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

Chapter 685 Forming Gangs!

"what do you mean?"

Bao Yugang didn't dwell on the source of Li Changhe's information, but instead looked at Li Changhe with curiosity.

Li Changhe said seriously, "Uncle, Britain has no chance."

"The Falklands War, which just ended, may seem like a British victory, but anyone who truly understands military affairs can see at a glance that the British were at a disadvantage."

"If it's this difficult to beat Argentina, imagine how tough it would be against a strong and well-equipped mainland China."

"But truth has always been only within the range of cannons."

"The cannons on Hong Kong Island are undoubtedly closer to those on the mainland!"

After listening to Li Changhe's analysis, Bao Yugang looked at him seriously: "So you think that Hong Kong Island will definitely return to the hands of the mainland, right?"

"Of course, Britain has almost no bargaining power."

Li Changhe said confidently.

Bao Yugang then looked at him with a smile: "Then the big opportunity you mentioned seems to be related to the Sino-British negotiations."

"The economy has always been influenced by politics."

"If the British lose in the negotiations between the two countries, it will inevitably cause panic in Hong Kong, since there are many people who dislike or even fear the return of Hong Kong to China."

"In my opinion, once this sentiment emerges, the economic situation in Hong Kong Island will deteriorate immediately, and there is a high probability that the stock market and property prices will plummet."

"Putting aside other factors, families like the Cheung family of Wheelock and Company would probably choose to flee Hong Kong Island immediately."

"If the Zhang family wants to flee, they will definitely have to sell off their assets, and this will create a chain reaction."

Wheelock's major shareholder is the Cheung Yuk-leung family, a very low-profile old money family hidden in Hong Kong. They actually controlled most of the shares of Wheelock, one of the four major trading companies, long ago.

However, the Zhang family only controlled Wheelock's shares, not its management. Wheelock's management has always been in the hands of the group's patriarch, Madden.

Later, when Bao Yugang acquired Wheelock, it was actually an internal power struggle with Madden and the Zhang family. The reason for the internal power struggle was that both families wanted to leave.

Madden was chosen because he was British, and Wheelock was already in a bad state, especially after he had staked everything on shipping.

As the oil crisis ended, oil prices entered a long period of stagnation, and the shipping industry also suffered a downturn. Madden's bet completely ruined Wheelock's future. Coupled with the changes in Hong Kong, Madden had to leave.

The Zhang family was also afraid; they feared the mainland's reckoning against them.

Because the Zhang family started out selling medicine, and during the Korean War, the country purchased a batch of medicines from the Zhang family, the Zhang family, greedy for profit, sold us a lot of fake medicine, which caused many unnecessary casualties among our wounded.

Bao Yugang is very clear about this old story.

Therefore, Bao Yugang didn't find anything wrong with Li Changhe's certainty. If Hong Kong were to return to China, the Zhang family would definitely be the group most worried about being purged, and they would certainly run away.

Moreover, the Zhang family wasn't the only one. There were actually quite a few similar families on Hong Kong Island. Some of them sided with the British, while others sided with Taiwan at the time.

Therefore, once the Sino-British negotiations yield results, even if it is not the final result but just some rumors, it will be enough to influence these people's choices regarding where to keep or leave their funds.

“Now that you mention it, it’s true. There’s more than one Cheung family in Hong Kong. There will be quite a few people who want to run away.”

"These people selling off real estate and converting it into assets will lead to a decline or even collapse of Hong Kong's economy."

"The opportunity you're talking about is buying these assets at rock-bottom prices?"

Bao Yu immediately understood Li Changhe's idea.

Li Changhe nodded: "That's right, Uncle. In my opinion, as soon as the Sino-British negotiations began, Hong Kong's economy was on a ticking time bomb, and the outcome of the negotiations was the fuse."

"Once the bomb explodes, real estate, the stock market, foreign exchange, and even industry and commerce will be severely impacted, and that will be our opportunity."

“The shares of Wheelock held by the Zhang family are also an opportunity for us.”

"Also, when I applied for a loan from HSBC, I asked them to lend me Hong Kong dollars but convert them into US dollars for storage. Essentially, this was also a bet on the Hong Kong foreign exchange market."

"Now, the opportunity is almost here."

Li Changhe said softly.

Bao Yugang looked at Li Changhe with emotion, sighing inwardly once again.

This kid has truly grasped the intrinsic connection between politics and economics; no wonder Sim Phillips and MacLehose value him so highly.

Before this, there was only one other wealthy Chinese businessman in Hong Kong with such foresight: Li Ka-shing.

Li Ka-shing's ability to build such a large business is due to his foresight of major trends. Especially after the mainland announced its reform and opening up, Li Ka-shing skillfully maneuvered between different sides, ultimately acquiring Hutchison Whampoa from HSBC.

Even Bao Yugang had to admire Li Jiacheng for this. He might have had better relationships with heads of state than Li Jiacheng, but that was based on the status that shipping and shipping magnates brought him.

