Chapter 90 Re-establishing the Head of the Squad

Xu Changze stroked his beard and turned to the still bewildered Liu Ziming, his tone solemn.

"Ziming, oh Ziming, it was my oversight in the past; I never expected that at such a critical moment, you would possess such courage and talent."

"Regarding the matters of Sangye Village and the Zhao Estate, you have rendered great service, and for many years in the Demon Suppression Division, you have been diligent and conscientious. Young Hero Chen's recommendation was correct!"

Liu Ziming was so startled by this sudden affirmation that he shivered; his legs went weak, and he nearly slid off his chair, stammering.

"M... My Lord, this subordinate, I..."

Xu Changze waved his hand, cutting off his stuttering, his tone becoming authoritative.

"No need for modesty. Liu Ziming, hear my order!"

Liu Ziming braced himself against the armrests, struggled to stand, and instinctively cupped his hands and bowed.

"I hereby promote you to Squad Leader of the Yunmeng Demon Suppression Division! I hope you will remain diligent in your duties, not failing the grace of Chen Mu's recommendation, nor failing my expectations."

As soon as these words were spoken, an irrepressible commotion broke out in the hall.

No one had expected that the scrawny monkey, who usually bowed and scraped to everyone and didn't dare to talk back even when being berated by Head Constable Wang, would actually become the Squad Leader of Yunmeng.

This world has truly turned upside down.

Liu Ziming felt dizzy, as if in a dream. He instinctively looked at Chen Mu, but saw that Chen Mu's expression was calm. Seeing his gaze, Chen Mu only gave a faint reminder.

"Why haven't you thanked the Magistrate for his promotion yet?"

Liu Ziming then snapped out of his daze and, dragging his injured leg, prepared to kneel, but was stopped by a wave of Xu Changze's hand.

"Chief Liu, you are injured, there is no need for such formalities."

His tone was gentle, but his next sentence carried an intriguing smile as his gaze shifted to Chen Mu.

"Since Liu Ziming is now Squad Leader, according to the rules, all personnel under his command are subject to his jurisdiction and deployment."

"Chen Mu, you are now considered a subordinate of Chief Liu. In your daily affairs, follow his orders. Chief Liu is familiar with the local area, and you are exceptionally brave and martial; you complement each other perfectly."

"I hope the two of you can cooperate sincerely and render new service for our Yunmeng City."

His words sounded very high-sounding and righteous, but they made Qi Huan's heart tremble.

Make Chen Mu serve under Liu Ziming? Listen to Liu Ziming's orders?

This was clearly an extremely insidious scheme of sowing discord.

Who was Liu Ziming? Timid and fearful, with mediocre ability; being suddenly elevated to a high position, it was already difficult to command respect.

Yet Chen Mu was powerful, arrogant, and had established immense merit just last night, rising to fame.

Now, by making such a person take orders from a scrawny monkey who was far inferior to him in strength, merit, and prestige, the relationship between these two would become delicate.

In the future, any order Liu Ziming gave to Chen Mu could be interpreted as a petty man getting ahead. And if Chen Mu questioned or neglected Liu Ziming's orders, it would be seen as arrogance due to his merits.

The bond of life-and-death friendship between the two would very likely quickly twist and deteriorate under such circumstances, while Xu Changze could sit high above, watching them consume each other, keeping both firmly in his grasp.

How vicious his intentions were!

But Chen Mu seemed not to have heard the malice, just nodded and replied indifferently.

"Yes!"

On the contrary, Liu Ziming turned pale and hurriedly waved his hands.

"M... My Lord, this is not appropriate. How can I... how can I make Chen Mu listen to me? This..."

He was sweating profusely with anxiety, feeling that this position had instantly turned into a red-hot branding iron.

Xu Changze seemed not to see Liu Ziming's embarrassment and continued speaking on his own.

"Since Liu Ziming is the new Squad Leader, his scope of jurisdiction should naturally be clarified."

"From today on, Chief Liu will not only command the subordinates formerly under Wang Youde but also have the authority to supervise and inquire into matters in all jurisdictions within Yunmeng City."

