Chapter 1278: Chapter 1233: Breezing Through the Journey and Recalling the Expedition. Chapter 1278: Chapter 1233: Breezing Through the Journey and Recalling the Expedition. Have we arrived at Wanghai yet?

Upon hearing Wang Jian’s words, Nie Zhenbang also straightened up, turning his head to look outside the car window.

On the Minwang Expressway, at the exit of the Wanghai toll station, it was already a scene of flying colorful banners and waving red flags. On the right side of the toll station, lined up neatly beside the shoulder, were a dozen or so black cars, parked orderly along the roadside. They were of different ages but the same make.

All were domestically produced cars, which nowadays were progressively advancing into the mid-to-high-end market. Tang Zheng wasn’t quite sure of the car brand, but he found it quite satisfactory. Wanghai City, as a sub-provincial city that is now also designated as the Huaxia Silicon Valley, uses domestic cars for its party leaders, which is a rarity in China.

Beside them, Wang Jianhua introduced, “Chief, starting from the policies you set in your time, Wanghai City has strictly enforced the ‘three ones’ standard in its ‘Three Publics’ spending: One pen approval or veto. The top leader of the municipal party committee is responsible for approving the public spending of the municipal government agencies, various bureaus and committees, as well as their subsidiaries in each district and county. A tolerance policy for exceeding standards is implemented. One car brand for the city; all official vehicles, except for police cars, are uniformly procured through bidding by the municipal government procurement center, with uniform specifications. It’s strictly forbidden for affiliated units to purchase vehicles on their own, and strictly forbidden to accept vehicles under any other name. One-time overseas travel is implemented across the city for all leading officials who need to inspect abroad. A pre-accounting system is used, with a one-off review and approval of travel expenses. Any amounts over the standards have to be covered personally.”

Listening to Wang Jianhua’s words, Nie Zhenbang showed some interest, nodded slightly, and said with a smile, “How effective has the implementation been? How do you manage it in terms of supervision?”

Nie Zhenbang’s experience and expertise hit the nail on the head. Wang Jianhua replied with a smile, “This regulation has been enforced for over six years and has achieved significant results. Wanghai City’s ‘Three Publics’ spending has always been kept at a very low level compared to other cities of the same level nationwide.”

“In terms of supervision, we conduct strict inspections on small treasuries within units, and systems such as coordinated financial income and expenditure effectively limit the power below. I remember clearly a phrase you used back then – the size of the power in one’s hands determines the size of their responsibility. To control power, we must cage it. It’s not just me who remembers this; the officials of Wanghai City are also fresh in their memories.”

As they talked, the motorcade had already exited the toll station, paying the toll like normal vehicles. This distinctive style also reflected Nie Zhenbang’s attitude.

On the roadside, all the main leaders of the municipal party committee of Wanghai City were present. The secretary of the party committee was Liu Yafu, an old acquaintance of Nie Zhenbang who was the director of the Organizational Department when Nie Zhenbang was in Wanghai City.

Over the years, every time he visited Wanghai, Liu Yafu was already the standing committee member and director of the Organizational Department, and along with Yi Chang, he had already been promoted to Deputy Provincial Governor. Liu Yafu’s advancement had undoubtedly been slow, but Nie Zhenbang naturally wouldn’t dwell on such things. Everyone has their own fate and different opportunities. Perhaps after he left, Liu Yafu made some minor mistakes, which prevented his promotion? This is normal. It’s also not uncommon to see comrades make mistakes and end up in jail.

“Chief, welcome back to Wanghai,” Liu Yafu stepped forward with both hands outstretched.

Looking at Liu Yafu, he seemed much older compared to before, with many more wrinkles on his face and much grayer hair.

Back then in Wanghai, Liu Yafu was about forty or approaching fifty years old. Now, after ten years, he was already approaching sixty, nearing the age for senior officials at the provincial and ministerial level to step down from the front line.

Then, smiling, he said, “Comrade Yafu, you have worked hard these years.”

Liu Yafu appeared very excited, seemingly touched by Nie Zhenbang’s acknowledgment of his hard work. Following him was the current Mayor Xie Guang, who had once been District Chief of Wanghu District and had now truly grown in stature. At the age of fifty, it was an excellent opportunity to achieve something significant. With Liu Yafu stepping aside, Xie Guang was in the right position, and in the future, he was destined to have a place in the Minan Provincial Committee.

Then, he saw several old acquaintances. Many of the district and county leaders from those years had also risen. Of course, there were also those who had retired, passed away from illness, or had been removed due to misconduct. Nie Zhenbang naturally couldn’t remember every single one.

“All right, everyone, get on the bus. Let’s not block traffic on the road,” he said after exchanging a few words with a few main leaders and giving a brief nod to the others. With so many people and after so many years, Nie Zhenbang couldn’t possibly remember all of them.

As the motorcade started moving, Nie Zhenbang’s car had already taken the lead, with the rest following. The convoy passed through Wanghai Boulevard and entered the bustling city center of Wanghai, where the crowds on both sides of the streets began to grow.

