Then let them offer their loyalty!

Page 232

"I am who I am today because of you, and we've been through thick and thin together. If I don't trust you, who else can I trust!"

"I, Cao Dabiao, am prepared to give you my life!"

Qiu Tu didn't take Cao Dabiao's resolute words seriously.

He knew his confidants well; if Chen Feng said such a thing, it meant it was true.

However, Cao Dabiao's statement should be taken with a grain of salt.

But since Cao Dabiao had said so, Qiu Tu decided to speak directly as well.

He said, "Da Biao, go back now and return the documents and papers to the personnel department."

“Just say that you feel you are not up to the job and hope they will transfer you to another position or demote you back to your original position as deputy section chief.”

"Huh?" Cao Dabiao was clearly a little confused when he heard Qiu Tu's words.

Few people can maintain their integrity in the face of power and profit.

Cao Dabiao stammered, "Brother Tu...you must be kidding me, right?"

Qiu Tu, on the other end of the phone, said expressionlessly, "Da Biao, you know me. I never joke around."

Hearing Qiu Tu's chilling words, Cao Dabiao's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly said, "Okay, Brother Tu! I'll go to the personnel department right away to return the documents!"

Cao Dabiao's loyalty -12

Qiu Tu's expression remained unchanged as he looked at the notification that appeared in front of him.

His subordinates are people, not machines.

This is reality, not a game.

Let alone the kind of pressure one puts on subordinates, once one is promoted from the New Territories, the relationship between the two sides will gradually fade, and loyalty will gradually decrease.

This is all just human nature.

Moreover, even with a 12-point reduction in loyalty, Cao Dabiao's loyalty is still as high as 84 points, making him one of the most loyal subordinates of Qiu Tu.

Therefore, he will still follow Qiu Tu's lead and obey Qiu Tu's orders.

This sudden drop in loyalty simply reflects the resentment in the subordinate's heart after the superior hindered the subordinate's development.

If subordinates are appeased or given other compensation afterward, their loyalty will also rebound rapidly.

However, if left unchecked, or if subordinates are repeatedly prevented from being promoted, even the most loyal subordinates will eventually become disloyal.

So, with that in mind, after Cao Dabiao finished expressing his loyalty, Qiu Tu changed the subject and began to appease Cao Dabiao.

He said, "Da Biao."

"I know you must be somewhat dissatisfied or resentful about my decision."

Upon hearing this, Cao Dabiao quickly said, "Brother Tu, you've misunderstood me! I didn't."

Qiu Tu ignored him and continued calmly, "Do you remember what I said to you the first day we met?"

Cao Dabiao had clearly forgotten.

He uttered "uh..." twice, unsure how to respond.

Qiu Tu slowly said, "I'm asking you if you have a powerful family or influential background; whether you have high-ranking officials in the shelter as your backers; and whether you have a director supporting you."

Cao Dabiao was taken back to that night a few months ago by Qiu Tu's words.

He led his troops to report to Qiu Tu as instructed. However, on his very first day in office, Qiu Tu stripped him of his military power, drove him away, and effectively sidelined him.

He was furious at the time and took his two brothers, Ding Xiaoliu and Ding Xiaoqi, to eat hot pot.

Halfway through the meal, Qiu Tu called him back, gave him some money, and asked him these questions.

However... although he recalled the scene, Cao Dabiao still didn't quite understand why Qiu Tu was bringing this up.

At this moment, Qiu Tu slowly said, "Now, I will ask these questions again."

"Do you have a powerful family or influential background? Do you have the protection of the higher-ups at the shelter, and the support of the director and his ilk?"

Upon hearing Qiu Tu's words, Cao Dabiao chuckled twice and said, "Brother Tu, you know what kind of person I am."

“I don’t have those kinds of backgrounds, protection, or support.”

Upon hearing this, Qiu Tu retorted, "Yes. You have nothing, so what makes you think you deserve the position of Deputy Director of the Operations Department?"

"So many section chiefs have wanted to be promoted to this position but haven't succeeded. Don't you ever consider whether there might be something wrong with that?"

