Era: I was a farmer at the foot of Yaoling Mountain

Many voices within the alliance questioned Fan Zhipeng, and several companies considered the path of differentiated operation, but began to outwardly comply while inwardly opposing him, completely ignoring Fan Zhipeng's advice.

The so-called alliance is afraid of this: if everyone has their own selfish thoughts, it will quickly fall apart.

Fan Zhipeng was certainly aware of these circumstances. He had previously intended to use his scale advantage to cut off Xiangyang Locks from the supply chain and sales channels, thereby completely defeating his competitor.

The initial results were quite good, and Xiangyang Locks did indeed suffer a series of setbacks.

But Fan Zhipeng was also in a difficult position, because Xianfeng Mingguang's financial situation had always been bad, and in order to fight against Xiangyang Locks, he had to try every means to raise funds.

The company's debt ratio has long exceeded the warning line.

"President Fan, we can't keep burning money. Xiangyang Locks has a lot of potential, and they have the strong support of the group company, Black Night Bank, but our current sources of funds are almost exhausted."

The key issue is that problems have arisen within the alliance. Many members have started acting independently and no longer take the alliance seriously. If this continues, we'll disintegrate on our own, even without an attack.

Faced with his subordinate's reminder, Fan Zhipeng fell into deep thought.

He always believed that the hardware factory of Yaoling Cooperative was able to develop entirely thanks to him. After he left, the hardware factory was like a soulless entity, and its closure was only a matter of time.

As a result, Fang Wei and others hired Lu Zhiwen and established Xiangyang Locksmith in Xiangshan, which has been developing steadily ever since.

Fan Zhipeng was never able to fully control Xianfeng Mingguang, and the company's cash flow also ran into problems. Faced with immense pressure from Xiangyang Locks, he stepped forward to form an industry alliance, attempting to finish off Xiangyang Locks in one fell swoop.

However, Xiangyang Locks demonstrated remarkable resilience, like an unkillable cockroach. One second you think it's about to die, and the next second it's bouncing around in front of you again.

At the time, some people laughed at Xiangyang Locks for spending so much money on research and development.

However, their new products sold like hotcakes in the market, and many of their special locks were put into key units, making them industry leaders.

Can our payment period be extended again?

Fan Zhipeng organized his thoughts and then asked.

“I’m afraid that won’t work! I’ve already spoken with the creditors, and they don’t agree to an extension. They said if we don’t pay our due debts next week, they will sue us.”

Fan Zhipeng has no big financial backers, only creditors.

With the repayment date fast approaching, the creditors had initially agreed to extend the debt when the alliance was making great strides. However, now that the alliance is unstable and its old rival has suddenly risen to prominence, the creditors have immediately changed their minds.

Reality is cruel: the winner takes all, and the loser is abandoned.

“Tell them that either the debt is deferred or we all die together, and they won’t get a single penny.”

At this point, Fan Zhipeng had no choice but to give up and turn around to threaten his creditors.

He didn't believe those people would actually dare to sue him in court. If that day came, no one would have an easy time; at worst, he would go bankrupt and be liquidated.

"But."

His subordinates were in a dilemma. If word got out, the company would never be able to borrow a single penny from outside again.

Moreover, he was the one who borrowed two of these loans, but Fan Zhipeng turned his back on him. Does he even want to live anymore?

"No buts, just tell them that!"

Forced into a corner, Fan Zhipeng had no choice but to resort to shameless tactics, even disregarding the interests of his trusted subordinates.

"Okay, I'll go right away."

Fan Zhipeng's trusted subordinate felt utterly disheartened and immediately called two of his associates as soon as he left the house.

He explained the company's situation to them and told them to come up with a solution quickly, otherwise they might not be able to get a single penny back.

The other party couldn't help but curse, but despite the cursing, they still appreciated the favor and quickly tried to get the money back.

A few days later, Fan Zhipeng received devastating news: a sum of money the company had hidden in another bank had been frozen. This money was intended for purchasing raw materials, and it had been hidden precisely to avoid lawsuits from creditors.

"Who did this? There must be a mole in the company!"

Few people knew about this money, and it was thought to be foolproof, but it was unexpectedly frozen by the court.

Needless to say, the creditors must have applied for asset preservation to avoid being unable to enforce the judgment even after winning the lawsuit. But the fact that the other party so accurately located the company's hidden funds suggests there must be a mole within the company.

Fan Zhipeng was furious, only to discover upon investigation that his trusted subordinate had not come at all that day.

He felt as if all his strength had been drained, and he slumped into the chair.

This money is the company's only working capital, the guarantee for continued production. Without it, it's too late; without a cash flow, they can't even buy raw materials, so how can they continue production?

"President Fan, this is bad news! Rumors are circulating that our cash flow has dried up and we're embroiled in multiple lawsuits. Apparently, our creditors are panicking and are currently queuing up at court to file cases." As the saying goes, misfortunes never come singly; someone leaked Pioneer Mingguang's predicament, causing a huge uproar.

