Chapter 1262: Chapter 1217: Officials Should Keep a Low Profile Chapter 1262: Chapter 1217: Officials Should Keep a Low Profile Listening to Liu Kun’s words, Nie Zhenbang shook his head and said, “Kun, don’t mess around. At this time, do not take any action.”

Nie Zhenbang’s refusal immediately made Liu Kun somewhat anxious, as he urgently and earnestly said, “Third Brother, why not? Isn’t it just Li Guohua and Ling Baodong joining forces? Using the popular internet language nowadays, what are we afraid of?”

“Kun, it’s not about fear. At this time, I’m well aware of Li Guohua and Ling Baodong’s intentions. In short, now is not the time to act. Trust me on this, you won’t be wrong. When the right time comes, I will notify you,” Nie Zhenbang ultimately did not reveal his judgment. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Liu Kun. In fact, this was also a way of managing subordinates. As a core figure, you can’t tell everything, even the smallest details, to others; keeping a sense of mystery is best. That way, those below will hold you in awe.

After hanging up the phone, Nie Zhenbang let out a cold laugh. This time, Li Guohua and Ling Baodong had indeed made a bad move.

…

The collaboration between Yuzhou City and the National Group was a grand affair. Inside Jingcheng People’s Congress Hall_Yuzhou Hall, a grand press conference was officially held. Representatives from Yuzhou City and the National Group signed the investment agreement, with Ling Baodong and Li Guohua standing behind, witnessing this glorious moment.

Moreover, many former leaders and officials at the vice-national level attended the signing ceremony. After the ceremony, Ling Baodong and Li Guohua gave interviews to journalists respectively.

In front of the cameras, Ling Baodong was full of vigor, “This cooperation with the National Group covers various aspects, and I firmly believe that within the next one or two years, Yuzhou City’s various economic undertakings will make a significant leap and become the forerunner of the Western Region. Yuzhou City has a superior geographical location. The investment environment is favorable. Here, I sincerely call for merchants from all over to visit Yuzhou, take a look around, and invest in our flourishing city.”

Next, Li Guohua also expressed in the interview, “The National Group decided to invest in Yuzhou mainly because of its future prospects and the accommodating investment environment and flexible policies. The National Group is very confident in our cooperation with Yuzhou City.”

That day’s news, including the central media, aired this news. Watching it on the television, Nie Zhenbang’s face showed a trace of contemptuous smile.

It was not hard to discern Li Guohua and Ling Baodong’s actions and motives. At this juncture, signing the investment agreement, how much they truly considered the economic development of Yuzhou City might be questionable. But at present, it certainly increased Ling Baodong’s exposure nationwide. Obviously, the investment cooperation was just a pretense; the real reason was to build momentum and support for Ling Baodong.

Its purpose was naturally aimed at competing for the core position of the Jinding. Increasing exposure and appearances in national media and newspapers served several purposes: it was like getting familiar with the national representatives, and also without a doubt, it was to show everyone that Ling Baodong was a capable worker. Thirdly, it was to exert pressure on the central government.

…

At the family compound of the Yuedong Provincial Party Committee No. 1 Yard, this was the residence of Shen Guoquan, the Secretary of the Yuedong Provincial Party Committee. After being assigned to Yuedong for a term, Shen Guoquan’s work had been meticulous, allowing Yuedong Province to continue maintaining a stable growth in economic development. This might seem very ordinary, nothing outstanding. But as Nie Zhenbang once said to Shen Guoquan, Yuedong’s economy had already reached a peak. To put it simply, if one person earned 100 yuan last year and 500 yuan this year, that is a fivefold progress and development. But for Yuedong, it’s like earning 100,000 yuan last year and 110,000 this year–a ten percent increase. It doesn’t seem as astonishing as five hundred percent, but the earnings are far more than those of the former. That’s a difference in level; they are simply incomparable.

Moreover, relatively speaking, Yuedong Province may even face more difficulties. In terms of economic construction and development, everything was by the book, but in other areas, Shen Guoquan performed extremely well, making significant progress in medical, educational, sports, cultural sectors, and cadre team building, as well as in the construction of party conduct and clean government over the past four years. There were fewer instances of superfluous staffing, government office efficiency improved, and significant advancement was made in combating corruption, all of which were sufficient to demonstrate Shen Guoquan’s capabilities.

At that moment, Shen Guoquan picked up the remote from the coffee table and pressed the off button. Standing up, a middle-aged woman around fifty approached, surprised, “Old Shen, why did you stop watching?”

Shen Guoquan replied in a deep voice, “Nothing. I’m going to the study.”

The triumphant demeanor of Ling Baodong and Li Guohua on television gave Shen Guoquan a sense of something unusual.