In fact, in terms of predicting the overall trend, he was not as good as Li Jiacheng.

Those who can understand these things are often the businessmen most favored by diplomats from various countries, because they will cooperate with these diplomats to implement many national strategies, which is far more useful than simply having a business sense.

Bao Yugang's initial support for Li Changhe was actually based on this expectation. After all, if such a person judges the trend correctly, he will rise like a roc on the wind, soaring ninety thousand miles high.

The higher they fly, the more information they have, the more accurate their judgment of the overall situation becomes, and the greater the benefits they gain.

Li Changhe's current performance has confirmed Bao Yugang's judgment.

"Are you planning to target Wheelock and Company? Or..."

Bao Yugang quickly cleared his mind of distractions and then asked Li Changhe seriously.

What Li Changhe is talking about is the general trend. Within this trend, there are bound to be many opportunities. What Bao Yugang is curious about is which assets Li Changhe plans to target.

“Uncle, I have a big appetite. I don’t really care about Wheelock.”

"My target is everything!"

"I want to buy into the stock market, real estate, and all the assets that families are selling off!"

Li Changhe said seriously at this moment.

When Bao Yu heard Li Changhe's answer, his expression remained unchanged, but he was inwardly shocked.

Has this kid developed such a big appetite?

"You're going to tackle so many things from so far, can you handle it?"

"It's not just about having money. The stock market, foreign exchange, real estate—it all adds up to a lot of money. Do you have enough?"

According to Li Changhe, he also plans to invest in various projects in mainland China, which would probably amount to more than a billion US dollars in total.

So, how much money does he still have left to invest in Hong Kong Island?
"Uncle, I don't lack money, what I lack now is people!"

"In fact, I have prepared at least two billion US dollars for this change in Hong Kong."

"But the problem now is that I don't have enough manpower."

"So I'd like to ask your uncle for help."

Li Changhe then spoke seriously.

"You want to transfer personnel from Wharf Holdings?"

At this moment, Bao Yugang asked curiously.

Li Changhe shook his head: "No, I'm not talking about simple staff, I'm talking about the partners this time." "I'd like to ask you, Uncle, to step in and win over some of the prominent families in Hong Kong to participate in this grand event with me!"

"For example, I hope you can persuade Mr. Cao Guangbiao, a fellow townsman from Ningbo, as well as Nan Fung Textile, and your friend, Kwok Tak-seng of Sun Hung Kai Properties, to participate in this bottom-fishing."

The reason Li Changhe recruited people wasn't because he lacked money or manpower; what he truly wanted was to bring in a group of people to share the risks.

He wanted to use this opportunity to bring some wealthy Chinese families onto his side. He didn't expect them to necessarily be on his side and fight alongside him, but at least they should be bound together by some common interests.

In this way, whether it is for subsequent developments or when facing the future Hong Kong British government, he can have some helpers, or rather, a share of the firepower.

This was also Li Changhe's consideration for the future. After 84, Hong Kong society would enter a new mechanism. After the loss of the banner of the British Hong Kong government's unification of the world, the entire business community of Hong Kong would enter an era of warlordism and vying for supremacy.

At that time, in addition to the local Chinese businessmen in Hong Kong, there will be various foreign forces, such as those from Britain, the United States, Japan, Southeast Asia, and other sources of capital and influence.

What Li Changhe needs to do is to gather power in advance and become the most powerful warlord.

Of course, he also had a secret intention: to contact many wealthy businessmen in Hong Kong to gain leverage in future dialogues with the mainland.

As a soul from a later era, Li Changhe was very clear about one concept: a new emperor brings a new court!

Although he was born in mainland China and made great contributions to the country, that does not mean he was without crisis.

Putting aside other issues, the higher-ups concealed his identity, which increased the independence of Bao Zeyang's identity, but it also increased the risks originating from the mainland.

Some people who grow up in the future may not know Bao Zeyang's identity and might develop feelings for Li Changhe.

Although Li Changhe has powerful backers, he can't always seek their help; doing so would only lower his reputation.

Therefore, what Li Changhe needs to do now is to weave a large network on Hong Kong Island, with the Bao family at its core, to create an aggregate of interests among Chinese businessmen.

This Hong Kong storm is the opportunity that Li Changhe has been waiting for.

They bring in a group of wealthy families, gradually forming relationships of interest to solidify their own development.

"You want to recruit them as well? Are you sure you want to bring them along this time?"

"However, if you invite them to invest together, there are probably quite a few people willing to participate."

Bao Yugang asked this question with considerable surprise.

Judging from Li Changhe's attitude in the past, he didn't seem to like involving these Hong Kong families with him.

In fact, Bao Yugang has a wide network of connections. Many wealthy families in Hong Kong have mentioned wanting to cooperate with Bao Zeyang, but Bao Yugang has dealt with them all.

He thought Li Changhe looked down on these Chinese families, since he was now cooperating with Rockefeller and Rothschild.

