Although most methods were ruled out by Microsoft itself, Microsoft quickly thought of another way: to use their own methods against them.
This method was proposed by an employee from Microsoft China. This employee, likely aware of how the Fantasy computer was eliminated, suggested to Microsoft that they replicate the scenario with the Fantasy computer, which could even shake the foundation and reputation of the Jiangnan Group in China.
The method was quite simple: hire numerous internet troll companies to spread propaganda online, informing Chinese netizens that the Jiangnan Group was giving away computers, which were sold for four to five thousand yuan domestically, for free to foreigners. This was guaranteed to cause an immediate, explosive reaction, effectively destroying the Fantasy computer and the entire Jiangnan Group.
After all, the Fantasy computer had previously sparked nationwide anger simply because the price of computers sold in the United States was slightly lower than those sold in China.
Now, if people knew that the Fantasy computer and the Jiangnan Group, which had just acquired it, were giving away computers manufactured with the sweat and blood of Chinese people to foreigners for free, it would be an act against nature if it didn't cause an uproar.
Upon receiving this suggestion, Microsoft headquarters was initially stunned. Then, they remarked that it was indeed the Chinese who knew best how to deal with Chinese people, and without hesitation, they began to implement the suggestion. They immediately started funding and bribing various internet troll companies to commence relevant propaganda on Chinese networks.
Microsoft envisioned this plan as a devastating blow to the Jiangnan Group. They believed the Chinese people would never accept the Jiangnan Group doing such a thing. The immense reputation that Huang He had accumulated over nearly twenty years would be shattered in an instant. This would be an unexpected, massive victory that could completely destroy their opponent.
Microsoft's idea itself was not flawed. However, there was one detail they might not have been aware of: the capital of the Jiangnan Group was invested in China's largest internet troll company.
Therefore, when Microsoft handed over this operational plan to this internet troll company, the person in charge was stunned. They immediately forwarded it to Boss Huang to ask for instructions on how to proceed.
It was unavoidable. The Jiangnan Group's influence on the internet was so extensive that any matter handled through the internet could never be hidden from them.
Upon receiving this news, Boss Huang broke out in a cold sweat. He realized he had indeed overlooked this critically fatal issue.
In response, Boss Huang reflected deeply on himself. Perhaps it was because everything had been progressing too smoothly that he had neglected many foolish things he had done.
He had almost become the person he disliked the most.
However, knowing about the problem was one thing, and solving it was another. Since Boss Huang controlled China's largest internet troll company, he couldn't control all of them.
Even if he could silence the keyboards of these troll companies, he couldn't possibly quell the anger of all netizens. This matter didn't even require internet troll companies. All it would take was for someone to write a simple, sharp "little essay" and post it online, and it would likely ignite the entire network, truly ruining his reputation.
Fortunately, he had learned of this news in advance, and the most crucial thing now was to race against time.
First, Boss Huang instructed this internet troll company to inform Microsoft Group that they would need three days for preparations. Microsoft did not suspect anything. For an event of this magnitude, three days of preparation was even considered fast. They didn't think there would be any issues.
Meanwhile, Boss Huang immediately convened an internal meeting. During the meeting, he first conducted a thorough self-criticism, expressing his shame for neglecting the potential problems of this strategy and demanding that the executives come up with solutions to clean up his mess.
The executives immediately stated that it was not the chairman's fault at all but rather their own incompetence for not anticipating the issues behind this plan, which led to the current situation. It was their problem, and it had absolutely nothing to do with Boss Huang.
After this sincere and proactive "blame-shifting" session, everyone still needed to sit down and solve the problem.
"There is only one solution to this problem: treat domestic and foreign customers equally. Before public opinion on the internet escalates, we should immediately announce a recall of the Fantasy computer domestically and offer free replacements with the same model. This is the only solution!" Leng Zimeng stated concisely.
"No, that's too difficult!" Elder Sister Leng Zhiruo immediately retorted. "It's not that it's wrong, but this matter has come too suddenly. We haven't made any corresponding preparations."
"According to the sales data we have for the Fantasy computer, they have sold over 320 million units domestically. Therefore, the vast majority of them should have been completely aged and discarded in landfills. However, there's no guarantee that tens of millions of units are still in various recycling stations."
"Once we announce a recall, it's likely that these tens of millions of old computers will surface immediately, and we won't be able to handle such a massive number of computers!"
