However, when Zhang Bo said this, Zhang Caidong's expression froze slightly. He looked at Zhang Bo in surprise and asked, somewhat confused, "Bo Ge, do you mean that you also provided some help when those middle-level managers were collecting lists?" This made him quite puzzled.
After all, he knew Zhang Bo's personality before; he wasn't keen on politics and didn't care about Lord Shen Mu's attempts to win him over. He even politely declined when Cai Dong wanted to recommend him to be the Spiritual Realm Commander of this New Lord of Human Race.
Now, Zhang Bo was telling him that he had secretly facilitated the collection of lists by those middle-level managers, which truly made him somewhat disbelieving.
"That's right. The reason those middle-level managers could easily get on those lists was also because of my arrangements." Zhang Bo, sitting on a chair, told Zhang Caidong seriously, "And the reason why those middle-level managers submitted lists, wanting to gain favor with Shen Mu, was also my suggestion. After all, some of them came to ask me, and then I spread this news and gave them this suggestion, allowing them to be the first to become Spiritual Realm Commanders."
"Bo Ge, I don't quite understand. To be honest, I really don't know the purpose of what you're doing." Zhang Caidong frowned at this point, but he didn't get angry. Instead, he thought carefully but couldn't figure it out. Then he looked up at Zhang Bo and asked, "Bo Ge, if you wanted to harm me, you wouldn't tell me the truth, so I think you must have a reason."
After all, this was the truth. Zhang Bo had left a very deep impression on him before and had saved his life many times. Now, he was suddenly telling him that he had a less honorable side and had betrayed him to some extent.
Even Zhang Caidong himself didn't believe this betrayal was real.
After all, Zhang Caidong's trust in Zhang Bo was at its maximum, even to the point of being a life-and-death friendship, at least in his opinion.
In his opinion, Zhang Bo had no reason to betray him.
Of course, Zhang Caidong knew nothing about Zhang Bo's true background, nor did he understand a true performer, who would definitely act at critical moments, and this was also a standard quality of a politician.
"Of course, I certainly don't mean to harm you." Zhang Bo shrugged his shoulders at this point, looking at the confused Zhang Caidong beside him, and said, "Actually, I think you should understand that the current situation is a bit awkward for you, especially given your current status, your power is a bit too concentrated."
"That's true." Zhang Caidong pursed his lips. He understood what Zhang Bo meant, after all, he knew that because all his power in Deherim was basically the highest among Blue Star Humans.
It could even be said that his influence among Blue Star Humans was greater and more authoritative than that of Shen Mu, the New Lord of Human Race.
It was even because Shen Mu didn't care about the development of those Blue Star Humans; he only asked him to lead them, and regarding the distribution of food quotas and the lists of Spiritual Realm Commanders, he let them provide them themselves. It could be said that he completely delegated power to these Blue Star Humans for self-governance.
And the premise of this self-governance was from the senior managers, led by Zhang Caidong, down to the middle-level managers, and then to the lowest-level managers.
They all completed it themselves.
As the highest-ranking Blue Star Human, Zhang Caidong naturally understood the extent of his power.
When Zhang Bo mentioned it, he said thoughtfully, "Bo Ge, do you mean that my power is too great, and I must share some of it with those middle-level managers to avoid unnecessary trouble, right?"
"Exactly, that's what I wanted to say." Zhang Bo nodded, looking at Zhang Caidong's thoughtful expression, and showed a look of approval on his face. However, in his heart, he didn't think so, because he was now trying to sow discord between Zhang Caidong and Shen Mu.
So Zhang Bo continued, "Think about it, your power is so great, those senior managers have a very good relationship with you, and the middle-level managers below are also of one mind with you. Plus, the lowest-level managers also completely obey you. It can be said that all the Blue Star Humans in Deherim are united with you. Who could tolerate that?"
What he was saying now was the truth, and it was all reality. Zhang Caidong understood this, but thinking of Shen Mu's expectations for him and the power he had given him, Zhang Caidong couldn't help but argue, "Perhaps it's because he considered that I'm too busy, so he wants someone to share my pressure." However, as he spoke, Zhang Caidong's voice became much softer, as he knew such an excuse seemed very weak, merely a self-serving justification, almost self-deception.
"And before, why did Sun Zhiru become the second-in-command, second only to you? Haven't you thought about this?" But Zhang Bo completely ignored what he said and instead analyzed seriously again, "You also understand that Sun Zhiru is a new, small force independent of you and your previous small circle. And he was directly promoted to be the second-in-command, second only to you. In the future, he will also be able to grow into a small circle that can contend with you by your side. This is a precaution against you, because if your power becomes too great, you can easily sideline Shen Mu. You should also understand that being sidelined is a very uncomfortable feeling."
"Although that's what you say, I still trust Lord Shen Mu. I still admire him very much." Zhang Caidong said at this point with a weaker tone, though his face still showed some helplessness. But he also understood that everything Zhang Bo said was true, and it was all very real truth.
"Of course, I didn't say that Lord Shen Mu is bad. Moreover, precisely because he is so good to you, you should understand that sometimes, personal feelings cannot be used to measure the relationship between you and your superiors. This is also why I have always kept to myself, trying not to get involved in political matters." Zhang Bo said at this point.
And he even used himself as an example.
"That's true, Bo Ge. I really approve of you, and I think you are a very wise person." Zhang Caidong nodded. Zhang Bo had indeed always shown an aversion to politics and little involvement, always wanting to focus on researching his spells and magic structures.
