Reborn as a Noble's Son-Chapter 939 - 895 Provocation or Testing

Chapter 939: Chapter 895 Provocation or Testing

Chapter 939 -895 Provocation or Testing

Yun Fei mentioned it, and Nie Zhenbang did have some recollection. Indeed, while he was away at a meeting in Jingcheng, Yun Fei had indeed reported this matter to him over the phone.

He remembered that he was preoccupied with some urgent matters at the time and had set it aside temporarily, but as the conference progressed, he had actually forgotten about it. Nie Zhenbang felt somewhat embarrassed. He paused for a moment, then said, “Secretary Yun, please notify Deputy Directors Ding and Li. Hmm, and have Zhang Shengshan come along as well. We, should go take a look at these walls.”

From the subtle distinction made in Nie Zhenbang’s address, it was apparent that at this moment, Nie Zhenbang was very dissatisfied with Zhang Shengshan.

Previously, Zhang Shengshan had privately diverted fifty million in funds. Granted, it was ostensibly for a good cause, but Ganzhou Provincial Party Committee Song Lihe had mentioned this privately as well. Ganzhou Province, after all, is not a wealthy province. For Ganzhou City to cough up such a large sum of money, if not for considering the subsequent impact and additional benefits brought by Huaxia Group, Ganzhou Province would never let Zhang Shengshan off so easily.

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And now, just as that issue had passed, Zhang Shengshan had come up with this plan, and it was likely premeditated. Why? Neither later nor sooner did he choose to act, but precisely when he himself was in Jingcheng attending the 21st Party Congress.

Moreover, a fence encompassing 30,000 mu was no small undertaking. The cost would be at least several million or even tens of millions of yuan.

What’s more infuriating was that he completed the work just before his return, creating a fait accompli. This was a contempt for him. Zhang Shengshan was very typical in this regard; it was a disregard for his position as chairman, a provocation. Or perhaps it was testing his limits, and if he took no action, things might escalate and even sideline him altogether.

Nie Zhenbang and Yun Fei walked out of the office and went straight downstairs. At the lobby of the office building, they happened to run into Ding Weiguang who had just come out of another elevator.

Upon seeing Nie Zhenbang, Ding Weiguang stopped in his tracks and took the initiative to greet him: “Boss, you’re back.”

Nie Zhenbang nodded and said to Ding Weiguang, “Old Ding, do you know about this fence construction matter?”

Ding Weiguang felt a bit awkward upon hearing this and then nodded, “I know about it, but as you know, boss, Comrade Zhang Shengshan, he…”

Before he could finish speaking, Nie Zhenbang directly interrupted Ding Weiguang, “Old Ding, you are the Executive Deputy Director, responsible for assisting me in overseeing Huaxia Group’s comprehensive work. On some matters, you really need to take decisive action to hold the fort, you know.”

These words were tinged with a hint of reproach, Nie Zhenbang was also not very satisfied with Ding Weiguang’s performance. Ding Weiguang’s abilities were just adequate, but he lacked courage, lacked ruthlessness, and didn’t possess the dignity and breadth of an Executive Deputy Director. He was a bit too much of a nice guy for the role.

This kind of temperament was unacceptable, like in this instance—if Ding Weiguang had shown a bit more authority, Zhang Shengshan would have had no grounds to pull off this stunt.

Seeing Ding Weiguang looking ashamed, Nie Zhenbang didn’t continue with the interrogation and nodded, “Let’s go together, I want to see what kind of fence Comrade Zhang Shengshan has built.”

The location to view the fence wasn’t too far away. After all, the land area of Huaxia Group’s plant was a total of 30,000 mu, all of which had been relocated by now, and the whole area was already fenced off. It would make no difference where you looked from.

The spot was chosen not far from the office building. This area had become part of the high-tech zone, and all the fences had been whitewashed with white lime, smooth and bright. They even bore slogans in Song typeface, like “Constructing Huaxia Group’s Ganzhou Production Base with High Quality and Efficiency,” “Huaxia Group sends greetings to the people of Ganzhou,” and other similar slogans.

Nie Zhenbang and Ding Weiguang stood by the fence, and shortly after, two cars arrived one after the other, pulling up at the roadside. The car doors opened, and Deputy Director Li and Zhang Shengshan got out of their respective official cars.

At this moment, the expression on Vice President Li’s face was somewhat awkward, whereas Zhang Shengshan seemed unperturbed, looking at Nie Zhenbang with a smile, he said, “Director Nie, what do you think about the construction of this wall?”

As he spoke, Zhang Shengshan put on a woebegone face, complaining, “Director Nie, you have no idea. After the demolition was completed, the Group started receiving some reports of unrelated individuals entering and leaving our construction site, with occasional thefts of trees, cables, and such. Therefore, after careful consideration, we decided to build this wall, which should prevent such thefts from occurring.”

