Chapter 1279: Chapter 1234: Observations on the Hongjiang River Chapter 1279: Chapter 1234: Observations on the Hongjiang River The next morning came. Without stirring up too much attention, Wang Jianhua, along with the entire leadership team of the Wanghaishi Municipal Party Committee, who were all once Tang Zheng’s subordinates.

As for Yi Chang, he had hurried back to Minzhou last night. As Minan Province’s Executive Vice Governor, it was not a problem for him to visit his old leader in private and exchange thoughts and reports. No one would say anything. However, officially, since Vice Premier Nie did not summon you and you nevertheless showed up, it would be seen as insubordination. Even if you performed well, criticism was due.

Wanghai Airport was particularly peaceful that morning. Planes took off and landed occasionally. Instead of using a special channel to board directly, they went through the civil servant leader’s passage within the airport terminal building.

Here, Nie Zhenbang stopped and turned, saying, “Sending off a friend a thousand miles away, we must part in the end. I won’t say much more. Let’s leave it at this. This trip to Minan, to Wanghai, I saw your achievements and everyone’s efforts, which comfort me. The cadres from Wanghai City haven’t caused me, Nie Zhenbang, any embarrassment. That is something to celebrate. In the future, I will keep an eye on Wanghai. Pay attention to everyone.”

Watching Nie Zhenbang and his entourage disappear at the end of the security checkpoint, Wang Jianhua also turned around, addressing Liu Yafu, Xie Guang, and others, “Comrade Yafu, Comrade Xie Guang, let’s go back. Don’t let down the old leader’s high hopes and expectations for us, don’t fail his commendation.”

The flight that took off from Wanghai City at 8:30 a.m. landed punctually at Hongcheng International Airport after a journey of one hour and five minutes.

At the end of March in Hongcheng, the sky was somewhat overcast. Dark clouds were densely packed, and the clouds hung low, with a fine drizzle floating in the air.

On the tarmac, the leadership of Hongjiang Province had been waiting. Nie’s departure from Hongjiang wasn’t a long time ago. He had only been in Longxi for just over a year. Now, not much had changed in Hongjiang Province. When Nie Zhenbang left Hongjiang, he had recommended Fang Yuanshan as Secretary and Qin Guanghan as Governor, with Xu Hongzhuan serving as the Executive Vice Governor.

Stepping out of the cabin and standing on top of the boarding stairs, he looked below and recognized many old acquaintances. Fang Yuanshan, Qin Guanghan, and others didn’t need mentioning. His former subordinates, Secretary Hong Feng and Guard Dai Fei, were among the crowd.

This detail undoubtedly reflected an attitude of Fang Yuanshan. In such an occasion, having Hong Feng and Dai Fei present was undoubtedly a way of expressing a message: We take good care of your people. No one has been neglected. This showed the current team in Hongjiang’s respect for him.

Stepping off the boarding stairs, Fang Yuanshan came forward to greet him, “Old leader, welcome back to Hongjiang.”

Fang Yuanshan’s welcome was from the heart. As the son of Fang Maotang, Fang Yuanshan was far more informed than the average provincial or ministerial-level official. As a core member of the second generation of the Fang family, Fang Yuanshan’s current accomplishment as a ministerial-level leader was also in part thanks to Nie Zhenbang’s favor. Continuing on, reaching Fang Maotang’s level would not be a problem.

This time, Nie Zhenbang was in a glorious position, evident from his choosing to inspect the three provinces where he had once worked as his first destinations. But it was clear that this represented a homecoming in triumph.

However, Fang Yuanshan had heard about how treacherous this process had been, which was why he was so respectful. The Nie Zhenbang of the future was unstoppable. Keeping pace with Nie Zhenbang was the right path to follow.

Nie Zhenbang also extended his hand and grasped Fang Yuanshan’s, smiling and saying, “Yuanshan, you seem a bit bureaucratic, eh?”

It sounded like a critique, but the intimacy conveyed in his words made it feel like a warm spring breeze. As a leader, Nie Zhenbang was becoming ever more adept in balancing approachability with authority.

Next, Nie Zhenbang warmly shook hands with Qin Guanghan, smiling and saying, “Comrade Guanghan, I’ve heard about the work in Hongjiang. Last year’s economy was very impressive, outstanding indeed. The province ranked tenth in the country, entering the trillion yuan club. It’s worth celebrating.”

Qin Guanghan was more reserved than before. Back when Nie Zhenbang was serving in Hongjiang, Qin Guanghan had ambitions to compete with him and had even made some discreet attempts. Now, however, such thoughts were completely dispelled. They simply were not on the same level. At that time, he had regarded Secretary Nie as a competitor, but looking back now, Qin Guanghan realized that Secretary Nie had never concerned himself with such a rival.

He smiled and said, “Old leader, the achievements of Hongjiang Province today are all thanks to the foundation you laid back then. Now, tourism projects are blossoming everywhere in Hongjiang Province, each city has its features, each county has its scenery, rural tourism, rafting, hot springs, spring outings – all sorts of tourist attractions are continuously being developed, and the income of the people across the province has greatly increased. All these follow the policies you set. Guanghan has to admire your foresight.”

Nie Zhenbang smiled and said, “Alright, no need for flattery, I might start to float away.”

