1977: The beginning of the blind date with the daughter of the king

Chapter 633: Betting on both sides, a cunning rabbit has three burrows!
"Changhe, you are right. Regarding the issue of Hong Kong Island, there is only one answer here."

"The sovereignty issue is not open to debate!"

Bao Yugang spoke seriously to Li Changhe at this moment.

Li Changhe nodded: "Uncle, this actually means that Britain must negotiate with the mainland in the future."

"And this negotiation is definitely based on the background of Hong Kong's return. The UK's tactics are nothing more than how to preserve their current interests."

"But these have nothing to do with us. The only thing that has anything to do with us is that we have to choose a side."

Once separated politically, the two sides will have to rely on business to maintain their own interests. This means that the Hong Kong British government and the mainland will simultaneously win over many business people to ensure their own interests.

"Yes, especially for the top businessmen, they will definitely have to choose a side next."

Bao Yugang also nodded with admiration, especially for a person of his level.

"Uncle, have you considered cutting ties with the UK?"

"Once you make your attitude clear, I think HSBC will most likely give up on you."

"Their focus will definitely shift!"

Li Changhe was very clear about Bao Yugang's choice. The fact that his whole family returned to his hometown to worship their ancestors actually represented his inner inclination.

Historically, Bao Yugang's choices are obvious to all. In many cases, he has focused on the mainland.

HSBC and the UK must be able to see this clearly.

Given Bao Yugang's current status, Britain and HSBC certainly cannot do anything to him, but in Li Changhe's opinion, it is inevitable that the resources originally given to him will be slowly taken back.

For example, it would be impossible for HSBC to provide him with unique support in the past again in the future.

"I have actually thought about it. My current involvement with HSBC is mainly in the field of global shipping. HSBC has shares in global shipping. This time, I will take advantage of the opportunity of Yuxing Company's expansion to allocate some of the ships to you."

"I will let Henri Sohmen manage Global Shipping later."

"Anyway, I'm old now, and sooner or later I'll have to give some of my property to them."

"What's more, I will just lose the support of HSBC in the future, but that doesn't mean they will suppress me. I still have this confidence."

"Ayang, I actually have an idea."

When Li Changhe heard Bao Yugang's words, he had an idea.

"Uncle, you don't want to transfer your British resources to me, do you?"

"You are really smart. Yes, that's exactly what I thought!"

Bao Yugang laughed, then spoke seriously.

"Ayang, I actually only came up with this idea after I came back."

"I am old now, and to be honest, I don't have much ambition anymore. Now I have Global Shipping on the sea, Wharf Holdings on land, and the bond investments I have, which are enough for my family."

"That's why I don't want to help the British. Although I am a British citizen now, that was just a choice I made for business a few years ago. We Chinese can't forget our roots no matter where we go."

"So I don't want to play the game on the issue of Hong Kong Island."

"But I don't think that's a problem. I'll transfer those resources to you!"

"Our Chinese family is best at having three burrows and making bets separately. Shen Bi is very likely to be able to guess what I am doing."

"Besides, you're different from me. You don't need to choose sides because you're going to be out there anyway, right?"

"So I think there is no problem at all in transferring my connections and resources to you!"

"Of course, in this case, you will not only have to get close to HSBC, but also have to establish a relationship of interest with many people in London."

After listening to this, Li Changhe fell into deep thought.

To put it bluntly, Bao Yugang wanted to take this opportunity to play a double-bet in front of Shen Bi. He would support the mainland, and then let Bao Zeyang represent the Bao family to continue to maintain good relations with Britain.

Because Li Changhe was originally a business talent sent by the country, his goal was to obtain the technology and funds needed by the country from outside.

This can be clearly demonstrated from his good relationship with Rockefeller in the United States.

And with Li Changhe's current status, if he represents the Bao family to make friends with Britain and HSBC, that might not be an unacceptable situation for Shen Bi and the British.

After all, Li Changhe's current status and position is no worse than Bao Yugang's. In fact, considering his age, he has more potential.

Therefore, as long as Bao Yugang does this, the Bao family’s ties with the British side will definitely not be severed.

Even though Shen Bi had some doubts about this, he would not completely give up on Li Changhe. After all, Li Changhe's status was there.

There are also benefits for Li Changhe taking over Bao Yuguang's resources. Apart from other things, Li Changhe will definitely benefit from the upcoming sale of British state-owned enterprises and the automotive industry.

After all, this is sold by state-owned enterprises, and many times, you can’t buy it just because you have money.

As for being on good terms with HSBC, it doesn't matter to Li Changhe.

The main reason why he did not work closely with HSBC before was that his funds often had to flow secretly into the country, and he was worried that HSBC would track him down secretly.

This was not a good thing for Li Changhe at the time.

But now it’s different. He has now started to invest in the mainland openly and has joined forces with the Rockefeller family of the United States. This also means that he doesn’t have to be sneaky in the future.

In this way, he doesn't need to worry about HSBC's investigation at all.

"Uncle, it doesn't matter if I have good relations with HSBC or have conflicts of interest with the British. After all, I have connections with the Americans and the French now, so adding the British won't make a difference."

"But if you do this, it will be hard to say what will happen to your brothers-in-law!"

Li Changhe said softly. Bao Yugang smiled, then said gently: "There is nothing wrong with it. I have already distributed most of the company to them. They have to rely on themselves in the future."

"And as for connections, to be frank, it's useless to just rely on me to introduce you. It depends on whether you can handle it yourself."

"I introduced some people to Su Haiwen before. Guangzheng and others knew each other, but unfortunately nothing came of it in the end."

"To put it bluntly, they are not strong enough and are looked down upon by others. Even if they are doing it for my sake, they are just perfunctory."

