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

Chapter 723 If you're not hot-blooded, are you even a young person?
In fact, it was Li Changhe who arranged for the acquisition of China Gas.

He knew that historically, Hong Kong and China Gas eventually became the company of his fourth uncle, Li Zhaoji. He and Li Jiacheng, one controlling the gas industry on Hong Kong Island and the other controlling the power company Hong Kong Electric, were both deeply involved in the livelihood industries of Hong Kong Island.

The difference is that Li Zhaoji has a much better reputation than Li Jiacheng, because the gas prices controlled by Li Zhaoji rarely fluctuate, while Hong Kong Electric, controlled by Li Jiacheng, has raised prices one after another.

Originally, Li Changhe wasn't particularly interested in China Gas, but he suddenly discovered an opportunity.

This opportunity was given to us by Jardine Matheson and Hong Kong Electric.

That is, HK Electric holds a portion of the shares in Hong Kong and China Gas.

Hong Kong and China Gas was originally founded by British capital, but later the company's board of directors fell into the hands of Chinese, with Li Mingze serving as chairman.

Li Mingze is the eldest son of Li Xishen of the Li family, one of the four major families in Hong Kong Island, and also the elder brother of Li Xiaohe. However, he is not the eldest son of the legitimate wife, but the eldest son of a concubine.

In 1975, Hong Kong Island had just experienced the stock market crash of 1973-1974, and stock prices were at a low level. Hong Kong Electric, together with Jardine Matheson, targeted Hong Kong and China Gas and launched a hostile takeover.

At the time, Li Mingze did not have enough funds to compete with Hong Kong Electric, so he brought in Li Zhaoji, who had just left Sun Hung Kai Properties.

At that time, Li Zhaoji had funds allocated to him by Sun Hung Kai Properties after the division of assets, so he had money in hand. Therefore, at the invitation of Li Mingze, he decisively invested in Hong Kong and China Gas, purchasing a portion of the shares and preventing Hong Kong Electric and Jardine Matheson from acquiring the company.

Then, after Li Changhe acquired Hongkong Land, he discovered that Hong Kong Electric also held a portion of Hong Kong and China Gas's shares, which piqued his interest.

At that time, the shares of Hong Kong and China Gas were very dispersed. Neither Li Mingze, who controlled the board of directors, nor Li Zhaoji, who later joined the company, actually held more than 30% of the shares.

However, because the cooperative relationship between Li Mingze and Li Zhaoji has always been very stable, the shareholding of Hong Kong and China Gas has also remained relatively stable. After all, the two together hold 40% of the shares, making a hostile takeover very difficult.

Li Changhe didn't intend to control China Gas; for him, it was just a good opportunity for diversified investment.

Hong Kong Island uses coal gas instead of natural gas. As the population of Hong Kong Island continues to increase, the coal gas market will become more stable, and the business will see steady growth.

Moreover, Li Changhe also recalled that China Gas later entered the mainland and gained a share of the mainland's gas industry.

So when people below were buying up company shares at rock-bottom prices, Li Changhe added the name of China Gas without hesitation.

Unexpectedly, Li Zhaoji has now discovered it.

It seems that Li Zhaoji has now set his sights on Hong Kong and China Gas.

"You mean you arranged for people to be in Guo Ling's company to buy up stocks at rock-bottom prices, and then you bought up shares of China and Hong Kong Gas?"

Li Zhaoji also learned about Li Changhe's actions at this time. He originally thought that Li Changhe had not intervened in the stock market, but he did not expect that the other party had played a trick of pretending to repair the plank road while secretly crossing the Chencang pass.

"Yes, at that time Guo Ling and the others happened to be borrowing money, so I arranged for some funds to be transferred to them as well."

"My original intention was just to use their accounts to distract them, but I didn't expect that HSBC would target me and give me a chance instead."

"It's just that they don't have much capital on their side, so they can't acquire many shares."

Li Changhe said with a wry smile.

"Okay, I'll arrange for someone to check first."

Li Changhe then got up and went outside.

Meanwhile, in his office, Lee So-ki was deep in thought.

For him, the most troublesome scenario he had envisioned had occurred: Bao Zeyang had acquired shares in China Gas Holdings.

If that's the case, it would undoubtedly be bad news for Li Zhaoji, as it would mean that he would face direct competition from Bao Zeyang in the battle for China Gas!

He really doesn't have the confidence to compare his wealth with Xiao Baosheng.

His real estate company is doing well now, but it's only doing well; compared to Hongkong Land, it's insignificant.

Moreover, Bao Zeyang's business extends beyond land acquisition.

