Reborn as a Noble’s Son
Chapter 980 - Chapter 980 Chapter 936 The Issue with the Beijing Office

Chapter 980: Chapter 936: The Issue with the Beijing Office Chapter 980: Chapter 936: The Issue with the Beijing Office Liu Yong’s remarks caught many people off guard, including He Yusheng. He Yusheng couldn’t understand why Governor Liu would express his stance in such a clear manner, offering his explicit support to Nie Zhenbang at this time.

However, Nie Zhenbang appeared completely composed at the moment, with Liu Yong’s performance falling entirely within his expectations. If this were not the case, if Liu Yong had truly turned a deaf ear, that would have been surprising.

Nie Zhenbang had thoroughly analyzed a person like Liu Yong. Born in the old society, Liu Yong had experienced many hardships and struggled through difficult times, emerging step by step from a tough environment. Even though he now held a high and powerful position, there were things engrained deep in his bones that could not be erased, such as frugality and thriftiness.

The relocation of the provincial committee and government represented a huge figure for the current fiscal situation in Hongjiang Province. The cost of land, demolition, and the relocation of various departments and bureaus, including residential areas and associated facilities, added up to a total investment of at least several billion yuan, with even ten billion yuan possibly not being an overestimate.

Nie Zhenbang was well aware of Hongjiang’s financial condition and was certain that someone with Liu Yong’s character would definitely not agree with such a move. Indeed, Liu Yong’s reaction was exactly as Nie Zhenbang had anticipated.

However, the implications behind this were different. With Governor Liu supporting him so explicitly in front of all the standing committee members, Nie Zhenbang knew that many of them would likely have trouble sleeping tonight.

Now, with both the first and second leading figures of the committee having expressed opposition, further discussion seemed pointless. The other committee members also shared their views one after another. Although the words they used differed, their purposes were the same–without exception, they all agreed with Secretary Nie’s opinion that the provincial committee and government should not consider relocating for the time being.

Just then, as all issues on the agenda had been discussed and everyone thought Secretary Nie would announce the adjournment, Nie Zhenbang continued, “Having finished discussing these, I actually have a proposal I would like to discuss.”

This statement caught everyone off guard, including Liu Yong, who also began to ponder what Nie Zhenbang was up to. What was he really trying to say?

Nie Zhenbang paused for a moment and then said with a smile, “The issue I want to discuss still pertains to economic development. Before coming to Hongjiang, I visited our Hongjiang Province Beijing Office, which is squeezed into a hutong in Nancheng, occupying just one dilapidated floor. The condition is quite poor. Although I haven’t interacted with the comrades from the Beijing Office, it’s apparent that their work hasn’t been very effective. I could also tell this from some of the economic data and reports from Hongjiang. I believe this is a very wrong approach.”

The matter of the Beijing Office? All the standing committee members breathed a sigh of relief. Since Secretary Nie wasn’t talking about an internal issue of Hongjiang Province, everyone felt much more at ease. It seemed that the Beijing Office, the Hongjiang Provincial Committee, and others didn’t place much emphasis on this matter.

Seeing everyone’s silent expressions, Nie Zhenbang remained undisturbed and continued, “As the saying goes, ‘official visits bring in money.’ This saying also aptly applies to the Beijing Office. Why are there so many different Beijing Offices? Why do both developed areas and many inland provinces have such large-scale Beijing Offices? In fact, in Bashu Province, where I once worked, there is even a Bashu Building in Jingcheng. I believe that everyone here understands the reasons. I’m sure many comrades present have had experience with such official visits.”

“There’s a saying, ‘Ministries are hard to enter.’ It’s rumored that a vice governor from some place, upon arriving in Jingcheng, was reduced to waiting outside the office of a department-level cadre, and whether he would be seen at all depended on the cadre’s mood. This isn’t said in jest. The development of the Beijing Office isn’t a trivial matter. The quality of the Beijing Office directly affects the ministries’ support for the localities. This time, when I took office in Hongjiang, within one day, I personally visited eight ministries. This involved sectors such as development and reform, finance, health, education, and transportation. From these ministries, I brought back nearly two billion yuan in funds.”

This statement immediately surprised all the standing committee members–it was news that no one in Hongjiang Province had anticipated.

Projects worth hundreds of millions were not something Hongjiang Province hadn’t seen before; society was developing, wealth was growing, and even if Hongjiang’s economic development lagged, they had still seen money. In fact, Hongjiang had previously handled several large projects, all with investments ranging from hundreds of millions to the billion-yuan level. However, Hongjiang’s economy still wasn’t strong. Ultimately, these were commercial investments. For Hongjiang to see results, it would take time, and moreover, these investments hadn’t formed a significant scale.