The news of Mayor Nie’s return had spread yesterday during the citywide cleanup. The people of Wanghai City, hearing that Mayor Nie was coming back without any police escort, roadblocks, or disturbance to the public, were eager for a chance to speak with him up close.

When the convoy reached the middle of the downtown area, tens of thousands of onlookers gathered on both sides of the street, forming a dense crowd. Each person was waving at the motorcade and shouting loudly, with some voices faintly carrying over, “Mayor Nie, welcome back. Good to see you, Vice Premier Nie.”

Up ahead, Wang Jian’s expression was somewhat solemn, “Chief, there’s a large crowd ahead; could there possibly be…”

Before Wang Jian could finish, Nie Zhenbang raised his hand and said, “Xiao Wang, don’t worry. Here in Wanghai, I trust the people and believe nobody will have any ill intent.”

Nie Zhenbang’s words were spoken with unwavering determination. This was a show of trust in the four million residents of Wanghai City, and at the same time, an affirmation of the work he had once done.

Having finished speaking, the black one-way see-through car window rolled down, and Nie Zhenbang’s figure appeared in the view of the crowd. At that moment, Nie Zhenbang was smiling, and the car could only move slowly along the route, waving to the masses lining the streets.

This sight filled Wang Jianhua, standing by, with longing and admiration. After ten years, today’s leader, the former Mayor Nie, had become even more mature. Following such a leader was certainly the right choice.

The motorcade did not stop at the Wanghai City Municipal Party Committee and City Government office building; instead, it hurried past. The building from ten years ago now appeared somewhat mottled, yet the greening inside the courtyard had been enhanced, and the camphor trees surrounding the square in front of the Party Committee had grown from a mere ten centimeters in diameter to almost twenty or thirty centimeters.

The group was headed directly to inspect the Hope Sea City High Tech Industrial Development Zone. Currently, the entire Zone, officially known as the Hope Sea City National High Tech Development Zone, was an institution with the rank of a vice-bureau. Known externally as Golden Valley, this was a title distinct from Silicon Valley.

The entire Zone, covering an area of forty-seven square kilometers, was home to IT companies and internet firms from across the nation and around the world. Of the Fortune Global 500 companies, one hundred and twenty-three had established branches here.

In the IT industry, well-known companies and enterprises all had branches or headquarters here. This place was a major driving force behind the entire development of Wanghai.

Here, Nie Zhenbang visited several companies of significant representativeness. One company was a local enterprise of Wanghai City that had grown step by step to become one of the leaders in e-commerce shopping in the country. Nie Zhenbang inquired in great detail, and the people there answered one by one.

Next, he visited a branch of a well-known domestic internet company and then the Asia Pacific headquarters of a foreign IT company set up in Wanghai.

He visited and inquired one by one, asking about the difficulties in the development of the enterprises, the problems they faced, how the local government dealt with these issues and their opinions, covering all bases.

The selection of companies also had strong representativeness, basically encompassing all types of existing IT enterprises in Wanghai City.

After having a working lunch at the Hope Sea City Party Committee Guesthouse in the afternoon, Nie Zhenbang and his party stayed at the guesthouse.

That evening, Nie Zhenbang called for a meeting with Wang Jianhua, Liu Yafu, Xie Guang, and to everyone’s surprise, Yi Chang also rushed over from Minzhou.

Nie Zhenbang could guess why; Yi Chang was one of his old subordinates, someone he had personally brought to Wanghai. Subsequently, having served as the Secretary-General of the municipal government until today, Yi Chang’s achievements were the results of his own efforts.

Feeling a bit tired after a day that passed by as swiftly as if he were just glancing at flowers while riding on horseback, Nie Zhenbang was starting to feel his age.

Outside the door, Xia Gang came in carrying a cup of boiled water, setting it on the table, as advised by the healthcare physician. It was best not to drink strong tea at night, as the caffeine stimulation might lead to excessive excitement, resulting in insufficient sleep. Long-term habits like this could cause insomnia.

“Sir, it’s already midnight. Tomorrow morning, we have to rush to Hongjiang Province. You see,” Xia Gang reminded carefully.

As a secretary, sometimes you find yourself in an awkward situation. A good secretary needs to have their own responsibilities and convictions, just like now. Clearly, Nie Zhenbang was quite happy, but Xia Gang could not help but speak these sobering words.

Nie Zhenbang nodded, smiling as he said, “Xiaoxia, you don’t know and can hardly comprehend how I’m feeling right now. Wanghai is the first place where I truly served a full term in an official capacity. I devoted a lot of effort here. The network base stations were negotiated in person when I went to America. The process, the hardships, and the difficulties… Thinking back now, it’s heart-wrenching.”

Xia Gang also nodded and said, “Sir, coming back now, I believe you must be very satisfied with the achievements of Wanghai City.”

Hearing Xia Gang’s words, Nie Zhenbang smiled faintly and stood up, “Just glancing at the flowers on horseback, recalling the journey… Alright, go rest now.” (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it by recommending and casting monthly votes on wuxiaworld.site. Your support is my greatest motivation.)