Reborn as a Noble's Son

Chapter 354: Chapter 345 Dying Together_1
Upon hearing Nie Zhenbang’s words, the expressions on the faces of those present varied. Fan Changsheng, however, was frowning. He couldn’t wait to immediately refute Nie Zhenbang. As a mayor, a Municipal Bureau-level official, accompanying a group of workers to the capital city, Jiangzhou City, to petition at the gate of the provincial government, was absurd. More importantly, for a mayor of a prefecture-level city to utter such words, whether true or false, was in itself a mistake. However, in front of the crowd, it wasn’t appropriate for Fan Changsheng to lose his temper. Nevertheless, his gaze clearly concealed dissatisfaction.

Off to the side, Li Guohua was all smiles. Indeed, Nie Zhenbang’s personality was still the same, the saying ‘the leopard cannot change his spots’ was true. This time, he had bet correctly. Even better, Li Guohua hoped that there would be no solution within three days. By then, he’d like to see how Nie Zhenbang would clean up the mess. It wouldn’t be easy to dismiss the workers. Moreover, after three days, if Nie Zhenbang didn’t provide a satisfactory answer, or if he broke his promise, he could quietly stir the pot and push Nie Zhenbang into the limelight. By that point, once the matter spiraled out of control, even Ning Shouchang might not be able to protect Nie Zhenbang.

Chen Le and others, former subordinates of Nie Zhenbang, maintained neutral expressions. They were familiar with Mayor Nie’s straightforward personality. If a suitable solution was not found by the deadline, Mayor Nie would indeed dare to lead them to the provincial capital. However, the thought of a mayor leading a petition was nerve-wracking.

The workers, on the other hand, were shocked. After a moment of stunned silence, the crowd erupted into cheers. Compared to previous petitions, when city leaders and public security officers treated them like enemies, they had never seen someone like Mayor Nie before. His words endeared him to the workers.

Among the crowd, several lead men exchanged glances, and after a while, the middle-aged man who had spoken earlier said again, “Fine, Mayor Nie, we believe you. We will wait three days.”

With the situation mostly diffused, Fan Changsheng heaved a sigh of relief. These workers were not comparable to farmers from the countryside. They were city dwellers with a certain level of knowledge. In such a situation, measures to capture key personnel would not work. Arresting a group would only further incite the workers rather than disperse them.

At this point, Fan Changsheng was reassured by Nie Zhenbang’s means of calming the situation. By saying so, Nie was taking on the responsibility. If anything went wrong later, the first person to be held accountable would be Nie Zhenbang. The provincial government could then use this as an excuse to remove Nie Zhenbang from his mayoral position.

However, to everyone’s surprise, Nie Zhenbang appeared unfazed, a hint of a smile at the corners of his mouth. He had noticed the reactions of Fan Changsheng and Li Guohua. Immediately, Nie Zhenbang stated again, “Everyone, please quiet down. In front of the leaders of the municipal party committee and all of you, I, on behalf of the municipal government, assure that within three days a suitable solution will be found. This is my promise to all of you. The issue of Qingfang City needs to be resolved. Mayor Guohua has always been the most direct advocate for the Qingfang City project. Here, I believe Mayor Guohua will continue to serve the tens of thousands of workers in Qingfang City. In order to maintain policy continuity, the municipal government plans to let Mayor Guohua take on the task of restructuring Qingfang City. Of course, I will assist. Together, we will handle Qingfang City’s affairs satisfactorily.”

Having said that, Nie Zhenbang looked indifferent, a slight smile on his face, his gaze drifting towards Fan Changsheng and Li Guohua. He sneered in his heart, thinking, “So they set a trap for me, thinking they’ve got me all figured out? It’s impossible for me to ignore this issue, that’s for sure. But, I won’t bear it alone either. If I did, who knows what tricks Fan Changsheng and Li Guohua would play. The best plan now is to force Li Guohua onto this stage as well. Everyone stands or falls together. If anything, Li Guohua would think twice before playing any tricks.”

Off to the side, on hearing Nie Zhenbang’s words, Li Guohua’s expression fell. Initially, he was quite pleased, thinking he had gained an advantage, that he had successfully dragged Nie Zhenbang into this troublesome project. Even, undisguisedly, found a scapegoat in him. But unexpectedly, in an instant, Nie Zhenbang had dragged him in too, and in such a public manner.

At this moment, Li Guohua dared not openly refuse. On one hand, Nie Zhenbang was the acting mayor, his nominal superior. On the other hand, if he refused, he would lose face in public. If word got out, he would be seen as an irresponsible person who shirks responsibilities, which could significantly harm his future career.