But the funds proposed by Nie Zhenbang were different, for they were practically a gift to Hongjiang Province. If allocated, that would genuinely help solve problems. This thought stirred the people, as it wasn’t just about the money; more importantly, it was the message it conveyed. Everyone said Nie Zhenbang was deeply connected, and it was indeed so. Even if Governor Liu went to Jingcheng, meeting unfamiliar departments would mean that securing a single project within a day, let alone a week, counted as success. But comparison is the thief of joy; here was Nie, visiting eight ministries in a single day and securing so many projects and funds. Such was the difference.

Nie Zhenbang observed everyone’s expressions and smiled slightly before speaking, “Thus, looking at the current situation, the Hongjiang Province Beijing Office is not doing its job well. It hasn’t played a vital role in bridging ministries with the localities, nor has it fulfilled the significant functions of a provincial office in Beijing. Frankly speaking, our office in Beijing is even inferior to Wanghai City’s office. Therefore, this time, my intention is to reorganize the Beijing office thoroughly, to increase our investment in it. Ideally, we could acquire a plot of land here in Dongcheng and build the Red River Building, performing the office’s functions while also serving commercial purposes to cover its expenses and costs. This would relieve Hongjiang’s finances of a significant burden.”

As his voice faded, Liu Yong, however, knitted his brows and spoke unhurriedly, “Secretary Nie, regarding the Beijing office issue, I have some different views. I believe that whether it’s running ministries or maintaining relationships through the Beijing office, these are all minor details. The key point is the strength of Hongjiang itself. The proverb ‘To forge iron, one must be strong’ applies here. To throw hundreds of millions into constructing an office space in Jingcheng, where every inch of land is worth its weight in gold, plus all the complicated procedures for approval and construction, seems like an extravagant waste of money. It might be better to invest this sum in our province to more effectively promote Hongjiang’s economic development.”

Nie Zhenbang didn’t expect Liu Yong to be the first to object; he had anticipated that Wen Baogui would oppose the idea. After all, Wen was the full-time deputy secretary, and his in-law was the Secretary of Hongcheng City Committee; this had little to do with him. Conversely, He Yusheng, as the executive vice governor, likely to succeed to the governorship, had a direct stake in how well Hongjiang developed. This project was undoubtedly beneficial for the government side. He Yusheng had no reason to disagree. As for Liu Yong, Nie had not considered him at all–just an old comrade on the verge of retirement, presumably gone by the time the project would start implementation; naturally, he was not expected to have opinions.

However, contrary to expectations and somewhat absurdly, the least likely person stood up and opposed his proposal.

Unperturbed by Liu Yong’s remarks, Nie Zhenbang kept a composed smile on his face and said, “Diverse opinions like Governor Liu’s are welcome. Issues always need debate to reach correct verdicts. Everyone should feel free to speak their minds and see if there are any different opinions.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than He Yusheng voiced his agreement, “I agree with the Governor’s opinion. Indeed, good steel should be used on the blade’s edge. Instead of squandering such a large amount of money on an elusive Beijing office, why not invest it in the province to strengthen local infrastructure and promote sustainable, rapid economic growth for the entire province?”

Nie Zhenbang frowned at He Yusheng’s words; the man lacked principles. Nie didn’t believe He was unaware of the Beijing office’s benefits. How could it become so frivolous once it came to Hongjiang? It was a principle-less opposition. If this person were to become governor, who knows what kind of unprincipled decisions he might make in the future.

At this moment, Wen Baogui suddenly spoke, “On the contrary, I think Secretary Nie’s suggestion is very good. Over the years in Hongjiang, countless comrades come to Jingcheng monthly, all staying in hotels, with significant yet annual administrative expenses. If we had our own office building in Beijing, we could open a hotel, considerably saving those costs. Plus, the over ten million invested annually in the Beijing office could be resolved through its business operations, and even attract local businessmen from various cities in the province when visiting Beijing. If run properly, it might even provide financial returns to the provincial treasury. I believe that this is a lasting and significant benefit for Hongjiang. I support the reconstruction of the Beijing office.”

Wen Baogui’s resolute and emphatic stance suggested he had a point.

Seeing this, Nie Zhenbang, still smiling, said, “In that case, let’s proceed with a show of hands. Those in favor of rebuilding the Beijing office, please raise your hands.”

As he finished speaking, Xu Hongzhuan was the first to raise her hand, followed by Wen Baogui and Yao Dingguo, also raising their hands in agreement. After them, Chen Le and Li Wei also voiced their support, bringing the count to five votes on this side. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, feel free to cast your recommendation and monthly votes on Qidian (NovelFire.net). Your support is my greatest motivation.)