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

Chapter 747 When two tigers fight, one will surely be injured!
Hong Kong Island is very large, but Central is very small.

Therefore, the people arranged by Li Changhe easily tracked down the news of Zhang Yuliang's meeting with Li Jiacheng.

"Boss, is Zhang Yuliang trying to bring in Li Jiacheng to compete with us?"

After Amy finished reporting to Li Changhe, she asked him curiously.

Li Changhe waved his hand dismissively.

“He can see whoever he wants. Now, go and arrange a meeting with John Madden for me. Tell him I want to meet with him.”

"By the way, let's not meet on Hong Kong Island, let's meet in Singapore."

At this moment, Li Changhe gave instructions to Ella.

Ella nodded: "Okay, boss, I'll be right there."

Meanwhile, Li Jiacheng, after meeting with Zhang Yuliang, returned to his office, also filled with joy.

He never expected that Zhang Yuliang would want to sell his shares in Wheelock, which was like a windfall for Li Jiacheng.

Although Wheelock was not as powerful as Jardine Matheson and Hutchison Whampoa among the four major trading companies, it still had a large number of subsidiaries and land reserves as one of the four major trading companies.

These two points alone are enough.

In this life, because Hong Kong Electric Power had fallen into Li Changhe's hands early on, Li Jiacheng had no intention of taking over Hong Kong Electric Power. Therefore, at this moment, he was looking for suitable acquisition targets and preparing to continue expanding.

Now, Zhang Yuliang is preparing to sell his shares in Wheelock, which aligns perfectly with Li Jiacheng's expansion plans.

However, what Li Jiacheng didn't know was that Zhang Yuliang, that old fox, in order to bring Li Jiacheng into the game, didn't tell him that Bao Zeyang was also planning to acquire Wheelock.

So, unknowingly, Zhang Yuliang also dug a huge pit for Li Jiacheng.

At this time, Li Jiacheng was completely immersed in the joy of acquiring Wheelock shares. On the one hand, he was preparing to start acquiring Wheelock shares on the market, and on the other hand, he was preparing to seek help from HSBC.

Such a large-scale acquisition would be impossible without the support of banks; Li Ka-shing simply doesn't have that much money.

Meanwhile, after receiving the news, John Madden, after some consideration, also agreed to Li Changhe's request for a meeting.

The two arranged to meet at the Marco Polo Hotel in Singapore.

Subsequently, while Bao Yugang's private jet was still in port, Li Changhe took it to Singapore.

Although the private jet is now said to belong to Y.K. Pao, it has in fact become the private jet of the entire Pao family.

There's no way around it; it's mainly because my family had a very hard life in the past and never had a good one.

Lao Bao is a very frugal person, one could even say he's a bit stingy.

Even household paper supplies in the Deep Water Bay villa had to be bought by the servants themselves, not to mention their own children; Bao Yugang was very strict with them.

Luxury cars and houses are one thing, but things like private jets and yachts are absolutely out of the question.

Therefore, the private jet that Li Changhe gave to Bao Yugang is now often used for public purposes, such as by Wu Guangzheng and Su Haiwen when they go on business trips.

Li Changhe borrowed it this time for convenience.

However, the plane took him to Singapore and then back to Hong Kong Island, ready to await Bao Yugang's summons.

After all, Lao Bao has been frequently traveling between mainland China and London lately, which can be considered as devoting himself to the country's affairs.

In a meeting room in Marco Polo, Li Changhe met with John Madden.

In fact, John Madden was quite familiar with the Bao family, and Madden also had a good relationship with Bao Yugang. The two even collaborated on a fleet of ships.

Li Changhe knew very well that this familiarity was only superficial. Colleagues are enemies, and it would be strange if John Madden liked Bao Yugang.

"Vic, is there something you want to talk to me about?"

Li Changhe had met John Madden before, at the welcome banquet hosted by Governor Youde, so the two were not strangers.

"John, I'd like to talk to you about Wheelock."

Li Changhe didn't bother with any nonsense and spoke directly to John Madden.

"Wah Tak Fung?"

John deliberately frowned, feigning ignorance.

Li Changhe smiled and looked at John Madden, then slowly said, "John, as far as I know, Wheelock is not doing well right now."

"With global oil prices plummeting, shipping prices have also collapsed. Wheelock has added so many ships in the past two years, so the operational pressure must be immense."

"Furthermore, the future of Hong Kong Island is uncertain, and you cannot raise funds through the property market or by issuing shares."

"So, are you interested in selling your shares in Wheelock to me?"

After hearing what Li Changhe had said, John Madden looked at Li Changhe with some dissatisfaction: "Did Bao Yugang send you?"

Li Changhe shook his head: "No, my uncle doesn't have a good view of the shipping industry. Wheelock is something I wanted myself."

“John, as things stand, you’re not getting much out of Wheelock’s shares except by losing money.”

"Why not consider selling your shares to me? I can buy them at a high price."

