Seeing this notification, Rui Yuchen was shocked.

He hurriedly opened the department heads’ group chat and found it had exploded with messages.

“Going to the frontlines??? Did I read that correctly?”

“I’m also shocked. Department heads actually have to experience frontline work in other departments, and for three months? That’s way too long!”

“I don’t mind experiencing the hardships of frontline work, but does it really need to be this long? Going to study and learn from each other for a week would be plenty. Why three whole months?”

“The key issue is that the timing seems problematic, doesn’t it? This is a critical period in our struggle against the Anti-Tenda Alliance. Changing department heads is no small matter. We can’t give our opponents a chance to catch their breath just when we’ve gained the upper hand!”

“Shortening it by one month if we find someone from outside Tenda to serve as acting department head? That’s even more ridiculous! Are we department heads like cabbages? Can anyone picked randomly from the street do our job?”

“This won’t work; it’s too irresponsible! I could understand if we handed over our responsibilities to key staff members in our departments, but what’s the meaning of bringing in outsiders!”

Other department heads were just as confused as Rui Yuchen.

They were completely stunned!

In the current situation, it was like an ancient army setting out on a campaign, with soldiers all armed and ready to charge into battle, when suddenly the emperor issued an edict requiring all generals to serve as common soldiers in the ranks, while recruiting a bunch of outlaws to replace them!

No matter how you looked at it, it seemed like a recipe for disaster!

As the saying goes, “An incompetent general will exhaust his army.” Changing one general might lead to the defeat of the entire campaign, let alone replacing several key generals all at once!

It was absurd!

Originally, these department heads were all highly motivated, thinking that with Mr. Pei in seclusion, this was their chance to prove themselves!

Everyone had prepared counterattack plans and was just waiting to coordinate a bit before launching a full offensive, hoping to earn Mr. Pei’s praise when he emerged from seclusion.

But they never expected Mr. Pei to suddenly appear and disrupt everyone’s plans!

Didn’t you say you were going into seclusion?

When we tried to find you, you were nowhere to be found. Then after we arranged everything, you suddenly come out of seclusion and interfere!

What a betrayal!

If it were anyone else, they would definitely be condemned as a foolish ruler.

How was this any different from recalling General Yue Fei with the twelve golden plaques?

But… this person was, after all, Mr. Pei.

After venting their dissatisfaction in the group chat for a while, the department heads gradually calmed down.

Their initial reaction indeed had major issues, but…

As usual, a basic quality of Tenda’s department heads was that when faced with seemingly unreasonable situations, they would complain less and think more about the deeper meaning behind them.

Huang Sibo said, “Everyone, please calm down.”

“Mr. Pei’s seclusion is definitely real. He’s not so bored that he’d flip-flop just to toy with us.”

“So, the only explanation for this is that Mr. Pei saw our counterattack plan but wasn’t satisfied with it.”

“And this requirement to go to the frontlines… probably isn’t as simple as it appears on the surface.”

The department heads’ group chat quickly quieted down.

At first glance, this situation did seem ridiculous.

But it had to be said that each of Mr. Pei’s previous decisions, while seemingly absurd, would eventually find a reasonable explanation that would enlighten everyone.

This time, Mr. Pei’s requirement for all department heads to “go to the frontlines” was probably similar.

It very likely had an inseparable connection to this business war with the Anti-Tenda Alliance!

Otherwise, what could it be for? It couldn’t possibly be to deliberately cause trouble, could it?

Having identified the direction, the next step was simple: analysis!

They needed to think carefully about why Mr. Pei had issued such instructions, and whether there were any loopholes in the collective strategy they had devised to deal with the Anti-Tenda Alliance companies.

After a while, Xiao Peng said, “This matter is crucial. Those of us in Jingzhou should meet in person immediately. Those not in Jingzhou can join via video conference. Everyone should put aside all current work and figure this out first!”

Everyone quickly agreed, then temporarily set aside their work and hurried to the arranged conference room!

…

By 3 p.m., the conference room was full.

Most of the relevant department heads had arrived, while those not in Jingzhou or unable to attend for special reasons joined via video call or sent key staff members to represent them.

For instance, Min Jingchao and Tian Mo were still on the suffering travel and obviously couldn’t attend.

But this didn’t affect the meeting. Tenda’s department heads often faced various dangers, such as being taken on suffering trips or being eliminated first in competitions, so they had to cultivate key staff members for emergencies.

These key staff members were fully capable of serving as department heads, so their participation in the meeting was just as effective.

As the most senior member, Huang Sibo naturally took on the responsibility of chairing the meeting.

