Reborn as a Noble's Son

Chapter 562: Chapter 519 The Embarrassment of Wanghai City_1
 

This comment made the crowd laugh uproariously. Bolder people in the crowd even loudly said, “Mayor Nie, with your words, we trust you, we trust the government. In fact, our gathering here is just to discuss and go to the municipal party committee and the government together, asking the government to make a decision for us. Now, we are reassured.”

Nie Zhenbang smiled slightly, but said again, “However, there is not yet a clear answer from the city regarding this matter. All I can say is that the attitude of the municipal party committee and the government is to absolutely ensure that the rights and interests of the common people are not damaged in any way.”

As these words fell, the crowd burst into noise again, discussing among themselves. The purpose of this gathering was to hope for a satisfactory answer from the municipal party committee and city government. Now, with Nie Zhenbang saying this, people were somewhat displeased.

Seeing this, Nie Zhenbang remained unflustered. Such matters couldn’t possibly have an immediate response; fooling the public, putting them off, those were things Nie Zhenbang couldn’t and wouldn’t do. Being practical and realistic was his consistent style.

Then, raising his voice, he continued, “Quiet, please, everyone. Just because there is no response yet doesn’t mean there won’t be one in the future. The municipal party committee and government are not disregarding this. However, after the Eastern Sea Group was seized by the state, there were several unfinished construction sites besides the Yuhai Mansion. The city is currently busily discussing and researching. There are plans to form a property clearance group for Eastern Sea Group’s mess, such as the Yahai Building, Tianquan Villa Phase II and III projects, Yuhai Global Financial Center. The government will soon announce on newspapers a specific office location, all of you, by then, can bring your detailed information and register. Please trust us. We will definitely handle this matter well and give everyone a satisfactory result.”

As those words fell, the executive deputy mayor Li Xiangtian also spoke, “Neighbors, comrades, did you all understand the mayor’s words? Put yourself in our shoes, think from our position. The mess left by the Eastern Sea Group is so huge, excluding what’s here, there are three or four more property projects alone, not to mention the companies and factories under the Eastern Sea Group. Unpaid wages, debts, etc. Those people are also victims. The municipal party committee and government can’t reply to each one individually, right? If that’s the case, we wouldn’t want to work anymore. We’d spend all our time answering to you, when will that end? Tell me, isn’t that the truth?”

This way of working, with each complementing the other, showed a great synergy and was very effective. At this moment, this atmosphere fully demonstrated the unity of thought and attitude of the current Wanghai City Municipal Party Committee and the city government team. It was the most ideal state.

The crowd gathered at the Eastern Sea Building site, under persuasion, gradually dispersed. At this moment, both Li Taishi and Nie Zhenbang sighed in relief. As long as people spoke reasonably, they didn’t fear, what they dreaded were those who would defy reason.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

“Mayor Nie, I think, the property clearance group for Eastern Sea Group should be implemented as soon as possible. As it stands, the situation at the Yuhai Mansion has already stirred. This trend, at other places, I’m afraid they can’t sit still. If it causes trouble, Wanghai City would be pushed into the eye of the storm. The sooner, the better.” Li Taishi walked towards the exit of the construction site, and said to Nie Zhenbang who was beside him.

Nie Zhenbang at the moment, deeply agreed. Before the Yuhai smuggling case, there were some concerns in the province, even at the central level. The main reason was that Wanghai City was built on Eastern Sea Group. The fact that a sub-provincial city was propped up by a company, a privately owned company at that, seemed laughable to hear. Yet, in reality, Wanghai had a very weak industrial base, it was almost nonexistent. Commerce was developed, but this was built on the living standard of Wanghai’s residents. The collapse of Eastern Sea Group impacted at least tens of thousands of people. The secondary impact even affected up to hundreds of thousands of people. This was the reason why the central government was concerned. If it weren’t for Lin Zhengxing’s arrogance that had grown to the point of overriding the party and government organs, Lin Zhengxing who had “kidnapped” so many people, would never die, these people were his amulet.

However, since the Eastern Sea Group has been addressed now, if some sensational incidents occur because of this, it will give some families with ulterior motives in Jingcheng an excuse to attack. By then, if these people target themselves, they might bear the responsibility.

In politics, it’s often the small details that gradually reveal one’s vulnerabilities. Nie Zhenbang couldn’t afford to be careless at all.

After a moment of silence, he nodded in response, “Secretary Li, your opinion is very insighful. My initial thought is to immediately enlist personnel from the finance, industry and commerce, land and resources, construction, public security and other departments to form the Eastern Sea Group Property Clearance Group. And then, organize one or several specific auctions to auction off the seized items, such as cars, real estate, and other things. In addition, a national announcement for public bidding is to be released, auctioning off the ongoing projects of Eastern Sea Group. In this way, the impact from the bankruptcy of Eastern Sea Group can be mitigated.”