Originally, Li Zhaoji was thinking that he could use Bao Zeyang as an intermediary to try and buy back the shares of Hong Kong and China Gas, which were being acquired by wealthy families in Southeast Asia.

However, it now seems that the probability is very small.

So what's the next step?
Talk to Bao Zeyang and, by leveraging the relationship between our two families, take over those stocks he holds.
Or is this an opportunity to cooperate?
After a moment's thought, Li Zhaoji quickly made a decision.

The former is unacceptable. Regardless of Bao Zeyang's explanation or whether he actually issued the order to acquire Hong Kong and China Gas, there is no doubt that if the other party acquires it, it means that they recognize the value of Hong Kong and China Gas.

Not to mention, they still hold a portion of the original HK Electric shares, and nobody knows exactly how many Hong Kong and China Gas shares HK Electric later retained.

If the amount is large, and considering the acquisition by the other party, Li Zhaoji cannot guarantee that his shares will be enough to secure the acquisition of Hong Kong and China Gas.

Moreover, he was dealing with Bao Zeyang, who had just done him a favor and had planned ahead for this crisis in Hong Kong. It would be too much of a loss for him to turn against him now.

After much thought, Li Zhaoji felt that cooperation was the best option. He decided to test the waters first to see if the other party would relinquish the chairman's position.

Just as Li Zhaoji made up his mind, Li Changhe walked back unhurriedly.

"Fourth Uncle, I just asked around down there, and it's true that we hold a significant number of shares in Hong Kong and China Gas."

"Currently, including Hong Kong Electric, there are probably more than twenty points."

"Do you want to acquire our shares, or stop the acquisitions on the market?"

Li Changhe then asked with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Li Zhaoji felt a chill run down his spine, then shook his head.

"Ah Yang, now that it's in your hands, I definitely can't make a move anymore."

"Actually, it's like this: I currently hold about 30% of the shares in Hong Kong and China Gas. The original shareholders combined hold about 10% each, and with your 20% or so, we actually control the majority of Hong Kong and China Gas."

"Now there is a problem: the original chairman, Li Mingze, is getting old and wants to step down from his position."

"If you're interested, how about you take over as chairman of Hong Kong and China Gas?"

When Li Zhaoji heard Li Changhe say that he controlled more than 20% of China Gas's shares, he knew it was hopeless. The three parties combined had a guaranteed minimum of more than 60%, and Bao Zeyang's claim of more than 20% was not specified. Twenty-one% was also more than 20%, twenty-nine% was also more than 20%, but who knew the exact amount?

As a listed company, it must also have a certain proportion of circulating shares. Therefore, in reality, there are not many Hong Kong and China Gas shares left on the market that Li Zhaoji can continue to acquire.

Upon hearing Li Zhaoji's words, Li Changhe smiled and shook his head.

"I understand, Fourth Uncle. I think Mr. Li was looking for you, right? He's gone because he wants you to take over as chairman of Hong Kong and China Gas, right?"

Li Zhaoji smiled and nodded: "That's right, Li Mingze came to me, but I think he didn't know at the time that you were also a major shareholder of Hong Kong and China Gas."

“If it were someone else, I would definitely fight for it, but if it’s you, Ah Yang, your fourth uncle is willing to step down and give way without any objection.”

Li Zhaoji said "sincerely" to Li Changhe at this moment.

Li Changhe looked at Li Zhaoji, then smiled and said, "Forget it, Fourth Uncle, I have no interest in the chairman's position. You know, I can't even be bothered with Jardine Matheson."

“If you want to become the chairman of Hong Kong and China Gas, I will definitely support you wholeheartedly. If you want to continue to acquire Hong Kong and China Gas shares, I will not compete with you.”

"My team is simply optimistic about the development of Hong Kong and China Gas. They believe that the population of Hong Kong Island is constantly increasing, which provides a stable and long-term dividend income for this type of civilian industry."

"But I don't necessarily want to control Hong Kong and China Gas."

"And to be honest, I already have Hong Kong Electric under my control, so taking over Hong Kong and China Gas would not be a good thing for me."

"So for me, taking a stake is enough; I don't need to consider anything else."

Seeing Li Changhe's serious expression, Li Zhaoji was slightly pleased. He didn't believe much of what Li Changhe said, but he believed a bit more of what Li Changhe said at the end.

Bao Zeyang already controls one of the two major power companies, Hong Kong Electric. If he were to add Hong Kong and China Gas to his portfolio, it would certainly not be a good thing for him.

"Ah Yang, you really don't want to be the chairman of China Gas?"

"If you really don't want to do it, then your fourth uncle will definitely take the offer."

