Although Fang Keng had not arrived yet, Era did not neglect Li Dong.
Knowing that Li Dong had arrived in Tongzhou, the General Manager of Era, Luo Jianzhong, rushed to the hotel to meet with Li Dong the next day.
Li Dong had done his research on Luo Jianzhong before he came.
Luo Jianzhong worked at Makro before 1997 and was the General Manager of RT-Mart's Shanghai branch from 1997 to 2002. He joined Era in 2002 and has been the General Manager ever since.
This person was capable. Otherwise, he would not be valued by so many companies.
However, there was one bad thing. Luo Jianzhong's reputation in the industry was not good.
There were two main reasons. First, when he jumped ship from RT-Mart, he brought along a large number of the higher-ups. Many of the higher-ups of Era were his companions from Taiwan.
In the business world, job-hopping was common. This did not affect him much.
Luo Jianzhong's bad thing was that when he jumped ship, he brought along a large number of his subordinates and colleagues. At that time, RT-Mart was very passive and the entire management team in Shanghai was almost empty.
This had a bad impact. It was up to him to leave, but to build capital for himself, he emptied the entire management team. This was unacceptable to any company.
This was the first reason. The second reason was that Luo Jianzhong was a xenophobic person.
If you look at the higher-ups of Era, you will realize that 90% of them were brought over by him back then.
As for the other higher-ups, they were almost all veterans brought over by Fang Keng from Hong Kong.
Era had been established for so many years, but there was almost no sign of a newcomer. This was also a huge failure. These veterans of Era were too conservative and traditional.
There was a reason why the employees in the business world were lethargic. The reason was that there were almost no channels for promotion.
The positions of the higher-ups were occupied by these people, and the middle and lower management were also their trusted aides. How could the rest have the mood to work hard?
If not for the trip to the business world yesterday, Li Dong would have considered keeping Luo Jianzhong.
But after the inspection of the business world yesterday, Li Dong changed his mind.
He could not keep these higher-ups!
With this group of people around, Era might be stable, but it was almost impossible for them to catch up to the footsteps of other companies.
Li Dong didn't want to stand still. He wanted to forge ahead.
These people were old and had lost their will to fight. Since they were too old to move, what was the point of keeping them around?
It was better to have nothing than to have something shoddy. Even if there were no suitable people to take over the current era, Li Dong was not willing to leave these people behind to block the path of the latecomers.
Although he thought this way, Li Dong did not show it on his face.
After chatting with Luo Jianzhong for the entire morning, the two of them had lunch together at noon. In the eyes of outsiders, the two of them naturally had a pleasant conversation.
But just like how only one knows the temperature of water, Li Dong and Luo Jianzhong were probably the only ones who knew what they were thinking.
…
On the 20th, Fang Keng finally arrived at Tong Province.
Fang Keng was not an ordinary person. He was a big shot who had received the Golden Bauhinia Medal. He was one level higher than the Justice of the Peace that was commonly seen on TV.
Of course, Fang Keng was also a Justice of the Peace.
His arrival was not as quiet as Li Dong's arrival. The entire Tong Province was alarmed.
When Fang Keng got off the plane, not only were there powerful local businessmen in Tong Province to pick him up, but the government also sent a few senior leaders to personally pick him up.
The media also rushed to the airport, wanting to interview Fang Keng on this trip.
Far away's merger was not a small matter. This was a merger that involved billions of funds. In 2006, there were not many merger cases of this scale.
Moreover, it also involved an influential figure like Li Dong. Everyone wanted to know the details of the merger.
However, Fang Keng did not accept the interview. His eldest son, Fang Rende, stopped the media. Surrounded by the media, Fang Rende chuckled and said, "Instead of everyone wanting to know the details from us, why don't you interview General Manager Li Far away? General Manager Li has already arrived at Tonghai Hotel. Tomorrow night, we will hold a banquet to entertain General Manager Li at Tonghai Hotel. At that time, we will also invite some media to participate. There is no need for everyone to be in a hurry. "
After throwing this sentence to divert the media's attention, Fang Rende left happily.
However, this made things difficult for Li Dong!
He naturally knew that Fang Keng was coming to Tong Province. However, he did not go to pick him up because there was no need to be so humble.
He was also not very clear about what Fang Rende said at the airport.
However, he soon understood. At noon, when Li Dong, Sun Tao, and the others were eating in the restaurant, a large group of media reporters suddenly rushed in.
All the cameras and cannons quickly surrounded Li Dong. A reporter said loudly, "Mr. Li, some people say that Far Away's merger is a wrong decision. What do you think?"
"General Manager Li, Wumart said that Far Away is using unfair competition methods. Can you say a few words about the specific situation?"
"General Manager Li, Far Away has only been established for two years. Now that they are spending a lot of money to acquire Times Far Away, will it cause capital chain problems? Can you tell us?"
"…"
The reporters kept asking and squeezing forward. Li Dong was dumbfounded.
He did not even have time to react. Why did these people suddenly come to him?
After a while, Li Dong came back to his senses and said, "Thank you for your concern about Far Away. However, the merger between Far Away and Times has not been completed yet. Everything is still confidential. Forgive me for not being able to say much."
After saying that, Li Dong was prepared to squeeze out of the crowd. However, everyone had finally blocked his way. How could they let him go so easily?
A young female reporter in her twenties squeezed forward with her forehead covered in sweat. She handed over the microphone and asked, "General Manager Li, Wumart and Bailian have great doubts about your acquisition of Times. They all said that Far Away's acquisition of Times might very well lead to the end of Times. What do you think about this?"
