62 Universality and Particularity (Part Two)

Wu Qingchen was abruptly appointed as the cattle herder of Ekeli Village!

This sudden appointment almost completely sidestepped the original work plan of the Earth Advisory Group. Indeed, the team of global elites had predicted that Pastor Playa might praise Wu Qingchen, but with no actual intelligence, nobody could have guessed how much influence this man wielded among the territory’s upper ranks. Even less could they have foreseen that he would expend all his accumulated favors from several years just for a parish inspection that was still months away!

The advisory group had anticipated that after the steward escaped disaster and the agricultural officer reported with relief, Baron Arkford, lord of the territory, might be left with a good impression of Wu Qingchen. If all went well, Wu Qingchen might be allowed to assist the newly assigned cattle herder. Yet with information so scarce they didn’t even know the baron’s full name, who could have imagined that a child only fourteen years old, standing at just 1.4 meters, would be entrusted by the mysterious Arkford lord to oversee all the village’s plow oxen—a full dozen heads of advanced productivity—as sole and absolute manager!

Can you imagine a Fortune 500 multinational appointing a minor as CEO?

And this minor was a genuine black youth from the African savannah, a true illiterate who had spent only a month in school! Surely this defied all reason! Had the baron’s mind been trapped in a doorway?

This was decidedly unscientific!

Fortunately, when such outlandish events occur in the heavens, the advisory group had not neglected to prepare for all manner of fantastical contingencies concerning Wu Qingchen, aiming to prevent even more miraculous developments.

Among this mountain of contingency plans, what was “Plan No. 37”—the lord directly appointing Wu Qingchen as cattle herder—compared to others? There was Plan No. 527: Wu Qingchen turns out to be Baron Arkford’s illegitimate son, discovered and forced to compete for inheritance with his newfound brothers! Plan No. 691: Wu Qingchen is actually the parish deacon’s illegitimate son, with the same inheritance battle! Plan No. 813: Wu Qingchen saves a passing prince, leading to full efforts at currying royal favor! Plan No. 845: Wu Qingchen reveals his Earthly origins, striving to present himself as a prophet!

Yet, while it’s easy to dream up such extravagant scenarios, preparing for them consumes real manpower and material resources. Precious resources must be focused on the more plausible, or at least comparatively plausible, dozens of predictions. Plan No. 37 remained among them, but compared to the top ten, the resources allocated to this plan, even in the first instance, felt thin—so thin that the director, used to files as thick as books, instantly sensed its inadequacy.

Five pages.

The gray-haired director quickly flipped through the slim file and signed his name at the end.

“Implement these measures first.” He handed the file back to the soldier standing furthest left, removed his glasses, and rubbed his reddened eyes vigorously. “Notify all departments, tonight’s rest plan is cancelled.”

“Yes, I’ll notify them immediately!” The soldier on the far left saluted, took the file, and left.

“Should we stick with the original rest schedule?” The second soldier, remaining in the room, hesitated. “Comrades have only rested thirty minutes every eight hours for three days straight.”

“Yes, everyone has worked hard…” The director hesitated for several seconds, finally making up his mind. “…Let’s add ten more minutes. Tell the comrades—just for tonight, this will not be repeated.”

“Yes, I’ll arrange it right away!” The second soldier straightened, saluted, and departed.

“Supplement the implementation details for Plan No. 39 as soon as possible…” Facing the remaining soldiers in the room, the gray-haired director glanced at the clock. “Seven o’clock is the reporting time to the higher department. We have ninety-three minutes.”

“Yes, I’ll prepare immediately!” The third soldier straightened, saluted, and left.

“Director…” The fourth soldier spoke. “If we report at seven, time is tight and our capacity insufficient.”

“Apply to the advisory headquarters. Request resource coordination from the Education Office, Science and Technology Office, Information Office, and Health Office.”

“Resources are tight in all groups. From a pragmatic standpoint, results from temporary coordination are not optimistic,” the fourth soldier countered.

“Yes, it’s a difficult period…” The director was unfazed by the objection. He raised his head, tapping the table lightly. “If coordination is tough, civilian resources can be considered for institutional inclusion… In times like these, certain leftist groups—normally outspoken—share our interests in maintaining stability and ensuring logistics.”

“You mean the ‘self-organized volunteers’?”

“Yes, that’s part of it.” The director responded to the soldier’s “politically immature” comment with equal candor. “We need to engage these channels quickly, aiming for voluntary cooperation. If necessary, appropriate compensation can be offered.”

“Yes, the task will be accomplished!” The fourth soldier straightened, saluted, and left.

“For the next phase of guiding public opinion, I believe three points must be firmly grasped…”

The gray-haired director stood, pacing before the remaining soldiers:

“First, speak the truth—dare to speak the truth. Comrade Wu Qingchen’s appointment as cattle herder represents an elevation of status, improved working conditions, and societal recognition. This is fundamentally a great achievement and should be highlighted in our messaging. At the same time, don’t shy away from the issues of hygiene, environment, and safety associated with moving house. When raising these problems, also present our solutions—be objective, reasoned, and the people will have confidence in us.”

“Second, be lively and vivid, not so severe, not as if facing a mortal crisis. The conservative approach leads nowhere. The environmental changes confronting Comrade Wu Qingchen are inevitable, only a matter of timing. The future will bring even more complex and rapid changes. If each event is treated as life or death, future work will become increasingly difficult, and our margin for maneuver will shrink.”

“Third, focus on key leverage points. Ultimately, every measure will be implemented by Comrade Wu Qingchen himself. If we focus on him, we focus on everything. We must highlight both the universality and the distinctiveness of Comrade Wu Qingchen.”

“The universal leverage lies in the modernity: Comrade Wu Qingchen possesses all the ordinary abilities of a modern individual—scientific knowledge, cognitive skills, hygiene awareness—far surpassing the medieval world in knowledge and practical capability.”

“The distinctive leverage lies in Wu Qingchen’s unique qualities, further explored under the overall theme that he is an outstanding youth. Did he excel in primary school entrance exams? Was he particularly diligent in secondary school? Did he attend university classes earnestly? Is he helpful in maintaining order in queues? Is he proactive during general clean-ups? Has he won prizes at sports meets? Was his career advancement smooth after entering the workforce? All these shining points can be highlighted, but they must be genuine and convincing!”

“Is that clear?”

The soldiers’ eyes met in the air for a few seconds. One hesitantly spoke: “Universal means that, regardless of geography, educational background, or environment, if a theoretical Earthling could possess an ability, Wu Qingchen does? Distinctive means that wherever there is a theoretical possibility, Wu Qingchen excels?”

“Yes… that’s about right. Stick to the facts as much as possible! Of course, given the current situation, some exaggeration is acceptable…” With that, the director paced a few more steps, pondered, and finally halted. “That’s all for now. Get to work.”

“Yes, the task will be accomplished!”

The remaining soldiers straightened, saluted, and filed out of the room.

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