Li Zhaoji was not going to be modest at this moment. Now that he had gotten Bao Zeyang's word, what if the other party went back on his word if he continued to be modest?
In the business world, sometimes being overly modest is not a good quality.

Lee So-gi understood this very well.

"Of course, Fourth Uncle, I have no reason to lie to you. I really have no interest in the chairmanship of Hong Kong and China Gas. I will support you at the shareholders' meeting."

Li Changhe said earnestly and sincerely.

"Ah Yang, since you've said so, your fourth uncle will accept your favor. I'll go back and talk to Mr. Li and the others. At that time, the company's senior management will definitely want you to participate."

Li Zhaoji then solemnly stated that since Bao Zeyang had expressed his stance to him, the company's management would definitely give Bao Zeyang an important position.

After hearing this, Li Changhe waved his hand and said, "Forget it, Fourth Uncle. As I said, our shares this time are just a minority investment. I have no interest in management. I have complete trust in you to take charge of the company. I will just keep one seat on the board of directors."

As the saying goes, if you're going to help someone, help them all the way. Since Li Changhe has already shown goodwill to Li Zhaoji, there's no need for him to take advantage of those small things anymore.

He trusted Li Zhaoji's management skills and never intended to completely seize control of Hong Kong and China Gas. As he said, it was just a diversified investment with a share of the profits.

After listening, Li Zhaoji nodded: "A-Yang, since you say so, then your fourth uncle thanks you."

After Bao Zeyang said that, Li Zhaoji understood that the other party probably didn't really want to take over China Gas.

However, the issue of shares still needs to be resolved. If that doesn't work, we can only see if any of the original shareholders are willing to make a move.

For Li Zhaoji, even though he is the largest shareholder, a 30% stake is still not secure. He needs at least 40% to have sufficient control.

After seeing off the mixed feelings of joy and sorrow, Li Changhe went to the office window.

His overtures to Li Zhaoji this time were certainly not for the reasons stated on the surface. Naturally, there was a deeper intention behind it: to win over the Cantonese merchants.

The Chinese business community in Hong Kong Island can be broadly categorized into three main groups: Cantonese merchants, Teochew merchants, and Zhejiang merchants.

Other merchants also exist, but they are not the mainstream. For example, Fujianese merchants are mostly based overseas, and their influence in Hong Kong is not that great.

Needless to say, the Bao family has become the core of Zhejiang businessmen thanks to the reputation of Bao Yugang and the rise of Li Changhe. Whether it is Cao Guangbiao, the king of wool textiles, Chen Tinghua of Nanfeng Development, or the Shao family of TVB, the Bao family has a good relationship with them and can be regarded as an ally.

As for the Chaozhou merchants, there is no doubt that the relationship has broken down. After all, the core of the Chaozhou merchants is Li Jiacheng, and Li Changhe has been at war with Li Jiacheng more than once or twice.

In a broad sense, Chaozhou merchants are also part of the Cantonese merchants, but in a narrower sense, the Cantonese merchants in Hong Kong Island, such as those from Shunde and Panyu, are the true Cantonese merchants.

There are many prominent Cantonese businessmen, such as Kwok Tak-seng, Lee Chiu-kei, Cheng Yu-tung, the shipping magnate Fok family, and the Zhou Yongtai family and Lee Pui-choi family, which were formerly among the four major families. These are all Cantonese businessmen from the Guangfu region.

These people have relatively dispersed influence, but they are also intricately connected, making them one of the most powerful groups of businessmen in Hong Kong.

Li Changhe's attempt to curry favor with Li Zhaoji this time was an attempt to win over these people.

The reason is simple: the economic war between Beijing and Downing Street over Hong Kong Island has reached a critical stage. Currently, the stock and property markets in Hong Kong Island have plummeted, putting significant pressure on the mainland.

Therefore, Li Changhe had to find a way to alleviate the pressure in China at this time.

Although his funds are under the supervision of HSBC and he cannot invest real money in the stock market at this time, it does not mean that Li Changhe has no way out.

In many cases, economic warfare is not just about the amount of money invested; there are other methods as well.

In fact, Li Changhe was already planning a "big" counterattack against the Hong Kong government.

Li Changhe had already figured out the reason for doing this!
He put two billion dollars into HSBC's supervision, and Downing Street gave him a car brand, but all he got was a bunch of junk. It's no wonder that Bao Zheng could tolerate it!

Therefore, he decided to act impetuously and give the Governor's House a good demonstration of his power as Young Master Bao.

After all, what kind of young person wouldn't be full of vigor?

Meanwhile, at an airport in Beijing, Lin Yuan hurriedly disembarked and, carrying Li Changhe's plan, headed towards the Second Ring Road.

(End of this chapter)