National Tide 1980.

"Appreciate further details."

Considering the possibility that the two sides were about to make a big deal, even though he didn't have much expectation, Tanaka Shigehiko still politely said something out of courtesy.

The others exchanged glances, clearly harboring doubts.

Ning Weimin simply smiled slightly, appearing confident and unhurried, and said, “Listen carefully, everyone. My advice to you is that instead of trying to stabilize the stock price against the trend with no reward, it is better to understand the overall trend and follow it.”

As soon as Ning Weimin uttered his words, the EIE board members erupted in uproar.

Every single one of these people became wary, their faces filled with disbelief, and they all began to question him.

"Go with the flow? What does that mean?"

"Yeah, do you expect us to suppress our own stock price?"

"Don't joke around, how could we possibly do such a thing?"

"If we were to do that, we would be committing suicide!"

Immediately, public sentiment was filled with indignation.

However, Ning Weimin had long anticipated their reaction, and it was entirely within his expectations.

"Why not? How is it considered courting death?"

Ning Weimin's smile faded, and he asked a question, but his tone became increasingly serious.

"Forgive my frankness, but EIE is currently facing a double whammy of internal and external troubles, making it incredibly difficult. Internally, it has financial holes that need to be covered up, and externally, more and more short sellers are eyeing it covetously. Without drastic measures, it will be very difficult to change this predicament and pull you and the companies you represent out of the mire..."

"But we can't do it like that. The stock price is already low enough; going any lower would just make things worse. Wouldn't that play right into our opponent's hands?"

Before he could finish speaking, Nakamura from the trust company couldn't help but interject. He seemed to have completely lost faith in Ning Weimin's rationality and bluntly expressed his concerns.

"What we need is to stabilize the stock price, or even urgently increase it, not to surrender. Do you even understand that?"

"Of course I understand, but with your current financial strength, can you really drive up the stock price right away? Even if I no longer participate, do you really think that EIE, with its current conditions, can outperform the American investment bank Morgan Stanley? You know, two lids can't cover ten bowls. Rather than losing your last bit of money in the financial battlefield, it's better to do the opposite and get ahead of Morgan Stanley's moves..."

"Raising the pace?" The other party clearly didn't understand Ning Weimin's description.

Kobayashi, who sells insurance, spoke up, expressing the doubts of several of his companions.

"Yes, it's about getting a head start."

Ning Weimin nodded repeatedly, confirming that this was exactly what he wanted to express.

"As you can all see, the current situation favors short selling and disadvantages long positions. So instead of going head-to-head with Morgan Stanley, you should take the initiative to drive the price down. After all, short selling requires capital, and Morgan Stanley's capital is no match for yours. Once the stock price drops sharply, they will have no room for profit. So doing this is not about playing to the opponent's will, but rather about putting an end to their short-selling intentions."

"As for the stock price decline, there's no need to worry. Although it will certainly cause further financial losses in the short term, it's just a paper loss. As long as you can buy it back at a lower price later, the paper loss will turn into a big profit. Besides, you can go long after shorting. After a further drop, the profit potential of the stock price going up is actually much greater."

"If you do this, there are at least three advantages. First, you can make a quick buck and strengthen your financial position. At the same time, you can thwart Morgan Stanley's malicious intentions in shorting the stock, making them work for nothing and stealing the profits they want. Third, you can further release negative news, collect unstable shares, and reduce upward resistance for a potential long position. Isn't that a good thing?"

It must be said that although "being put in a desperate situation to survive" and "no destruction, no construction" are principles that most Chinese people understand.

But for most Japanese people, who are both greedy and cowardly, such a desperate and risky strategy is unheard of.

The inherent cultural disadvantage means that even Japanese people who have studied "The Art of War" and like "Records of the Three Kingdoms" may not be able to use strategies such as "besieging Wei to rescue Zhao" and "feigning weakness to lure the enemy into a trap" effectively, and they also lack the courage and vision to "fight with their backs to the river" at critical moments.

In addition, despite the fact that the Japanese securities industry had already reached a considerable size by that time, Japanese securities firms were not immune to insider trading and stock price manipulation.

The problem is that Japan's financial market has only been fully open for a few years. In the past, the Japanese securities industry was just a small circle that kept its doors closed for its own amusement, and the Japanese people's vision and insider trading skills were relatively limited.

At most, they might use false information to hype up the stock price, or allow insider trading to inflate the price, or bribe politicians with equity; they mostly operate in a one-sided market.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have fallen for the Americans' trick and thought stock index futures were a good thing.

Moreover, Japanese companies have long used cross-shareholding among affiliated companies to prevent being acquired by foreign entities.

This is beneficial for the stability of equity and stock prices, but it is very difficult for funds that want to manipulate the market; they must collude with external parties.

This has resulted in very few companies experiencing financial wars that can cause dramatic stock price fluctuations in a short period of time.

