Reborn as a Noble's Son

Liu Wenqing’s sudden proposal of Nie Zhenbang surprised everyone present, as Nie Zhenbang was too young. Holding the position of a deputy county head was not a big issue. After all, that was only a deputy position. Even when he was elected to the standing committee later, which was supported by several bigwigs from the municipal committee, it wasn’t surprising. However, at this moment, Liu Wenqing gave such a bold proposal that a 23-year-old lad was to be appointed as the leader of a whole county, in charge of the livelihood of 160,000 ordinary people. This was not a trivial matter.

Everyone remained silent. At this moment, everyone began to ponder, why was Liu Wenqing unexpectedly pushing Nie Zhenbang to the forefront under such circumstances. What was the motive behind it? Especially those like Cheng Xinhua, Ding Aiguo, who had spoken privately with Liu Wenqing before. They did not receive any prior information about this, indicating that this move by Liu Wenqing was a contingency.

Others, on the other hand, were speculating what Liu Wenqing’s true intention was. Was he genuinely proposing Nie Zhenbang? Or was he alerting them that further debate would only give others an advantage?

Only Liu Wenqing himself, at this moment, was calm. Proposing Nie Zhenbang could be seen as a nonchalant move by Liu Wenqing but could also be interpreted as intentional.

He knew that Nie Zhenbang had a profound background. More importantly, when Jiang Zhenquan came to attend the foundation-laying ceremony last time, he specifically called Nie Zhenbang over to chat for nearly an hour. That was something Liu Wenqing had to think about. After all, a provincial party secretary personally spoke with a deputy for so long, signifying the importance Jiang Zhenquan placed on Nie Zhenbang. Now, pushing him a little, if he could help him out, it would gain him some credit from Jiang Zhenquan.

Moreover, right now, watching the relentless debate in the standing committee about the county mayor position, Liu Wenqing was moved to act.

Looking at the expressions of the crowd, Liu Wenqing knew that his words were too shocking. After all, a 23-year-old at the department level was unprecedented.

Immediately, Liu Wenqing banged the table and said, “Comrades, you must all be surprised. I think Comrade Nie Zhenbang is quite suitable.”

At this point, Liu Wenqing paused intentionally, scanned the expressions of the standing committee members, and then continued, “In terms of education, Comrade Nie Zhenbang is a graduate student at Jingcheng University. In terms of ability, the well-known Farmer Welfare Company in Li County was planned by him. Of course, in terms of experience, he is still somewhat lacking and a little young. But, this should not be a reason for vetoing promotion, right? Even Gan Luo became a minister at the age of twelve. Needless to say, in modern times. I think it’s feasible for Comrade Nie Zhenbang to become the county head. After all, the economic development plans of Li County were all planned by him. If Comrade Nie Zhenbang becomes the county head, I think it would be very helpful for the overall development and consideration of Li County. Of course, there always been an emphasis on democracy in our party, and any thoughts on the nomination of Comrade Nie Zhenbang for acting county head are welcome.”

Seeing Liu Wenqing expressing it this way, all the standing committee members knew that Liu Wenqing was probably serious about this. In response, Zhao Weihong couldn’t help but say, “Secretary Liu, I do have a different opinion. ”

Zhao Weihong had a deep hatred for the name Nie Zhenbang. The one responsible for Mo Zhihai’s incident was Wu Zhixiong, but Nie Zhenbang was also a key participant.

At this moment, when Liu Wenqing suddenly proposed Nie Zhenbang, Zhao Weihong felt a sense of urgency. After a short pondering, Zhao Weihong continued, “Comrade Nie Zhenbang has excellent qualifications in terms of ability and knowledge. However, Comrade Nie Zhenbang has just become the deputy county mayor and is in charge of economic work. He is also a member of the county party standing committee, and having him in that position ensures continuity in the economic development of Li County. As for the position of county mayor, I suggest we let the organization consider it further. After all, he’s only twenty-three, and a young man who hasn’t even married yet, becoming a county mayor. I personally reserve my opinion. Personally, I think Comrade Zhang Chunlai, the deputy secretary-general of the municipal party committee, could fulfill the duties of the county mayor of Li County.”

Zhao Weihong’s method was to praise first, belittle later. Initially, he praised Nie Zhenbang for his versatile abilities, but ultimately objected due to his short duration as deputy county mayor and age issue. Lastly, Zhao Weihong abandoned his own candidate, Ma Yunfang, and brought up Zhang Chunlai. Zhao Weihong played a cunning trick by aligning with Zhang Chunlai, who is a classmate of Secretary Li Yong of the Municipal Political and Legal Affairs Commission. This way he lost one supporter for Nie Zhenbang.

The expression on Ding Aiguo’s face was complex at this time, initially, he thought he had lost a round, but he didn’t expect such a sudden turn of events. Liu Wenqing actually proposed Nie Zhenbang. Nie Zhenbang was Wu Zhixiong’s man, hence he was also seen as Ding Aiguo’s man. In any case, it was better than allowing Zhao Weihong to gain the advantage.

Subsequently, Ding Aiguo also coughed and said, “I agree with Secretary Liu’s opinion.”

As soon as he spoke, Ding Aiguo set the tone high, which made Zhao Weihong’s expression changed, feeling embarrassed. Just now, he was just opposing Nie Zhenbang, forgetting that this was Liu Wenqing’s proposal. Probably, Liu Wenqing will also have his opinions on this.