…

In the afternoon, Nie Zhenbang held a mayoral office meeting in the city government conference room. In Wanghai City, there are a total of seven mayors, including deputy mayors. Mayor Nie Zhenbang is in charge of the overall work of the city government, mainly focusing on economics and citywide development. Executive Deputy Mayor Li Xiangtian is responsible for supplementing the mayor in economics and coordinating the judiciary. He oversees the land and development committee and other departments. Deputy Mayor Liu Gao Hua oversees industry and commerce, finance, local taxation, construction etc. Deputy Mayor Hu Jiawang oversees municipal, construction, urban management and other work. Deputy Mayor Deng Yihui, who was recently transferred in, does not yet have a specific oversight role. Fu Yingping is in charge of agricultural work. Wang Dongju, the only female mayor, is a member of the Democratic Factions, mainly in charge of science, education, culture, and health.

Typically, female mayors belong to the Democratic Factions. Such scenario is common in local governments nationwide. On one hand, according to the Constitution, there’s a rigid stipulation in leadership requiring a certain proportion of female and Democratic Faction leaders. Thus, it’s quite common for a female leader to be a part of the Democratic Faction, solving two problems with one solution.

This mayor’s office meeting turned out to be the first Nie Zhenbang had genuinely attended since he came to Wanghai City.

Looking around at everyone present, all the city government leadership were sitting upright. Beside them, Secretary of the City Government An Guoyu also sat at the end of the line-up.

Nie Zhenbang then slowly began: “I believe everyone already knows what happened today. The main purpose of calling this meeting is to discuss the follow-up work regarding the Eastern Sea Group.”

“By organizing all relevant departments to establish an Eastern Sea Group Asset Liquidation Team, we can auction sealed assets like houses, cars, and jewelry. Additionally, we need to ramp up investment efforts, ensuring that Wanghai City’s economic order returns to normal as soon as possible.”

Under these circumstances, Nie Zhenbang was too weary to hold any pretenses. He cut straight to the chase. This matter wasn’t the division of leadership or some important event requiring careful consideration. For an issue as simple as post-processing for the Eastern Sea Group, had he needed to hedge his words, he would have felt self-conscious as mayor.

As his words fell, Li Xiangtian was the first to voice agreement, saying: “I agree with the mayor’s view. The Eastern Sea Group’s bankruptcy has left a huge mess. Wanghai City will have to face this challenge head-on in order to revitalize the economy. I say we immediately start assembling a liquidation team to enter all Eastern Sea Group enterprises and industries in the city.”

Next, Liu Gaohua also voiced his support. The deputy mayors, naturally, had no objections. In this situation, disagreeing with Nie Zhenbang would be foolish.

Shortly after, the Wanghai City Government’s Eastern Sea Group Asset Liquidation Team was established. Wanghai Daily and Seaview City TV Station both published announcements stating that any individuals or organizations economically tied to Eastern Sea Group could register with Sea-view City Finance Bureau within a month of the announcement publication, provided they brought appropriate documentation.

Meanwhile, under commission from Wanghai City Government, Dingsheng Auction House organized several specialized auctions. Numerous luxury cars and mansions left by the Eastern Sea Group were auctioned publicly, with all proceeds used for post-processing of the Eastern Sea Group. Following these arrangements, Wanghai City’s executives also managed their roles more effectively.

At the end of April, an investment seminar was held at Wanghai Hotel. When Nie Zhenbang arrived and walked through the door, his face immediately turned cold. At that moment, Nie Zhenbang felt only embarrassment. Despite almost twenty days of preparation for the seminar, the massive venue was nearly empty. Was this supposed to be an investment conference held by a sub-provincial city?

Perhaps sensitively picking up on Nie Zhenbang’s mood, the head of the Investment Promotion Bureau, Liu Mingyu, approached him. Despite the warming weather allowing for lighter clothing, Liu Mingyu was sweating profusely. Appearing extremely cautious, he whispered: “May… Mayor, our Investment Promotion Bureau has sent sincere invitations to numerous companies and enterprises across the country. As you can see…”

This statement only provoked Nie Zhenbang’s anger. Liu Mingyu’s words clearly intended to shirk his responsibilities.

If Liu Mingyu had honestly admitted his shortcomings, perhaps Nie Zhenbang wouldn’t have reacted as he did. But, with Liu Mingyu’s attitude alone, Nie Zhenbang had already made up his mind. (