Reborn as a Noble's Son-Chapter 932 - 888 Not Letting the Crowd Down
Chapter 932: Chapter 888: Not Letting the Crowd Down
Chapter 932 -888: Not Letting the Crowd Down
“Who are you? The area is on alert, and unrelated persons are asked to leave immediately. It’s possible that danger could occur at any moment.” As Nie Zhenbang’s words fell, a middle-aged police officer among the guards approached. He spoke politely but showed an undeniable air of authority. This was normal, as of the eleven members of the Ganlan City Committee, ten were here, including Secretary Huang of the City Committee. The police throughout the city were on full alert.
Hearing this, Nie Zhenbang smiled slightly, showing no intention to blame the police officer—after all, the officer was just doing his duty. He then said loudly, “Comrade, you are being overly concerned. Our great leader once said, ‘From the masses to the masses.’ Our party has always emphasized relations between the party and the masses, and between officials and the masses. We were sent here by the common people with their millet, wheat, pairs of army shoes, and their very legs. I believe that no matter where in our country or which ethnic group’s common people we are among, we are safest in the presence of the masses.”
The movement attracted the attention of Huang Dayong and Yang Qifeng, who both turned to look over. Huang Dayong recognized Nie Zhenbang and their faces changed upon seeing him. It was then that Huang Dayong came to greet him.
“Director Nie, I am truly sorry for our shortcomings in work, which have become a hindrance to the construction of Huaxia Group,” Huang Dayong said, humbly executing a self-criticism.
Nie Zhenbang was well aware of why Huang Dayong behaved this way—the main reason being his own identity, not only as the Chairman of Huaxia Group but also as a member of the Standing Committee of Ganzhou Provincial Party Committee.
From another perspective, he was also a leader of the Ganzhou Provincial Party Committee. In terms of ranking, his level was that of a full minister, and holding the position of a Party Committee member of the Xibei Military Region, his party ranking was naturally much higher than that of this provincial capital city’s senior secretary.
Nie Zhenbang smiled and waved his hand, saying, “Secretary Dayong, you are being too modest. Ganzhou City has made significant concessions to the construction of Huaxia Group, especially with the High-tech Zone, which is a tremendous loss. I am well aware of this.”
As he spoke, Nie Zhenbang’s gaze swept from Huang Dayong to Yang Qifeng and then he began to speak, “Previously, a comrade from the City Committee Office notified my secretary that this morning’s coordination meeting was canceled. I was about to head over to the Xibei Military Region, but when I saw so many cars here, curiosity got the best of me and I came to have a look. I didn’t expect to encounter you, Secretary Dayong. My apologies for the interruption, I’m truly sorry.”
Nie Zhenbang’s words left Yuan Ruiqing, the secretary-general next to him, somewhat grateful. Nie Zhenbang’s political finesse was truly adept. This time, he really experienced the political savvy of a ministerial-level senior official.
By saying that, Nie Zhenbang had actually affirmed the work of the City Committee Office; at least in this matter, Huang Dayong would not pursue anyone’s responsibility, because they had already done what should be done. Director Nie was just on his way to the Xibei Military Region headquarters and had stopped by out of curiosity.
At that moment, Huang Dayong also smiled. Everyone knew that Nie Zhenbang had probably come specially for this issue, but since Nie Zhenbang didn’t point it out directly, Huang Dayong wouldn’t say too much. In matters like this, it was sufficient that they both were aware.
Moreover, since Nie Zhenbang had come, if they simply went with the flow and let him leave, Nie Zhenbang might have been dissatisfied. It was better to be candid. Besides, Huang Dayong was eager to hear Nie Zhenbang’s thoughts since Nie Zhenbang was also part of the affected entity.
Thereupon, Huang Dayong said with a smile, “Director Nie, you flatter us. It is true that our ideological work has not been thorough enough, and our propaganda has not been fully implemented and practiced, leading to a lack of understanding and support for the national construction by the people. Director Nie, to tell you the truth, we were prepared to keep you in the dark, as it is a failure on our part as the Ganlan Municipal Committee, a stain on our reputation. However, since you, Director Nie, are already here, please stay and help us to supervise and guide.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than a voice suddenly rose from among the villagers confronting Huang Dayong and the others, “Hey, you over there, it seems like you could chat forever. If you want to talk, go back to your offices, your meeting rooms. We won’t agree to relocate until we have a reasonable response and a satisfactory result.”
Upon hearing this, Nie Zhenbang took a step forward and continued the man’s topic, saying, “Brother, what you said is true; we have neglected you all. Here, I offer my apologies. To continue with your topic, let me introduce myself. I am a member of the Standing Committee of Ganzhou Provincial Party Committee and the Chairman of Huaxia Group, which means I am the one requisitioning your land and homes this time. Since everyone is dissatisfied with this price, I’ll make a stand here—we will not let our farmer brothers suffer losses, and we shall not let the common people suffer losses. Today, let’s talk face to face, calmly and peacefully, sitting down to have a good discussion. How about it?”