Then it was the turn of the Provincial Committee Deputy Secretary Huang Wenwei and Executive Vice Governor Xu Hongzhuan for a round of greetings. Unlike Wanghai and Minan, there weren’t many changes among the comrades in Hongjiang Province, making the feeling much more familiar.

Afterward, his direct followers Li Wei, Zhou Chuanjia, and Liu Yaowen, approached one by one, each wearing a smile. Nie Zhenbang’s success signified theirs as well. As members of the Nie faction, his leadership naturally required supportive hands.

After shaking hands with the Provincial Committee leaders, Nie Zhenbang went to Hong Feng, “Xiaohong, I’m aware of the work you’ve done in Wenchun City, you’ve done quite well. But don’t become complacent, continue to strive hard.”

Next, he encouraged Dai Fei some more before Nie Zhenbang finally said, “Everyone, get on the bus. We’ve delayed for too long, affecting the airport’s operations.”

Meanwhile, Xia Gang approached them, smiling, and said, “Brother Hong, the chief often mentions you. I’ll have to learn a lot from Brother Hong in the future.”

Hong Feng envied Xia Gang a bit. Being able to follow the leader into the central government was something he had always dreamed of, but alas, it wasn’t meant to be. Smiling, he said, “Secretary Xia, you are too kind. The chief is very good in all aspects, it’s just that when it comes to work, he’s relentless. That’s where you’ll need to remind him more.”

At the Hongjiang Provincial Committee, they listened carefully to the work report from Hongjiang Province. The policies of Hongjiang basically continued as before, vigorously promoting the development of the tourism industry, and in industry and commerce, selecting the best of the best. They tried to consider only non-polluting, high-value businesses for settlement. “Green Hongjiang, Qing Shan Hongjiang” were the slogans proposed by the current team. Nie Zhenbang affirmed these plans.

Subsequently, they selected several large farmhouse estates in the vicinity of Hongcheng. Nie Zhenbang and his party inspected the local situation. Nie Zhenbang engaged in cordial conversations with the owners and employees of the farmhouses.

The people of Hongjiang were very familiar with Nie Zhenbang, and some of them still habitually called him “Secretary Nie.” Nie Zhenbang was actually quite pleased with this title.

In his conversations with the locals, Nie Zhenbang didn’t indulge in high-flown talk. On the contrary, his words were the most down-to-earth, the most ordinary, just like chatting. How many people they could serve each day, how much they could earn, whether there was any assistance and policy support from the government, and so on.

Nie Zhenbang’s questions were very detailed, so much so that everyone found it hard to believe. When asking about the number of tourists, he not only inquired about regular days but also asked about holidays.

There, they had a sumptuous farmhouse meal. This time, Nie Zhenbang did not deliberately request a work meal. However, after the meal, Nie Zhenbang instructed Xia Gang to pay the bill. He made it clear that he was personally treating everyone.

The owner of the farmhouse tourism spot initially was dead set against accepting the payment, but after Nie Zhenbang’s persuasion, they ultimately accepted it.

In the evening, they stayed over at the guesthouse of the Hongjiang Provincial Committee. Nie Zhenbang was very familiar with this place; across from it, the residence at the Emerald Elegance Pavilion was still vivid in his mind.

In the living room, Li Wei sat upright and composed. As the head of the organization department, Li Wei was indeed competent.

Looking at Li Wei, Nie Zhenbang pondered for a moment and then smiled, “Wei Ran, it’s been over a year since we last met. Your studies at the Party School must have ended, right?”

Li Wei had gone to study at the Party School three months after Nie Zhenbang transferred away from Hongjiang. It was a training class for provincial-ministerial level cadres, not a short course but rather an on-the-job training for a year. Now, he had just graduated not long ago.

“I’m grateful that you still remember these things, old leader. Thank you for your concern and care,” Li Wei respectfully began.

However, Nie Zhenbang then said with a smile, “Good one, Li Wei, after a year of training at the Party School, you’ve certainly become more eloquent. Don’t be so restrained in front of me.”

After pondering for a while, Nie Zhenbang looked at Li Wei and said, “Wei Ran, remember when I was leaving I told you that I was reassured having you in Hongjiang. Now, with your qualifications and abilities, what I mean to say is, I hope you can shoulder more responsibilities. Concerning this matter, the central authorities also have some considerations and arrangements in mind. You yourself need to be prepared.”

The so-called preparedness didn’t just refer to Wei Ran himself but also to other possible arrangements, such as vacant positions. Adjusting personnel below, promoting cadres, and so on–all these required preparation.

Now, for both Nie Zhenbang and Shen Guoquan, it was a time for planning their moves. Nie Zhenbang wouldn’t disrupt the balance by encroaching on the interests of Shen Guoquan, but at the very least, he needed to make arrangements for his own subordinates. This was also the foundation for their future relations. Every person went through this process, not just Nie Zhenbang.

After receiving Li Wei, they then received Xu Hongzhuan and others. It was late into the night before he sent Fang Yuanshan away and Nie Zhenbang finally got some time to himself.

Outside the door, Xia Gang entered, holding a teacup, and said with a smile, “Chief, it’s past one in the morning.”

Hearing Xia Gang’s words, Nie Zhenbang also smiled and looked at Xia Gang, “Xiaoxia, Hong has shared a lot of his experience with you, hasn’t he?” (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it on Qidian with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)