Reborn as a Noble's Son

Chapter 582: Chapter 538 United Alliance of Five Provinces_1
 

Minister Yin spoke with unparalleled boldness. He was able to allocate ten or twenty million without hesitation. From a certain point of view, Deputy Minister Yin was indeed extending great respect. It wasn’t easy to obtain investment for transportation infrastructure from the Ministry of Transportation. Across the country, there were many regions – remote and impoverished – clamoring for funds. If each was granted ten or twenty million, the Ministry of Transportation wouldn’t have the resources to cover it all.

At this moment, however, Nie Zhenbang gently smiled and said, “Minister Yin, I will remember this generosity. But we did not come here to ask for funding.”n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

“Not asking for funding? Mayor Nie, then what are you here for?” Director Guo asked curiously from the sidelines.

Talking about money seems crude, but that’s the essence of it. Coming to Jingcheng to visit the various ministries and not asking for money is quite a rare event. The Ministry of Transportation, unlike other ministries, deals directly with projects. But in reality, those projects at other ministries also essentially boil down to funding. So Director Guo was understandably curious – if they’re not here for funding, what were they here for?

Nie Zhenbang continued with a smile, “Minister Yin, Director Guo, I heard that the National Development and Reform Commission in conjunction with the Ministry of Transportation, has conducted a survey and research on the national highway network, and is planning a deployment of a nationwide high-speed network. The purpose of my visit this time is to push for WangHai to secure a highway in this network – a high-speed highway from WangHai to Tianfu.”

Upon hearing this, a shocked expression appeared on Minister Yin’s face. In Nie Zhenbang’s eyes, this confirmed his suspicion. Indeed, this high-speed planning was paving the way for the future 7918 high-speed network.

From his knowledge of future events, once Vice Chairman Shen assumed office this term, he began to layout a comprehensive high-speed highway construction plan across the nation.

According to his memory, the national plan was to construct a radial high-speed network with Jingcheng at the center, spanning seven highways, nine north-south highways, and eighteen east-west highways, over a span of thirty years. Upon completion, the national high-speed mileage would reach 85,000 kilometers. Adding local high-speed highways, the total mileage would be 120,000 kilometers. All cities of over 200,000 people would be included in this highway network.

This was the origin of the 7918 high-speed highway planning network. The highway from WangHai to Tianfu was one of the eighteen lateral highways. Looking at Minister Yin’s shocked reaction, it was certain that the government already had this plan and deployment in place.

After a while, Minister Yin too regained his composure, looking at Nie Zhenbang with some surprise and curiosity. This planning idea had only been conceived since the beginning of the year, officially commenced after the Two Sessions and was still in the planning stage by the experts within the Ministry of Transportation, far from field surveys. Apart from the leadership and core teams in both the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Transportation who knew of this, and the experts involved in the planning, only a few deputy leaders in the Ministry knew about it. But now, Nie Zhenbang knew about it as well. His contacts indeed seemed extraordinary.

Following this revelation, Minister Yin was contemplative for a moment before saying, “Mayor Nie, as you would know, although the project has officially entered the planning phase, the intent from the State Council is initially to focus on the construction of a high-speed highway backbone from Jingcheng to the Donggang Special Zone. For the other two highways, there isn’t a unified consensus yet on which sections to construct. In this matter, the Ministry of Transportation doesn’t have the final say, only after approval from the National Development and Reform Commission, the final decision still lies with the State Council.”

Usually, faced with local cadres, Minister Yin would certainly withhold information and speak ambiguously. It’s only after the guests are satisfied would he give an answer with little guarantee. Even so, local leaders will still be grateful.

However, facing Nie Zhenbang, Minister Yin dared not do so. He’d witnessed the previous incident first hand. Although Nie Zhenbang’s actual connections were not clear, it was however close enough to guess. There were only a few families in Jingcheng that could uphold Guo Tao, sit on the same level as Guo Bo, and even vaguely suppress Guo Bo. Minister Yin recalled the name ‘Brother Nie’, a legendary figure in Jingcheng’s elite social circle.

At this moment, Minister Yin dared not make presumptions, choosing instead to lay all cards on the table.

Nie Zhenbang nodded, “Minister Yin, as long as you do your best. Regarding the National Development and Reform Commission, do you know anyone there? If possible, I hope Minister Yin could introduce me.”

Upon hearing this, a look of difficulty flashed across Minister Yin’s face. The members of the National Development and Reform Commission were an arrogant bunch, an important department also known as the ‘small State Council’, the most prominent existence among all ministries in Central Government.

Moreover, these people were extremely difficult to deal with, for they had many requirements and maintaining good relations with them was indeed a challenging task. But, despite the difficulty, Minster Yin still nodded and said, “Okay, since Mayor Nie has said so, I’ll help with the coordination.”