"Sister, are you being stingy with money?" Leng Zimeng pouted. "How can the treatment of Chinese people be worse than that of those lazy Europeans?"
"I'm not saying I'm stingy with money. The problem is we don't have enough computers to supply!" Leng Zhiruo said helplessly. "We currently have about 12 million specialized computers left for recall, but most of them have already been sent to Europe. There's very little stock domestically. If we announce a recall now, how can we possibly meet the demand of tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions, of Chinese users?"
"It would take at least half a year to produce these new ones. There's simply not enough time!"
"Then why don't we just announce a halt to the recall in Europe and bring back those 12 million computers? That number could at least cover one or two weeks. By then, we can announce insufficient inventory and delay replacements for a few months. People might understand. All we need to do is show our willingness to recall computers for free!" Leng Zimeng suggested.
The senior executives attending the meeting engaged in a heated debate (mostly between the two sisters). However, their overall attitude was the same: the treatment of Europe and China must be identical; there could be no favoritism. Otherwise, the Jiangnan Group would be in complete disarray.
Although this would likely result in hundreds of billions of dollars in losses for the Jiangnan Group, given the enormous installed base of Fantasy computers in the Chinese market, even all the computers in Europe combined probably wouldn't match the number of Fantasy computers in the Chinese market. But unless they were willing to abandon their reputation, this money was an unavoidable loss.
"I understand everyone's thoughts, and my thoughts are the same as yours. Since I made a mistake, I should bravely bear the losses caused by that mistake!" Boss Huang sighed. "However, the recall plan in Europe cannot stop. We must continue to invest money to change the European market environment. Therefore, those 12 million computers must remain in Europe and cannot be recalled domestically!"
"Then, Brother-in-law, where will our domestic computers come from?" Leng Zhiruo asked helplessly.
"From time!" Huang He said. "Immediately notify the chip manufacturing centers and have them double their production capacity. However, stop producing the chips for Europe and switch to higher-grade chips."
"Since the chips are made by us Chinese, there's no reason for Chinese people and Europeans to use the same chips. The chips we give to our own people should naturally be of a higher grade. This way, the computers given away will also be of a higher grade overall."
"Then we can inform users that due to higher production difficulty, the initial quantity is limited, and all users will eventually receive replacements! The key is to show the right attitude; that's the most important thing!"
"Yes."
"But, Brother-in-law, this will inevitably raise another issue. What about users who recently purchased the five-进制 (quinary) computers from Fantasy Computer? Once our recall notice is issued, these users who spent a large sum of money on computers not long ago will surely hate us!" Leng Zimeng raised a new problem.
"Indeed... Oh my god!" Huang He rubbed his temples with a headache. After the Jiangnan Group fully acquired Fantasy Computer, the domestic sales of Fantasy Computer returned to their peak. In over half a year, nearly 10 million computers had been sold. If these people knew about the free replacement, they would likely hate him intensely.
"Refunds. Directly open a refund channel. All users who purchased Fantasy Computer products after the Jiangnan Group acquired Fantasy Computer can apply for a refund. We will refund them the full amount!" Boss Huang said without hesitation, despite his discomfort.
"Then, Brother-in-law, what should we do with the computers they have already bought after getting their refunds? Should we recall them?" Leng Zhiruo asked timidly.
"Recall them? What nonsense!" Boss Huang's expression contorted into a grimace. "They've been using them for over half a year, and we can't resell them. Tell them we're only refunding money, not taking back the products. Just give them their money back!"
"Yes!" With the boss's word, the executives had nothing more to say. Only the dozens of financial staff from the finance department were frantically calculating various figures.
"How is it? Have you calculated how much I'll have to compensate?" Boss Huang asked dejectedly.
"Yes, according to your instructions, this series of plans will ultimately result in a loss of approximately 30 to 35 billion US dollars!" the head of the finance department said cautiously.
"Alright, let's proceed with that." Huang He waved his hand, approving the expenditure. Just as everyone was about to carry out the order, Huang He suddenly turned to Leng Zhiruo and said, "Notify the United States United Super Vacuum Pipeline Railway Company that due to changes in material costs, our production costs have severely increased, requiring an additional 50 billion US dollars in production costs! Have Little Swift directly approve this additional procurement cost!"
"Understood!" A slight smile appeared on Leng Zhiruo's lips. Her man was indeed a very petty person, and this cost would ultimately be borne by the Americans.