Chapter 170: Chapter 170: Return to Lixian (Urgently asking for monthly tickets)_1

Translator: 549690339

Jiang Zhenquan’s words made Nie Zhenbang a bit hesitant. Having been made to wait for half an hour in Jiang Zhenquan’s office, Nie Zhenbang understood the implications. After all, for a county-level official to go against a deputy ministerial leader, it was quite insubordinate. When funding was not approved, he managed to secure a large sum from the central ministries, with many of the ministry leaders personally calling to inquire and specify that the money must be used exclusively for Li County’s economic construction and development. Although there was no direct confrontation between Nie Zhenbang and Cao Yangming, everyone understood the implications. Minimalistically, it could be said Nie Zhenbang had no regard for leadership; more seriously, his actions were undisciplined, and he used his connections to exert pressure.

As far as Jiang Zhenquan was concerned, no matter how impressive Nie Zhenbang was or how deep his connections, he was still a county official. If he continued to act independently, then how could the work of the Xibei Autonomous Region proceed smoothly? Might not Nie Zhenbang encroach upon the Party Committee with time? Thus, Jiang Zhenquan’s actions carried a hint of warning.

“Secretary Jiang, you are misunderstanding me. This time, I didn’t expect things to turn out this way. I was wrong, I ask for Secretary Jiang to criticize me. I made an error in judgment. I put the organization in a passive position. Please punish me,” Nie Zhenbang lowered his attitude and admitted his mistakes immediately.

His words brought a smile to Jiang Zhenquan’s face. Nie Zhenbang was indeed a slick one. He instantly portrayed himself as a sacrificial lamb, apologizing and asking for punishment. At this moment, it was difficult for Jiang Zhenquan to continue his reproach. After all, the backing behind Nie Zhenbang was conspicuous, and it was hard to determine Elder Nie’s attitude. And since Elder Nie had willingly sent Nie Zhenbang to the Xibei, Jiang Zhenquan believed that there would be someone to look after him. In the Autonomous Region, after much consideration, Li Yifeng seemed the most plausible, considering Li Yifeng’s past student-teacher relationship with Elder Nie.

With this in mind, Jiang Zhenquan laughed and said, “Alright, Comrade Nie, stop playing the victim in front of me. If I truly wanted to punish you, I wouldn’t have summoned you. However, there are matters that you could easily solve through me or Comrade Yifeng. Don’t keep escalating things to the higher-ups. After all, you are part of the Xibei cadre now. You must consider the face of Xibei.”

After a pause, Jiang Zhenquan continued, “The rumour is, you needed funds for the development plan of the zone. So, are you not planning on showing it to me?”

Nie Zhenbang was already prepared for this and brought out the development plan from his bag and presented it to Jiang Zhenquan, saying with a laugh, “Secretary Jiang, weren’t you just angry? I was scared and forgot about it.”

Jiang Zhenquan felt like he was dealing with a younger generation when dealing with Nie Zhenbang. Nie Zhen had a unique knack for dealing with people in the right manner. He never showed fear or nervousness in his presence and occasionally dared to act rogue. This fact pleased Jiang Zhenquan as it was rare, even among the high-level bureaus of Xibei. It was difficult for him to be angry anymore, or perhaps he found himself enjoying the interaction.

After getting hold of Nie Zhenbang’s plan and giving it a cursory glance, Jiang Zhenquan nodded satisfied, “Well written. Seems like you put in a lot of effort.”

Around half an hour later, having read the plan meticulously, Jiang Zhenquan felt a sense of admiration within. From an impartial perspective, Nie Zhenbang’s plan was nearly flawless. The novel ideas proposed by Nie Zhenbang reflected the spirit of the central government’s push for sustainable development.

In terms of the development zone and the attraction of investment, the plan thoroughly considered the local resources and characteristics of Li County, without blindly pursuing high-tech industries or the effect of top-notch companies. Today, since Urumqi established the first development zone in Xibei, many cities in the district proposed their development plans as well. However, those plans were all unrealistic, they all mentioned attracting high-tech companies or renowned firms. Given Xibei’s transportation, investment, and industrial environment, expecting any company to set up there was a joke. Conversely, Nie Zhenbang’s plan to rely on Li County’s agricultural resources, to introduce meat processing firms, leather producers, woolen mills, and eventually utilizing the local resources to introduce downstream manufacturers of leather goods and woolen products was much more pragmatic.