Then, with a smile, Li Guohua said, “Fellow workers, please trust the municipal party committee and government, and trust Mayor Nie. Under Mayor Nie’s leadership, I believe the issue of Qingfang City will be satisfactorily resolved.”

At this time, Li Guohua was shrewd enough to realize, since he couldn’t shirk, he better push as much work onto Nie Zhenbang’s plate as possible.

The Mayor and the Executive Deputy Mayor had made their positions clear. The workers, under the encouragement of their organizers, gradually dispersed.

At this moment, the leaders of the first and second Spinning Factory and the cotton spinning factory, numbering a dozen or so people, all came up to meet them.

As the director of the first Spinning Factory, Liu Yuejin was sweating profusely, standing on the side, hardly daring to breathe. At this moment, Fan Changsheng also changed his smile that he usually wore when facing workers. With a serious look on his face, he sternly said, “Liu Yuejin, what is your factory leadership doing? Something so big has happened, and you are unaware of it. The Spinning Factory is half-dead. Can you still do your job? If you can’t, then give up your seats to those who can.”

Fan Changsheng’s anger was not unfounded. The workers from the first and second Spinning Factory and the cotton spinning factory caused a disturbance together. It’s impossible for the factory leadership to say they have no responsibility. At the very least, their ideological appeasement work was certainly not in place. No wonder Fan Changsheng was so angry. With today’s uproar, coupled with Nie Zhenbang’s remarks, the Liangxi City Municipal Party Committee and Government were put in a passive position. In other words, the Liangxi City Municipal Party Committee and Government had backed themselves into a corner. There is only one way out – proper resolution.

Having said this, Fan Changsheng turned around and left impulsively, leaving Liu Yuejin and the others quite taken aback. Liu Yuejin, standing roughly 1.75 meters tall and of heavyweight, looked as though he was developing a square shape.

Seeing leaders of the municipal party committee ready to leave, Liu Yuejin quickly caught up, smiling, “Secretary Fan, Mayor Nie. It’s rare for all the leaders to come here, why don’t we have a casual meal before you leave? Consider it a small gesture from our three factories.”

Upon hearing these words, Fan Changsheng paused, his face cold, “Liu Yuejin, at a time like this, you are still dealing with superficial matters. Can you still eat this meal? I can’t. When you, Liu Yuejin, get the factory back on its feet and turn losses into profits, I will treat you to a meal without you asking.”

Having said this, Fan Changsheng left all the leaders of Qingfang City behind and walked away. When he got to the road, he turned to Nie Zhenbang and said, “Mayor Nie, your remark just now was quite rash. As a leading cadre, do you have no discipline? You can’t have this kind of attitude. You can’t just say whatever comes to mind. Giving us just three days to solve the problem, you’re not leaving any room for the Municipal Party Committee and Government. If we can’t properly solve the problem of Qingfang City, it will cause a big mess.”

At this moment, Fan Changsheng was very angry and didn’t mince his words. Moreover, even if he wasn’t angry, he wouldn’t hesitate to confront Nie Zhenbang. Their different factions doomed their relationship.

Hearing Fan Changsheng’s words, Nie Zhenbang just smiled, responding a bit rudely, “Secretary Fan, I admit, I was a bit extreme. But when it comes to a serious matter like organizational discipline, I can’t just go along with it. I didn’t know anything about what was going on in Qingfang City. Mayor Guohua publically made such a statement, I couldn’t possibly deny it. That would damage the prestige of the Municipal Party Committee and Government. From the standpoint of maintaining the prestige of the Municipal Party Committee and Government, I had no choice.”

Nie Zhenbang’s words were clear. At this time, you’re blaming me, but where were you before? If you hadn’t pushed me forward, would I have driven the Municipal Party Committee and Government into a corner?

Fan Changsheng was conscious of his mistake at this point too. After a moment of silence, he huffed coldly, walked to his official car where his secretary, Wang Mingxuan, had already opened the door. Fan Changsheng got in and said sternly through the window, “Mayor Nie, you made a military order about Qingfang City, you must keep your word. Otherwise, if it gets to the provincial government, it won’t be good for either of us. I won’t say more.”

When Fan Changsheng’s car left, Li Guohua’s face was also expressionless. Just as he was getting ready to leave, Nie Zhenbang called out, “Deputy Mayor Li, wait a moment.”

Upon hearing Nie Zhenbang’s words, Li Guohua turned around and looked at Nie Zhenbang curiously, after a while, he said, “Mayor Nie, is there anything else you need?”

Nie Zhenbang nodded and said, “Deputy Mayor Li, with such a big issue at Qingfang City and us having made a military order, I don’t think we’ll be resting for the next three days. So, let’s take this opportunity. I think we should hold a Mayor’s Office meeting overnight.”(