Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

The shareholders' meeting concluded temporarily, seemingly reaching a consensus to "overcome difficulties together," but in reality, each shareholder had their own concerns. The shareholders left the manor, filled with worries and Yuan Liang's preliminary outline of a "checks and balances strategy."

In the dead of night, the candlelight flickers.

The excited, angry, and even desperate faces of the shareholders during the day replayed in his mind like a revolving lantern. Mr. He's murky tears, Luo Sihai's calm yet pointed questions, and the panicked eyes of the small shareholders who depended on the military bank for their survival...all of this weighed heavily on his heart. He had promised to preserve the military bank and everyone's interests, but facing a behemoth like the King of Jin, conventional resistance seemed futile.

"We absolutely can't engage in a head-on confrontation..." Zhang Jingwei muttered to himself, pacing in front of a desk covered with a map. "The Prince of Jin wants a complete military system that can be quickly deployed to support his ambitions. What if we hand over a fragmented, unmanageable mess?"

This thought flashed like a flash of lightning in the darkness, instantly illuminating his chaotic thoughts. He suddenly stopped, his eyes fixed on the various industrial nodes marked on the map - workshops, warehouses, carriage houses, and businesses throughout Yunzhou...

A plan so bold as to be almost crazy gradually became clear in his mind.

Break the whole into parts and divide and conquer

He quickly returned to his desk, spread out a new sheet of rice paper, and picked up his pen, the tip of which trembled slightly with excitement. He didn't write down a specific strategy, but instead listed all of the company's current major business segments:

Mining, metallurgy, and casting; kiln industry; spinning, embroidery, and weaving; grain and oil processing and trade; carriage and horse trading, logistics and transportation; salt and tea trade; wood products and construction; procurement and preliminary processing of medicinal materials; and the emerging "Jinyuhang" (a new-style money shop, whose basic functions were similar to those of an early 19th-century bank).

Zhang Jingwei's eyes lit up as he looked at the items listed on the paper. The military's strength lay in its integration of resources from so many different industries, creating economies of scale and internal circulation. However, this was also its weakness, making it vulnerable to wholesale seizure.

"What if...what if they're no longer 'one' military bank?" Zhang Jingwei's breathing quickened. "What if the military bank is broken up! Split into a dozen, or even dozens of independent small banks! Each small bank specializes in one or a few businesses, each with its own name, its own account books, and even... its own independent management team!"

The thought gave him a thrill of excitement.

Jinyuhang: Separate it and operate it as a relatively independent bank and bill exchange. It can even introduce other reliable shareholders to complicate its equity structure and prevent the King of Jin from easily controlling its financial lifeline.

Spinning and Embroidery: Focusing on cloth and ready-made garments, the company separates resources such as weavers, dyers, and embroiderers into a separate entity.

Kiln industry: Bricks, ceramics, and colored glaze are separated or merged into a specialized "kiln industry." However, the core colored glaze firing technology must be firmly in the hands of a few of the most reliable veteran craftsmen and confidants. Some key equipment and craftsmen can even be secretly transferred.

· Carriage and Horse Trading: Split into two parts responsible for intra-city transportation and inter-city and cross-border logistics, increasing management complexity.

Mining and Metallurgy: This is the most important sector, and also the most difficult to divest. However, consider "legally" hiding or restricting the core blast furnace technology and mining rights to high-quality mineral veins through complex contracts and cooperation with local clans. This will prevent the King of Jin from easily replicating and expanding production capacity even if he obtains the title...

The more Zhang Jingwei thought about it, the clearer his thoughts became. His pen moved rapidly across the paper, sketching out the proposed names and rough structures of the new guilds. This wasn't just a simple split; it was a sophisticated asset restructuring and risk isolation.

Weighing the pros and cons and core considerations

After the excitement, Zhang Jingwei forced himself to calm down and began to carefully weigh the pros and cons of this "break the whole into pieces" plan.

The benefits are obvious:

Reduced attractiveness: A scattered, loose alliance of a dozen small guilds was far less strategically valuable and less conducive to the ambitions of the King of Jin than a highly centralized, unfettered "junxing." To mobilize resources, the King of Jin had to deal with a dozen different "managers" and complex internal coordination, significantly reducing efficiency.

Increased Difficulty of Control: The task of managing and controlling over a dozen independently operating guilds became exponentially more difficult for the Jin prince's men. Each guild maintained its own independent accounts and core teams, each led by a new core team of former military guild members. It was impossible for the Jin prince's men to understand all the ins and outs in a short period of time.

Preserve the Flame: Even if some less important guilds fall under the Jin King's strong control, as long as the core technology, finance, and logistics are hidden or dispersed, the foundation of the military guild will not be lost. When the time is right, a comeback may be possible.

Appease shareholders: Clearly divide part of the guild's equity to the original shareholders, allowing them to obtain real and independent industries. This can greatly alleviate their panic and resistance, and even tie them more closely to the chariot against King Jin.

But the disadvantages are also prominent:

Loss of synergy: The military bank's greatest advantage lies in its ability to rapidly deploy and coordinate internal resources. Once split, each bank would operate independently, increasing internal transaction costs and inevitably reducing overall efficiency and competitiveness.

Management costs soared: A new and more complex coordination mechanism needed to be established to manage these independent small guilds, which posed a huge test for management.

It may cause internal friction: the redistribution of interests will inevitably be uneven, which may lead to conflicts and struggles within the originally united party, giving the King of Jin an opportunity to take advantage.

The King of Jin's reaction: The King of Jin is no fool; he'll quickly see through this ruse. How will he react? Will he resort to more drastic measures in a fit of rage, or will he play along and defeat them one by one? Both are enormous risks.

Zhang Jingwei's fingers tapped unconsciously on the table, his gaze finally settling on the "Jinyuhang" and "Yilnhang" businesses. He realized that the success of this split plan hinged on two key points: first, whether the core financial and cutting-edge technologies could be secretly divested or protected; and second, whether a suitable "surface agent" could be found to preside over this seemingly "submissive" split and deceive the King of Jin.

Finally, his thoughts returned to Huangfu Ling. This plan would require time, precise planning, and luck. Ling'er, could she wait until then? How long could Sun Yaolang's delaying method last?

A mixture of determination, anxiety, and deep exhaustion washed over him. He knew there was no escape. This "escape plan," while risky, was the only conceivable strategy to preserve the core and buy time under the pressure of the Prince of Jin.

He picked up the paper filled with ideas and held it to the candlelight, watching the flames slowly devour the ink until it turned to ash. The plan must be kept absolutely secret, at least in the early stages, the fewer people who knew about it, the better.

Outside the window, the sky was already slightly brightening. A new day was about to begin, and with it, a more complex and dangerous game of chess. Zhang Jingwei took a deep breath of the cool, predawn air, his eyes once again firm and sharp. He summoned the maidservant guarding the door and whispered, "Go, get Yuanliang here. Also, prepare the carriage. I'm going to Yunzhou later to visit the Marquis' Mansion."

The maid responded and had already left to call a cab, but then turned back and said, "Master, there's a man named Gao Jiong outside who wants to see you!"

Zhang Jingwei got goosebumps all over his body, he took a long breath, and then cursed, "What! This son of a bitch..."