Therefore, Ning Weimin's words were a fierce brainstorming session for the representatives of the EIE board of directors, leaving them almost speechless on the spot.

Surprise, fear, contradiction, admiration, excitement, and agitation surged through their hearts, leaving them speechless as they stared at each other in disbelief.

They finally understood Ning Weimin's thoughts, but they couldn't accept them for a while, yet they couldn't quite put their finger on what was wrong with them.

After at least two or three minutes, Tanaka Shigehiko, the oldest among them, seemed to have digested some of the information and spoke first.

"Mr. Ning, your suggestion is... truly, it leaves me speechless. I personally admire your unconventional thinking and courage, but frankly, this approach is far too risky, and the chances of success are difficult to estimate. Moreover, even if it succeeds, the resulting dramatic fluctuations in the stock price would cause huge losses for unsuspecting shareholders. I'm very worried about the reactions of other shareholders. While we may represent the board of directors, we are also responsible for the company we represent and for other shareholders. Such a radical approach is simply... simply playing with human nature, and it will subject us to heavy criticism. Therefore..."

At this point, he sighed, a regretful look on his face, and shook his head.

It's obvious that the other party has backed down and clearly expressed their willingness to protect themselves and their firm refusal.

If it were an ordinary person, after repeatedly trying and only getting a cold shoulder, there would probably be nothing more to say at this point.

But the question is, is Ning Weimin... an ordinary person?
He has always had a deep understanding of human nature, especially after being trained by Kang Shude. He knows that since ancient times, so-called heroes have been nothing more than "ruthless and thick-skinned".

Moreover, having lived two lifetimes, his belly was like a general store, filled with all sorts of rare and precious things.

Seeing the fish dangling near the hook, how could he bear to give up?
Rejection is not an option.

If the other party doesn't take the bait, it just means that the deception wasn't strong enough, and you have to shamelessly push harder.

"I cannot agree with what you said. What is without risk? Even walking on the street, you could get hit by a car, right? Forgive my bluntness, but the stock market is a place where risk is exchanged for profit. The rise and fall of stock prices is essentially a game of probability. If you can't see this clearly, it's better to withdraw completely. Not to be nosy, but since you have already lost too much in the financial game of the capital market, the only way to quickly make up for your huge losses is to turn the tide in this financial game. There is no other way. I think you yourself cannot deny this, can you?"

Ning Weimin continued to persuade them, which was somewhat rude, and his stubborn attitude surprised the people in front of him.

Tanaka Shigehiko himself, who had just picked up his coffee cup, almost choked and coughed violently.

Even so, Ning Weimin's next words still firmly captured their attention, making them forget all the details. "Frankly speaking, from a personal perspective, I can understand your eagerness for stability. However, I must say that EIE's stock price is clearly on the verge of collapse, and investor confidence has been completely eroded. It is precisely because of this that Morgan Stanley sees an opportunity. I might as well reveal some information to you all: not only have you all invited me to meet today, but Morgan Stanley has also invited me to meet. I think I don't need to say more; you should be able to guess their purpose, right? This is not an exaggeration; you are all currently in a trap without realizing it."

"Are you serious?"

Upon hearing this news, Tanaka Shigehiko was shocked, and the others also became agitated.

"Mordeka... those guys! They're all carrion-eating vultures!"

"Oh no, it looks like we're in real danger when the market opens on Monday!"

But what followed was new confusion and even greater skepticism from the public.

"Mr. Ning, aren't you being a little too kind?"

"Yes, why did you tell us this?"

"Don't you want to meet with them and discuss cooperation?"

Ning Weimin, on the other hand, shamelessly pretended to be a saint.

“I don’t want to. Of course I don’t want to. I’ve already made enough money, how could I possibly want to be used by the Americans? Besides, your sincerity today has moved me, and I genuinely want to seek reconciliation.”

He didn't care whether the other party believed him or not; he was certain that the other party had no other choice.

"In short, you should all understand now that, given the current situation, even if I stop shorting, it won't change anything. I imagine that if Morgan Stanley takes action when the market opens on Monday, you won't be able to directly boost the stock price, let alone stabilize it. If you continue to be so stubborn, a collapse in EIE's stock price will be inevitable. Once you run out of funds and lose this financial battle, you might not even be able to protect your own interests, and you might even have to bear corresponding responsibilities. While I admire your selfless sense of responsibility, I still have to remind you: shouldn't you protect yourselves first before you can care for others?"

Well, it's something that hasn't happened yet.

But Ning Weimin seemed to have burrowed into their stomachs, accurately and ruthlessly striking at their weak points.

At this moment, several representatives of the EIE board of directors, including Tanaka Shigehiko who had just refused, all showed expressions of tension, timidity, and frustration.