Hearing this, Nie Zhenbang also gently raised his wine cup, saying, “Minister Yin, this cup is to you. Let’s make a toast. Today, let’s not leave until we’re happily drunk.”

The meeting was over, and it was time for dinner. Xiong Feng’s competence was indeed something not easily matched by the average person. She handled the atmosphere at the dining table expertly, her witty remarks lightening up the room, making it harmonious.

At first, Minister Yin had some thoughts about Xiong Feng. However, after learning about Nie Zhenbang’s identity, he put away those thoughts. The meal ended with both the host and the guest satisfied.

“Mayor Nie, about the Wangtian Highway project, it’s not entirely without chance. Right now, all regions in the country are like starving wolves, intently watching the central government. Once they catch wind of anything, they will rush in like bees to honey. The Wangtian Highway has its own strengths, running through Minan Province, Hongjiang Province, Chunan Province, proceeding to Qianzhou Province, and then reaching Bashu Province. If you can forge an alliance between these provinces, then the weight of this project in the eyes of the central government will increase,” said Minister Yin at the entrance of Capital Restaurant, opening the car door as he spoke.

Listening to his words, it didn’t take much to see that Minister Yin was indeed thinking for himself. Moreover, this was true. If five provinces united to appeal to the central government, passing through either old revolutionary bases or remote and impoverished regions, with Qianzhou being the former workplace of Secretary Yuan, this could indeed be a solution.

With this in mind, Nie Zhenbang said, “Minister Yin, thank you. Please drive safe. I won’t see you off. I’ll wait for word from you.”

After dinner, Nie Zhenbang didn’t head straight back. Instead, he went to the Wanghai Hotel with everyone. They sat in his suite while Xiong Feng played the role of a waitress. After pouring tea for everyone, she too sat down on the edge of the sofa.

Liu Gaohua took a sip of his tea and said, “Mr. Mayor, this proposal from Minister Yin—doing so in the name of Wanghai City might be difficult.”

Liu Gaohua was telling the truth. Though Wanghai is a sub-provincial city, the effort to operate this project still seemed rather naive. Each of the five provinces was governed by a great official—the heads of Minan and Bashu were members of the Political Bureau. The rest were central committee members. Handling this matter by themselves seemed to lack gravitas.

Thinking about this, Nie Zhenbang nodded, “Old Liu makes a good point. Minister Yin’s proposal is indeed a good strategy. However, if this matter is made public, there’s a chance every province’s leaders will find out. I believe at this point, we should not do so just yet. Unless it is the last resort, we should perform the operations first.”

As his words landed, Xiong Feng also added somberly: “Mayor Nie, there’s something I’m not sure I should say.”

Having seen the potential and style of Nie Zhenbang, Xiong Feng understood that Mayor Nie wasn’t someone a small Beijing Office Director like her could resist. She put her small plots aside.

Xiong Feng’s statement made Nie Zhenbang pause and then respond, “Director Xiong, please speak freely.”

Xiong Feng added, “Mr. Mayor, the construction of the highway will involve the financial investment and land acquisition of each province on the route. According to the current national investment construction policy, each province is responsible for the tolls and management of its highways. The central government undertakes most of the funds, but each province has to bear some of the construction costs. If any province disagrees, wouldn’t that cause issues?”

Xiong Feng made a valid point, which rendered the room silent. Nie Zhenbang also started to ponder. It seemed like it wouldn’t be feasible to only rely on Wanghai City to settle this issue. In a hasty situation, conflicts might arise among several provinces. The route of the highway wouldn’t be the same for each province. For instance, the Wangtian Highway simply passes through the south of Chunan Province, and the current secretary of Chunan Province has a very close relationship with the Li family. If he disagrees or requests a change in the highway’s path, it would be very troubling. It might even result in the planning being aborted temporarily.

After contemplating for a bit, Nie Zhenbang looked at An Guoyu and asked, “Old An, do you have any thoughts?”

An Guoyu spoke calmly, “Mr. Mayor, I think we should also report this to the provincial party committee and the provincial government. Dividing the efforts into five provinces and taking action before the others, our chances of winning are significantly higher. In terms of a leak in news, I believe such things would certainly spread in a few days or half a month before official release. Rather than getting caught off guard later, we should start planning now.”

Hearing this, Nie Zhenbang nodded, “Hmm, that’s a good point. I think I’ll call Governor Qiao now and report on this matter in detail.”

PS: I’m taking a leave of absence. I’m first publishing three chapters today. I have guests at home. Tomorrow I’ll make up the remaining two chapters. Hope brothers and sisters understand. (.)