Reborn as a Noble's Son

Chapter 533: Chapter 490: Turning The Tide (Third Update, Calling for Monthly Tickets)_1
 

Hearing these words, the expressions of Shi Yiwu and others eased a bit. Shi Yiwu knew that Lin Zhengxing was making his move. Li Chengfang was the standing deputy minister of the Ministry of Public Security. As per the high-ranking principle of the Ministry of Public Security, Li Chengfang was a minister-level official, also bearing the halo of a Deputy Secretary of the Central Commission for Politics and Law.

Arriving in such a hasty manner at this time, it was clear that the reason was related to Eastern Sea Group. After Li Chengfang’s arrival, whether there was solid evidence of Eastern Sea Group’s involvement in smuggling was no longer important. Even if Nie Zhenbang had the support of the military, they did not possess the authority to interrogate local officials. The case was left to the local police to handle. Regardless of whether it was the provincial or city bureau that got involved, with Li Chengfang’s presence and Zhuang Roshun from the provincial bureau, the conclusion was inevitable.

At this moment, Gu Dongliang looked somewhat complex, glanced at Nie Zhenbang, and continued, “Minister Li has specifically indicated that he will inspect the Eastern Sea Group. Secretary Shi, considering the current situation…?”

When leaders from the higher authorities or central leadership come to inspect, they should be shown the best side of things. Currently, can the Eastern Sea Group still be considered the best?

Subsequently, Shi Yiwu also understood the intention of Lin Zhengxing. He seized this opportunity to exert pressure and persuade Nie Zhenbang to abandon his plans, resolve the issue peacefully, and prepare for Minister Li’s inspection. After Minister Li’s departure, looking for evidence would be impossible.

After pondering for a moment, Shi Yiwu started, “Deputy Mayor Nie, you heard Secretary Dongliang’s remarks. Minister Li has specifically asked to inspect the Eastern Sea Group. However, seeing the situation of the Eastern Sea Group, chaos is bound to ensue. At this time, I suggest you put aside your little games. Get back on the right track, work together, and prepare for his arrival.”

At his side, Zhao Dingguang chimed in, “That’s right. Regarding the Eastern Sea Group matter, Mayor Nie, it’s just your conjecture. I think it’s better to keep things peaceful.”

The two of them, one playing good cop and the other bad, were perfectly coordinated. Any ordinary person would probably back down under such pressure.

However, Nie Zhenbang saw through these tricks clearly. In the face of the glances from the standing committee members, Nie Zhenbang calmly said, “Secretary Shi, I will pretend I didn’t hear what you just said.”

Upon hearing this statement, everyone was taken aback. What was Nie Zhenbang trying to do? Qi Siyuan, Lin Mohan, and Zhang Zhengguang were all nervously sweating for Nie Zhenbang.

Shi Yiwu’s expression changed, and as he was about to speak Nie Zhenbang didn’t give him the chance, continuing, “As everyone knows, I didn’t know Lin Zhengxing from Eastern Sea Group before I came to Wanghai City. During my time working in Wanghai, I also had no contact with Lin Zhengxing. Those words accusing me of personal vendetta are just trying to smear me, which I absolutely will not acknowledge. Regarding this matter, I will make a detailed report to Secretary Chen of the Provincial Committee, Governor Jia, and Secretary Qiao. I believe that the organization will give me a fair judgment.”

If Shi Yiwu can pull rank, so can I, Nie Zhenbang. And who’s to say my tactics are inferior to yours, Shi Yiwu? If you think you can suppress me with Li Chengfang, you’re wrong. Who is Li Chengfang? The nephew of Elder Li, the uncle of Li Jianghe and Li Jiangshan, a true member of the Li family. I have long been at odds with the Li family, so do I have anything to fear from them?

Then he continued, “As for the so-called smearing of the Eastern Sea Group, I don’t acknowledge it either. This operation was a regular exercise by the Wanghai City Military Region and the Jiangzhou Naval Base stationed in Wanghai. In pursuit of realism, live ammunition was used in the exercise. Capturing the oil tanker was an accidental occurrence. Discovering smuggling, as the Wanghai City Military Region, it is necessary to assist the local government in doing a good job. I don’t think there’s anything seriously wrong with that. As for whether the Eastern Sea Group has been wronged, at present, without investigation, there is no right to speak. As Comrade Nan Xun once said, practice is the only criterion for testing truth. Here, I extend it a bit, whether it’s wronged or not, we must wait for the investigation to be done. Even if the Eastern Sea Group is truly wronged, but if they were to rent the oil tanker and warehouse to a smuggling group, that would still be a major responsibility and they should be punished.”

After a pause, Nie Zhenbang nonchalantly glanced at Liu Sicun, challenging, “As for the punishments, even if Secretary-General Liu doesn’t mention it, I will report to the provincial committee. If the provincial committee decides to punish me, I will certainly obey the organization’s decision.”

Unlike Shi Yiwu’s stern fury and intimidating demeanor, Nie Zhenbang, at this moment, wore a calm and composed expression. With his gentle and subtle language, he easily defused Shi Yiwu’s criticisms against him. His demeanor made Lin Mohan and Liu Yafu admire him secretively. If it were them, they might not have the same courage and insight.

