Reborn as a Noble's Son

Chapter 590 - 546: Establishing Prestige (Second update, asking for votes) _1

Chapter 590: Chapter 546: Establishing Prestige (Second update, asking for votes) _1

The power of six provinces and cities working together is indeed tremendous, and at the same time, all six places expressed their urgent desire. Prime Minister Yun Bo and Deputy Prime Minister Leng Yunfei also met these powerful figures from the six provinces and cities one by one in the State Council.

Seeing Qiao Yiren, who acted like a dead pig not afraid of scalding water, determined to secure the project this time, Prime Minister Yun Bo couldn’t help but laugh bitterly, “Yiren, you local officials are really well-informed. I’m afraid your noses are even better than that of police dogs.”

At the moment, Qiao Yiren smiles and says, “Sir, don’t worry about how I know. We shouldn’t delay. This time, we six provinces have taken the lead. However, I’m afraid this news will spread across the country by the afternoon. At that time, when too many monks want porridge, it will be hard for you to distribute.”

Hearing Qiao Yiren’s words, Prime Minister Yun Bo laughed and scolded, “You little scoundrel, you’re trying to take advantage of me.”

Prime Minister Yun Bo, nearly 68 years old, can retire according to the state regulations after the age of 65, and must retire at 70 (except for special circumstances). There’s absolutely no problem for him to address Qiao Yiren as a youngster.

After a brief thought, Prime Minister Yun opens his mouth, “The issue of the Wangtian Highway has been debated in the State Council. Overall, the economic benefits and impact brought by the Wangtian Highway are less than that of the Hutian Highway. However, now that the six provinces are united and so proactive, it’s not good to dampen your enthusiasm. This can still be discussed, depending on what good faith all six of you can bring.”

Finally, the six provinces and cities won the start of the Wangtian Highway by agreeing to be responsible for all of the land expropriation and demolition along the line.

Prime Minister Yun Bo’s decision was also quick, as Qiao Yiren had said: all provinces are watching this matter, and the longer it drags on, the harder it is for the country to make a decision. It’s difficult to favor any project because both were equally important.

Three days later, in the State Council, at the press conference hall, the Ministry of Transportation, National Development and Reform Commission, and leaders from the six provinces held the launch ceremony of the Wangtian Highway. This marked the official launch of the Wangtian Highway project, a three-year construction period, with central government funds allocated for construction. The Ministry of Transportation was responsible for route exploration and planning, with each province taking care of demolition and construction. That is, the highways of the six provinces would be constructed simultaneously. This way, all construction work could be completed in the shortest possible time.

Wanghai International Airport

At this moment, the tarmac was decked out in festive decorations. Above the terminal building hung a huge banner that reads, “Warm welcome to Mayor Nie Zhenbang and his delegation on their triumphant return.”

Below, stairs truck was ready. The city’s leadership, deputy leaders of the municipal government, and top officials from all municipal institutions were waiting, a crowd of dozens, even hundreds. The scorching sun and fiery ambiance didn’t dampen anyone’s excitement.

In front of these leaders, a row of hostesses, wearing fiery mini-skirts and white short-sleeve T-shirts. Each one was attractive, full of youth and bright. Each held a bouquet of flowers, prepared to welcome the returning heroes.

Yes, heroes, this was the term put forward by Li Taishi at yesterday’s afternoon meeting. Secretary Li of the Municipal Party Committee displayed unparalleled domineering at the moment. Although the Wangtian Highway project was a joint effort of six provinces and cities, Li Taishi believed that Mayor Nie Zhenbang’s contribution was indispensable.

The news from Jingcheng was shocking. Mayor Nie turned out to be the son of Nie Guowei, a member of the Central Committee, Deputy Secretary and Governor of Bashu Province, the nephew of Nie Guodong, a member of the Central Politburo and Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission. This kind of family background was enough to command respect. Without the coordination of Nie Zhenbang, it would be impossible for the six provinces and cities to unite and act together just based on Wanghai City’s efforts. It’s merited to call him a hero.

As the airplane slowly circles for landing, Nie Zhenbang remains calm, gazing out the window. Before departure, Deputy Secretary and Governor Liuyong of Hongjiang Province had come to inquire about some operations and issues encountered during the limitation of “three public” expenses.

The meaning was clear. It would not be long before similar policies would be implemented in Hongjiang Province.

At the same time, his own father was in Bashu Province, which was the Nie family’s base. Implementing this plan was just a matter of time.

This gave Nie Zhenbang some satisfaction. Sooner or later, as his influence gradually increased, the laws regulating the “three public” expenditures would be promoted nationwide.

“Mayor, look, Secretary Li and his group are arriving.” At this moment, Li Jupeng came over and spoke softly.

Before Nie Zhenbang could respond, a stewardess came up to him. She said to Li Jupeng: “Sir, the plane is about to land, please return to your seat.”

