Chapter 229: A Strong Smell of Gunpowder_1

Translator: 549690339

Zhou Chunlei was stunned for a moment, then laughed and said, “Gao Pangzi, aren’t you exaggerating a bit? Xu Jianhua is in the Ministry of Science and Technology, isn’t he? He’s not comparable to Lin Yang at all. I’ve retired, and nowadays who cares about all this? Who can compare with Lin Yang? As far as I can see, there’s hardly any suspense in the class cadre election.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Qiao Yuan on the side shook his hand and said, “Old Zhou, you can’t just say that. I would say Xu Jianhua is not as simple as he seems on the surface. An old hand, after all, was once in charge. One should not take him lightly. However, now the situation is clear. The Youth Cadre Class is obviously a battle among gods. Both these people are aiming for the position of branch secretary. They have zero interest in the positions of organization committee and publicity committee. If you guys are up for it, why not try for these two positions?”

After a meal, the spicy taste of Sichuan cuisine got everyone somewhat heated up. As they had something in the afternoon, they didn’t linger for too long.

Around two-thirty in the afternoon. The four of them also rushed to the exclusive classroom located in the postgraduate building of the Autonomous Region Party School. As soon as the four entered, the classroom was already full of people.

At this time, Lin Yang, surrounded by four or five people, walked in from the outside. Upon seeing Nie Zhenbang, Lin Yang was stunned for a moment, then immediately came over to greet him.

Lin Yang was familiar with Nie Zhenbang. Cao Yangming had blocked Nie Zhenbang’s funds, but Nie managed to secure them directly from the Ministry. More importantly, Cao Yangming, who was still relatively young, was sent straight to the Political Consultative Conference for retirement. On the surface, it was an ordinary personnel adjustment. It seemed that Cao Yangming was affected by his son, Cao Zhuangzhi. But Lin Yang was very clear that this matter could be related to Nie Zhenbang.

Just this point was enough to make Lin Yang treat Nie Zhenbang with utmost respect, let alone when the Secretary of the Party Committee of Kazhou City got snubbed, and Cui Jinsheng, the Director of the State Taxation Bureau, moved to the second line. At this, Lin Yang dared not slack off.

Unexpectedly, this young, youngest department-level official, who was known as a killer in the Northwest officialdom, had actually enrolled in this Youth Cadre Class.

Then, Lin Yang greeted him with a laugh and said, “Director Nie, you’re here too? Haha, I’ve always wanted to get to know you. I didn’t expect that we would become classmates today. Director Nie, do you have time for a casual meal tonight? When it comes to economic development, you’re the top notch in the Northwest. I definitely need to learn from you.”

This attitude of Lin Yang immediately stumped many people in the class. This was the famous Nie Zhenbang from Bazhou, Northwest. He could actually join this class. It seems that he really is a key figure for development.

Nie Zhenbang was also startled. Lin Yang’s words put Nie Zhenbang in a difficult position. Offering to have dinner may seem like that on the surface. But in reality, it’s probably about the election of the class cadre. As the saying goes, there’s no smoke without fire. Nie Zhenbang is not a child, he’s clear that there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

Nie Zhenbang didn’t plan to get involved in the competition between Lin Yang and Xu Jianhua. When he came to study in this class, Nie Zhenbang had a good attitude and an upright mentality. In the class, his age and position are inferior to others. And being a class cadre, didn’t even cross Nie Zhenbang’s mind. But, he also didn’t want to get involved.

Then, Nie Zhenbang also replied with a laugh, “Mayor Lin is being polite. It should be me treating you guys to dinner. How about this, after a few days, once the school starts, I’ll treat everyone in the class to a meal, consider it a token of my appreciation.”

At this moment, a hearty voice came from outside, “Haha, I like what Director Nie just said. Director Nie is the youngest in our class. From now on, he’ll be our ‘little brother’. We all have to take care of our ‘little brother’.”

Following the voice, a young man about thirty-five years old also walked in from outside. This is Xu Jianhua, the Deputy Director of the Ministry of Science and Technology.

In the Northwest, with the appearance of Nie Zhenbang, the trend of rejuvenation of officials has expanded many times more than before. Many people with background and ability have been promoted more quickly. This year, there are many more young deputy bureau-level officials in the Northwest. This is an example. In addition, Zhou Chen broke another record this time. The trend of rejuvenation of officials in the Northwest is likely to intensify further.

As soon as he saw Xu Jianhua, Lin Yang’s face fell, but then he also laughed lightly, “I was wondering who it was. Such a strong call to arms, turns out it’s our Jianhua.”

There is a hidden message in Lin Yang’s words. Everyone here was of the same level except for Nie Zhenbang, the ‘little brother’. The others were all deputy bureau-level officials. You, Xu Jianhua, were acting like a leader, making such a call to arms. By saying this, Lin Yang naturally resonated with many people. However, even Nie Zhenbang, considering his background and ability, doesn’t take the deputy bureau-level officials too seriously.

Xu Jianhua was also taken aback. He was caught off guard by Lin Yang’s quick detection of a loophole in his rhetoric. But Xu Jianhua was no fool. He quickly adjusted and laughed, “Mayor Lin, what do you mean by call to arms? This is a proposal. Are you saying that you feel Nie Zhen doesn’t deserve it? A 24-year-old department-level official. His work in Lixian County is so outstanding, I, Xu Jianhua, admire him. I wonder what your attitude is, Mayor Lin.”

