Reborn as a Noble's Son-Chapter 820 - 776 Dragging Others Down

Chapter 820: Chapter 776 Dragging Others Down

Chapter 820 -776 Dragging Others Down

At 5 p.m., the time for leaving work, Nie Zhenbang, unusually, wasn’t working overtime today. As he walked out of the Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government office building and exited the elevator, he saw a familiar figure ahead. A thought struck Nie Zhenbang’s mind and he quickened his steps to catch up, greeting, “Deputy Secretary Long, what a coincidence?”

The words of Nie Zhenbang immediately made Long Genghua stop in his tracks, although he was somewhat puzzled. Normally, when they saw each other, the interaction was limited to a nod or a quick salute. Today, Nie Zhenbang had taken the initiative to stop him; this was certainly not an ordinary signal.

Yet, on the surface, Long Genghua appeared unruffled and returned the greeting with a smile, “Governor Nie, leaving work so early today?”

Long Genghua was also not one to act before seeing the advantage. He showed no particular reaction to Nie Zhenbang’s unusual approach, adopting a probing attitude instead.

Nie Zhenbang wasn’t perturbed by Long Genghua’s response. He smiled indifferently and said, “Deputy Secretary Long, let’s walk together.”

The two left the office building and at this time, no staff member within the Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government would dare overtake these two. They all kept a distance, and only after both men had turned right towards the housing complex area did the others start to move again.

The greenery in the Bashu Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government’s compound was very well-maintained. Although it was a newly built area less than three years old, the greenery of the staff quarters and office areas was the result of meticulous planning and design. There was a special footpath connecting the residential and office areas, a neatly paved cobblestone walkway. The sides were shaded by green trees, mostly more than ten years old. Cleverly designed are stone benches and pavilions for resting, and beside these small landscapes, there are many ancient trees that had been transplanted at great expense.

The two walked under the shady trees, and the Sun still seemed very abundant. During August and September in Bashu, it generally didn’t get dark until after 7 p.m.

Between the trees, streaks of sunlight could be seen filtering through the leaves and onto the ground. Nie Zhenbang pondered for a moment before speaking up, “Deputy Secretary Long, do you have any engagements tonight? If you’re free, how about we get together later this evening?”

This was an invitation from Nie Zhenbang. Such an inquiry was necessary; officials at their level of province or ministry did not need to say, and even at the level of county and division, it was normal to have engagements and activities every night if one chose. On the contrary, at Nie Zhenbang’s level, such social obligations were generally avoidable, and the Majority of the provincial committee’s leaders would do so if possible. At their age and status, what delicacies hadn’t they tried? Now, what everyone was concerned with was the great game of Bashu: whether one is a good player depends on personal capability.

But it was still necessary to ask in this way, as a matter of due courtesy. As his voice faded, Long Genghua chuckled and replied, “Heh, I must make time for Governor Nie’s invitation, even if I’m busy.”

By saying this, Long Genghua’s attitude was genuinely expressed, and at the same time, it gave Nie Zhenbang due respect.

Hearing this, Nie Zhenbang also chuckled and said, “Then it’s settled. Let’s go together. I have heard that just behind the Provincial Party compound, there’s a private kitchen that does a good job.”

…

Exiting through the back door of the Provincial Party family quarters, less than five hundred meters away, in a residential area, stood a modest two-story house. Previously, this area was at the outskirts of Tianfu City and was considered a slum. After the relocation of the Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government, this plot began to gradually develop. However, residential areas like this one, with significant demolition but not on a main thoroughfare, were not yet included in the plans.

The interior decor of the house was quaint. The privacy of the private dining rooms was also quite good. A small dining room held two people and several authentic classic dishes from Bashu.

The drink of choice was homemade sorghum liquor, which was mellow and had a sweet aftertaste. As a strong province in the liquor industry, Bashu’s spirits are renowned nationwide and even globally. The fact that the proprietor here used this liquor as their signature was enough to prove its unquestionable quality.

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In modest cups, the two sipped a few drinks before Nie Zhenbang picked up his chopsticks, helped himself to a slice of boiled meat, took a bite, and then looked at Long Genghua, “Secretary Genghua, have you heard about the situation in Changhong City?”

If Xu Aiguo were to feel the sense of having offended the public anger, the combined weight of just myself and Xie Aibiao’s words might still not be quite enough.

Of course, this was not directed at Xu Aiguo, but at Zeng Taiping. Zeng Taiping wanted to sell favors to two families at once, a deal that was naturally advantageous for him. By supporting Xu Aiguo, he could benefit from the old Xu family while also gaining favor with the old Li family. These kinds of opportunities were hard to come by even once in a decade.

Therefore, to make Zeng Taiping wary, it was necessary to have enough leverage. Zeng Taiping was no ordinary figure within the province; he held considerable authority, even if he was not the absolute power. Relying solely on oneself and Xie Aibiao was naturally insufficient. And Long Genghua naturally presented the best opportunity to form an alliance.