Seeing Zhao Weihong’s reaction, as if he had eaten a fly, Ding Aiguo continued, “On the issue of Li County mayor’s position, I agree with Secretary Liu’s opinion. Although Comrade Nie Zhenbang’s current position can also ensure the continued implementation of the economic development plan, after all, he is not in control of the overall situation, and in certain aspects, there will be some constraints. Letting a very capable comrade take a higher position can better reflect his value. Currently, the country is promoting the youthfulness of leadership cadres. Although we are in a remote western province, we should also have the courage not to fall behind. We can’t let the developed coastal areas in the east always take the lead.”

Cheng Xinhua also suddenly took over the topic at this moment and said, “Hmm, Comrade Nie Zhenbang is not too bad. He’s decisive and bold, rough yet meticulous in details. What’s more, he doesn’t have the impatience typical of young people; he’s very calm. I also agree with Secretary Liu’s opinion.”

At this moment, Fang Gushan nodded slowly and said, “Comrade Nie Zhenbang was considered by the Organization Department before. However, he was not chosen primarily because of his age. It seems this was rather prejudiced, so please let the organization criticize me – I committed this subjective error in my work. This serves as a warning for our future work in the Organization Department.”

In such a scene, all standing committee members sensed that the secretary’s proposal was echoed by the mayor, the deputy municipal Party secretary, and the organization minister. As expected, the vote that followed left no suspense. Watching Nie Zhenbang pass the resolution with eight votes in favor, two abstentions, and one vote against, Liu Wenqing nodded satisfactorily. He then stood up and said, “Minister Fang, now that it’s decided, it’s your responsibility, on behalf of the organization, to have a talk with these comrades.”

In Liu Wenqing’s office at this moment, both Ding Aiguo and Cheng Xinhua were sitting on the sofa. Liu Wenqing stood up and personally poured a cup of green tea for the two. After putting it on the coffee table, Liu Wenqing sat down with a smile and said, “A friend from Min Province brought me some Tie Guan Yin tea. Try it and see how it tastes. As for tea, I’m a complete outsider. But Mayor Ding is an expert.”

“Old Ding, Old Cheng, this time, I specifically invited you two here mainly about the issue of Li County. This time, the incident in Li County sounded an alarm for us, indicating we need to intensify our work on cadre ideology. As for the executive deputy county mayor of Li County Government, Comrade Ma Yunfang, I suggest that we consider making some adjustments.” Liu Wenqing then put forth his own opinion.

Under these circumstances, both of them surprisingly agreed with him on the issue of Nie Zhenbang, although it was not clear why they both supported him. Nonetheless, they agreed with this opinion. Therefore, Liu Wenqing spoke very openly and directly at this moment.

This surprised Cheng Xinhua. Could it be that Nie Zhenbang had also sought help from above? Otherwise, why would Liu Wenqing take such steps? This was like arranging everything perfectly for Nie Zhenbang and clearing all obstacles for him. Furthermore, it was certain that Zhang Chubin, Liu Wenqing’s guy and the new county party secretary, would fully cooperate.

Cheng Xinhua then nodded and said, “Secretary Liu, you’ve considered this thoroughly. Under these circumstances, Comrade Ma Yunfang’s continued presence in Li County is indeed unfavorable to the unity of Li county team. Since both the top officials of Li County Committee and County Government have been replaced, I think Comrade Ma Yunfang can be assigned as the executive deputy director of the Construction Bureau.”

At this moment, Ding Aiguo also agreed, saying, “I think Secretary Cheng’s suggestion is good. Who’s going to fill the vacant executive deputy county mayor position?”

At this time, Liu Wenqing was clearly in a good mood, with a wave of his hand and a chuckle, he said, “Let’s leave this position vacant for now. With the major reshuffle in Li County, we should give local cadres some room. This will also be beneficial to the new secretary and new county mayor in their work.”

…

After the municipal Party committee made the decision, the next day, the Organization Department of the municipal Party committee formally issued a document. Wu Zhixiong, the deputy secretary of Li County Party Committee and the county mayor, would be relieved of his duties as a member, standing committee member, and deputy secretary of the County Party Committee, and it’s proposed that he be relieved of his duties as county mayor by Li County People’s Congress. There will be another appointment.

The announcement was ambiguous and did not reveal more information, but it was clear that Wu Zhixiong’s hope of becoming the county Party secretary was completely lost. While the officials in Li County were still in a daze, the appointment of Zhang Chubin was officially issued. The municipal Party Committee appointed Zhang Chubin to be a member, standing committee member, and secretary of the Li County Party Committee.

The situation in the County Party Committee was settled, but there was no news from the county government. Wu Zhixiong’s departure left Ma Yunfang free to fantasize. As soon as Nie Zhenbang entered his office, the phone on his desk rang. As soon as he answered, Fang Gushan’s voice came over from the other end: “Is this Comrade Zhenbang? I am Fang Gushan from the municipal Party committee’s Organization Department. Can you come to the Organization Department at nine o’clock tomorrow morning?”

PS: First of all, congratulations to Wu Jingying for becoming the new leader of this book. Sister Wu is mighty. Also, brothers and sisters, 630 votes, and Old Cai’s request is very low. If we can reach it before 24 o’clock tonight, there will be five updates tomorrow, a total explosion of 15,000 words.