Zhang Shengshan looked calm, and his gaze flickered evasively, but it was fleeting and was replaced by a look of hopeful expectation.

It seemed as if he were all ears, ready to heed the leader’s guidance, awaiting praise from his superior.

This made Nie Zhenbang frown. Zhang Shengshan had clearly come prepared, his earlier words were grandiose, with good intentions. However, they were tinged with severe provocation and testing. Huaxia Group was formed by a merger of several of the country’s large military manufacturers; the department was new, the team was fresh. Furthermore, for Nie Zhenbang to start his work effectively, the central government allowed him to handle party and government duties simultaneously, making him not only the chairman and general manager but also the Party committee secretary.

The intention was sound, the central government believed in Nie Zhenbang’s ability to integrate these elements without issue, but they also overlooked a significant problem. In the location selection for Huaxia Group, they gave Zhang Shengshan an opportunity. Reliant on Factory 38, Zhang Shengshan was like a local snake. Now, Nie Zhenbang was like a dragon crossing the river, and being restrained was inevitable.

After a pause, Nie Zhenbang chuckled lightly, “Comrade Zhang Shengshan, it seems you do care about the collective interests after all.”

This statement made Zhang Shengshan show a hint of joy, but he still humbly said, “Director Nie, you flatter me. The interests of the Group are our interests. I, Zhang Shengshan, have always seen the company as my home, the factory as my family.”

Zhang Shengshan spoke without a hint of hesitation, his words firm and seemingly selfless.

Nie Zhenbang gave a cold laugh, once can be overlooked, but not twice. Previously, there had been a precedent of embezzlement; if Nie didn’t take action this time, instead taking things lightly, neglecting to inquire, Zhang Shengshan would only grow bolder. It could even trigger a chain reaction, causing both Vice President Li and Ding Weiguang to change their thinking. At that point, with Nie Zhenbang as the sole commander, his work would be difficult to carry out.

Bearing this in mind, Nie Zhenbang’s face became stern as he said decisively, “I hadn’t realized Vice President Zhang possessed such awareness. Now, I would like to ask, when the infrastructure construction hasn’t even begun, and the bidding conference hasn’t taken place, what exactly is there to steal here? It must be important for Comrade Zhang Shengshan to spend so much money on this wall.”

Nie Zhenbang’s words immediately caused Zhang Shengshan’s complexion to change. There were plenty of excuses Zhang Shengshan was confident could leave Nie Zhenbang with nothing to say, from any angle or aspect. But now, Nie Zhenbang had grasped the core issue at hand. This left Zhang Shengshan completely speechless.

With a forced smile, Zhang Shengshan appeared somewhat unnatural as he looked at Nie Zhenbang and said, “Director Nie, although we haven’t formally started work yet, there will always be some items of value. After all, we paid the demolition compensation; allowing those villagers to move out without protecting these assets would be a loss for us, right? I’ve heard that many houses have been dismantled by the villagers recently, and every brick and tile have been sorted and taken away. Isn’t this a loss of state assets?”

Nie Zhenbang scoffed, having fully experienced Zhang Shengshan’s ability to twist facts to his favor. Looking at Zhang Shengshan, Nie Zhenbang said sternly, “Vice President Zhang really has high thinking and awareness. Why didn’t I notice? Since that’s the case, I have a question for you. I remember, after I arrived here followed by the misappropriation of fifty million, I had clearly stated at the Group’s executive meeting, that the Group’s finances would follow the one-pen system. Now, I would like to know, do you still adhere to organizational discipline, to principles of the Party? Taking such unilateral action on such a significant matter, don’t you have any regard for the Party committee or me, the chairman?”

Having said this, Nie Zhenbang didn’t even look at Zhang Shengshan again. Turning to Vice Presidents Old Ding and Old Li beside him, he said, “Old Ding, Old Li, I suggest we immediately convene an executive group meeting to discuss Zhang Shengshan’s issue. He disregards the organization and presumes too much, acting as he pleases. Does he think this is his private patch of land?”

The main purpose for Nie Zhenbang was to curb Zhang Shengshan’s arrogance and momentum. Meet force with force, dam the water with earth—this was always Nie Zhenbang’s principle. Since the other side had stepped up, such provocations and tests could not be tolerated and must be met with strong countermeasures, as only this could deter others.

Zhang Shengshan’s face looked very unpleasant. Nie Zhenbang’s voice was loud, even booming, attracting the attention of many group employees and middle and lower-level managers who had gathered around, their gaze turning towards this scene. This time, Zhang Shengshan’s face had been thoroughly discredited.

Ding Weiguang stepped forward, smiling as he said, “Director Nie, please calm down, please calm down first. I also think Vice President Zhang’s actions are rather excessive, but let’s go to the meeting room, close the door, and discuss this matter further.”

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