Jiang Zhenquan nodded in satisfaction, putting down the documents and looking at Nie Zhenbang as he took off his glasses to wipe them, saying, “Comrade Zhenbang, your plan is really good and pragmatic. You have taken into account the capacity of Li County in the zone’s total area. It is not flamboyant, and there is no emphasis on face-saving. I approve of this. Why is it handwritten? Haven’t you printed a formal document yet?”

Upon hearing Jiang Zhenquan’s inquiry, Nie Zhenbang felt somewhat embarrassed and chuckled sheepishly, “Secretary Jiang, this plan hasn’t been formally discussed by the Li County Party Committee. I hastily reported to Mayor Ding about the funding gap, and upon feeling the urgency, immediately came to the provincial capital.”

Jiang Zhenquan also laughed. He admired Nie Zhenbang’s pressing desire to work for the people. Nie Zhenbang didn’t discuss personal gain or power in the plan, which satisfied Jiang Zhenquan. Nowadays, many local governments who establish development zones constantly seek favorable policies and power. But Nie Zhenbang didn’t. That’s what it looks like to get down to business. Smiling, Jiang Zhenquan said, “You can go back first. I’ll call Secretary Liu Wenqing about the funding. I assure you that no one in the entire Xibei Autonomous Region can touch your funds. However, I must tell you in advance. I’ll be closely watching the Li County Development Zone. If you do well in two years, I will personally inaugurate it and congratulate you. If not, just pack up and go home. You should carry out the task well with so much support and advantages.”

At this moment, Jiang Zhenquan realised that people like Nie Zhenbang needed some pressure. Giving benefits and applying pressure at the same time would create a miracle.

Watching Nie Zhenbang leave, Jiang Zhenquan once again looked at the documents on his desk. He truly admired Nie Zhenbang’s abilities. Such a person needed to be maximized. Nie Zhenbang wouldn’t stay in Xibei forever. Taking advantage while he was still there, squeezing more out of him would contribute more to Xibei. Then, Jiang Zhenquan dialed Liu Wenqing’s number.

At this moment, Liu Wenqing was in his office. In the morning, he had received a report from the city’s Finance Bureau that a total of 120 million had been transferred into the accounts of Bazhou City Finance within a day. Attached was a note indicating its special purpose. This left Liu Wenqing perplexed. Could it be funds specifically for the Li County Development Zone? But wasn’t the Li County Development Zone still only in the planning stage? Even the Li County Party Committee hadn’t discussed it yet. Wasn’t this too quick?

Just then, the red telephone on his desk rang, bringing the stunned Liu Wenqing back to reality.

There were three phones on Liu Wenqing’s desk, red, white, and brown. The red one was the most important. Its number was usually used for upper-level contact. Seeing the red phone ring, Liu Wenqing immediately straightened up and answered, “Hello, this is Liu Wenqing.”

On the other end, Jiang Zhenquan’s voice came: “Comrade Wenqing, it’s Jiang Zhenquan. Did I disturb you at this hour?”

This sentence stunned Liu Wenqing. A call from the Party Secretary of the Autonomous Region, Jiang Zhenquan, even if he was busy, he would say he was free. Laughing, Liu Wenqing responded: “Hello, Secretary Jiang. I was just wondering about a significant amount of funds received by Bazhou City Finance today, specially earmarked for Li County. This… could it be a mistake?”

Jiang Zhenquan erupted into laughter and answered, “I knew you would be puzzled. It’s not a mistake. The funds were directly transferred from the ministry. We didn’t hold anything back at the district level. I am telling you this to ensure that you don’t have thoughts of withholding. Send all the funds to Li County. After all, it’s the money that Comrade Nie Zhenbang personally worked to secure for the development of the Li County Development Zone. Nie’s planning proposal is very good. Focusing on Li County’s local resources for sustainability is commendable and rare. Bazhou City should offer as much support and help as possible. If Li County does well, it will be a credit to Bazhou.”

As Jiang Zhenquan and Liu Wenqing were talking, Nie Zhenbang, who had just stepped out of the gates of the Autonomous Region Party Committee compound, received calls from Li Lixue and Dong Wan. The two women had just arrived in Urumqi.

PS: Brothers and sisters, it seems we can’t hold the second position and the third is also at risk. Urgently need monthly tickets. (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to recommend and vote for it. Your support is my greatest motivation.)