As soon as these words were said, there was another low uproar in the hall.

Having the authority to supervise and inquire into all jurisdictions—this authority was given too broadly.

It could be said that he could meddle in the daily operations of the Demon Suppression Division throughout the entire Yunmeng City. This was far broader than the scope of authority Head Constable Wang had previously.

Mentioning this, some quick-witted and opportunistic constables immediately stepped forward to cup their hands and congratulate Liu Ziming.

"Congratulations, Chief Liu! Felicitations, Chief Liu!"

"Chief Liu, please look after us in the future!"

"Brother Ziming... No! Chief Liu, congratulations on your promotion. Your brother offers you his well-wishes."

Words of congratulations rose and fell, but only heaven knew how much sincerity, how much pretense, and how much was aimed at the position of Squad Leader.

Liu Ziming was surrounded in the middle, squeezing out a smile that was uglier than crying, but could only mechanically nod and cup his hands, his mind completely blank.

Xu Changze nodded with satisfaction, his gaze sweeping over the people in the hall, a deeper calculation suddenly flashing in his eyes, and he suddenly raised his voice again.

"Everyone, please be quiet!"

"Our Yunmeng City is blessed with outstanding people and talented individuals. We have talents like Liu Ziming who hide their true depth, and even more so, heroes like Chen Mu who are brave enough to lead armies. How could a single Squad Leader position fully display the prosperity of our Yunmeng?"

"I have decided to establish another Squad Leader position, to be held by Chen Mu."

As soon as these words were spoken, the whole hall went silent, and everyone looked at Xu Changze in confusion.

Establishing another Squad Leader? Didn't Chen Mu just refuse, and wasn't he assigned under Liu Ziming? What was this play about?

Chen Mu immediately frowned, wanting to speak up and refuse again.

But Xu Changze did not allow him to refuse, taking a step ahead, the smile on his face deepening.

"Young Hero Chen, don't be in such a hurry to decline. I know you are devoted to martial arts and do not like worldly matters. This newly established Squad Leader position is different from Ziming's."

"Ziming manages daily affairs and coordinates various parties, while you will specialize in patrolling and arresting, handling sudden disasters and chaos, with the authority to make decisions on the spot and act first, report later."

"Of course, major actions still need to be communicated with Officer Qi and Chief Liu."

At this point, everyone understood that Xu Changze was playing a game of divide and rule, dual containment.

Establishing two Squad Leaders—Liu Ziming manages the daily routine, has greater power in terms of title, and suppresses Chen Mu, which easily triggers opposition between the two.

As for Chen Mu's Squad Leader position, the authority is special; it sounds imposing, but in reality, it leaves him hoisted high, and without the cooperation of Liu Ziming, the administrative Squad Leader, he would likely find it difficult to move an inch.

Moreover, this position specializes in the most dangerous cases; it is simply a position specifically for handling hot potatoes, making it even easier to get oneself implicated.

What a brilliant scheme to kill three birds with one stone.

Chen Mu's eyes narrowed slightly, and he finally looked directly at Xu Changze; this old fox indeed harbored malicious intent.

Just as he was about to speak, Xu Changze's voice lowered a fraction, carrying a tone of temptation.

"Besides, Young Hero Chen, do you know that in the Demon Suppression Division, the martial arts Cultivation Techniques one can access at different ranks are vastly different? For ordinary constables, being able to access 'Taibao Horizontal Training' is already the limit, while a Squad Leader is qualified to apply for Advanced Cultivation Techniques."

"I can immediately draft a document to report your achievements to the Prefecture Demon Suppression Division, request rewards for you, and emphasize applying for corresponding Cultivation Technique rewards for you."

"If you refuse the Squad Leader position now, the subsequent Cultivation Technique rewards will lack a proper justification, and I fear..."

Xu Changze did not finish his sentence, but the implied meaning could not be more obvious.

If you don't take this Squad Leader position, the Advanced Cultivation Technique promised to you might have to be discounted.

Or even, fall through completely.