Upon hearing Li Changhe's words, John Madden fell into deep thought.

Like Zhang Yuliang, John Madden was also pessimistic about Wheelock's future. It wasn't that he was afraid of the mainland; the main problem was that it was British-owned, and its rise was actually due to the privileges of its colonies.

Once Hong Kong Island returns to China, his privileges will be gone, and John Madden knows his own limitations very well.

In addition, as a Briton, John Madden also has his own sources of information in London. He has already received some information that Downing Street's stance toward the mainland has begun to soften.

Hong Kong's economy has deteriorated so much this year, but the mainland has not backed down. So now, apart from war, there is no other way to make them submit.

But what about starting a war with the north?
Even someone like John Madden, who knew nothing about military affairs, knew that they had absolutely no chance of winning.

The north is not Argentina, and Hong Kong Island is not the Falklands.

Therefore, Downing Street has now begun negotiations with the mainland. These negotiations are genuine and substantive, focusing on the gradual return of Hong Kong Island to China and how to protect the interests of British capital.

Therefore, Madden understood that the British privileges in Hong Kong would probably disappear soon; now it was just a matter of when the agreement would be signed.

Without its various privileges, Wheelock would find it quite difficult to compete with those wealthy Chinese.

Chinese people are so smart and good at business. Take Bao Zeyang, for example. He is so young, yet he has already earned more money than two generations of his family have combined.

It's not entirely impossible for them to acquire Wheelock Properties.

How much money are you willing to pay?

John Madden then asked in a low voice.

Li Changhe smiled and said, "I can offer 5 yuan per share for Class A shares and 0.5 yuan per share for Class B shares!"

Upon hearing Li Changhe's offer, Madden breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Victor didn't try to lower his price; on the contrary, the price he offered was quite good, because currently, Wheelock's Class A shares were only HK$4.3 each, and Class B shares were HK$0.43 each.

The price Bao Zeyang offered already represented a 15% premium. However, John Madden still shook his head.

“This price is too low, Vic. Wheelock is definitely not going to be worth more than this. Class A shares should be at least HK$7 per share, and Class B shares should be HK$0.7 per share before I even consider making a move.”

This price was the previous high for Wheelock's stock, so John Madden naturally wanted to sell it for more money.

After listening, Li Changhe decisively shook his head.

“John, I can tell you, that price is impossible. No one will buy Wheelock at that price.”

"I'm actually talking to you with sincerity, and I can give you a little something."

"The Zhang Yuliang family, another major shareholder of Wheelock, is also considering selling their Wheelock shares, and they have already been in contact with Li Ka-shing."

"Think about it, if the Zhang Yuliang family sells their shares to Li Jiacheng, and Li Jiacheng then acquires enough shares from the stock market, then the shares you hold will be worthless."

Wheelock's current major shareholders are the Zhang Yuliang family, but neither the Zhang Yuliang family nor the Madden family has met the requirement of full control.

This creates a unique characteristic: both parties benefit from cooperation, and as long as they work together, neither can acquire Wheelock.

Conversely, once separated, whoever sells their Wheelock shares first will render the other's shares worthless.

When two tigers fight, one of them will be injured!
Among them, Madden is the weaker party, and the reason is simple: the Zhang Yuliang family holds more shares.

The Zhang Yuliang family holds 35% of the shares. Once the acquirer takes over the shares held by the Zhang Yuliang family, he will no longer need the 24% stake held by John Madden.

The acquirer only needs to acquire 14 percent of the shares on the stock market to reach the 49 percent control threshold for the major shareholder.

In this way, Madden's 24% stake becomes completely worthless. These shares may seem like a lot, but they cannot influence company decisions and can only passively wait for dividends or cash out on the stock market.

Therefore, no one will buy up John Madden's shares in bulk, and if he wants to cash out on the stock market, he will have to sell them in batches, and the stock price will also fall, so he will lose his own interests.

Li Changhe knew this, which is why he deliberately stirred up trouble at the Zhang family's place.

As long as Zhang Yuliang makes a move, Madden will have to be anxious. He has to sell his shares first, otherwise his shares will become worthless once Zhang Yuliang sells them.

Even if he sells to an acquirer, due to the need for controlling stake, the acquirer will not buy all of his shares. At most, they will only buy 10% or even less. After all, if the acquirer has more shares, Madden's shares will be less. With this addition and subtraction, Madden's influence on the major shareholder will become weaker and weaker.

Therefore, Madden will definitely be anxious when he learns that the Zhang family is going to sell their shares.

Historically, this logic has been followed. Because Ma Deng wanted to sell his shares first, the Zhang Yuliang family became anxious and hurriedly approached Li Jiacheng to sell his shares. Li Jiacheng had just acquired Hong Kong Electric and did not have the funds, so he introduced Bao Yugang instead.

Then came the Wheelock takeover battle, a showdown between Pao Yu-kong and Singaporean tycoon Khoo Teck Puat. In short, both companies wanted to sell their shares first, which sparked a battle between the two tycoons.

