November 1st, 2009.
In the past, it was still late autumn.
This year, it was a little unusual.
On the first day of November, Capital welcomed the first snow of 2009!
It was snowing!
…
Before Ma Yun could finish sighing in Lin 'an, it had already begun to snow in some areas in the north!
…
"Is it the reincarnation of Zhuge?"
On this day, countless people suddenly sighed and looked up at the sky.
Even God was helping Li Dong?
In the heavy snow of 2008, Far Away Mall rose!
In the heavy snow of 2008, Li Dong made use of various channels to make a name for himself in the offline retail industry. Even the top management praised him.
It was only November of Year 09!
Who would have expected that it would start to snow in this season?
Once it was November 11th and the weather was still like this, would the newly built Ali Logistics System be able to hold on?
Not only Ali, once the roads were slippery in the snow, it would be good enough for Shang and Suning to meet their own needs. How could they support Ali?
On the other hand, during the heavy snowfall of 2008, Distance Logistics made a name for itself and made a name for itself.
…
On this day.
East Garden.
Even Shen Qian couldn't help but look at Li Dong, who was playing with her daughter, after receiving a call from her mother. "Are you really going to become a god?"
This man was really a myth!
It was snowing in Capital!
Not only in Capital, the cold wave had arrived in advance and swept across Hua Xia. Perhaps, the entire north, including the south, would enter the snow season in advance.
Once the snow season entered, it would be a test for Far Away, but for the opponents Far Away, it would be a disaster!
Far Away Logistics System was now extremely developed and had fought many tough battles.
This time, in order to welcome November 11th, countless preparations had been made in advance.
All the warehouses were filled to the brim. Li Dong had prepared a month's worth of stock in advance!
At this moment, no matter how heavy the snow was, Far Away Logistics was confident that they could meet any challenges.
But could Ali do it?
No!
A new logistics company without experience in war, a company that lacked a warehouse layout all over the country, once it encountered rain and snow, it was very likely to fall into a state of stagnation and be unable to operate.
Li Dong, you're amazing!
Double Eleven, this was not a plan that had just come up with.
A long time ago, Li Dong had begun to lay out his plans.
No one would believe that Li Dong had known that it was going to snow months or even a year ago.
Now that the snow season had suddenly come early, it could only be said that the heavens were really helping Li Dong.
Li Dong's legend was about to become a legend.
In response to his wife's lamentation, Li Dong teased his daughter and said with a faint smile, "Why would I have so many thoughts?
I didn't expect it to snow.
What's more, snow wasn't a good thing. At the very least, it was a severe test for logistics Far away.
Don't think that just because we experienced the heavy snow of 2008, we can calmly face this time.
The situation is different. Back then, we only provided services to a small number of customers, and the orders were not too many.
But this year is the beginning of Double Eleven. Even I can't tell how many orders there are.
Orders worth tens of billions are usually full of difficulties. Can we really complete the task with snow this year?
So to me, snow isn't a good thing.
Even though this snow will make things more difficult for our opponent, Ali, to be honest … "
Li Dong paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Do you think that I'm still competing with Ali now? Actually, no. I'm competing with myself. Actually, I'd rather the weather be clear. That way, coupled with our aviation system, I'm still confident that we can complete any task. Now, it's troublesome! "
Li Dong shook his head lightly. For someone like him who aspired to achieve hundreds of billions in battle records, was snow really a good thing?
He remembered the heavy snow of 2008, but he really couldn't remember 2009.
Of course, now that it was snowing in Beijing, Li Dong had a slight impression of it.
This time, the rain and snow mainly affected the northern region. Even if there was snow in the southern region, the snow was not too heavy, and the impact was limited.
This was also why he had forgotten about it. After all, in his previous life, he wasn't affected by the heavy snow of 2009.
But now, regardless of whether it was the south or the north, with the entire country starting to make preparations, being affected was actually not a good thing.
If the current Far Away Mall was only on par with Taobao in terms of strength, then Li Dong couldn't wait for the heavier the snow, the better.
The heavier the snow, the greater the impact on Ali, and the smaller the impact on Far Away.
This way, with the same strength, Far Away would have the upper hand.
But for Far Away, who had shouted the slogan of hundreds of billions, the snow at this time was really not a good thing.
If it was really good news, it could only be said that it had a greater impact on Ali, Suning, and Great Shang.
Especially Great Shang in the north, their own distribution system was not too developed.
Usually, they could barely complete their own business. Now that it was snowing in advance, the northeast would only be more affected. Would Great Shang's distribution system still be able to support Ali at this time?
