Reborn as a Noble's Son-Chapter 951 - 907 Assuming Command in a Crisis
Chapter 951: Chapter 907: Assuming Command in a Crisis
Chapter 951 -907: Assuming Command in a Crisis
On the phone, Liang Yuan sounded somewhat urgent, and Nie Zhenbang dared not take it lightly. He immediately made a promise. As the saying goes, there are no trivial matters around a leader, let alone matters concerning President Qiao.
Liang Yuan nodded and his tone became much softer as he said, “Mm, that’s best. Then it’s settled. Tonight, I’ll arrange for someone to pick you up at the airport. The leader wants to see you this evening.”
After hanging up the phone, Nie Zhenbang turned around, and right then, Yun Fei took the initiative to say, “Director Nie, I’ll make the arrangements immediately.”
Nie Zhenbang nodded and then instructed, “Regarding coordination with the Ganzhou Provincial Party Committee, just inform Comrade Ding Weiguang to go. He’s the group’s executive vice president and is quite suitable for the task. In addition, please send Vice President Li to the groundbreaking ceremony for Zhu’s Construction.”
This arrangement fully reflected the current situation. Ding Weiguang’s rank was temporarily higher than Vice President Li’s, but Vice President Li had more potential than Ding Weiguang.
After making these arrangements, Nie Zhenbang also held a video teleconference with Li Yong to brief him on the next steps and the work plan. After that, Nie Zhenbang lost interest in handling other matters.
This summons from President Qiao was too sudden. Judging from Liang Yuan’s tone and demeanor, it was as if it were more urgent than a fire, which made Nie Zhenbang even more anxious about what could be so urgent. It was hard to speculate.
President Qiao had already reached the pinnacle of his life. What could possibly make him so anxious at this time? Nie Zhenbang couldn’t figure it out.
For the entire afternoon, ever since he had received that call, Nie Zhenbang had not been in the mood for work. He contacted the airline as quickly as possible and arranged his flight.
At seven in the evening, November in Jingcheng had begun to show signs of cold. When Nie Zhenbang walked out of the airport alone, he saw Liang Yuan waving to him from afar. Standing beside Liang Yuan was another person, which surprised Nie Zhenbang. It was Fang Li, the former director of the National Office, who, after Qiao took office as the leader, was transferred to the role of director in the Central Office.
In local government, the office is usually referred to as the Secretary-General, but in the upper echelons, the directors of the Central Office and the National Office effectively serve as the Secretary-General, a close aide to the leadership. Fang Li’s transfer to the Central Office indicated that he had President Qiao’s deep trust.
“Director Fang, Brother Liang, I’m a bit overwhelmed by this welcome. I don’t deserve such an honor,” said Nie Zhenbang with a smile.
Fang Li, who looked to be around fifty years old, was sure to have a promising future holding this position at such an age. At that moment, Fang Li also said with a smile, “Zhenbang, are you making fun of Liang and me?”
Next to him, Liang Yuan added with a laugh, “Both Director Fang and I lead hard lives, unlike you, a local lord. Go on and tease us. If you don’t satisfy Director Fang this time, don’t plan on going back.”
The group got into the car, which was a Red Flag. Its design was very traditional, and its license plate was quite intimidating. Beneath the front windshield, the passes on display were even more extraordinary. Was this President Qiao’s vehicle?
Nie Zhenbang was rather startled. This car had been modified; it was bulletproof, which was a must. The configuration of the seats, especially the two in the back, was designed after first-class airplane seats. Liang Yuan quickly took the front passenger seat.
This behavior showed Liang Yuan’s extreme caution. As the nation’s Secretary-General, his rank was high, and behind him stood President Qiao. Outside, even the ordinary vice-national leaders had to treat Liang Yuan with courtesy, yet he took the initiative to sit in the front.
Once in the car, they headed towards the airport highway. At that moment, Liang Yuan’s face grew serious, and he turned to say, “Zhenbang, you need to prepare yourself mentally for why you’ve been called here this time.”
Next to him, Fang Li explained, “Brother, given that you are in Xibei, you may not be aware of the situation. Let me briefly fill you in. Yesterday, Comrade Zhang Tianyue from the Hongjiang Provincial Committee suffered a stroke and was hospitalized. Zhang Tianyue was supposed to be replaced during this term, but at this time, the ministries’ affairs at the central level have not yet been sorted out. The cadre assessment is only in the preliminary stage. Now that this has happened, it has put the central government in a passive position.”
High-level conversations tend to hint rather than lay bare, sometimes not because the senior figures want to talk in riddles but because of the variability and risk involved in political discussion. No one wants to commit to a firm stance, and everyone is unsure about how things will proceed. A slip of the tongue could lead to embarrassment and damage one’s career and reputation.