Lin Mohan was even more grateful that he had established a relationship with Mayor Nie early on. At this moment, Shi Yiwu had also cooled down quite a bit. Nie Zhenbang was too rigid, armed with thorns all over, offering no opening for an attack.

In terms of capabilities, he was highly powerful, and as for character, there hadn’t been any negative news about Nie Zhenbang in Wanghai City. This was practically a saint-like style.

After a moment of silence, Shi Yiwu again said, “Deputy Mayor Nie, the central government has always been emphasizing stability and harmony. Although what you said has some truth to it, what about those people outside? The Eastern Sea Group is now panicked, how will they welcome Minister Li’s inspection?”

Nie Zhenbang calmly replied, “For Deputy Minister Li’s inspection and guidance, I think it’s better to be true to facts. We do not need to gloss over the reality, this is the quality of an outstanding party cadre. As for those people outside, Secretary Shi, as I remember, group petitions are illegal. If they have any issues or opinions to express, they can do so through the petition department, or even send representatives to express their concerns to the city government. Isn’t this allowing their behavior? My opinion is to handle the situation strictly and absolutely not indulge them.”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Next, Qi Siyuan made his stance known. After the last investigation concerning Niu Chao, Qi Siyuan had kept a low profile. Now, however, he was back in the spotlight. Naturally, Qi Siyuan firmly supported Nie Zhenbang’s views without reservation.

Following that, Liu Yafu, Lin Mohan, and Zhang Zhengguang also shared their opinions, all without exception, expressing their support for Nie Zhenbang. Whether the Eastern Sea Group was involved in smuggling or not, at the very least, the group was heavily suspected. Clearing it of related suspicion without solid evidence would be inappropriate.

With this, four standing committee members supported Nie Zhenbang, and coupled with Zhenbang himself, that added up to five votes now.

At this moment, Zhenbang was certain that Wang Yaguang was surely aware of the imminent breakthrough under this situation. The lid on the case in Wanghai City was about to be lifted. If Wang Yaguang did not know how to make a choice, his years spent as Vice Minister would be wasted.

With the support of Wang Yaguang, out of eleven people, six had already expressed support for Nie Zhenbang’s opinion. Shi Yiwu also understood that the overall situation could no longer be changed. In the past, when Shi Yiwu had the final say in the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee, no one dared to oppose him. But now, with the emergence of Nie Zhenbang, these suppressed people saw a glimmer of hope, making their union inevitable. Disputing any further at this point would be futile—it looked like the only option was to single out each problem and tackle them one by one.

At this point, Shi Yiwu stood up and said coldly: “I think it’s best to leave this matter aside for now. Comrade Sicun, you’re the Secretary-General of the Municipal Party Committee and in charge of the Letters and Visits Office. The pacification work of the Eastern Sea Group’s employees— I expect you to manage it well.”

…

Over at the Municipal Party Committee Office Building, in the office of the Municipal Disciplinary Committee Secretary, Nie Zhenbang, Qi Siyuan, and Lin Mohan were seated on the sofa.

Qi Siyuan was a bit surprised but mostly impressed. Mayor Nie, in his quiet and unspectacular demeanor, had unexpectedly managed to win over Lin Mohan. The fact that Lin Mohan had willingly joined them suggested that he had completely sided with Nie Zhenbang. This capability was indeed commendable.

After pouring a cup of green tea for both Nie Zhenbang and Lin Mohan, Qi Siyuan said: “Nie Zhenbang, Shi Yiwu’s words this time were like a sharp knife to the heart. You’re the only one capable of withstanding such pressure. I’m afraid if it were anyone else, they would hardly manage.”

From the side, Lin Mohan also added, “Secretary Qi is right, Mayor Nie, I believe the situation is far from simple.”

“Of course it’s not simple.” Nie Zhenbang took over the conversation. He looked at Lin Mohan seated next to him. This time, inviting Lin Mohan to this small circle meeting had been something of a test. If Lin passed, he would be genuinely integrated into Nie Zhenbang’s system.

Soon after, Nie Zhenbang said solemnly, “The situation involves not just the provincial committee but also…”

Nie Zhenbang made an upward-pointing gesture that startled the other two. They were all just middle-tier officials. They never expected the situation would lead to a power struggle at the central administration. This shocked them.

However, Nie Zhenbang said with a smile, “Minister Lin, when it comes to the propaganda department, it’s necessary for you to manage it personally. In the near future, a neutral stance must be maintained. Even if you do not support our side, you must at least prevent the Eastern Sea Group from controlling public opinion. This is crucial.”

After a brief pause, Nie Zhenbang’s face grew serious again as he addressed Qi Siyuan and Lin Mohan, “Secretary Qi, Minister Lin, our success or failure hangs on this moment. Minister Lin, when Secretary Qi and I go to the provincial city, keep an eye on the situation. Should any issues arise, you can report to Mayor Wang.”

To get this far and establish a special investigation team based solely on Wanghai City’s authority was certainly not feasible. The only option now was to report upwards. Qiao Yiren should know how to handle the situation with this basis in place. The next course of action shouldn’t be their concern.

PS: The current vote count is 446 votes, just 4 short of reaching 450 votes. My dear readers, there’s definitely no doubt that we can reach 500 votes! Daring to challenge me? (