Reborn as a Noble's Son

Walking into such a house, the ground was entirely made of soil. It was in a state of utter disarray with all kinds of construction materials haphazardly discarded.

Standing next to them, Zhou Chen wore a smug expression. You, Nie Zhenbang, aren’t you here to catch us for illegal operations? Seeing this situation, what will you do?

Tear them all down? The local residents might kill themselves in response. If they’re left standing, the situation will lead to a vicious cycle. People are naturally inclined to take advantage of situations, and make a profit. If others make money doing this, I can too. By that time, the investment environment in Liangxi City will be ruined. Mayor Nie – who is adept at building the economy- will fall from grace. When word gets out, people will say that Nie Zhenbang’s economic development plans only work in a place as clean and straightforward as New Li City. In a truly prosperous region, wouldn’t he be useless?

“Mayor Nie, as you can see, such illegal buildings are not only found within the range of our Royal Scenery Lanh Lake project, but also in the other five real estate projects involving old city renovation projects in the city. These stubborn people are like wolves smelling the scent of meat. Overnight, these buildings sprung up like mushrooms after a spring rain.”

Zhou Chen’s remarks were somewhat crude, referring to people as ‘stubborn’ and ‘wolves’, using these belittling terms, were somewhat disagreeable to hear.

However, Nie Zhenbang had to admit that what Zhou Chen said was largely true. These so-called factories and pigsties built with mud and sand, and various other assorted names. These places didn’t even have a road. Some were built entirely within their own lands, these weren’t businesses, these buildings had only one purpose – to wait for demolition, relocation, and compensation,

“How much area do these buildings cover in Guicheng District? Also, roughly how much land do they cover in Xishan and Liangjiang Districts? Mayor Guohua, you need to implement this immediately, arrange for colleagues from the planning bureau to compile a list, and make sure to photograph these illegal buildings for records.” After some thoughtful consideration, Nie Zhenbang gave orders to Li Guohua standing next to him.

Li Guohua nodded. As the executive deputy mayor of the municipal government, by fortunate coincidence, he also wore the title of secretary of the Guicheng District Party Committee. Liangxi city’s old city renovation project was under his purview as the deputy commander of the project headquarters, so indeed these matters fell within his responsibilities.

At the moment, he appeared very cooperative and said, “Mayor, rest assured, we will immediately follow your instructions and start a census of all the illegal buildings in the city.”

Nie Zhenbang’s expression was quite solemn. This floodgate absolutely had to remain shut. His character was such that, he would never allow the people to be aggrieved. He always considered the needs and welfare of the people. However, he wouldn’t tolerate people trying to make profits out of opportunities like this.

He then turned to Chen Yao, the director of the planning bureau who had followed him there, and said, “Director Chen, what exactly does your planning bureau do? In one night, there are so many illegal buildings in the city. This speaks to your inefficiency.”

Chen Yao kept his head low. Despite the heat of the blazing sun, he felt surprisingly cold. The prestige of Mayor Nie was undeniable. What happened to Ren Yong from the Finance Bureau? Even though he’s a nephew of the Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee, he was ousted at a word from him. On the surface, Ren Yong was sent to study at the Party School of the Provincial Party Committee. After the completion of the study, he would be reassigned. But which senior officer in the city didn’t know that this was only a facade maintained by the secretary?

After the financial power was stripped away, continuing to serve as the nominal head of the Finance Bureau was pointless. Chen Yao knew very well that he didn’t have the same background as Ren Yong and needed to tread carefully. Right now, Ren Yong was on his best behavior. He nodded and said, “Yes, yes, the Mayor is right to criticize. We in the planning bureau have fallen short in this matter, and I will surely rectify it.”

At that time, some of Nie Zhenbang’s anger subsided. He wasn’t really trying to topple Chen Yao. At this time, changing the commander would be troublesome. It would take some time for a new bureau chief to acclimate to the work. If they changed personnel, by the time the new person would be ready, it would be too late. This warning was meant to force Chen Yao to put his heart into his work.

Politics is just like the strategising of ancient emperors. Americans are also quite adept at it, with their classic carrot and stick policy.

“Director Chen, let’s not dwell on self-criticisms. The focus is to improve the current work. The Planning Bureau needs to immediately form a Planning Law Enforcement Team to regulate the situation in Guicheng, Xishan, and Liangjiang districts. The main focus is Guicheng District. Based on your city’s Planning Law Enforcement Team, the local Planning Bureaus will provide assistance. From now on, no new buildings shall be approved within the red line, and all ongoing projects must stop. If any new illegal buildings are found, they must be stopped and even demolished immediately. For this, I will have the city’s Public Security Bureau, the City Court, and the City Urban Management Law Enforcement Bureau, and other relevant law enforcement departments to assist you. If you still can’t do this well with all these support from the city, then you should not be the director anymore.”

