Chapter 172: A Masterclass in Combining Benevolence with Severity (4/4)

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am now issuing the battle orders!"

As Chen Luo's voice fell, most of the people present involuntarily straightened their backs, their expressions turning serious.

Clearly, Chen Luo's earlier display of authority had been remarkably effective.

He hadn't resorted to underhanded scheming; instead, he made it blatantly clear to everyone:

You are not irreplaceable. If you don't obey, I have plenty of people ready to take your place at a moment's notice.

Their mindset shifted instantly from "Who does this puny kid think he is to discipline us?" to "Holy crap! He can actually destroy us!"

Everyone present had clawed their way up to high-ranking positions with great difficulty; none of them were willing to lose their current status and annual salaries ranging from millions to tens of millions.

Losing that brought anger, but it also brought terror.

In just a few brief sentences, Chen Luo had successfully established absolute authority in their minds.

"Vice President Lin!"

"Present!"

Hearing his name called, Lin Cheng scrambled to his feet and bowed slightly.

"Director Chen, please give your instructions."

"No need to be nervous. Please, sit down. You are all my seniors, and I should be learning from you."

Vice President Lin slowly sat back down. Chen Luo had at least given him some face by not publicly humiliating him on the spot, especially since he had just wanted to put Chen Luo in his place earlier.

At the same time, this remark effectively defused the awkward atmosphere in the room.

Whether Chen Luo meant it sincerely or was merely putting on a show, it at least signaled that he had no immediate plans to purge them from their posts.

Observing everyone's reactions, the Head of the Human Resources Department silently gave a thumbs-up.

"This Director Chen's art of subordination is not a bit inferior to those old foxes. He has everyone's psychology completely wrapped around his finger."

Seeing the looks on their faces, Chen Luo continued.

"Vice President Lin, you will take full charge of our grassroots educational infiltration plan going forward. Since the opposition has already caught on, we will press on with our infiltration openly and boldly, racing against time to beat them!"

"Understood! I will follow up on this immediately after the meeting!"

"Is Vice President Zhang Ming, who oversees the Financial and Public Relations Departments, present?"

A sharp-looking, bespectacled middle-aged man raised his hand and nodded at Chen Luo.

"Yes! Director Chen, please instruct me."

"You will step into both departments starting now. The opposition will undoubtedly target our stocks and financial markets. Your task is to feign weakness, let them pour massive amounts of funds in, and then launch a defensive counterattack to drag them into a quagmire!"

"Understood!"

"Next, Vice President Fang, who oversees the Finance and Human Resources Departments: during this period, you must ensure the smooth allocation of funds and personnel across all departments and subsidiaries. There must be no logistical failures!"

"Understood! If there is any failure in logistics, Director Chen, you can strip me of my position on the spot!"

"Good, the group needs someone with a sense of responsibility like Vice President Fang!"

Having said that, Chen Luo looked forward, sweeping his gaze across everyone else remaining in the room.

"As for the heads of the other departments and industry subsidiaries, I have only one demand for you."

At this point, Chen Luo wore a gaze filled with murderous intent, his voice dropping to a low, fierce roar.

"Go all out! Give it everything you have! Attack at all costs!"

"Offense is the best defense! Whatever funds you need, whatever personnel you require, I will allocate them to you uniformly!"

"Even if you are destined to lose, you must go down while on the offensive!"

"Whoever shows cowardice! Whoever dares not to fight! I will use his head to rally the troops!"

"Is that clear?"

The final sentence was delivered as a harsh, explosive shout.

"Understood!"

"Good! Once we win this war, the entire company will receive a bonus equivalent to 10 months of salary at the end of the year!"

Hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up. Their monthly salaries were anywhere from one hundred thousand to several hundred thousand, meaning a 10-month bonus amounted to millions.

Even for ordinary employees, a 10-month bonus was an enormous sum of money!

"Now, get out of here and get to work!"

"Whoever dares to slack off, I'll skin them alive!"

"Yes!"

"Meeting adjourned!"

The moment Chen Luo dismissed the meeting, everyone bolted out of the conference room and rushed back to their respective departments and companies to take charge of operations.

Only Vice President Lin Cheng remained, walking over to Chen Luo.

"Director Chen, the Ye Family Group's main offensive is likely to be focused on the education sector. Do you have any further instructions for me?"

Since Vice President Lin was in charge of the education industry, and given that the grassroots infiltration plan had now been placed entirely in his hands, it was only natural for him to seek further guidance and report to him.

"Well, Vice President Lin is right, but you will focus solely on the grassroots infiltration."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that as the primary battlefield, the education sector will be under my direct and exclusive command. You won't need to concern yourself with it."

"I understand. If there is anything you need me to do, please let me know. I'll take my leave now."

As Vice President Lin stepped out of the conference room, Chen Luo stood up and stretched lazily.

Wen Xiu, standing behind him, looked at Chen Luo and let out an involuntary sigh of admiration.

"Brother-in-law, are you really not even twenty years old yet?"

"Yeah, I'm just a little over nineteen, haven't even had my birthday yet. Why, Fifth Brother?"

Hearing this, Wen Xiu wore a rather strange expression and scratched the back of his head.

"Nothing, it's just that you're so seasoned. Even if Wenwan taught you herself, your mastery over subordinates is sharper than the old foxes in our family."

"Normally, it takes decades of floating and sinking in the commercial world to reach your level."

"To be honest, my own ability to manage subordinates isn't as high as yours right now."

"You won over all these old veterans in a single meeting. If you weren't Wenwan's man and were just an ordinary employee of the company, I'd even be worried you came here to usurp the Wen family's estate."

"Fifth Brother, stop joking around. It's time for today's livestream. Let's go."

Chen Luo walked out of the conference room and headed toward the broadcasting studio. Meanwhile, the entire company had plunged into a state of hyper-efficiency, with overlapping shouts of instruction echoing through the offices of every department and subsidiary.

"Listen up! All-out combat! All leaves are canceled, get to work! Whoever drops the ball during this period, watch how I deal with them!"

"Ten months' bonus! That's ten months' bonus! And everyone gets it as long as we win! This new Director Chen is even more generous than Director Wen!"

"Damn it! You're telling me this project can't be done well? If I get fired, I swear I'll fire you first before I go, and blackball you from the entire industry!"

"Listen! Give every single task your absolute all from here on out! Whoever doesn't put their life into it, I'll destroy them first! Director Chen is keeping his eyes on us!"

Similar words echoed back and forth across every department and subsidiary. The morale and fighting spirit of the entire group coalesced into a unified force, plunging everyone into their work with 120 percent focus.

Meanwhile, back at the villa, Wenwan had already woken up and was resting in bed.

Her phone chimed with a message notification. It was from Red Leaf, containing a short video accompanied by a line of text.

[Director Wen, a specially recorded video titled: "Chen Luo's Overbearing Aura," please check it out!]