy Mayor of Changhong City.”

Although the way Fang Yuan expressed this was rather euphemistic, his meaning was quite clear. He was suggesting that Zeng Taiping’s assertive and strong personality meant that he held the most power within the Party committee. To achieve such assertiveness, one needed a foundation of power.

Combined with the support of two other standing committee members, their power was indeed significant, especially since, as a vetoing member, Zeng Taiping indeed had the capital to be assertive.

“Moreover, although Secretary Long Genghua is an outsider, he has worked in our province for a long time. Many officials in our province were promoted by him. He is colloquially known in the official circles of Bashu Province as a godfather figure. I’ve heard that recently, Secretary Long has been getting quite close to Secretary Ning from the Commission for Discipline Inspection.” Fang Yuan continued.

The meaning of this sentence was also quite clear. Long Genghua had strong connections in all the cities of Bashu Province. The nickname of godfather was not given for no reason. Apart from one’s own abilities and ranks, the connections one has are also an important measure. Additionally, Long Genghua had a good relationship with Ning Bojun, the Secretary of the Commission for Discipline Inspection, but he was not in a hierarchical relationship with him.

At this moment, Nie Zhenbang’s gaze towards Fang Yuan showed a different kind of respect. Fang Yuan was indeed competent. It was one thing to have a rough understanding of the provincial situation, but analyzing even these collaborative relationships required insight and ability. Given that Fang Yuan is the Secretary-General of the provincial government, that doesn’t necessarily mean he can get close to Long Genghua and the other party bosses. Knowledge of such matters called for keen observation.

Seeing that Nie Zhenbang had no intention of speaking, Fang Yuan, aware of the Governor’s attitude, continued, “Hou Wenkui and Tang Bingquan have a very harmonious relationship. Xie Aibiao is somewhat of a goodie-goodie among the team members. Additionally, there is a recent development where Governor Sun has been seen close with Secretary Zeng for the past couple of months. As for Minister Lu and the Political Commissar of the Military Division, they haven’t shown any particular exceptional behavior. Basically, unless their interests are involved, they generally don’t have much to say.”

On hearing this evaluation, Nie Zhenbang looked thoughtful, his face expressing approval. He nodded and said, “Old Fang, I won’t be going to work today. This afternoon, you take Ju Peng and Little Wu to familiarize yourselves with the situation. Here in Bashu Province, you are well-experienced, and I will have to bother you a lot with many work and life matters. As Ju Peng and Little Wu are just starting, I’ll leave them to you.”

Nie Zhenbang, with his secretaries and drivers taking up their duties, was not an uncommon sight within the system. This let him forego the need to select secretaries and drivers during his transition period. However, being new arrivals, they naturally needed to familiarize themselves with the local environment. That was now the work of the Secretary-General.

Nie Zhenbang’s words greatly excited Fang Yuan, who immediately nodded and said, “Governor, rest assured, I will not hesitate to say everything I know. Secretary Li and Secretary Wu are highly effective deputies that you’ve chosen. There won’t be a problem.”

Here, Fang Yuan also gave a respectful compliment to Li Jupeng and Wu Li.

As the saying goes, officials below the seventh rank bow to the Chancellor. As Nie Zhenbang’s secretary, Li Jupeng held the rank of deputy department. After a while, he could easily be assigned the title of Deputy Secretary-General of the Provincial Government. Meanwhile, Wu Li held a director level rank. Being Nie Zhenbang’s trusted confidant, Fang Yuan wouldn’t treat him lightly.

At this moment, Li Jupeng also extended his hand with a smile, saying, “Secretary-General, from now on, we’re in the same foxhole. In our future work, we will work together to serve the Governor well.”

Next to him, Wu Li, still bearing the temper of a soldier, earnestly extended his hand and said, “Secretary-General, please arrange a traffic map of Tianfu City for me.”

Fang Yuan laughed and said, “All right, you two are too polite. Please, follow me.”

After taking them out, he had to arrange accommodations for them on one side. On the other, Fang Yuan needed to file for the issuance procedures for Nie Zhenbang’s official vehicle, hand over the keys to the office and the working phone provided for Nie Zhenbang by the office, and also the contact directory of all-province leadership. He had to explain these and many more to Li Jupeng.

Ignoring their business for the moment, Nie Zhenbang sank into deep thought, his eyebrows furrowed. The work in Bashu Province seemed challenging on the surface. It could now be confirmed that Pan Jianzhang was a person he could trust. As for the others, it wasn’t easy to say.

However, this was normal. All were at province or ministry level, so there was no question of who was stronger or weaker.

Such a situation in Bashu Province was, in fact, normal. As for Sun Jialuo, Nie Zhenbang couldn’t help but give a bitter smile, it seemed that Sun Jialuo held a deep grudge against him.

So, as the Executive Vice Governor, Sun Jialuo’s association with Zeng Taiping was normal, aiming for a swift advancement to the ministry level and take the helm of the government. Zeng Taiping’s recommendation was indispensable. However, Sun Jialuo meticulously calculated, but he didn’t expect that Nie Zhenbang would rise to power so suddenly. As a result, an unseen shadow was cast between the two.

Moreover, from Fang Yuan’s initial report, the economic environment in Bashu Province was also not promising. Although the province had natural advantages and abundant tourism resources, and there were several renowned state-owned enterprises within the province which provided a strong impetus to the economic development of Bashu Province. However, the imbalance in economic development was also a problem which could not be overlooked. Maintaining and promoting the balanced development of Bashu’s economy, adjusting industrial structure according to local conditions, and comprehensively promoting the province’s sustained and stable economic growth were important goals for his future.

As for this issue, Nie Zhenbang wasn’t in a hurry as these things couldn’t be rushed. In the next few days, he would need to understand more about Bashu’s economic data over the years. Only after he had a rough understanding of Bashu Province could he discuss other matters.

For dinner that night, Nie Zhenbang didn’t cook; he took Li Jupeng and Wu Li to the canteen to eat. After that, he returned home and called Yang Anna. In less than three days, Anna’s organizational relationship would be transferred to Bashu. At that time, he wouldn’t have to worry about the housework.

The night passed without further incident.

The next morning, after practicing the Shape-Intent Fist, Li Jupeng brought over breakfast. At the same time, Wu Li also arrived.

After breakfast, the three of them left the residential area. Downstairs, Wu Li was going to the garage to pick up the official car. Once Nie Zhenbang and Li Jupeng entered the government office building, many staff members stopped to greet them.

Just then, next to the hall, two plainly dressed men began arguing with an official who looked about fifty years old.(To be continued. If you like this book, please come to qidian.com to vote for it and support me. Your support is my greatest motivation.)