Unexpectedly, Li Changhe brought it up on his own initiative this time.

“Hong Kong Island is too big for me to handle alone. And even if I could, it wouldn’t be very interesting to be the only one in power. By bringing them along, we can not only be tied to them, but also increase our confidence in negotiating with the Governor’s Office.”

"A fence needs three posts, and a hero needs three helpers. To develop in Hong Kong, you naturally need to find some allies."

"Uncle, who do you think would be a suitable person for us to invite?"

After hearing Li Changhe reveal his intentions, Bao Yugang began to ponder.

His lack of manpower is not simply a lack of personnel, but a lack of allies.

In that case, the people he invites must be influential and have goodwill towards the mainland.

After thinking for a moment, Bao Yu began to introduce herself to Li Changhe.

"Cao Guangbiao and Run Run Shaw need no introduction; you know both of them. Getting them on board is perfectly feasible."

"Gor Ying-sheung of Hopewell Holdings, Kwok Tak-seng of Sun Hung Kai Properties, Fung King-hei, and Lee Shau-kee are all good candidates. They all have goodwill towards the mainland."

“Especially Hu Yingxiang, you should have heard of him. Back then, he watched the National Day parade on the rostrum with Li Jiacheng.”

"They are also rising stars in the Chinese real estate industry."

"Another one, I think, is Cheng Yu-tung of Chow Tai Fook."

“This person is bold and decisive, and he is now expanding into the real estate industry. You want to expand into the jewelry industry, right? I think it would be a powerful alliance if you cooperate with him.”

"As for the others, like Old Chen from Nan Fung Group and the Dong family from Eastern Shipping, I think I might as well organize a meeting and you can discuss them together then."

"They are slightly weaker, so I estimate they can't come up with much money."

"There are two more people I'd like to mention. You can consider whether they're suitable."

“One of them is the Fok family. You should know about their relationship with the mainland. In fact, the Fok family should be a top-tier real estate company in Hong Kong. Unfortunately, they have been suppressed too much by the British Hong Kong government in recent years, and the United States is also very dissatisfied with them.”

"There's another one, Li Jiacheng."

"Although he had a conflict with you before, he is a flexible person and has come to me several times, wanting to humble himself and make peace."

“I think if you don’t want to completely defeat him, then you might be able to ease the tension with him. After all, his Cheung Kong Holdings and Hutchison Whampoa are now among the largest companies in Hong Kong.”

"In terms of influence, they're only slightly inferior to our Bao family. It's better to resolve conflicts than to let them fester, don't you think?"

At this moment, Bao Yugang smiled and said to Li Changhe.

He actually has a good relationship with Li Ka-shing, especially after they collaborated to acquire Wharf Holdings.

Moreover, the two families are neighbors; Li Jiacheng's villa is located right below Bao Yugang's house.

Old Li had privately mentioned this to Bao Yugang several times, expressing his apologies to Li Changhe and hoping that the two sides could mend their relationship.

Bao Yugang took this opportunity to bring it up.

"Neither of their families is suitable. The Huo family has its own path to follow, and I don't need to get involved with them."

"As for Li Jiacheng, to be honest, I don't really want to deal with him, but you can tell him that as long as he doesn't provoke me, I won't provoke him either."

Li Changhe has absolutely no goodwill towards this old Li now. If it weren't for the fact that he is still useful to the country, Li Changhe would definitely find an opportunity to get rid of his Hutchison Whampoa and Cheung Kong Holdings.

"Don't underestimate Li Ka-shing. He's a very shrewd person, and he has good relationships with many families in Hong Kong."

"Putting aside other things, just take Zhang Yuliang of Wheelock and Lee Ka Shing as an example. He had a very close personal relationship with him."

“If Zhang Yuliang were to sell his shares in Wheelock, I believe Li Jiacheng would definitely be his first choice.”

At this moment, Bao Yugang spoke earnestly to Li Changhe.

Li Changhe smiled upon hearing this: "It doesn't matter, Uncle. What I'm interested in is the entire Hong Kong Island. Even if Wheelock is sold to Li Ka-shing, I wouldn't mind."

Li Changhe didn't care about Wheelock because he knew that Bao Yugang was telling the truth!

Historically, during the Wheelock takeover battle, Zhang Yuliang's first buyer was Li Jiacheng. However, Li Jiacheng was unwilling to accept the offer, so he introduced Bao Yugang to him.

The reason Li Ka-shing couldn't take the deal was that he had just acquired Hong Kong Electric and was heavily in debt.

However, in this current timeline, Hong Kong Electric, as a subsidiary of Hongkong Land and Jardine Matheson, has long been taken over by Li Changhe, so Li Jiacheng will definitely have enough spare money to acquire Wheelock.

This is also why Li Changhe had little interest in Wheelock.

and many more?

Just then, a memory suddenly flashed through Li Changhe's mind!
It seems there is a chance, he thought. He remembered reading about a scandal involving the Zhang family in the newspaper before.

(End of this chapter)