Chapter 1280: Chapter 1235: Problems Arise Again Chapter 1280: Chapter 1235: Problems Arise Again Nie Zhenbang conducted a two-day inspection in Hongcheng. On the first day, he stayed overnight in Hongcheng. The following day, Nie Zhenbang and his team inspected Songzhou and Wenchun cities, which followed completely different paths. The entire day of inspection was indescribably exhausting for the inspection team. None had the energy of Nie Zhenbang.

That night, at Hongcheng International Airport, the flight took off after 10 PM, flying directly to Tianfu City in Bashu Province. When it arrived at Tianfu International Airport, it was already deep into the night.

At the tarmac, lights on both sides illuminated the concrete ground as if it were daylight. At the forefront was Guo Haoyu, the new Secretary of the Bashu Provincial Party Committee from two years prior.

Bashu Province was the first place where Nie Zhenbang truly stepped into a ministerial-level position and governed a locality. At the same time, it was a relatively distant post. After leaving Bashu, he was tasked with establishing the Huaxia Group and then took up his duties in the Hongjiang River area. In total, it had been over six years. Throughout this journey, Nie Zhenbang had matured from being green to seasoned.

Nowadays, Bashu Province had changed completely. Su Xuan had already been transferred earlier on. At the moment, Su Xuan was the Secretary of the Hucheng Municipal Committee. It was believed that, in four years’ time, among the new Nine Tripods, there would certainly be a place for him.

When he was in office, most of the permanent members of the Bashu Province had undergone some changes; some were promoted and transferred elsewhere, while others had retired. Now, only one old acquaintance remained, the former permanent committee deputy governor, now Governor Pan Jianzhang of Bashu Province.

He was a direct confidant of the Nie faction and the current leader of the Nie faction within Bashu Province.

The reception at Tianfu Airport was not as enthusiastic or atmospheric as it had been in Hongcheng, being that they merely knew of each other without much personal acquaintance. Throughout the reception, Guo Haoyu maintained a reserved demeanor. He was neither overly warm nor gave Nie Zhenbang much to talk about.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the motorcade set off right away. Nie Zhenbang was arranged to stay at the No.1 compound of the Bashu Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government.

No sooner had he settled in than Xia Gang came in to report, “Chief, Governor Pan outside wishes to report to you on his work.”

Upon hearing this, Nie Zhenbang stood up and said, “Please invite him in quickly. Jianzhang is not an outsider. Please, bring him in.”

Nie Zhenbang’s welcoming attitude moved Pan Jianzhang deeply. Although they would call and exchange ideas and discuss work during the holidays and on regular days, this was the first face-to-face meeting outside of the sessions of the National Congress.

As soon as he entered, Pan Jianzhang said with a smile, “Chief, I apologize for interrupting your rest.”

Hearing this, Nie Zhenbang replied with a smile, “Jianzhang, how have you become so cautious nowadays? I remember back when you were the deputy provincial governor of the Permanent Committee. You weren’t like this.”

Laughing, Pan Jianzhang said, “Chief, it’s human nature. The higher the position, the smaller the courage becomes. It’s cold at the top. These years in Bashu Province, not all work has gone to plan. I’ve come to apologize to you, Chief.”

Listening to Pan’s words, Nie Zhenbang smiled and reflected, “I remember when the Wenshu earthquake occurred. I personally led the team to the disaster area. Now, it seems like more than six years have passed. I wonder how the lives of the people in the disaster area are now.”

At this, Nie Zhenbang continued slowly, “Jianzhang, let’s do this–consult with Secretary Haoyu. For tomorrow’s inspection, let’s make a temporary change. We won’t visit Wuliang City first. Let’s start by visiting Wenshu to look around. I really can’t let go of the people there or that Landslide Lake.”

…

Nie Zhenbang’s request was naturally unopposed by Bashu Province. While Nie Zhenbang was polite in saying that it should be discussed with the leaders of the Bashu team, everyone knew that this was the Chief’s intention. After all, who would refute the Chief and cause him embarrassment?

Without any objections, the motorcade set off early the next morning toward Wenshu. After a stretch on the highway and departing at Changhong City, the convoy drove towards the Wenshu disaster area. Along the way, Nie Zhenbang viewed the surrounding scenery–with green waters and lush mountains, life was thriving everywhere, which elevated his spirits greatly.

The newly built houses along the road bore no traces of the disaster area anymore.

Turning to his companions, Guo Haoyu and Pan Jianzhang, Nie Zhenbang said, “Comrade Haoyu, Comrade Jianzhang, it seems that Bashu’s post-earthquake reconstruction work has been quite remarkable.”

At that moment, Guo Haoyu spoke up, “Chief, we thank the central authorities and the support and assistance of our fellow provinces. Without the leadership of our superiors and the support of provinces nationwide, we could not have achieved what we have solely with the strength of Bashu.”