Fortunately, Ning Weimin provided a concrete solution just in time, preventing their negative emotions from completely erupting.

"Let me reiterate, there is no better way at the moment. The advice I'm giving you is the one with the highest success rate. The reason you think the chances of success are low is simply because you haven't thought the problem through yet."

"Putting everything else aside, who else could understand the EIE situation better than any of you here, or be better able to control the negative and positive news? Even American investment banks can't compare to you."

"You gentlemen here are the controllers of the EIE Group. You control the most direct positive and negative news, so what is there to fear? You can manipulate the stock price at will by using the information released to the public."

"There's not much to say about the negative factors; there's plenty of bad news already. Even if you do nothing, Morgan Stanley will likely act on your behalf when the market opens on Monday. To put it bluntly, it's a matter of course; it's too easy to make the stock price fall. But conversely, it's a good opportunity for you to sell first."

"As for what everyone needs to worry about afterward, it's nothing more than that the stock price won't be able to rise after buying at a low price, and Morgan Stanley will continue to target it. Actually, you don't need to worry about this too much, because once we reach an asset transfer agreement and the amount is as high as a certain amount, such as more than 100 billion yen, that will be a ready-made major positive."

"EIE Group will not only gain funds from the transaction, but also get rid of some of its operational burdens. This news is worth at least 200 billion yen. After great sorrow comes great joy, and the stock price will definitely have a huge reaction. In addition, the stock price has fallen sufficiently, and those who could sell have sold, so there is not much resistance to the upward movement. It will not be difficult to pull the stock price up again."

"I will do my best to cooperate with you. First of all, regarding the price of the assets we are about to trade, such as Yamato Tourism, I will not be too demanding. The price I offer will definitely be acceptable to your shareholders. Also, if we can sign the letter of intent today, I can even prepay you a deposit of 20 billion yen, which will be received on Monday. Of course, if you have any concerns about the shares I still hold, I can also guarantee that I will completely liquidate them on Monday. That way, you will have no worries."

"So, what do you think? If we do it this way, the win rate should be pretty high, right? What do you all think?"

What a good man!
He's practically an unparalleled sage!
Ning Weimin not only went to great lengths to consider the needs of his negotiating opponents, but he was also willing to sacrifice real money, including his own personal interests, which amounted to tens of billions of yen.

These words are so touching.

But is this reasonable?
Where in the world could you find someone like that?

Besides, who in the business world is so easily trusting?

Especially since the people who came today are all experienced middle-aged people, it would be a disservice to their age if they dared to trust Ning Weimin.

Needless to say, the necessary questions should naturally be asked.

Every single one of them, despite being tempted, had to first find out the most important thing about Ning Weimin—what was he after?

"Is that even a question? Of course, I still want Harunori Takahashi."

Ning Weimin's eyes flickered, a knowing smile playing on his lips. "Let me be blunt. In my opinion, if you want to drive the stock price even lower, there's no worse negative news than exposing Takahashi's financial problems. And if the stock price continues to fall sharply, Takahashi Harunori's personal margin positions will be liquidated. As the borrower, Changxin Bank won't sit idly by and watch the losses unfold; they'll definitely liquidate the positions early, right? That's it. The reason I'm willing to cooperate with you all is for one thing: I want to bankrupt Takahashi Harunori and send him to prison for financial crimes. Can you agree to that?"

Four people, four pairs of eyes, all staring wide-eyed.

At the same time, there was even the sound of someone gasping for breath.

He really put a lot of thought into it; no one expected that Ning Weimin would come back to this question after going around in circles for so long.

He's so persistent; how much does he hate Takahashi?
This scheme, in particular, was truly insidious!
To be honest, the situation had indeed changed significantly at this point, and some things were completely different from before.

It wasn't just that these Japanese people rediscovered Ning Weimin's character; the key point is that they redefined Takahashi Harunori's values.

Needless to say, compared to preserving Takahashi Harunori, who has caused immense losses to EIE, it is no longer meaningful to retain a former president who is no longer of much use.

So what if you graduated from Keio University? Every year, many Keio graduates, but most of them just end up as ordinary workers.

The most urgent task now is, of course, to save EIE and protect their future.

Moreover, if this is handled well, they could very well make a fortune through insider trading.

Takahashi, that useless piece of trash, was discarded without a second thought. It wasn't really a bad thing; he only had himself to blame for offending such a person.

So... surprisingly, no one rejected Ning Weimin as decisively as they had at the beginning.

Tanaka, Nakamura, Kobayashi, and Tsuchiya exchanged glances, and then, as if by unspoken agreement, they huddled together, disregarding their image, and began to whisper among themselves.

At this moment, seeing this scene, Ning Weimin felt only the relief of his wish coming true.

To put it bluntly, the other party's inconsistent attitude speaks volumes.

He was certain there would be no other outcome.

It's done! (End of Chapter)