Without the support of Great Shang, Ali's strength was already much weaker, and now it was a lot weaker.
As he spoke, Li Dong carried the child and handed it to Shen Qian. He walked to the side and put on his jacket. He said, "This time, the rain and snow came a little abruptly. It is very likely that it will be affected during the Double Eleven. I'll go to the company first. In the next few days, I might have to inspect the northern stores and the logistics system, including the warehouse system. While the snow is not too heavy, we have to prepare everything that needs to be prepared in advance. Fortunately, in these two years, our warehouse layout has been improved a lot. We have to thank you for this, Boss Qin. "
This time, Shen Qian didn't mind. She nodded and said, "I have to thank you, Boss Qin. If there is a chance, I will visit Boss Qin."
Far Away's warehouse system, including the distribution center, were all set up by Qin Hai when he was in charge.
At that time, Far Away was very short of money.
But Qin Hai still insisted on setting up the warehouse and distribution center in all the first-tier cities, which cost a lot of money.
Li Dong, on the other hand, agreed after considering the matter of the enclosure.
During that period, Far Away's logistics had been in a state of serious loss. They invested tens of billions, but there was no profit.
This was also something that people criticized during Qin Hai's time in charge.
But as the economy recovered in 2009, land prices rose. Even if the land was originally for industrial use, the land prices in the first-tier cities also rose by a large margin.
At that time, the cost of the land, including the cost of building the warehouse, had already been earned back.
Now, at the critical moment, these warehouse centers were also put to great use.
For Far Away, who was preparing to make a hundred billion in a day, if there were no warehouse centers now, there would be no place to stock up in Far Away Mall and Faraway Supermarket.
A hundred billion worth of goods was not a small number.
It was obviously impossible to get the goods from the factory at the last minute.
If they fought a tough battle and did not prepare the goods in advance, then they would be waiting for their customers to be dragged to death, and in the end, they would all curse at them.
Now, in Hua Xia, there were not many logistics and warehouse companies that had the ability to do this.
Far Away, with the cooperation of manufacturers from all over, could barely do it.
Other companies, even those that ranked above Far Away Logistics, could not do it, because their logistics and warehouses were not specialized in this aspect.
Moreover, the logistics and warehouse companies that ranked above Far Away Logistics were almost all in the international distribution business.
Far Away was currently the first in the e-commerce business, and Shunfeng was the second.
Three Connections and One Access was much worse than these two.
And Ali's Star Morning Convenience was not even as good as Three Connections and One Access. The distribution center layout was still acceptable, but the warehouse layout, the other party did not do too much preparation.
After all, it was a third-party platform, and Ali did not care too much about this.
It was necessary for Far Away Mall to do its own warehouse business, but for Ali, there was not much of a need.
But now, this unnecessary need had become Ali's biggest flaw.
Ali did not have a lot of its own warehouses, and almost all of them relied on its own third-party and factory storage systems.
Usually, the receiving and receiving of goods might be slower, but the impact was not too big.
But if there was a snowy weather, the factory and third-party would not be able to cooperate with Ali and increase the cost of logistics and warehouse.
Unless Ali was willing to subsidize them, the other party had no obligation to help Ali achieve his goal.
The key was, could Ali afford it?
… …
In fact, Ali could still afford it.
But when Ma Yun mentioned this matter, Yahoo's side was extremely against it!
This time, Taobao had spent too much on this promotion!
Marketing expenses, operating expenses, various subsidies, third-party compensation measures, and the investment in logistics …
All in all, Ali's profits from other businesses were all invested into Taobao, and this was not enough.
Now, when Ma Yun mentioned the subsidy policy again, Yahoo's representative retorted loudly at the board meeting. "General Manager Ma, is it really necessary to invest without considering the cost?
Furthermore, it is only the 1st now, and it is snowing only in the northern regions. The rest of the regions are not affected.
There are still ten days before the 11th, and if we talk about the subsidy policy now, once the suppliers and third-party logistics know about it, won't they strangle us?
No matter how much money we have, we cannot spend it so recklessly!
These two years, Taobao did not make a lot of profits, but the investments were very high!
But the result is still declining. I do not agree with this subsidy policy. "
The subsidy Ma Yun wanted was not a small amount, and every order was about 2 RMB higher than the cost.
For Ali, which was aiming to achieve 5 billion in sales, the total orders might exceed 30 million.
Suddenly, there was an additional expenditure of more than 60 million.
In addition to the initial investment, Ali had spent a few hundred million for one event.