Now, Li Changhe is using the same tactic, except that he first provoked Zhang Yuliang before telling John Madden.

In fact, from beginning to end, Li Changhe only cared about the shares held by John Madden; he had no intention of giving the Zhang Yuliang family much money.

Upon hearing Li Changhe's words, John Madden's expression changed.

If things are really as Li Changhe said, then John Madden will indeed be in trouble.

He now has a major disagreement with the Zhang family because John Madden's increased investment in shipping has led to Wheelock's current very poor financial situation, and the Zhang family has expressed their dissatisfaction.

After all, when the Zhang family joined Wheelock, their goal was to grow bigger and stronger and make money, not to keep losing money.

However, since the British still ruled the country at the time, it was much better for John Madden to be the head of Wheelock than for a Chinese man from the Zhang family to be the head of Wheelock. Therefore, John Madden always held the reins of Wheelock.

This also shows that John Madden's business acumen was not very strong. After all, at the same time, Jardine Matheson took over the Zhou family's dairy company without spending a penny, while John Madden had to transfer shares to facilitate the merger with the Zhang family.

"Vic, are you sure what you're saying is true?"

After listening, Li Changhe smiled and said, "John, you can ask Shen Bi. If I'm not mistaken, if Li Jiacheng wants to take over Wheelock, he will definitely ask HSBC for help, since Li Jiacheng himself doesn't have much money."

"Shen Bi must know the inside story."

If Li Ka-shing wants to expand and strengthen his business, he will definitely have to rely on HSBC. His Cheung Kong Holdings assets are limited, and Hutchison Whampoa has been undergoing integration in the past two years. Moreover, Li Ka-shing still has to repay the acquisition debt of HSBC and Hutchison Whampoa every year, since HSBC sold Hutchison Whampoa to him in installments back then.

Besides, his biggest money-making project, Huangpu Garden, which was converted from Huangpu Shipyard, has not yet started selling, so Li Jiacheng doesn't have much capital on hand right now.

If he wants to acquire Wheelock, he can only do so through HSBC.

John Madden then began to ponder the matter.

Seeing that John Madden was interested, Li Changhe then offered another bargaining chip.

“John, I can do you a favor if you sell me your shares.”

"What favor?"

John Madden looked at Li Changhe with a puzzled expression and asked curiously.

“Mark, Margaret Thatcher’s son, recently partnered with me. I have an agency in the Middle East that can supply materials to oil-producing countries like Saudi Arabia. Mark’s idea is to expand the business beyond the Middle East to the whole of Africa.”

“But I think you know Mark’s abilities; he’s not a very business-savvy person. I can recommend you to join this project.”

“You are in charge of Wheelock, you have shipping connections and experience in global procurement, and I can provide you with supplies. In return, you can assist Mark in taking over the Middle Eastern and African markets.”

“I think this should be a very easy thing for you.”

After listening to Li Changhe's words, John Madden felt a surge of emotions.

Unbeknownst to Victor, he had reached a cooperation agreement with Margaret Thatcher's son and was even going to start a company together.

This guy was protesting at Government House a while ago, and now he's taken care of Downing Street.
However, if that were really the case, John Madden was quite tempted.

Partnering with Mark, frankly speaking, is simply taking advantage of Britain's influence to continue using privileges to do business in Africa.

He knows this routine like the back of his hand!
More importantly, John Madden's interest was piqued if he could actually cooperate with Mark and use Thatcher to penetrate London's high society.

No matter how rich he was in Hong Kong, the so-called four major trading companies in Hong Kong were nothing more than country bumpkins in a colony in London. London's high society wouldn't even give him a second glance.

John Madden began to dream about what would happen if it actually succeeded.

At that moment, he almost wanted to agree to Bao Zeyang's offer.

However, John Madden's business acumen brought him back to his senses.

“Vic, I need to consider your terms.”

John Madden hesitated for a moment before speaking.

Li Changhe smiled and nodded: "Of course, but I hope you make a decision as soon as possible. To be honest, if the Zhang Yuliang family reaches an agreement with Li Jiacheng, then I will lose interest in Wheelock."

"After all, as you know, the Zhang Yuliang family holds far more shares than you. If we lose the initiative, the price I need to pay to compete with Li Jiacheng in the stock market might be very high. I don't want to waste that money."

Li Changhe casually put some pressure on John Madden, and also to see if the guy knew what he was doing.

If he were truly clever, John Madden would have sabotaged Li Jiacheng's cooperation with HSBC without Li Changhe even having to intervene.

If Li Ka-shing's financial resources are cut off, he will naturally be unable to acquire Wheelock.

As expected, after hearing Li Changhe's words, John Madden nodded seriously: "Don't worry, Vic, I will give you an answer as soon as possible."

At the same time, John Madden's mind was racing. No matter what, it seemed he had to go to HSBC.

(End of this chapter)