Reborn as a Noble's Son

Chapter 785: Chapter 741 Visiting Zeng Taiping_1
 

“Yishan Heavy Industry?”

Nie Zhenbang repeated the name, assuring himself that he had no memory of such a company. He then turned to Li Jupeng and inquired, “Jupeng, what kind of company is this Yishan Heavy Industry? Can you tell me more about it?”

Nie Zhenbang was a human, not a god. At this time in his past life, Nie Zhenbang had essentially spent the day in dissipation and drink. Apart from some international significant events, he was completely ignorant of the current affairs.

Moreover, it seemed that Yishan Heavy Industry had definitely settled in Bashu, presumably before he took office. It was normal for Zhenbang not to be aware of Yishan Heavy Industry’s situation.

Li Jupeng nodded and then introduced, “Governor, Yishan Heavy Industry is a privately-owned heavy industry enterprise originating from Chunan Province. Their main product is the concrete delivery pump. They are the industry leaders in China and have become the benchmark enterprise in the worldwide concrete pump industry in recent years. Yishan Heavy Industry has now begun to expand into the excavator and other heavy machinery equipment sectors. Our Bashu Province holds an irreplaceable position in the Western Region. Yishan Heavy Industry’s first production base outside of Chunan Province is located in Tianfu City.”

Upon hearing Li Jupeng’s introduction, Nie Zhenbang nodded in admiration, “By the sound of it, Yishan Heavy Industry seems quite good. This orientation towards development is commendable. Third-class firms sell products; second-class ones sell services, while first-class ones sell standards. At present, our country’s entrepreneurs should have the courage and determination to run a first-class enterprise.”

After a moment of contemplation, Nie Zhenbang instructed, “In that case, have Comrade Jianzhang attend the foundation laying ceremony in my stead this afternoon. Cancel all my other arrangements for the morning. I have some matters to attend to.”

With that, Nie Zhenbang waved his hand.

Having been with Nie Zhenbang for such a long time, Li Jupeng was well versed with his temperament and style. He gave a slight nod of acknowledgment and then left to make the necessary adjustments.

Nie Zhenbang picked up the phone on his desk and called a number. As soon as the call was answered, Nie Zhenbang jovially greeted, “Secretary Zeng, are you busy at the moment?”

Upon hearing Nie Zhenbang’s words, Zeng Taiping sounded pleased, and his hearty laughter echoed through the phone, “Ha ha, Comrade Zhenbang. I just got to the office, there’s no major issue at hand. I was planning to visit Professor Guan Yukun of the Provincial Forestry Institute this afternoon. He’s a prestigious academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a renowned expert receiving special assistance from the State Council. He’s celebrated throughout the world for his achievements in forestry technology. He is now celebrating his ninetieth birthday. It’s a timely opportunity to visit him.”

On hearing Zeng Taiping’s words, Nie Zhenbang was taken aback. He had heard of the distinguished Professor Guan who, with his achievement in forest technology, could be compared to the rice hybridization expert Professor Yuan. Both were pillars of the nation.

With that, Nie Zhenbang laughed and proposed, “Secretary Zeng, since you have such a plan, let’s pay a visit to Professor Guan together this afternoon. What do you say?”

As soon as his words fell, Zeng Taiping laughed heartily, “Why not? I’ll be more than glad. Valuing and making good use of talented individuals is our province’s core philosophy and strategic guideline. We could meet downstairs at two o’clock. How does that sound?”

Nie Zhen banged laughed and agreed, “Excellent. I’ll definitely be there.”

At this point, Nie Zhenbang turned serious, “Secretary Zeng, do you have time now? I need to come over and discuss something important.”

It was unexpected that Nie Zhenbang would want to visit him, Zeng Taiping was momentarily taken aback. With his years of experience, however, he quickly composed himself, “I have time, Comrade Zhenbang. If you are coming, I will, of course, spare no effort in welcoming you. Feel free to come at any time.”

Zeng Taiping indeed had a strategy. In the bureaucratic circles, who didn’t possess a knack to converse based on the listeners’ preference?

Not to mention, a leading cadre like Zeng Taiping. To this speech, Nie Zhenbang merely listened.

He then replied with a laugh, “Secretary Zeng, you’re too kind. I’ll be on my way then.”

After finishing speaking and engaging in light banter with Zeng Taiping for a while, he hung up the phone, walked out of his office, and gave a few instructions to Li Jupeng.

Nie Zhenbang then left his office and headed towards the provincial party committee office building. His decision to pay a personal visit to Zeng Taiping was made after careful consideration.

From a public perspective, Zeng Taiping is the top leading official in the province – essentially, the head of the class. As the deputy head of the class, it was appropriate to show the necessary respect.

On a personal level, Zeng Taiping was once a colleague of his father, Nie Guowei; they belonged to the same era. Although he is now also a ministerial-level cadre, considering the personal relationship through his father, it wasn’t inappropriate to address him as Uncle Zeng.”