After these words, the villagers fell silent, no one spoke. They were stunned. In the villagers’ view, such high-ranking leaders, such big officials, were supposed to speak in incomprehensible phrases that needed to be implemented and studied deeply. How could this high-ranking official speak so plainly? Was this really a leader speaking?
Unconcerned with the chilling silence, Nie Zhenbang knew that such moments naturally needed time to buffer. As he looked at the group of villagers, Nie Zhenbang said with a smile, “Folks, how about this? Secretary Huang and I will go to your village, and we’ll sit down and have a good chat. Trust me?”
It is said that the face is a reflection of the heart, and some people are naturally imbued with a trustworthy aura. Such individuals have always existed, as the idiom goes, ‘A great deceiver appears sincere, and a truly sincere man may seem deceitful’. Of course, these idioms don’t solely refer to appearance. However, one cannot deny that some people are inherently more trustworthy.
Nie Zhenbang was one such person, tall and stately, with a well-proportioned face exuding integrity. He spoke with a gentle and straightforward manner, no beating around the bush, his words directly touching the heart, quickly earning the villagers’ favorable impression.
Seeing the villagers become somewhat responsive, Nie Zhenbang turned to Huang Dayong and said, “Secretary Huang, it looks like you’ll have to accompany me on this trip.”
At this point, Huang Dayong also realized that following Nie Zhenbang would be absolutely safe. Although the villagers were fierce, they weren’t foolish; they were aware of the consequences of opposing the government and understood the repercussions if something were to happen to a high-ranking official here. They behaved this way simply because they were trying to negotiate for better terms.
Huang Dayong replied with a smile, “Director Nie, you’re too polite. Walking into the village with Director Nie fills me with enthusiasm, I feel like Guan Yun Chang setting off alone to a meeting.”
As soon as Huang Dayong finished speaking, the villagers, who had been warily watching the surrounding police and urban management officers, voluntarily made way. A northwestern man in his fifties stepped out, cast a glance over Nie Zhenbang, and then nodded, saying, “Mr. Nie, please go ahead.”
Nie Zhenbang understood the implication of this address. His current identity was neither that of an official nor a businessman but somewhere in between, so indeed, it was not easy to determine how to refer to him. The term ‘Mr.’ was certainly the most appropriate.
After nodding, Nie Zhenbang took a few steps forward, but then he suddenly stopped and said to Huang Dayong at his side, “Secretary Huang, look around. The personnel from the Public Security Bureau, the Urban Management Bureau, and other relevant departments have gathered here, which not only interrupts normal work but also casts a poor light on the situation. This assembly, in fact, creates a sense of opposition and distance. We should be closely connected with the masses, we must not become detached from them.”
The face that Nie Zhenbang needed to be given was a given. After a brief contemplation, Huang Dayong turned and instructed, “Mayor Yang Qifeng, I think we should have a few colleagues from the Municipal Committee’s Office remain, and also some colleagues from the Municipal Public Security Bureau. The rest can withdraw.”
Following the order of the Municipal Party Secretary and with the mayor overseeing in person, the withdrawal proceeded with remarkable speed. Very soon, hundreds of police, urban management officers, and the more than a hundred vehicles parked along the road, including ambulances, had all turned around and left.
Nie Zhenbang and Huang Dayong then walked into the village. It was a very ordinary yet typical village of the northwest, where most of the residents shared the same surname, giving them a cohesion unmatched by villages with more diverse surnames. The village committee’s office was housed in a building from the 1970s, a red brick bungalow. At each end of the walls, above the center, there was a concrete five-pointed star, the red paint flaking, vaguely reminiscent of the star’s former glory.
The old-style black office desk had one leg that was shorter than the others and was propped up with a stone. The chairs were also in a state of disrepair. Walking into this scene, Huang Dayong felt rather embarrassed. This was a village under Ganzhou City, the provincial capital. Under these circumstances, not only was it a loss of face for Huang Dayong, but it was also a downright slap in the face.
“Old sir, may I have your surname? Why haven’t you built a new office? Didn’t we allocate special government funds for all villages and neighborhood committees in the city to build new offices three months ago?” Huang Dayong asked, frowning.
The old man listened to Huang Dayong, then laughed a bit, “Surnamed Ma. The town did mention special funds were coming, but later, they said it’d be handled in a centralized manner, then, with talk of demolition and expropriation here, we never heard anything about the money.”
At this point, what Nie Zhenbang and Huang Dayong didn’t expect was for the elder Mr. Ma to suddenly say, “Both of you senior leaders, to be honest, it’s not that we don’t want to relocate, it’s just that, we, as farmers, feel insecure without our land.”
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