"Besides, you don't have anyone above you, and you got promoted so quickly. Aren't you afraid that others will be envious, jealous, and then keep an eye on you and report you?"

"If someone is watching you and reporting you, I can protect you once, twice, or even three times. But can I protect you every time?"

Finally, Qiu Tu sighed softly, then said earnestly, "So, Da Biao, don't fall for it. This is a case of flattery to kill!"

"Someone is trying to use flattery to their detriment, targeting me and Director Tang."

"It's fine if you refuse the position, but if you actually accept it, you'll be a sitting duck, waiting for them to deal with you."

Upon hearing Qiu Tu's words, Cao Dabiao's face turned deathly pale.

He's not stupid; he's just greedy and easily blinded by profit.

So when Qiu Tu explained everything to him in detail, he immediately understood everything.

He broke out in a cold sweat.

Cao Dabiao's loyalty +10

Seeing the notification pop up, Qiu Tu knew that Cao Dabiao had taken it to heart and understood his good intentions.

It's just a pity that such a huge profit would be difficult for anyone to give up, so there's still a little bit of resentment in my heart.

Thinking this, Qiu Tu slowly said, "Da Biao, actually... I talked to Director Tang about your matter this morning."

"I hope to give you more responsibilities."

"However, we also need to consider your future development."

"So, my idea this time is to promote you up first, from deputy section chief to section chief. To avoid drawing attention, you can work in a less popular classroom in the administration office as a transition."

"Promoting a deputy section chief from a powerful department to a section chief in a less influential department would draw far less criticism."

"After a period of transition, we'll transfer you back to the Political Department. By then, you won't stand out anymore."

Hearing Qiu Tu's sincere arrangements for his sake, Cao Dabiao felt deeply moved.

Even a fool could see the difference between the two promotion paths once they were compared.

Qiu Tu's deep care and the carefully designed promotion path for him were far superior to the personnel department's promotion of him beyond his rank.

This would not only allow him to retain real power, but also minimize jealousy and influence, preventing him from becoming a target of criticism.

Thinking this, Cao Dabiao choked up for a moment.

This time, he finally stopped using those platitudes and smooth talk. On the other end of the phone, he lowered his head, looking remorseful, and said, "Brother Tu, I'm sorry..."

"What I was thinking just now was..."

Qiu Tu didn't let Cao Dabiao finish speaking, but interrupted him directly, "Dabiao, there's no need to explain so much about our relationship."

"Everyone wants a promotion and a raise."

"Put yourself in someone else's shoes. If someone had prevented me from being promoted to such a good position, I probably would have complained too."

At this point, Qiu Tu paused for a moment, then said decisively, "And this is exactly what those with ulterior motives want to achieve!"

Qiu Tu said, "I agree to your promotion, and they will make you a target. By targeting you, they will achieve their goal of targeting me."

"And if I disagree with your promotion, they can easily drive a wedge between us."

"These people are all heartless."

After listening to Qiu Tu's words, Cao Dabiao finally understood the personnel department's conspiracy.

He said firmly, "Brother Tu! Don't worry, I'll go and cause a scene right now. I'll tell them I don't want to be the deputy minister and that they should find someone else!"

Cao Dabiao's loyalty increased by 4, now at 98.

Hearing Cao Dabiao's words and seeing the loyalty rating he returned.

Qiu Tu felt relieved. He smiled and hummed in agreement, then added with a word of caution, "Be extremely careful during such a sensitive time..."

Cao Dabiao grunted in agreement.

After hanging up the phone, Qiu Tu pondered quietly for a few seconds before taking out his communicator again and making calls to several important confidants, including Lao Ying, A Kun, and Chen Feng.

As Qiu Tu expected, they all received a notification from the personnel department saying that they had received Qiu Tu's recommendation and were preparing to promote them.

However, compared to Cao Dabiao, the others were clearly more cautious.

So, although Eagle and Ah Kun went, they declined the promotion, saying they would think about it first. Chen Feng even declined the promotion directly over the phone, citing physical discomfort.