Li Dong was stunned. He then said, "Are you sure this is what the higher-ups of both parties said?"
When the female reporter heard Li Dong's words, she immediately said excitedly, "That's right, General Manager Li. I can assure you of this. This is information I obtained from my own interviews."
Li Dong touched his chin. After a while, he smiled and said, "My opinion? What opinion can I have? It's just sour grapes. What else can I say? "
The female reporter said excitedly again, "General Manager Li, you mean Far Away is better than Bailian and Wumart?"
"Did I say that? Young lady, it's not good to misinterpret others. " Li Dong chuckled. After a pause, he suddenly added, "Of course, this will happen sooner or later. Far Away is obviously better than Wumart. As for Bailian, I, Li Dong, am not afraid of them even if they come out one on one!"
As soon as he said this, the reporters were instantly stirred.
Sun Tao's expression also changed. He quickly squeezed over and pulled Li Dong's sleeve. He said in a low voice, "General Manager Li, that's enough. Let's go back to our room."
Li Dong smiled. He turned around and was ready to leave.
There was no harm in bragging a little. Distance was currently on the rise, so it wouldn't be strange for them to drag a few big shots over to be their stepping stones.
As for what Bailian and Wumart thought, Li Dong did not care.
Wumart mainly developed in the north. Although Bailian was not weak in the Huadong region, its companies were too scattered. Li Dong was not really afraid of them.
He was ready to leave, but these reporters were not willing.
After Li Dong said these harsh words, everyone was excited. It was still the girl from before. She blocked Li Dong and hurriedly shouted, "General Manager Li, is this a challenge? Far Away, after the integration era, are you targeting the Huadong retail industry? Far Away has only been established for two years. Do you think Far Away has a chance of winning? "
These words touched the bottom of Li Dong's heart. Li Dong, who was about to leave, did not leave.
Stopping in his tracks, Li Dong asked with a smile, "Then do you think Far Away has a chance of winning?"
The female reporter was a little stumped, but she quickly reacted. "This depends on you, General Manager Li. You are a person who is good at creating legends. If you are willing, I think there is still a possibility."
"Heh heh, I like what you said." Li Dong laughed. After thinking for a while, he said, "Let's just wait and see. Who knows who will emerge victorious until the very last moment?"
"General Manager Li, who do you think is your biggest opponent in Zhuolu's Central Plains?"
"Biggest opponent?"
Li Dong stroked his chin. After a while, he said, "This is difficult for me. If I say that I have no opponent, people will say that I'm arrogant. If I say that I have an opponent, wouldn't I be asking for trouble? "
Everyone couldn't help but laugh. Someone said loudly, "General Manager Li, then who do you think poses a greater threat to you, Bailian or Huarui?"
"Bailian and Huarui … These two are giants. However, they have stepped on Bailian. It doesn't seem to matter if they step on Huarui. After all, General Manager Chen is my senior. I should pay my respects to him."
Everyone burst into laughter when they heard that.
After laughing, someone continued, "General Manager Li, do you mean that Far Away's future strategy is the Huadong region?"
"Well, that depends on the situation. If I can't survive in Huadong, I might have to think of a way to make a living elsewhere. As for whether I can survive, it depends on whether everyone supports Far Away. "
Speaking of this, Li Dong also felt that it was about time.
It was fine to tease a little, but if he really bragged, Bailian and Huarui would work together to suppress him, the younger generation. That wouldn't be fun.
Now in the Huadong region, there were two powers competing for hegemony.
Although Li Dong wanted to have a Three Kingdoms Battle for Hegemony, he also needed time. At this time, it was enough to use these two big brothers to make a name for himself. If he really offended them, there was no need.
Under Li Dong's signal, Zhou Haidong, a few people, and the hotel security stepped forward to block the media reporters.
All the way into the hotel room, Li Dong finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Not to mention Sun Tao, his face was as bitter as a bitter gourd. As soon as he entered the room, he said with a bitter face, "General Manager Li, just ignore the media. Why do you have to say such words?"
Although Li Dong's words today were mostly teasing, people didn't think so.
If they were treated as Li Dong's provocation, it would have a big impact on the next step of entering the Huadong market.
After Sun Tao finished speaking, Li Dong smiled and said, "Actually, it's all the same. They aren't blind. After we acquire Times, will we still hide in Jiangbei and play house? Since ancient times, Huadong has been a battleground for militaries. It's the same whether we provoke them or not. If we want to expand the market, we have to do it with real knives and guns. Hoping that they will relax and let us take advantage of them? Just think about it. They aren't idiots. Since that's the case, why should I tolerate them? I can make them lose face and boost my prestige. What's wrong with that? "
Although Sun Tao felt that what Li Dong said was reasonable, he was still depressed.
You are having fun, but how are you going to clean up the mess?
This time, Bailian was already cut off by Far away, and Li Dong provoked them. There might really be trouble next.
Bailian was a giant in the retail industry, and Sunan had the wolf-like Su Guo. If the two sides joined forces, it was really possible to crush Far away.
As the two were talking, Chen Ke and Liu Qi entered the door together.
After greeting Sun Tao, Liu Qi said to Li Dong, "General Manager Li, the reporters have been sent away, but I just heard some news from them. Chairman Fang will invite you to the hotel's banquet hall tomorrow night. At that time, there will be some celebrities from Tongzhou attending."
Li Dong touched his chin and said, "The Fang father and son are a bit interesting. They didn't inform me in advance and directly used the media to invite me. What do they mean?"
Everyone looked at each other, and for a moment, they didn't understand what the Fang father and son were thinking.
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