On one hand, Long Genghua had a falling out with Zeng Taiping over previous affairs in Yangde City. Ning Bojun’s last-minute betrayal caused Long Genghua to lose face, and he was not having an easy time within the province. This provided the foundation for cooperation—after all, as the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Moreover, Long Genghua also had subordinates in Changhong City; if Xu Aiguo were allowed to create chaos, Long Genghua himself would be implicated.

In Nie Zhenbang’s analysis, there were roughly the following types of officials in Bashu Province. One kind was the pro-Nie faction. The Nie family’s years of operation in Bashu meant it had, over time, helped a significant number of officials, even though the direct lineage had followed the old man out of province. This was why Bashu was known as a stronghold of the Nie family’s traditional influence. It wasn’t to say most officials in Bashu Province were direct descendants of the Nie family. Such a thing was absolutely impossible; the higher-ups would never allow an independent kingdom to exist without the country, one that solely belonged to the Nie family.

However, this relationship allowed the Nie family’s direct kin to work in Bashu, merge in quickly, and get up to speed fast.

The second kind were the neutral faction. There’s not much to say about them—they were mostly officials from outside, like Tang Bingquan and Hou Wenkui. Their biggest trait was fence-sitting, offending neither side.

The third kind consisted of the local faction. Zeng Taiping and Long Genghua both belonged to this group. Although Zeng Taiping was not a native of Bashu, having worked there since he started his career, he could definitely be counted as part of the local faction.

However, within the local faction, Nie Zhenbang distinguished a subset. Zeng Taiping belonged to the local academic faction, while Long Genghua’s highest level of education was only a correspondence college diploma. This disparity in status caused a strain in their relationship. Moreover, due to historical factors, the two had been rivals beginning at the head of department-level positions. They can be said to have been competitors for a lifetime.

Therefore, winning over Long Genghua would definitely put significant pressure on Zeng Taiping. Moreover, as long as Long Genghua could be persuaded, with the support of Sun Jialuo and Pan Jianzhang on one’s side, and adding Xie Aibiao and Long Genghua to the mix, things would be much easier to handle in the future. Hou Wenkui and Tang Bingquan would not likely pass up such an opportunity to profit from another’s misfortune. Altogether, winning over Long Genghua was imperative, and Nie Zhenbang believed that Long Genghua would not miss out on this opportunity.

At this moment, Long Genghua was also in deep thought. He was well aware of the situation in Changhong City, and naturally, someone had informed him of Xu Aiguo’s actions. However, Long Genghua failed to understand, why was Nie Zhenbang in such a hurry about this matter?

After a pause, Long Genghua chuckled and said, “I’ve heard some things about the situation in Changhong City. Comrade Xu Aiguo’s approach to work may be a little anxious, but his intentions are good, aren’t they? Does Governor Nie have any insights?”

Nie Zhenbang internally cursed Long Genghua as an old fox but kept a smile on his face and replied, “I don’t have any particular insights. However, Aibiao came to me yesterday and complained a lot. You know, Comrade Aibiao used to work in Changhong City. This time, Comrade Huang Zhenqiu of Changhong City also sought me out and reported some situations. I heard that Comrade Xu Aiguo has initiated some investigations into the officials of Shantong County, causing great concern from below—some people are panicking. Operating like this is probably not feasible. Today it’s attacking Shantong County, who knows, maybe tomorrow it will move to Youjiang County. If the grassroots are unstable, it can affect the overall situation.”

Nie Zhenbang’s words were well-measured and timely. He first conveyed the feelings of Xie Aibiao, followed by a clear warning to Long Genghua that although Xu Aiguo was targeting Shantong County—going after Xie Aibiao this time—Long Genghua could be next.

Xie Aibiao had also hinted to Nie Zhenbang that Changhong Municipal Party Committee’s Organization Department head and Youjiang County’s Party Committee secretary were Long Genghua’s people.

As expected, hearing Nie Zhenbang’s remarks, Long Genghua began to take the situation seriously, experiencing the foreboding fear that the demise of one’s comrade presages one’s own. More importantly, if he didn’t act, who would be there to help him when it was his turn?

With this thought, Long Genghua pondered for a moment and then said, “Governor Nie’s consideration is thoroughly deliberated. From this perspective, Comrade Xu Aiguo’s approach does seem rather aggressive. However, does Governor Nie have any viable solutions?”

By saying this, Long Genghua was trying to probe Nie Zhenbang’s intentions. In the long term, there might be underlying issues, but in the short term, those issues were not significant. At heart, Long Genghua didn’t trust Nie Zhenbang much.

As for Long Genghua’s concerns, Nie Zhenbang couldn’t have cared less. The old saying still held true: how could sparrows understand the ambitions of a swan! After a pause, Nie Zhenbang smiled and said, “I’ve heard that Jiangnan Province and Ludong Province are starting to experiment with the direct provincial governance of counties. I think this is a good opportunity. In this regard, our Bashu Province should also actively try it and not fall behind.”

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