More importantly, certain subjects and matters are implied and not explicitly communicated, which gives rise to this manner of speaking.
Nie Zhenbang was somewhat surprised. The information he had received was already quite substantial, and he could be certain of one thing: the situation in Hongjiang Province was not optimistic.
In addition, there was another important piece of news within, concerning several major central government ministries. Usually, this term specifically refers to certain departments, such as the Organization Department, Propaganda Department, Ministry of Public Security, and so on.
President Qiao’s side had just completed the handover, and the new team was bound to adjust the leadership of these key ministries. This was inevitable; it wasn’t just a matter of the old saying “a new emperor, new courtiers,” but rather, each team usually had an overall arrangement when it came time to transition, normally coinciding with the predecessor nearing the appropriate age.
This way, no awkward situations would be left for the successor. At present, what could be confirmed was that President Qiao’s side had yet to decide on a candidate for the Organization Department, otherwise, they wouldn’t say that the cadre was still in the preliminary stage of consideration.
By now, Nie Zhenbang had a general idea in mind, and this, coincidentally, validated what his uncle Nie Guodong had said—Director Shen’s arrangement was impeccably right, seemingly a demotion, yet it enabled good relations with the military. After the team’s transition was complete, it would again create opportunities for President Qiao to act.
And now, being entrusted with an urgent mission was undoubtedly the best opportunity for President Qiao to show his high regard for and trust in Nie Zhenbang.
The car was fast, and Jingcheng traffic police, being under the imperial city, naturally honed their skills and developed a keen eye. No special arrangement was needed; the car went unimpeded along the way, even though it was peak traffic hour.
The distance from the airport to the Inland Sea was less than forty kilometers, yet it took almost an hour and a half. Near the red walls, there were noticeably more guard posts, and as the car stopped at the first checkpoint, the driver showed his pass and rolled down the window. After a cursory inspection, the car moved forward again, now entering the core area of the Inland Sea.
At another checkpoint in front of a gate, the guards’ uniforms were different. As soon as the car stopped, Liang Yuan got out, presented his credentials, and handed over an approval slip. Then he collected work permits from Fang Li and Nie Zhenbang for inspection, and only after this were they allowed to pass through.
None of those seated were visiting for the first time and were not particularly surprised. The car parked next to a small courtyard by the Inland Sea, President Qiao’s residence. They drove over the stone-paved pathway and continued forward for about two hundred meters, arriving at the mechanism that operated the entire country.
Upon entering, Liang Yuan headed straight for the study. After a short while, he came out and gave Nie Zhenbang a meaningful look. Nie Zhenbang understood and approached. As they passed each other, Liang Yuan whispered, “Zhenbang, the commander is in a bit of a bad mood.”
Nie Zhenbang was touched by Liang Yuan’s act. Although President Qiao was a senior leader, there was nothing to be worried about. However, knowing a leader’s mindset and mood in advance was a great advantage. After all, being scolded for no reason would upset anyone, and even if the relationship was very close, if such incidents occurred frequently, the leader’s impression of you could slowly fade, or even deteriorate.
At any time, even if you were the leader’s close confidant, maintaining good relations with those around the leader was never a mistake.
Walking into the study, President Qiao was sitting on the sofa, holding a copy of “Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance” and reading intently, his brows tightly furrowed, clearly not in high spirits.
That was to be expected. The transition of the team had just been completed, and many things were not yet straightened out. Suddenly, Zhang Tianyue fell ill; it was abrupt and urgent. It couldn’t be ascribed to anything but sickness. You couldn’t blame someone for becoming ill. However, the chaos within Hongjiang Province was genuinely testing the new team.
“Commander!” Nie Zhenbang stood aside and called out.
President Qiao put down the book, looked up, and seeing Nie Zhenbang, nodded slightly and said, “Zhenbang has arrived, please sit.”
President Qiao was skilled in adjusting his mood, which had been solemn before Nie Zhenbang’s entrance, now appeared much calmer. After Liang Yuan brought in a cup of tea, President Qiao finally began to speak, “Zhenbang, I believe Comrades Liang and Fang Li have already briefed you on the situation. Right?”
This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.
Nie Zhenbang nodded and replied respectfully, “Commander, they have told me. They said that Comrade Zhang Tianyue had a stroke and is now in the hospital. He hasn’t regained consciousness yet.”
President Qiao appeared to accept Nie Zhenbang’s statement, and then continued, “This time, Comrade Zhang Tianyue from Hongjiang Province has fallen ill abruptly and unexpectedly. The province is now in disarray. This is very troublesome. Right now, many matters are still being sorted out, making it difficult to find a suitable candidate in a short time. For this occasion, I am considering sending you over. Do you have any thoughts?” (