“Our emergency meeting today has only one purpose: to analyze the deeper meaning behind Mr. Pei’s ‘go to the frontlines’ decision!”

“Evidently, in Mr. Pei’s view, our current counterattack plan has flaws, which is why he forcibly interrupted our progress.”

The other department heads nodded in agreement.

As expected of Old Huang—in such a short time, he had already characterized the situation and found the research direction!

As a department head at Tenda, the most fearsome thing wasn’t lacking ability but failing to understand Mr. Pei’s intentions.

People without ability, even if they knew nothing, could succeed as long as they carefully interpreted what Mr. Pei wanted them to do and diligently carried it out.

But conversely, having some ability without understanding Mr. Pei’s intentions could lead to major problems.

No matter how smart or capable you were, could you be smarter or more capable than Mr. Pei?

Could you comprehend Mr. Pei’s wild imagination and powerful strategic abilities?

So even smart people, when doing what they believed was right without understanding Mr. Pei’s intentions, would only end up holding Mr. Pei back.

The mark of a qualified Tenda department head was that no matter how absurd the request seemed, they would never doubt Mr. Pei’s motives, but would instead carefully analyze the deeper implications and feasibility of the matter.

Xiao Peng raised his hand and said, “Let me go first.”

“Actually, I haven’t fully figured it out either, but I’ve summarized several key points to share with everyone, just to get the ball rolling.”

“‘Going to the frontlines to learn’ is actually a common practice. As department heads, being in high positions for too long can easily disconnect us from the grassroots, so going to inspect and learn from the frontlines occasionally helps us better understand the problems existing in our departments.”

“From this perspective, the ‘go to the frontlines’ requirement makes sense.”

“What confuses everyone boils down to four points.”

“First, is the timing appropriate?”

“Second, is switching departments necessary?”

“Third, is three months too long?”

“Fourth, why encourage people from outside the company to serve as acting department heads?”

“If we can figure out these four points, this issue should be resolved, and we’ll understand Mr. Pei’s deeper meaning.”

Huang Sibo nodded, “Yes, let’s discuss them one by one. We’re all on the same team, so feel free to express any thoughts you have.”

After a moment of consideration, Rui Yuchen said, “Regarding the first point, I have a guess.”

“Going to the frontlines is about seeing the problems and shortcomings at the grassroots level of each department and industry. And the current timing is a critical period in the great battle between Tenda Group and the Anti-Tenda Alliance.”

“On the surface, changing commanders during battle seems like a major taboo in warfare, but we must also understand that different stages of a war have different objectives.”

“We need to clarify whether we’re in the decisive battle stage or just the initial probing stage of the war?”

“If it’s the decisive battle stage, then we certainly shouldn’t make rash moves. But if it’s the probing stage, we should be identifying and addressing internal issues, preparing for the real decisive battle.”

“Many people mistakenly believe we’re in the decisive battle stage, falling into the error of ‘quick victory-ism,’ thinking the Anti-Tenda Alliance will quickly collapse and disintegrate.”

“But think carefully—is that possible? They have high market shares and funding. They also know that if they fail this time, it will be difficult to find a similar perfect opportunity in the future, so they won’t easily back down.”

“So, this war is likely to be prolonged. Even if we achieve a phased victory in a few months, the entire campaign will continue for a long time, perhaps for several years.”

“Before the real decisive battle arrives, solidifying our foundation and resolving subtle internal issues, approaching the enemy in a more impeccable manner—this is what we should be doing now.”

The department heads couldn’t help but nod in agreement.

That made sense!

Previously, many people felt that changing department heads at this critical juncture seemed like changing commanders during battle, but the key question was: what stage of the war were they in?

If this war was going to last for several years with back-and-forth struggles, then having the generals examine the frontline situation and identify internal issues at the beginning of the war would solidify the foundation!

The key was that this type of action was better done sooner rather than later.

Because the war had just begun, if they didn’t solidify the foundation now, there would be even less time to do so later.

Did Tenda’s various departments have issues at the grassroots level?

There definitely were—no one would be so arrogant as to think Tenda’s departmental structures were perfect.

Since problems existed, they might be exploited by opponents during this war.

Therefore, initiating frontline activities at this critical juncture to identify and correct problems would greatly increase their chances of victory later!

Xiao Peng seemed inspired and said, “So, having us switch departments is to help us better discover problems?”

“After all, those involved are often blind to their own situations while bystanders see clearly. If department heads go to their own departments, it might not only restrict the acting department head’s freedom to operate but also naturally cause them to overlook some issues.”

“Switching departments for the experience makes it easier to find the crux of the problems, allowing for mutual supervision and reminders.”