Chapter 423: 403: The Advantages of Being the Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee_1

The Jiangbei Provincial Committee and Provincial Government did not share the same office, but the distance between the two locales wasn’t far. The Provincial Committee’s courthouse was at No.1 Jiangzhou Avenue. The Provincial Government’s courthouse, on the other hand, was at No.3. Between them, was the Provincial People’s Congress.

Exiting from Governor Ning Shouchang’s courtyard and walking for about five minutes brings one to the front of the Jiangbei Provincial Government Office Building.

At this moment, Ning Shouchang’s secretary, Su Jinguo, had already been waiting respectfully nearby. A Toyota Land Cruiser was parked by his side, bearing the second number plate of the Jiangbei Province Security Zone and the Jiangbei Armed Police Force. The first number plate was naturally taken by Shen Yanshuo.

Normally, upon hearing about the first or second official car of the Provincial Committee, many people would instinctively think that the plate starts with an A and is followed by either 00001 or 00002. In reality, most Provincial Committee leaders’ cars adopt different conventions. In some provinces, the leaders’ plate begins with an O, while others prefer using plates from the Armed Police Force. As it happened, Jiangbei Province used the latter.

“Governor,” Su Jinguo called out respectfully as soon as he saw Ning Shouchang and Nie Zhenbang approaching.

As Ning Shouchang’s trusty secretary, Su Jinguo didn’t necessarily need to act this way in his presence. However, Su Jinguo was firm in his role. His caution and carefulness were evident.

Nie Zhenbang also came over, extended his hand, and said with a smile, “Brother Su, good to see you again.”

“Mayor Nie, you are too polite. Just call me Jinguo,” Su Jinguo said as he too reached out his hand for a handshake.

Standing nearby, Ning Shouchang added with a smile, “Alright, let’s not stand on ceremony. We are all on the same side here. Jinguo is older, so it’s only right for Zhenbang to call him Brother Su.”

Ning Shouchang having spoken, Su Jinguo naturally wouldn’t say anything more. After ushering Ning Shouchang into the car, he smiled and said to Nie Zhenbang, “Zhenbang, let’s get together this evening if you have time.”

Nie Zhenbang nodded, presumably accepting Su Jinguo’s polite gesture of returning a favor. Judging by rank, Nie Zhenbang was at the departmental level while Su Jinguo could at most be arranged to a deputy departmental level if he were to be transferred. This was considered quite good. For demoted officials, they may even be assigned to county level positions. Furthermore, it was possible that these positions did not even offer leadership roles.

In this respect, Nie Zhenbang had indeed shown great deference to Su Jinguo, who also recognized Nie Zhenbang as a friend. That’s why he extended the evening invitation.

Nie Zhenbang got into the car from the other side while Su Jinguo took his usual place in the passenger seat. The car quickly drove out of the Provincial Government Courthouse.

Actually, the residential areas of both courtyards were connected. Even on foot, it would take less than ten minutes to get from one to the other. Governor Ning’s decision to take the car could be seen as somewhat extravagant.

However, this was not a private meeting. If it were private, there would be no need to drive. But under formal circumstances, with the image of the Governorship and subordinates in tow, there is a need to keep up appearances. Otherwise, who would respect him?

The car stopped at the foot of the Provincial Committee building. Many passing staff members spontaneously paused to greet Ning Shouchang. Although a Governor, Ning Shouchang also held the position of Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Committee and was a familiar guest. Naturally, the people here knew Governor Ning.

Since the Provincial Committee building had no elevator, Shen Yanshuo’s office was located on the third floor of the office building. Because they had arranged to meet in advance, Shen Yanshuo, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, had already left his office door ajar when Ning Shouchang arrived.

The door, not the secretary’s office door, but Shen Yanshuo’s room door, was opened. This seemed to convey the meaning of welcoming guests with open doors, proving Shen Yanshuo’s importance and grandeur.

Pushing the door open, Shen Yanshuo, who was working at his desk, looked up and removed his glasses as soon as he saw Ning Shouchang. He stood up and said with a smile, “Governor Shou Chang is here. Please come in.”

As Ning Shouchang entered the office, Nie Zhenbang followed suit. But at this time, Su Jinguo did not follow them in. As a secretary, Su Jinguo was mindful of his boundaries.

Upon seeing Nie Zhenbang, a look of surprise flashed across Shen Yanshuo’s face, but he immediately smiled and said, “Mayor Nie is here too. Did you come to report your work to Governor Shou Chang?”

Shen Yanshuo was subtly reminding Nie Zhenbang with this statement. Although Nie Zhenbang was a mayor and ostensibly reported to the governor, their ultimate allegiance was to the party. Reporting only to the governor could suggest a disregard for the Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee.

No matter how Nie Zhenbang responded at the moment would be improper, fortunately Governor Shou Chang was smiling and said, “Secretary Shen, this time, Mayor Zhenbang has submitted a bold plan to me. I have looked through it and feel it is good. However, it is too vast and extensive, so I specifically invited him from Liangxi City to report to you in person.”

Drawn by Governor Shou Chang’s remarks, Shen Yanshuo shifted his attention back. On one hand, Ning Shouchang gave a brief explanation, and on the other hand, Shen Yanshuo was curious about what the big deal was that made Governor Shou Chang say it was ‘too extensive.’ Shen Yanshuo chose to ignore the fact that Nie Zhenbang did not proactively report his work to him. After pouring a cup of boiled water for Ning Shouchang and Nie Zhenbang, he sat down in his chair, then said, “Oh? Even you think it’s too extensive, Old Ning. You’ve piqued my curiosity, Mayor Nie. What extraordinary plan have you come up with this time?”