Issues like unauthorized buildings are ultimately due to the public trying to take advantage. This is related to the moral standards of the masses and has nothing to do with anything else. This is a matter that can only be dealt with by using a heavy hammer. Find one, demolish one. Talking alone yields no results whatsoever.

“Yes, Mayor, with your support, if I still cannot do well, you won’t have to dismiss me, I’ll pack up and leave on my own accord.” At this moment, Chen Yao is also making promises with confidence.

At this point, Chen Yao sees the situation very clearly, Mayor Nie is furious. It’s suicidal to haggle at this time. Rather than that, it’s better to agree straightforwardly.

After a moment of contemplation, Nie Zhenbang’s mood calmed a bit, he looked around at everyone and said in a slow tone, “Don’t stand here any longer, let’s borrow the conference room of the Guicheng District Committee, gather the leaders of the party and government of Liangjiang and Xishan districts, as well as the comrades of relevant departments, and have another meeting.”

…

“Brother Hua, what do you think Nie Zhenbang is doing? Is he trying to enact strict laws in troubled times? Isn’t this like lifting a rock only to drop it on his own foot? He’s about to ruin his longstanding people-friendly image, isn’t he?” Taking advantage of the brief gap before the meeting, Zhou Chen converged with Li Guohua.

At this moment, Li Guohua’s face had an indifferent expression. This time was the first time he really worked with Nie Zhenbang. But Li Guohua saw Nie Zhenbang’s decisive nature. All along, Li Guohua thought that Nie Zhenbang was a peaceful gentleman, a good old man. But now, Li Guohua found that he was wrong, terribly wrong.

Taking a soft sip of tea, he said casually, “Zhou Chen, no wonder you were driven out of New Li City by Nie Zhenbang. Indeed, you’re not in the same league.”

His words made Zhou Chen somewhat embarrassed. He chuckled and said, “Brother Hua, don’t you know my capabilities yet? I can’t handle these internal system matters. Not to mention me, there are not many people in Jingcheng who can handle them. What about Yang Anbang? He runs a booming business, world-renowned, yet he can’t handle them either. Neither can Liu Kun, Li Hua, Zhao Xinglong. Can you tell me what’s going on?”

Li Guohua smirked, then explained, “This move has shown me Nie Zhenbang’s ruthless and decisive side. He could get where he is today, garner the support of Elder Nan and Secretary Yuan, his reputation is indeed justified.”

Said Li Guohua, continuing, “Zhou Chen, this time, Nie Zhenbang’s actions are the most appropriate method. The thought of the general public has not yet reached that level. Good and bad are mixed, this is inevitable. This matter can only be handled by adopting a strong measure, expressing to all citizens the government’s attitude and determination, can only then curb the trend of illegal construction. As for those that have been built, it’s simple. I suspect Nie Zhenbang has a frontline plan. He would never allow the public to be exploited, but he wouldn’t let people take advantage of him either.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Guohua’s secretary Huang Bao came in from outside, “Secretary, the leaders of Liangjiang and Xishan districts are here. We’re ready to start the meeting.”

In the grand conference room of Guicheng District, leaders from Liangjiang, Xishan, and Guicheng districts, as well as the heads of departments such as planning, urban management, public security, and others are seated. With this level of meeting, these section-level officials are not qualified to sit at the front of the conference table.

Nie Zhenbang looked serious as he scanned the crowd. After repeating the words he said to Chen Yao during the site visit earlier, he continued, “Regarding the existing buildings, all the officials in the three districts must take action. Leaders of each relevant neighborhood office and town must implement this one by one, and all the community and village officials must also go deep into the grassroots level, explain the government’s policies to the public, and cooperate with the Planning Bureau to do a good job in inspecting. Once an illegal building is discovered in any district, the city will punish it severely. Depending on the severity, the responsible officials in each district may be warned, demoted, or even dismissed. And the leaders of each neighbourhood and town will be dismissed without exception.”

At this point, Nie Zhenbang’s face showed a murderous momentum, he said in a deep voice, “My position is to ensure the fundamental interests of the people. But for those with ulterior motives who want to take this opportunity to get rich, my attitude is, no leniency. Severe punishment to the end.” (