The landing gear of the Boeing 747 slowly opened, and the plane adjusted its posture. It stopped spiraling downwards and began to descend sharply, aiming for the airport runway. The plane taxied along the runway, and its speed rapidly decreased. It slowly and securely parked in a spacious parking apron.

A ladder truck came over, the cabin door opened and Mayor Nie Zhenbang was the first to walk out. He paused at the doorway, waving his arm towards the ground. Then, he slowly descended the stairs.

As he descended, a row of greeters came up. They presented Nie Zhenbang and his group with flowers. Li Taishi also came over, extending both hands, displaying unequivocal warmth and sincerity. He said: “Welcome back, our victorious hero!”

This statement caught Nie Zhenbang by surprise, he laughed and said: “Secretary Li, that’s quite an exaggeration, I cannot really be deemed a hero.”

At this moment, Li Taishi also laughed and said: “Mayor Zhenbang, in my eyes, you are indeed the hero of Wanghai City. The economic construction and development of Wanghai City were at a standstill due to the collapse of the Eastern Sea Group. But under your leadership, Mayor Zhenbang, we have found a new direction, bringing in investments, leading to a swift recovery of Wanghai City’s economy and the city is flourishing. This is a remarkable achievement. Even if we disregard everything else, just this alone proves that you, Mayor Zhenbang, are undoubtedly a hero.”

Although Li Taishi’s words were somewhat overstated, they were genuinely sincere. As far as Li Taishi was concerned, he was truly grateful to Nie Zhenbang. However, previously he did not feel as strongly about him as he did now. Soon after learning about Nie Zhenbang’s family background, Li Taishi’s professional direction made another adjustment. Previously, he might have taken a hands-off approach to the city’s affairs, but now Li Taishi was essentially leaving all the city affairs untouched.

Standing nearby, Deputy Secretary Qi Siyuan and Executive Deputy Mayor Li Xiangtian also came over. Qi Siyuan laughed and said: “Secretary Li is correct, Mayor Zhenbang is truly the hero.”

Li Xiangtian also echoed: “Mayor Zhenbang, with the inauguration of the Wangtian Highway project, we can foresee that once the Wangtian Highway is fully operational, the time taken to reach the inland provinces from Wanghai along the highway route will significantly decrease. It is akin to providing wings to Wanghai City’s economic development. This is an absolutely monumental achievement in laying the foundation for Wanghai’s century-long prosperity. We owe it all to you.”

At this moment, the three of them had different mental states. Understanding Nie Zhenbang’s background, Li Taishi knew that even though he was a deputy ministerial-level cadre and held the title of a member of the Provincial Committee, he wouldn’t stand a chance in a direct confrontation against Nie Zhenbang, who came from a prominent family. If it came to a real contest, Li Taishi would most likely suffer a loss. Hence, he chose to cooperate – to fully, extensively cooperate. This gave an impression that he respected Nie Zhenbang above all. In a way, he was instilling reverence for Nie Zhenbang.

A television station cameraman standing nearby was capturing the entire event. When this news is broadcasted, without any explicit explanations, all the officials in Wanghai City would understand its implications.

At this moment, Qi Siyuan also held the mentality of rewarding Nie Zhenbang. In the Eastern Sea Group case, without Nie Zhenbang, Qi Siyuan wouldn’t have discovered anything, and he might have even been implicated. Although in a previous matter, the Central Committee had intervened in the Eastern Sea Group, at that time it wouldn’t have meant much. Qi Siyuan had now taken a step forward, and so this is just an icing on the cake.

As for Li Xiangtian, he jumped from being a regular deputy mayor to becoming the executive deputy mayor, ranking fifth in the party committee. From the day he was promoted by Nie Zhenbang, he had been branded as one of Nie’s allies. In the past, Li Xiangtian was hesitant, but he had now completely made up his mind. This was a trial and the beginning of his true affiliation with Nie’s group.

Nie Zhenbang had a calm smile on his face. After shaking hands with all the members of the standing committee, a journalist from Wanghai City Television approached him.

“Mayor Nie, hello, I am Jiang Ruoxuan, a reporter from Wanghai City TV Station. May I ask, what kind of economic impact will the launch of the Wangtian Highway project have on our Wanghai City?” Her voice was as crisp and ethereal as an oriole singing in the mountains.

Looking over, a tall and beautiful woman, about 23 or 24 years old, was standing in front of him. Her large eyes sparkled with pure clarity. Her figure was incredibly svelte with curves in all the right places. She was wearing a white sleeveless casual shirt, with the bottom tied in a knot over her abdomen, and a pair of tight white capris.

In this ostentatious era, an era that values material possessions, where virtue is disdained but prostitution isn’t, her innocence caught Nie Zhenbang off guard. (.)