Nie Zhenbang waved his hand and slowly said, “Comrade Haoyu, to be honest, the achievements of Bashu Province are indeed commendable. I remember that after the major earthquake, when the landscape was torn asunder, revealing indelible scars and marks, looking at it now, the mountains are lush and green. This undoubtedly proves the capability and outstanding achievements of the team from the Bashu Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government.”

Next, during his inspection in Wenshu County, Nie Zhenbang visited the ordinary citizens at the resettlement district that was built on the original site of the county town.

Nie Zhenbang personally knocked on each family’s door, and although the people of Wenshu County didn’t recognize him immediately, they soon remembered who he was.

In the afternoon, the motorcade left Wenshu County, bypassing Changhong City and heading straight for Wuliang City via Daba City.

As the motorcade entered the territory of Li Shan County in Daba City, suddenly, ahead was a dense crowd. The sides of the road were filled with people. Just then, in front of the crowd, numerous police cars and official vehicles drove towards them.

Seeing this, Nie Zhenbang frowned instantly, his gaze landing on the banners up ahead. A prominent line of text darkened Nie Zhenbang’s expression further: “We want green mountains and clear waters, not economic development.”

These words were undoubtedly heart-wrenching. Seeing this, Nie Zhenbang turned his eyes to Guo Haoyu and Pan Jianzhang on the opposite side and asked in a deep voice, “Comrade Haoyu, do you know what’s going on?”

At this moment, about a kilometer ahead of Nie Zhenbang’s motorcade, Daba City’s Party Secretary Xia Mingda and Mayor Wang Yuanchao were sitting in a black Audi.

Wang Yuanchao’s phone rang, and he quickly answered it. Moments later, after hanging up, Wang Yuanchao’s face turned sour, and he said gravely, “Secretary Xia, it’s too late. The leading group’s motorcade has arrived ten minutes early. I’m afraid we can’t cover this up anymore.”

As the words fell, Xia Mingda’s face also showed despair as he commanded, “Order everyone to withdraw – the police, the armed police, and all local government workers. Let’s head back to the city immediately.”

At that point, the motorcade had already stopped, Guo Haoyu stood up as well, turned to look, and was also stunned by the scene.

His first thought was, what kind of trick was Xia Mingda playing? This wasn’t even a proper inspection of Daba City, and such a major oversight had occurred. Wasn’t this smearing the Provincial Party Committee?

Nie Zhenbang had already stood up and said solemnly, “Comrade Haoyu, Comrade Jianzhang, let’s go down and take a look.”

Following Nie Zhenbang getting off the car, the first and second leaders of the Bashu Provincial Party Committee, along with the other leaders accompanying the visit, all got out.

Seeing Nie Zhenbang, the people on both sides came forward, shouting loudly, “Governor Nie, you must stand up for us. We can no longer live like this.”

It was the same familiar title, which made Nie Zhenbang somewhat emotional. Then, someone else shouted loudly, “Prime Minister Nie, please come and see for yourself. The mountains and waters here have been ruined by the factories along the banks of the river.”

“Don’t worry, folks. What’s going on? Can you tell me more?” Nie Zhenbang approached them and spoke gently.

Standing by Nie Zhenbang’s side, a local about fifty years old pointed to the distant green mountains and the winding river, saying with deep pain, “Prime Minister Nie, look at this. The county developed an industrial zone about two kilometers upstream, attracting many enterprises and factories. It’s supposed to be good as many locals found jobs in the factories and no longer had to travel far to work. But over the years, the environment has progressively worsened. Due to unregulated pollution, the trees on the surrounding mountains have all died. The once clear river water is now a black ditch, and the locals in the villages have suffered. The well water is foul-smelling and undrinkable. In the river, you can’t even find a hyacinth, let alone fish. The nearby fields can no longer grow crops. If this continues, we will have no way to live.”

After he spoke, Nie Zhenbang’s face darkened. Looking behind him at the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, Han Liyang, he said, “Director Han, environmental protection and enterprise environmental impact assessments fall under the jurisdiction of your department. This matter must be rigorously investigated by the agency.”

Then, turning to the local, he asked, “Fellow citizen, can you take me to have a look?”

Walking for about a kilometer towards the river, a pungent odor assaulted their nostrils. At that moment, looking at the distant green mountains, Nie Zhenbang grew furious. The mountains were actually bare, with hardly any vegetation. The greenery appearing from afar was entirely due to a layer of green paint. From a distance, it looked like the mountains were still lush and the water clear, but no one would expect that just a thousand meters closer, they would witness a completely different scenario.

After a moment of contemplation, Tang Zheng turned to Guo Haoyu and Pan Jianzhang and said, “Comrade Haoyu, I think we should spend the night in Li Shan County. Right now, I need to meet with Xia Mingda and Wang Yuanchao from Daba City immediately. The provincial authorities must set up a task force to conduct a comprehensive investigation, and I’ll be waiting for your response.” (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to check it out at Qidian where you can vote for it and support me.)