Tensions began to rise. The class hadn’t even started yet, but there was already a lot of friction in the air. Lin Yang’s face changed. Xu Jianhua’s ability to put a spin on things was pretty good. But Lin Yang seemed to forget how he had started off bending people’s words.

Under these circumstances, it’s quite clear now, both men are aiming for the position of secretary for the Young Cadres Class branch. To stand out among so many leaders in the Young Cadres Class at the Party School, to serve as an officer of the class, is not only a great honor but also an important personal experience. To put it a bit more boldly, it’s tied to one’s future promotions.

At this point, those who have such thoughts should naturally strive for it. Within the system, those who do not strive will end up standing aside and allow others to take it away.

With the two men preparing to continue their confrontation, the tension seemed to be escalating. The classroom door suddenly swung open, standing by the entrance was Zhang Xiaou, the director of the political research department of the District Party School and also the charge for this Young Cadres Class. Leading the entrance was Jiang Zhenquan, secretary of the Autonomous Region Party Committee. Following Jiang were Li Yifeng, Deputy Secretary of the Autonomous Region Party Committee, concurrently Minister of the Organization Department, and Principal of the Party School of the Autonomous Region. Then came Jia Ping, member of the Standing Committee and Secretary-General of the Party Committee of the Autonomous Region, along with Wang Shunnan, the Executive Vice Principal of the Party School of the Autonomous Region.

This lineup, this pomp, immediately stunned everyone in the Young Cadres Class. Generally, for the start of such training courses, even for medium and long-term training courses of a year, having Executive Vice-Principal Wang Shunnan, who is in charge of the overall work of the Party School, would already be considered high standard. Li Yifeng’s main responsibilities still lie in his position as the full-time Deputy Secretary of the District Party Committee. However, this time, not only was Li Yifeng present, but also Jiang Zhenquan.

Meanwhile, everyone felt somewhat fortunate at heart. The more the Autonomous Region Party Committee valued this, the higher the position of the Young Cadres Class in the minds of the Party Committee. Thus, the potential for future promotions was also greater. It seemed that the Party Committee of the Autonomous Region was determined to support young cadres this time.

Lin Yang, who was sitting at the front, had already stood up at this moment and had moved a few tables and chairs to make room. His quickness greatly pleased Zhang Xiaou.

As the class director, Zhang Xiaou naturally assumed the role of the moderator at this moment. He stepped onto the podium and then said: “Leaders, colleagues, I am honored to serve as your class director for this mid-ranking young cadre training class at the Autonomous Region Party School. I am thankful to the leadership and the organization for their trust and support. Now, please welcome, with warm applause, Secretary Jiang to speak for us.”

Jiang Zhenquan confidently stepped onto the podium, looked around at everyone, and an immediate silence fell over the classroom. This reflected the majesty and grace of a provincial leader. Then, Jiang Zhenquan said slowly: “Colleagues, a great person once said, you all, are the sun at eight or nine in the morning. This world is ours, and yours, but ultimately it belongs to you…”

Jiang Zhenquan quoted a famous saying from a great person as an opener, such an iconic quote. It set off some reverie among the crowd. Does this mean that this training class would be the talent pool for future party and government leaders, even leaders of the Autonomous Region Party Committee and the government?

After Jiang Zhenquan finished his speech, Li Yifeng also took the stage. Unlike Jiang Zhenquan’s profound speech, Li Yifeng’s words seemed rather straightforward, talking about the current situation, development, and the challenges that young cadres currently face and the changes in mindset they need to make. He urged everyone to study diligently at the Party School, serving the people.

Having the leaders of the Autonomous Region Party Committee attend the opening ceremony was already considered high-level. Naturally, they wouldn’t stay for long. After the leaders had left, Zhang Xiaou returned to the podium and said solemnly: “Everyone, today is Friday, on Monday, we will have a class meeting to formally elect the class officers for our Young Cadres Class. As leaders yourselves, I won’t say much. I believe everyone has adequate organizational capability. Now, I need a few classmates to help me move some books.”

No sooner had his voice dropped than Lin Yang and Xu Jianhua both stood up. At this point, it was a crucial period for running for class officers, their minds were alike. Under these circumstances, providing good service to classmates could bring lots of benefits to the election.

After the books were distributed and the meeting adjourned, everyone else left. They were all officials of status and naturally would not sit still in the classroom. Moreover, many were like Nie Zhenbang, splitting their time between studying and handling work.

Nie Zhenbang and the other four from his dormitory had just reached the school gate when Yi Jun spotted Nie Zhenbang and immediately came to greet him.

PS: I owe it to others. Now, it’s time to give back. I recommend a book

Title: Return to the Peak

Number: 2141339

Summary: Forced to merge with an ancient relic, Ling Feng reincarnated on his 18th wedding night, which was the night his family was wiped out!

That was the turning point of his fate…

Thanks for all your monthly tickets and recommendations. As promised, there must be four updates today. To brothers and sisters who still have base monthly tickets, please cast them for Old Cai. (To be continued. If you like this book, welcome to qidian.com to vote and support. Your support is my greatest motivation.)