Chapter 410: Chapter 393 Nie Zhenbang’s Article_2
He stood up, stretched his body, just in time, Yi Jun came in, poured him a cup of hot tea, then said, “Mayor, would you like me to make some noodles for you?”

Nie Zhenbang checked the time and didn’t realize it was already ten in the evening. He then replied with a smile, “Xiaoyi, you go ahead and return home. If I remember correctly, there should be some bread and milk in the fridge. Later, I will heat it up and eat it myself. I still have some work to do. Go on.”

Having been with Nie Zhenbang for several years, Yi Jun was quite familiar with his character. Hence, without further ado, he smiled and left. At this point, Nie Zhenbang sat down once more, revised the article again, and only left his office close to midnight.

At home, Li Lixue was already resting. As a pregnant woman, she was most tired at this time. Dong Wan, however, was sitting on the couch, a desk lamp beside her. Upon seeing Nie Zhenbang return, she put down her book and stood up. She took a look at Nie Zhenbang and said, “You haven’t eaten yet, have you?”

Enjoying the warmth of home, they passed the night in silence.

The next day at work, Nie Zhenbang picked up the phone on his desk and dialed his mentor, Professor Wang. Even though Professor Wang had stepped down from his position as party secretary of Jingcheng University, he was still an advisor to the National Financial Committee and also held the title of Economic Advisor to the State Council. Submitting the article to Professor Wang was equivalent to submitting it to the Central Government, which Nie Zhenbang knew well.

As soon as the phone was connected, Professor Wang’s voice rang out: “Hello, who is this, please?”

Hearing the professor’s robust and powerful voice, Nie Zhenbang responded with a smile, “Professor, how’s your health?”

As soon as Nie Zhenbang spoke, Professor Wang recognized his voice, and his hearty laughter came through the phone, “Ha ha, Zhenbang, you, the high-ranking official, seldom manage to make time for your studies. What brings you to call me today?”

These words made Nie Zhenbang somewhat embarrassed. He had never actually spent half a day studying at Jingcheng University, and his master’s degree was almost entirely the product of phone consultations with Professor Wang.

Adjusting his mind a bit, Nie Zhenbang laughed awkwardly and replied, “Professor, please don’t tease me. Yesterday, I wrote an article on the international financial environment. I’ve already sent it to you. Please have a look.”

“Oh? You, the high-ranking official, still manage to find time to write articles. I’ll have to give this a good look. You sent it by air courier, didn’t you? Then I should have it by this afternoon.” Professor Wang was a bit surprised. He admired his student greatly, and believed it a waste for Nie Zhenbang’s talents in economics to be used in public office.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries and hanging up, Nie Zhenbang let out a wry smile. His teacher’s relentless scrutiny of his decision to pursue politics over academia seemed to persist. The professor was entitled to the benefits of a Vice State-level official, but never regarded himself as one. Moreover, he had a disdain for the bureaucratic style of such officials, perceiving them as being overly theoretical.

His words, somewhat satirical, were surely meant to persuade Nie Zhenbang to abandon his political ambitions for a career in academia.

This, of course, was utterly impossible. He, like no other, knew where his true interests lay. In this life, his initial goal was to change his personal destiny. Then, he sought to change the fate of his family, and now, he wished to change the future of an entire city and county. It seemed as if he was truly adopting the principles of self-cultivation, managing his family well, and governing his state.

Admittedly, in this context, governing his state referred to a single region or city. But it wasn’t so far removed from ruling over a feudal state in ancient times. Referring to it as ‘governing a state’ wasn’t too far-fetched. As for ‘bringing peace to the world’, whether or not he could reach the summit would depend on his efforts.

Now, Nie Zhenbang’s goal was to change the destiny of Huaxia and the entire nation.

He spent the entire morning reading through documents. Managing the economy of Liangxi City was not easy, and it wasn’t just a formality or modesty to say so. At present, all aspects of the city’s economic development were going well. Any abrupt change in policy, merely to assert his power, would likely do more harm than good.

In the afternoon, at Jingcheng University. Professor Wang received a letter from Nie Zhenbang in his villa. Sitting in his study, he opened the letter and was immediately captivated by the title. He read the entire article carefully, taking a whole hour to finish it.

Lowering his glasses, he rubbed his somewhat swollen eyes. He was getting old, and his energy was inevitably waning. However, at this moment, Professor Wang was utterly shocked. The Asian financial crisis had been ongoing since the collapse of the Thai baht last year, and as a prominent domestic economist, he had been closely following it. Consequently, the economies of several Southeast Asian countries collapsed this year. Professor Wang had also been boldly guessing about the subsequent developments of the financial crisis. He had predicted that Dongying would come under pressure, but he had never considered that the Donggang Special Economic Zone would become the main target of international speculative capital.

Because in Professor Wang’s view, everyone knew that the powerful Huaxia was behind the Donggang Special Economic Zone, and that international speculative capital would not recklessly throw eggs at a rock. However, according to Nie Zhenbang’s theory, the goal of speculative capital was to drag Huaxia into the water by attacking Donggang, thereby disturbing Huaxia’s economy and making a fortune. This idea was truly shocking.

A capital group confronting a country seemed unlikely. But when he thought about Dongying and other Southeast Asian countries, Professor Wang felt a chill run down his spine. If this were true, even if Huaxia could successfully repel these people, it would be severely damaged.

At this point, Professor Wang could not sit still. He stood up, walked out of the study, and puzzled his wife. He picked up the phone, requested a car, took his materials, got in, and instructed the driver, “Go to the Economic Office of the State Council.”

…

“Gentlemen, this is a bold guess from my student, the current Mayor of Liangxi City, Nie Zhenbang. After reading it, I found it very shocking. What are your opinions?” In the State Council, the country’s top economists had gathered. Professor Wang was also among the best.

“Old Wang, I have to say, this old chap of yours, despite heading towards twilight years, has found a good apprentice. It’s a pity that such talent has chosen a career in public service. I am unsure whether it’s good or bad for our field of economics.” Beside him, a white-haired, spirited old man sighed and began praising.

The old man was an economics professor and doctoral supervisor at Huaqing University, akin to the undisputed authority in the domestic economics field. He, like Professor Wang, was also an economic advisor to the State Council.

As the words fell, a stern-looking man in his fifties, nodded and said, “Mister Wang, Mister Zou, I believe there is a high possibility for Nie Zhenbang’s guess to be a reality. My suggestion is to withhold publishing this article to avoid frightening the snake in the grass. To deal with this matter, I suggest that we, who are present here, jointly sign a proposal and submit it to Premier Yun.”

The speaker was the director of the Economic Office of the State Council, a renowned economist himself, and like Nie Zhenbang, he was also one of those who played both politics and academia.

At this moment, Nie Zhenbang was unaware that his article was sitting on Secretary General Yuan’s desk.

Forbidden City

Xi Nuan Pavilion

This was where Secretary General Yuan resided.

Within the antique study, the two highest leaders of Huaxia sat together.

Seeing Secretary General Yuan’s furrowed brows, Premier Yun reassured him with a smile, “There’s no need to worry too much, Premier. Since Nie Zhenbang had the foresight to predict such matters, even down to the estimated timeline around July, why not transfer him here temporarily to oversee the situation?”

Upon hearing Yun’s statement, Secretary General Yuan laughed. “Yes, indeed, we may not necessarily need to take such extreme measures. Now that we are already well-prepared, I believe our economists can devise a suitable plan. We’ll take it from there as the situation unfolds. (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to vote and subscribe on qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)