For Ali, which was mainly a third-party, and to maintain its competitiveness, it was still under the free subsidy policy. So, it had to rely on itself.
Far away did not care about a few hundred million.
But for Ali, for any company, spending hundreds of millions of dollars for an event, a day's event, was simply unimaginable!
Previously, in the northern regions, Jingdong and Dang Dang had a battle.
Dang Dang's CEO waved his hand and shouted the slogan. "Spend 40 million to significantly reduce the prices of all our products!"
Jingdong retaliated and shouted. "Give up 80 million!"
These two companies were considered the giants in the e-commerce industry.
Also, it was not just a day's expenditure. Both companies had reduced the prices, given up profits, subsidies … all sorts of activities lasted for more than a month.
Moreover, the people in the industry had an idea of whether there were that many of them.
Just like this, the price war of tens of millions had shocked others, and other e-commerce platforms could only look up to them.
Now, Ali and Far away's one-day promotions had not even started, and they had to spend a few hundred million.
Yahoo! is having a hard time keeping up with such a high consumption rate.
Even if they were rich, this was not the way to play.
Moreover, it should not be spent on meaningless things!
At least from Yahoo's point of view, if they were to compete with Far away, they would definitely lose. They had spent so much just to gain the upper hand. Who would bear the losses in the end?
As Ali's major shareholder, Yahoo would bear the most.
Moreover, it was fine if they could gain the upper hand. But it was obviously impossible, and they had to spend so much money. This was one disaster after another for Ali, which was already in a difficult position.
From Yahoo's point of view, Ma Yun was no longer rational.
As a smart person, Ali should learn to make choices at this time.
Yahoo did not want Ali to lose. As Ali's major shareholder, Yahoo was also not stupid and hoped to win.
But if Ali could not win, it would be better to preserve its strength and wait for the company to rise in the future. Or, it might even sell off this highly competitive business and develop other businesses. This was more suitable for the current Ali.
Ma Yun, on the other hand, was now stubbornly fighting with Li Dong. In their opinion, this was not rational at all.
As the major shareholder, Yahoo had the right and obligation to reject his irrational request!
Ma Yun knew that Yahoo would reject him.
At this moment, Ma Yun was also extremely impolite as he reprimanded, "Short-sighted!
Now, the arrow was nocked on the bow, and it had to be fired!
The initial investments and marketing preparations were all on the right track.
If they gave up now, all their investments would be wasted!
Although there were still ten days before Double 11, the weather bureau had reported that the North and the South might enter the rainy and snowy season in the next few days.
Ten days was not enough, and if they did not start to rope in all parties, how were they going to carry on with Double 11?
I had always said that customers come first, employees second, and shareholders third!
Why do I say this?
It's because the shareholders were too short-sighted!
Whenever there was any trouble, the first to abandon the company would be the shareholders.
SoftBank and Yahoo had supported Ali for many years, and I had always been grateful to them. But these few years, how many obstacles had Yahoo created for Ali?
All sorts of hindrances and interferes with the company's operations. Now, they are blaming the team for not doing well and causing Taobao to decline?
Is Taobao really declining?
Taobao is still Hua Xia and the world's biggest C2C platform!
Taobao's performance is also increasing day by day, and the increase is higher than the past few years.
Not making profits is also a strategic need.
At this moment, is blaming Taobao's strategic losses something a company with foresight should do?
This subsidy policy must be implemented!
We cannot delay, or else, the manufacturers and third parties will have doubts.
"You must know that our supply chain and Far away's supply chain are almost the same.
Once our goods cannot be shipped out, and Far away's demand is high, these shares will become Far away's supply.
At that time, even if Taobao has orders, they will not be able to sell the goods.
If this happens, as an e-commerce platform, we can declare bankruptcy! "
Ma Yun's words were extremely straightforward, and this was also the truth.
Taobao does not provide subsidies, and Far away will bear their own logistics and storage costs. Compared to the cost, supplying Far away will be more profitable.
Far away's supply chain will exceed their share, and the manufacturers and merchants will supply the supply chain to Ali to Far away. This is very normal.
If this happens, Taobao might receive a lot of orders, and the manufacturers will use insufficient supply as a reason to delay. That will be terrible.
The platform's reputation and credibility will be ruined.
This was something that Taobao could not afford.
What's a few million subsidy now? It's better than Taobao's reputation being ruined.
Ma Yun believes Yahoo should know this too.
But now, the other party is delaying, and this made Ma Yun very unhappy. This is also the first time he publicly questioned the shareholders' investment vision.
Yahoo's spokesperson is furious at Ma Yun's reprimand.