Several companies within the alliance quickly stepped forward to distance themselves from Pioneer Mingguang and resolutely withdrew from the industry alliance.

Who has the time or inclination to care about other things these days? As long as it doesn't affect them personally, they're lucky.

Fan Zhipeng felt a sudden darkness before his eyes and almost fainted.

Then, he calmed himself down, made an excuse that he needed to rest for a while, and quietly left the company, disappearing without a trace.

Fan Zhipeng didn't come to the company on the second day, and he still hasn't come on the third day.

This threw the entire Xianfeng Mingguang into chaos. Many people had a bad feeling and rushed to the finance department, demanding that the finance manager explain whether Fan Zhipeng had absconded with the money.

At this moment, Wang Qingyu stepped forward and, in his capacity as the company's major shareholder, demanded that the finance department investigate all of the company's cash accounts.

At the same time, Wang Qingyu blocked the door of the finance department and called the police.

The matter was quickly investigated and found that the company had 1500 million yuan in funds held in a bank in Shenzhen, which had been transferred away.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the money had disappeared after being transferred multiple times.

Moreover, Fan Zhipeng, who hadn't come to work for several days, had also disappeared, leaving his home empty. The money in the Shenzhen account was transferred out by Fan Zhipeng.

This was no small case, and the police immediately issued an arrest warrant for Fan Zhipeng and dispatched elite officers to capture him.

Wang Qingyu regained control of the company, but he was far from happy. Under Fan Zhipeng's leadership, Xianfeng Mingguang had been riddled with problems and heavily indebted in recent years.

However, the company's foundation is still intact. It has the technology and the talent, and most importantly, the production line is undamaged. There is still some money that has not been recovered.

Wang Qingyu then convened a creditors' meeting, requesting that everyone give the company some time, and made a commitment and plan to repay the debt.

In reality, Wang Qingyu's assets are much more substantial than people imagine. With Fan Zhipeng's shares frozen, he is the actual controller of the company.

His promise still has considerable credibility. The key is, what can you do if you don't believe him? That bastard Fan Zhipeng has already disappeared with 1500 million yuan. If no one steps forward, their money will most likely be gone.

The creditors gave Wang Qingyu six months, and even the two creditors who were the first to apply for freezing the funds withdrew their applications.

They knew very well that although they had taken the lead, how much of the money would they actually get in the end? So many creditors were watching closely.

There's no other way but to take a gamble. Hopefully, Wang Qingyu can bring Xianfeng Mingguang back to life.

Wang Qingyu stabilized the situation, secretly called Lu Zhiwen, and then went to the commune with him to meet Fang Wei.

"Boss Wang, there's no use coming to me about this. The key issue is that Xianfeng Mingguang is already insolvent. Unless someone makes a large investment, it can't be saved."

Fang Wei had a good impression of Wang Qingyu. When Wang Qingyu proposed to cooperate with Lu Zhiwen to regain control of Xianfeng Mingguang, Fang Wei refused outright.

Since the truth of this matter cannot be determined, who knows if Wang Qingyu has ulterior motives?

Now, Fang Wei is almost certain that Wang Qingyu didn't try anything funny, but it's too late.

“Secretary Fang, you may have misunderstood. Xianfeng Mingguang’s total debt is 1.8 million yuan, accounts receivable are 6000 million yuan, and net liabilities are only 1.2 million yuan.”

The court has now unfrozen the funds in our accounts, and we still have 5200 million yuan in liquid funds, far from being destitute.

Wang Qingyu was very patient. Even though he could hear the refusal in Fang Wei's words, he still explained the situation of Vanguard Mingguang in detail.

Fang Wei finally got serious and asked, "Mr. Wang, we're competitors, you wouldn't come to me to borrow money, would you?"

"Of course not! I want to cooperate with you. I am willing to give up control of the company and completely align myself with Xiangyang Locks."

Wang Qingyu's next words shocked Fang Wei and Lu Zhiwen. This guy wasn't there to discuss cooperation; he was practically there to seek refuge.

"But the problem is that Fan Zhipeng holds a majority stake in your company. Although he is now wanted by the police, what about the legal issues he will face?"

Lu Zhiwen couldn't believe that his biggest rival had surrendered so openly.
Fortunately, he remained rational and was not blinded by the immense joy. Instead, he began to consider whether there might be a trap involved.

"Don't worry about that. I will strictly follow the relevant procedures to carry out the capital increase and share expansion. If you are willing to take over Xianfeng Mingguang, you will definitely not suffer any losses in terms of asset valuation."

Wang Qingyu was clearly well-prepared, even planning to dilute the shares of existing shareholders through capital increases and share expansions.

Fan Zhipeng absconded with the funds, and his shares and voting rights were frozen. Wang Qingyu will represent the company in pursuing compensation for any losses incurred, but this will not affect the company's normal operations.

Given Pioneer Mingguang's predicament, what could be more suitable than increasing capital and expanding shareholding? (End of Chapter)