Afterwards, the three of them prepared to call Qiu Tu to inquire about the situation, but the line was constantly busy.

Now that they had received Qiu Tu's instructions, the three of them immediately realized that this was the enemy's conspiracy.

After Qiu Tu told them to inform their other subordinates, he hung up the phone.

After hanging up the phone, Qiu Tu sent Tang Feifei a message explaining the current situation.

Tang Feifei was probably in a meeting with Yu Zhengyi and Shi Youxin, so she only replied with an "Mm".

But Qiu Tu, who knew Tang Feifei's personality and abilities well, felt relieved to see this word.

He recalled the whole incident, his expression turning somewhat grave.

If I'm not mistaken, this should be a test by either Yu Zhengyi or Shi Youxin.

They knew that after Qiu Tu and Tang Feifei seized power in the Investigation Bureau, they would definitely start interfering with personnel arrangements and placing their cronies in various departments.

Therefore, they simply took the initiative and promoted some of Qiu Tu and Tang Feifei's confidants to key positions.

With just a simple little action, they can achieve three functions.

First, it's reasonable to delay Qiu Tu and Tang Feifei's personnel arrangements—a batch has just been promoted, so the rest can wait.

Second, if Tang Feifei and Qiu Tu accept these appointments, it will demonstrate to the entire Investigation Bureau just how arrogant and domineering they are, thus planting the seeds for their future reckoning.

Third, if Tang Feifei and Qiu Tu do not acknowledge these appointments, then it is possible to sow discord between Tang Feifei and Qiu Tu and one's own confidants.

There aren't many people like Qiu Tu who understand people's hearts so well and can dispel the resentment and grudges in their subordinates with just a few words.

At least Tang Feifei isn't that kind of person... Given her personality, she wouldn't even bother to explain.

'As expected... one should never underestimate anyone in a high position.'

A simple act of flattery almost ruined Qiu Tu and Tang Feifei's entire plan.

Qiu Tu thought that after Yan Chen went into seclusion and Tang Feifei seized power, the Investigation Bureau would become his and Tang Feifei's backyard.

It seems we still need to proceed with extreme caution.

Those old foxes aren't simple...

Thinking of this, Qiu Tu couldn't help but feel fortunate about the attack by the alliance last night. Even the Deputy Director of Management, Yu Zhengyi, and the Minister of Personnel, Shi Youxin, were so shrewd in their calculations.

If the coalition hadn't attacked last night, given the strength of Deputy Director of Operations Lai Shun, Special Service Director Lin Ting, and Director of Public Security Guan Weihua, they might have launched some attacks against me because I mobilized so many people.

'Looking at it now... Yu Zhengyi and Shi Youxin's little trick was actually a good thing. At least it raised our guard. It made us realize that these high-ranking officials aren't sheep, but real wolves!'

Thinking this, Qiu Tuqiang suppressed his restless heart, which had been somewhat agitated these past two days because he had taken control of the Investigation Bureau.

Then he took a deep breath and strode toward the guard cell.

Upon arriving at the detention center, Qiu Tu, led by Wang Dawei, the detective who was eager to defect to him, arrived at Secretary Bai's detention room.

Watching Wang Dawei unlock the door to the guard cell, Qiu Tu gently patted Wang Dawei's shoulder and said earnestly, "Prepare yourself for the next couple of days; the burden on your shoulders may be heavier."

Upon hearing Qiu Tu's hint, Wang Dawei's eyes lit up.

He snapped to attention, gave Qiu Tu a crisp salute, and said earnestly, "Yes, sir!"

Wang Dawei's loyalty has increased by 8, currently at 57.

Don't be fooled by his low loyalty; remember that the two of them had no prior relationship and Qiu Tu had no influence over him.

Therefore, his initial loyalty of 49 truly proves that he genuinely wants to pledge allegiance to Qiu Tu.

Thinking this, Qiu Tu smiled and nodded at him, then pushed open the door of the guard room and went inside.

Upon entering Secretary Bai's solitary confinement room, Qiu Tu was greeted by Secretary Bai's figure bent over his desk, writing.