At this moment, Nie Zhenbang nodded, respectfully shouted ‘Secretary Shen,’ then started his report. Compared to the initial report in front of Ning Shouchang, his plan was now more complete. As Shen Yanshuo listened, his expression grew solemn and surprise quietly crept into his countenance.

Even for a top provincial official like Shen Yanshuo, Nie Zhenbang’s grand plan made him feel a touch of emotion. One one hand, this plan was essentially impossible to execute in Liangxi City, as it involved multiple provinces and their top officials. Who would even give the time of day to a mayor from a prefecture-level city? This plan could truly only be implemented by the province.

On the other hand, Shen Yanshuo was surprised by the audacity of Nie Zhenbang. The fact that a local department-level official dared to draft such an ambitious plan clearly showed that the reputation of the Nie family was not unearned. After all, he was raised under the guiding principles of national leaders and thus had a head start over ordinary folks.

Hesitating for a moment, Shen Yanshuo also began contemplating. If Jiangbei Province, as the initiator, could successfully pull off the plan, then even though the development forum would rotate among different places, Jiangbei Province would certainly benefit the most. More importantly, the dazzling potential political gain to attract attention could not be ignored.

At first, Shen Yanshuo thought that Nie Zhenbang was here due to the issue concerning the head of the organization department. Now it seemed that wasn’t the case, which considerably eased his mind. After considering this, Shen Yanshuo then asked, “Mayor Nie, in your opinion, where would be the most appropriate place to host the first Eastern Development Forum?”

The real challenge arose with these words. Hearing this, Nie Zhenbang knew that Shen Yanshuo likely preferred Jiangzhou City for the forum. Even though Jiangzhou City’s economy couldn’t compete with Liangxi City, it was still the second-largest economy in Jiangbei. Considering the city area, it was home to the provincial party committee and government, along with various provincial departments, colleges, and state-owned enterprises. Jiangzhou City, with its modern metropolitan image, was a more suitable place to host the forum than Liangxi.

Nie Zhenbang began to contemplate how to change Shen Yanshuo’s mind and get the forum in Liangxi. Otherwise, his plan would only end up benefiting others.

After contemplating for a while, Nie Zhenbang carefully said, “Secretary Shen, I think it would be most appropriate to have it in Liangxi City.”

Hearing Nie Zhenbang’s response, Shen Yanshuo frowned and curiously asked Nie Zhenbang, “Oh? Why Liangxi? What’s your reasoning behind this?”

The aura being emitted by the provincial party secretary was one that most people wouldn’t be able to handle, but Nie Zhenbang appeared at ease. He had indeed met with national leaders many times before and this was a notch lower than that.

Gathering his thoughts, Nie Zhenbang said, “Secretary Shen, it’s not because I’m the Mayor of Liangxi City that I say this, but there are mainly three reasons.”

Firstly, this is the inaugural event and other provinces need to be contacted for coordination and communication. The mindset of the leaders of each province is not yet confirmed, and skepticism is natural. If we were to host the event in Jiangzhou due to it being the provincial capital, it may give the impression of commanding others, causing communication to become a delicate issue.

Shen Yanshuo nodded, acknowledging the reasoning in Nie Zhenbang’s words. He was very aware of the cunning of the officials from other provinces unlike the others.

Seeing Shen Yanshuo’s reaction, Nie Zhenbang’s spirits were lifted, and he continued, “The second reason is the strategic location of Liangxi. To the east it borders Hucheng City, to the west the South of the Yangtze River. Whether it’s Ludong or Minan, the distance to Liangxi is similar. Plus, Liangxi City’s economy is nationally renowned. Hosting here would also reflect the theme of the forum and express our sincerity.”

Thirdly, the event involving American companies in the past has made Liangxi City famous worldwide, although the reactions were mixed. However, I believe that Liangxi City’s reputation internationally outweighs that of Jiangzhou. If we could invite foreign capital this time, it would greatly enhance the forum. After comprehensive consideration, Liangxi City is the most suitable choice.

Hearing Nie Zhenbang’s words, Shen Yanshuo also sank into thought. It must be said, his three points gave a big shock, and more importantly, it was based on facts.

Similarly, Shen Yanshuo also thought of something else. The person he trusts and relies on was the secretary of the Liangxi City municipal party committee, in addition to Li Guohua. No matter what, he wouldn’t suffer a loss. As a result, Shen Yanshuo made up his mind and said, “Alright then, we’ll follow Mayor Zhenbang’s proposal. The forum will be held in Liangxi. This will be discussed in the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and then preparation will officially begin.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Nie Zhenbang, nonchalantly, said with a smile, “Secretary Shen, Governor Ning, since both of you are here, I would like to make a request. If we plan to host the forum, Liangxi City will definitely need to undergo large-scale urban transformation. Although the city can bear part of the costs, there’s still a big gap. Can the province help solve part of the funding problem in Liangxi City?”

At the end of Nie Zhenbang’s words, Shen Yanshuo’s face stiffened as he jokingly responded, “You Mayor Nie, you’re really quick to climb up the pole to seize opportunity. You come looking for benefits from me! If you don’t state your reasons, I’ll move the hosting location to another city.” (