"A good blacksmith must have strong skills himself. The so-called introduction is just a stepping stone. Whether you can get in depends on whether you are qualified enough."

"But these problems are not problems for you. From the performance of the Rockefeller and Rothschild families, I can see that your abilities are recognized by these European and American aristocratic families with a history of hundreds of years."

"So when you get to England, you should be accepted and won over quickly!"

"I will make this clear to Guangzheng, Haiwen and the others."

"Besides, if you get better, it will be a good thing for them. After all, if something really happens in the future, it will definitely be more effective if you come forward than if they do."

"Also, Ayang, I also have my own selfish motives for doing this."

"From your attitude towards the country and towards me, I can tell that you are a person who clearly distinguishes between gratitude and resentment, and you have a method for doing things. You are not the kind of person who is ungrateful."

"So I would like to take this opportunity to ask you to help me take care of your sisters in the future."

"Guangzheng and the others are my sons-in-law after all. When I am here, I can control them. They dare not do anything to Peirong and the others. But once I am gone, many things will be hard to say."

"Uncle hopes that you will take care of your sisters for my sake. Even if I am gone, don't let them be bullied. This is also my wish."

Bao Yugang also showed his true feelings at this moment. Although he is not very old, he still has to consider what will happen to his four daughters a hundred years later.

Since ancient times, among the sons-in-law who rely on their father-in-law to make a living, only a few are sincere, while the majority are ungrateful. After all, Chinese has been a male-dominated society since ancient times, and most of those who rely on women to make a living are those in which women have the upper hand in the family dominance.

Although he claimed that he had been very successful in educating his daughter, no one could know a person's face but not his heart. No one could guarantee what his sons-in-law would be thinking after a hundred years.

Therefore, one of Bao Yugang's strategies was to support Li Changhe and provide insurance for his daughters.

This was the decision he made after he had been in contact with Li Changhe for several years and gradually understood Li Changhe's character.

"Uncle, you are too kind. Even if you don't say anything, I still treat my sisters as my own sisters just because of your support and protection. I will definitely not let them be bullied in the future."

Li Changhe spoke hurriedly at this moment.

Apart from anything else, just based on the support and protection Bao Yugang gave him, it is impossible for him to ignore his sisters in the future.

Moreover, Li Changhe also knew that Bao Yugang would do more than that in the future, and his daughter and son-in-law hardly caused any scandals.

The point is that although his property was divided among several sons-in-law, the ownership of the property was in the hands of his daughter, who just did not participate in the management.
"Ayang, I know your character, so today I am speaking to you from the bottom of my heart."

"What I mean is that you might as well communicate with the senior management and see what they think. If they have no objection, I think we can implement this plan."

"This way, we don't have to get into a stalemate with the British, and you can get some benefits."

"And this will also create a problem for Shen Bi. He will keep wavering between you and Li Jiacheng. In this way, HSBC's resources will not be completely bet on Li Jiacheng."

Bao Yugang knew Shen Bi very well. After all, they had been dealing with each other for many years, so he knew very well what Shen Bi's attitude would be after he made this choice.

Given Li Changhe's past attitude, it was impossible for Shen Bi to completely trust Li Changhe, but Li Changhe's strength determined that Shen Bi would not abandon Li Changhe, just like his previous attitude.

Therefore, Shen Bi's most likely approach would be to bet on both sides, letting Li Changhe and Li Jiacheng compete to see which one is better, and by the way, play a check and balance role in the process.

"Understood, uncle. I will report this to the higher-ups and discuss this."

Li Changhe then said solemnly that this matter must be reported to the top leaders.

Soon, at noon the next day, Li Changhe met Mr. Liao again, but this time it was a formal meeting.

In Mr. Liao's office, Li Changhe told Mr. Liao part of the conversation with Bao Yugang last night. After listening, Mr. Liao nodded slightly.

"Mr. Bao's patriotic sentiment and attitude are worthy of recognition, and now he is indeed very important to us. After all, he is someone who can talk directly to Downing Street. This is a good communication channel for us and is far more reliable than the Governor's Office."

"From this point of view, we cannot sit idly by and watch the relationship between the Bao family and the British Hong Kong government deteriorate. This does not meet our needs."

"So, as long as you accept it, I think Mr. Bao's plan is very good."

"Although the British are not as powerful as the United States, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse. The British still have some very good things in their hands, and they are very courageous. In many cases, they will not take the United States' attitude into consideration and are willing to trade with us."

"I think this is very important. Although we are mainly on good terms with the United States now, I think Europe is actually more important to us, especially in terms of industrial technology."

"In the United States, because of the two-party system, their attitude is often erratic, sometimes good and sometimes bad, but it's different in Europe."

"Now there are many small countries over there, especially after losing their colonies, many of them have become more realistic, and they will do a lot of business if you pay them."

"In fact, the Soviet Union has given us a very good demonstration in this regard."

Mr. Liao has been in charge of foreign affairs in recent years, so he naturally knows a lot of intelligence information, and therefore has a relatively thorough understanding of the international situation.

"And Changhe, Bao Yugang's doing this will also have a great benefit for you, which is your identity."

"The closer you get to them, the less important your identity becomes, because by then, you will have become the link between them and us. Even if they find out something, it won't matter to them."

"Unless our relationship with them deteriorates again to the point where we no longer have any business with each other, but you know that's impossible. Even in the past few years, we haven't reached the point where we have no trade at all."

Mr. Liao said with a smile, and Li Changhe nodded.

Yes, otherwise how did the Council for the Promotion of International Trade of the old man of the Liu family come about? Isn’t it for this purpose?
wait?

Li Changhe was suddenly confused at this time!
Good fellow, if I really follow what Mr. Liao said and become the so-called link between the East and the West, wouldn't that be...
If this is decrypted decades later, won't I be called a comprador?

(End of this chapter)