After pondering for a moment, Shen Guoquan picked up the phone on the desk and dialed the number of Minister Ye of the Provincial Committee’s Propaganda Department: “Minister Ye, wasn’t there talk yesterday of an interview by the central media reporter? Arrange it, find an appropriate time and opportunity. Have them take a bit of effort to follow me for a day.”

…

In Jingcheng, President Qiao’s study appeared somewhat solemn. Propaganda Department Minister Ji Jianning sat upright with care, pondering his thoughts before speaking to President Qiao, “Commander, what do you think about Comrade Ling Baodong’s situation?”

Qiao Yiren’s expression was calm. After a moment of silence, he slowly began, “Comrade Jianning, the Party commands the gun, and the Party leads everything. This is the most fundamental principle. The propaganda department must take this seriously right now, and must strengthen the propaganda concerning Party discipline and principles to thoroughly resonate with people and expand its scope. Additionally, we also need to enhance the reporting on the army. Emphasize on propaganda that reflects the mindset of the soldiers. In my opinion, it’s entirely possible to use the Propaganda Department’s name to launch a national educational propaganda campaign themed around Party members’ discipline and advanced nature.”

Hearing President Qiao’s words, Ji Jianning nodded and said, “I will immediately prepare to execute the Commander’s directive.”

After seeing Ji Jianning out, President Qiao then called Liang Yuan, “Liang, prepare and arrange for me. Tomorrow morning, I want to visit the Jingcheng City Military District.”

Following the end of the press conference announcing the Ling Li cooperation, the quickest response came from Yuedong Province. Shen Guoquan also appeared in a special interview on Central TV. However, this interview was not as formal as past ones. Throughout, the whole process seemed very odd. Initially, it was a full follow-up report on Shen Guoquan’s inspection of Yuedong’s leather manufacturing base. The actual sit-down interview time did not exceed twenty minutes, and during the “Daily at Seven” segment, Shen Guoquan only appeared for about one and a half minutes. But even this short segment had surpassed the joint press conference of Ling Baodong and Li Guohua.

These were all still minor issues. The next day, Comrade Qiao Yiren inspected the Jingcheng Military District and delivered an enthusiastic speech. The Propaganda Department issued a national announcement to begin preparing for a nationwide study campaign. The specific content was closely related to Party discipline.

That wasn’t all. In “Masses Daily,” “Hope Daily,” and other mainstream domestic newspapers, sternly worded signed commentaries were published.

The content of the articles differed slightly, but the core message was consistent. They pointed straight to the heart of the issue without specifically naming names but subtly conveyed one meaning: The Central government must ensure the smooth and orderly conduct of the upcoming elections, and no problems would be tolerated.

…

At this very moment, inside a super suite on the eleventh floor of the Ivy Club, a drawer full of condoms pointed to one fact: Li Guohua’s life was incredibly corrupt and depraved.

“Damn it, I’ve been duped. I’ve fallen for that kid Nie Zhenbang’s tricks again.” At this point, looking at the sequence of actions taken domestically, it was already too late. But for Li Guohua, any regret was now impossible. What had to be done had been done, what had passed had passed.

Standing up in a rage, Li Guohua’s face was livid, his previous complacency gone without a trace. He wondered why Nie Zhenbang hadn’t shown any reaction recently? He thought he had shocked him into silence. Little did he know, Nie Zhenbang had already seen through everything.

At this moment, Nie Zhenbang was on a phone call with Liu Kun, who expressed his admiration over the phone without any disguise or concealment, expressing his great admiration, “Brother San, I am impressed. You truly are incredibly strategic.”

Nie Zhenbang merely smiled indifferently, without a hint of excitement, “What strategic move? It’s clear as day. The key is to keep a low profile; staying low-key is the key to success. Right now, Ling Baodong is eagerly making moves, isn’t he just trying to build momentum? But by doing so, how would President Qiao see it, how would Shen Guoquan see it? I’m afraid Shen Guoquan already sees Ling Baodong as the most threatening competitor.”

Looking back through the history of the entire system, whether it was Old Yuan, or Director Shen and President Qiao, and even including the two individuals, President Leng and President Mu, they all acted and behaved in an extremely low-key manner before officially reaching the pinnacle. They simply wouldn’t cause any trouble.

Not only that, Director Shen and President Qiao, among the other core members of the current leadership, also all kept a very low profile. The positions of number one and three might be one thing, but for the other positions, until the very moment of taking office, almost all of them remained inconclusive. Ling Baodong’s actions were undoubtedly suicidal.

After pondering for a moment, Nie Zhenbang slowly said, “Kun, I’ll need to ask you for a favor. Activate the media and bring up some issues related to Lingxiao, which we can discuss again now.”

Upon hearing Nie Zhenbang’s words, Liu Kun’s eyes lit up, and he nodded, “Brother San, this move is brilliant.”

(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it with recommended tickets and monthly tickets at . Your support is my greatest motivation.)