However, the other party didn't start a war of words with Ma Yun. After thinking for a while, Yahoo's director said, "We have to consult headquarters on this matter …"
"What a joke!"
Ma Yun did not give him a chance and said, "This is Ali, and we are discussing Ali's matters now. There's no need to inform anyone! If you are unhappy, you can hold a shareholders' meeting to decide! Let's vote now. Those who agree to implement the subsidy policy, raise your hands! "
Yahoo's director's face darkened when he heard this. He suppressed his anger and forced himself to swallow it.
As the spokesperson of the shareholders, he has to consider the interests of the shareholders.
But as Ali's team, Ma Yun is right.
There's no need to inform others about the company's strategy.
This is Ali's board of directors and not Yahoo's.
Now that the board has approved it, it can be implemented.
If Yahoo is unhappy, they can only hold a shareholders' meeting to refute it.
But holding a shareholders' meeting also requires time.
This time difference is what Ma Yun wants.
The subsidy policy has been implemented, and they can't give up halfway or remove him from his position as Chairman.
This is possible, but Ali is in a precarious situation now. If Yahoo and Softbank dare to make such a decision, Ali might collapse in the end.
Do they dare to take the risk?
Ma Yun is Ali's pillar of support!
If it were during normal times, Ma Yun would not be so tough. But at this time, it's not important anymore.
Even if Yahoo and Softbank are unhappy with him, they will not do anything to him now. After all, no one wants to lose all their money.
Ma Yun announced the vote, and more than half of the people in the meeting room raise their hands.
In Ali's board of directors, Ali's management team has the highest number of directors. There are five of them, and this is why Ma Yun can suppress Yahoo.
Yahoo and SoftBank have a total of four people on the board of directors, but they are all non-executive directors.
Without a doubt, all five of Ali's directors raised their hands.
Ma Yun has absolute authority in the management team.
On Yahoo's side, there are three non-executive directors, and none of them moved.
Although Softbank's shares are not low, they trusted Ma Yun in the early stages and gave most of the voting rights to Ali's team.
They only have one director, and they do not participate in the company's matters.
But most of the time, this director supports Ma Yun's team.
But this time, he hesitated and did not raise his hand.
Ma Yun saw this, and his expression did not change. But deep in his eyes, there is a hint of melancholy.
Softbank is not firm enough!
In the past, Softbank has always supported him, and this is why he has the upper hand in the battle with Yahoo.
But now, Softbank's representative is hesitating.
Facing Ma Yun's huge investment, facing the terrifying strength of the opponent, it seems reasonable for Softbank to waver.
But at this critical juncture, Ma Yun still hopes that the other party can continue to support him. His attitude towards Softbank and Yahoo is actually different.
Softbank has supported him for too long, so long that Ma Yun also feels that Softbank should benefit from Ali's profits.
But at this moment, a favor is ultimately not as important as profits.
This thought flashed past Ma Yun's mind, and he finally calmed down. Looking at everyone in the meeting room, Ma Yun said in a deep voice, "5 to 4. The resolution is passed! Next, the logistics subsidy policy will be implemented … "
After he finished arranging the work, the few Yahoo directors left quickly.
Softbank's representative wanted to say something but hesitated. In the end, he also shook his head and left.
Cai Chongxin, who has been following Ma Yun, sighed softly. He is also a member of the board of directors, and so far, other than Ma Yun, he is the only senior who is still in the decision-making circle since the company was established.
The introduction of these capital is actually related to him.
But now, these shareholders, from the expectations and trust they had in the past, have shown a great change in attitude.
Ma Yun did not say a word. After arranging the work, he walked out of the door.
This time, the board meeting was held in an emergency, and it was already dark outside.
He walked all the way to the elevator, and from the elevator to the outside of the building, he was blown by the cold wind. Ma Yun suddenly turned his head to look at Cai Chongxin, who has been following behind him, and smiled. "Old Cai, do you still have the confidence to start all over again?"
"Yes!"
"Me too!"
Ma Yun looked up at the dark sky and smiled faintly. "Whether I succeed or fail, can you defeat me, Ma Yun? Moreover, losing doesn't mean that I really lost. Whether it's right or wrong, who can say for sure? "
Cai Chongxin kept quiet and wrapped his clothes. After a while, he said, "Let's do this for another ten years. The one who laughs last will be the hero!"
"Alright, another ten years!"
Ma Yun laughed loudly and walked forward.
Cai Chongxin, who stayed behind, looked at his old friend's hearty laughter and could not help but shake his head. "That's a monster …"
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