Also, while the relationship between the two seems quite harmonious on the surface, he knew his own affairs best. After the incidents in Yangde City, Zeng Taiping certainly had a lot of opinions about him. Therefore, it was crucial to take this opportunity to improve the relationship between the two. Upon reaching the provincial level, the concept of mortal enemies within the party did not exist.

When it comes to disciplinary action against officials at the provincial level, not to mention that he did not have the power to take actions, even the Central Government was extremely cautious and careful. Considering the years since the reform and opening-up, there were very few cases where provincial level leaders had been ousted and imprisoned.

When dealing with officials at the provincial level, one must adopt a cautious attitude and educate them as a principle. This had already become an unwritten rule.

Since there was no life-and-death struggle, cooperation was key. This was why Nie Zhenbang decided to visit Zeng Taiping himself. Given the latter’s personality and status, Zeng Taiping was predestined not to take the initiative to speak.

The elevator was swift. As it arrived at the fifteenth floor of the Provincial Party Committee Office Building with a ding, Nie Zhenbang got out.

Situated like his own office, Zeng Taiping’s workspace was at the deepest part of the entire Provincial Party Committee Office Building, flanked by small and large conference rooms.

As he reached Zeng Taiping’s office, the door was slightly ajar, Nie Zhenbang knocked before stepping in.

At this moment, Zeng Taiping’s secretary already stood up and respectfully said: “The governor is here, please come in, Secretary Zeng has instructed me that when you arrive, there is no need to announce. Please!”

That was one of Zeng Taiping’s strategies. He spared Nie Zhenbang the need for announcement. It was his way of giving face to him.

Pushing open the door and stepping inside, Zeng Taiping was found with presbyopic glasses on, perusing a file on the desk. Upon seeing Nie Zhenbang, he stood up right away with a welcoming smile, “Governor Zhenbang, please take a seat.”

Soon, the secretary brought a cup of tea to the tea table and then left, gently closing the door behind him.

Looking at Nie Zhenbang, Zeng Taiping pleasantly said: “Come on, Comrade Zhenbang. Try this Biluochun tea and tell me how it tastes. This was sent over by Hu Yanbo from Chunan Province.”

“Great tea, it leaves a pleasant aftertaste. The way it moistens the mouth and quenches the thirst is beautifully characteristic of the teas from Chunan. Truly a fine tea from Chunan.” Nie Zhenbang complimented before proceeding, “Secretary Zeng, I’m here primarily to discuss with you the matter about the Ministry of Finance.”

Upon hearing the name Ministry of Finance, Zeng Taiping immediately became uneasy. As he was about to speak, Nie Zhenbang preempted him with a laugh: “Secretary Zeng. Yesterday, I heard from Secretary Long about it. It seems that you want to appoint Comrade Fan Youcai as the Director of the Ministry of Finance.”

The manner in which Nie Zhenbang spoke was pressurizing and seemed to put Zeng Taiping on edge. After mulling it over, Zeng Taiping nodded, “Indeed, I’ve been considering it.”

Before he could say anything more, Nie Zhenbang seized the right moment to interject with a laugh: “I personally think highly of Comrade Fan Youcai despite his transfer to the Ministry of Finance being only a lateral move, which is rather unfair to him. However, I still uphold him.”

Nie Zhenbang’s words left Zeng Taiping quite bewildered. What did he mean? His tone seemed to be one of questioning, yet his conclusion seemed to imply concurrence.

Instantly, Zeng Taiping’s mind began to churn, musing over Nie Zhenbang’s intent. This man was by no means simple. This was a step back to move forward.

He was fully aware that arranging for Fan Youcai to become the Director of the Ministry of Finance would afford him a monopoly over fiscal power. But when Nie Zhenbang obliquely expressed his understanding and approval, he was in effect hinting at his perception of Zeng Taiping’s real purpose.

Further, while Nie Zhenbang hadn’t explicitly articulated his deeper implications, Zeng Taiping got the hint. Nie Zhenbang was suggesting that appointing Fan Youcai as director would be acceptable, but absolute monopoly over fiscal power would not be that easy.

At this point, Zeng Taiping started weighing the pros and cons of the situation. Seizing control of the fiscal power was his planned move. But that wasn’t his real agenda; fiscal authority was a mere bonus for him, something that he could do without. The primary purpose of promoting Fan Youcai was to ascend to the deputy department level. Since crowning the economy couldn’t be viable anymore, he opted for the pivotal departments. Moreover, eyeing the Ministry of Finance was also intended to keep Nie Zhenbang in check.

Now, since his purpose had been achieved, Nie Zhenbang’s taking the initiative to visit affirmed his stance. If he persisted, the importance of fiscal power for Nie Zhenbang would take on a new dimension. It could be anticipated that Nie Zhenbang would never let the fiscal power slip away. Eventually, it would turn into an intense confrontation with an uncertain outcome. However, it was for sure that neither Zeng Taiping nor Nie Zhenbang would reap any benefits.

Upon reaching this conclusion, Zeng Taiping also laughed, “Governor Zhenbang, if you agree as well, it seems that we are truly on the same wavelength. As an economic expert, you might be an excellent role model for Comrade Youcai. Although he’s fairly competent in fiscal work, there’s still a lot more to learn.” (.)