It was precisely because of this that Zhang Caidong trusted Zhang Bo so much. After all, why wouldn't he cultivate a talent who only wanted to pursue academics, had such a good relationship with him, and had a bright future?
Seeing Zhang Caidong's trusting expression, a smile appeared at the corner of Zhang Bo's mouth. It looked somewhat smug, but only he knew that it was a mocking smile of derision towards a fool.
However, he didn't show the slightest bit of it. Instead, he continued to analyze to Zhang Caidong with a thoughtful expression, "That's why I encouraged those middle-level managers to proactively approach Shen Mu with the lists, giving them a greater role. This way, your power can be gradually diluted, and some psychological barriers will also appear between you and the senior managers."
As he spoke, Zhang Bo added, "To be precise, it should be sharing the power of you senior managers, allowing these middle-level managers to get closer to Shen Mu's power circle and have more say."
At this point, Zhang Caidong looked thoughtful, "If our power as senior managers is shared, then it can effectively alleviate Lord Shen Mu's suspicions of me."
"Exactly, that's it." Zhang Bo nodded. At the same time, seeing that he had indeed steered the conversation towards the suspicion between Zhang Caidong and Shen Mu, his heart also became somewhat elated. His division was clearly successful.
What he wanted was for their relationship to become increasingly strained due to suspicion, even to the point where both sides mistrusted each other, thereby causing some conflicts.
In fact, what he wanted to do was to replicate the suspicion he had fostered among the general manager, other ministers, and the policy managers at Diesel Company.
It was precisely because of the mutual suspicion that Diesel Company, which appeared very strong, actually had many internal rifts, so much so that in the end, when the general manager was besieged, few people came forward to rescue him.
It could even be said that a large reason why Shen Mu easily annihilated Diesel Company was because Zhang Bo had facilitated it. In other words, because Zhang Bo had stirred up trouble within Diesel Company at the time, it led to the general manager and others becoming disaffected, and their relationship became irreconcilably rigid, ultimately allowing Shen Mu to reap the benefits.
If Diesel Company hadn't been so rigid, it wouldn't have been easy for Shen Mu to successfully launch a surprise attack. After all, if they had reacted and everyone had concentrated their forces to attack Shen Mu's invading troops, they could have quickly overwhelmed Shen Mu's forces with their numerical advantage.
At that time, not only would General Manager Xue Zhigang not have been dealt with, but they would all have been surrounded, with their retreat cut off, leading to complete annihilation.
Therefore, Zhang Bo always believed that the demise of Diesel Company was actually due to his own reasons. If it weren't for him, it would have been very difficult for Shen Mu, the New Lord of Human Race, to destroy Diesel Company.
It could be said that Shen Mu had reaped the benefits of Zhang Bo's efforts. Just thinking about it made Zhang Bo feel very annoyed, after all, he had prepared this benefit for Green Leaf Group.
As a result, Green Leaf Group didn't get it, but Shen Mu did. He was very angry in his heart now, so based on this successful experience, he began to continue stirring up trouble in Deherim, dividing the relationships among these people, just like with Diesel Company, and disrupting this New Lord of Human Race.
"And do you know?" Zhang Bo then said to Zhang Caidong, "Actually, in many people's eyes, you and I are one. I helped those middle-level managers submit the lists and gave them the opportunity to become Spiritual Realm Commanders. They will be very grateful to me, but their gratitude to me is also equivalent to gratitude to you. And later, I will also tell them that you agreed to it."
"This way, although those middle-level managers will escape the shadow of control from the senior managers and gain more power, having more say, in reality, based on this relationship, they will also be very grateful to you. So, your power hasn't actually shrunk much; instead, it has become more concentrated in your hands. It's just that the senior managers' circle has had its power divided for this reason and appears somewhat less influential than before, so you won't blame me, right?"
"Bo Ge, you and I are one. If it weren't for you, I would have died long ago, and you've helped me so much. Besides, we are both from the same Zhang family. At this point, I can't thank you enough. How could I have any objections to what you've done?" Zhang Caidong was very moved after hearing Zhang Bo's explanation.
Just thinking about it, he could understand that Zhang Bo was completely doing it for him.
Moreover, from the purpose of Zhang Bo's actions, only Zhang Caidong benefited. The other senior managers directly had a lot of their power distributed, and then those middle-level managers would actually sideline those senior managers.
As for whether those senior managers would resent this, Zhang Caidong didn't care at all. After all, those senior managers also understood that they had too much power. And the reason why Sun Zhiru appeared was also because they all understood that this was also a small reminder from Lord Shen Mu to them.
Now that their power was divided, they could only grit their teeth and accept it. As for Zhang Caidong, his relationship with Lord Shen Mu was very different, and they would also think that this might be an unspoken understanding between Lord Shen Mu and Zhang Caidong. One by one, they couldn't say anything.
"Bo Ge, I'm truly grateful for your efforts for me." Zhang Caidong was filled with emotion as he thought of this.
"We're all from the same Zhang family, both from the city village, so let's not say so much." Zhang Bo shook his head and smiled at this point, encouraging Zhang Caidong, "You can thank me when you're in a high position of power. Besides, the better you do, the better I do. It's all the same."
However, in Zhang Bo's heart, looking at Zhang Caidong's moved expression, a more contemptuous smile appeared.
Everything was secretly agreed upon at a price. Unfortunately, Zhang Caidong didn't know that he had already marked a price for him too.