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

Chapter 756 Security Company Upgrade!

In fact, everyone in the United States knows that Reagan's re-election is a foregone conclusion, especially with the US economy starting to recover this year, and the Democratic Party's economic attacks against him have been completely crushed.

So the meeting in Texas wasn't anything serious; Li Changhe and Xiao Bush went hunting for several days straight.

This time it was a real horseback hunting trip, with a full set of high-end weapons and equipment, and there was absolutely no risk involved.

Li Changhe also experienced the wildness of a Western cowboy.

However, hunting is not fun if it's too easy. Li Changhe got tired of it after a few days, and after his team left, he also left Dezhou.

After spending a few more days in the United States, Li Changhe returned to Hong Kong Island in mid-April.

Upon his return, he received an invitation to travel to Beijing as one of the representatives of Hong Kong's business community.

In fact, for Hong Kong Island, the most important thing right now is still the negotiations between the two sides.

By April of this year, although both sides were keeping it a secret, some details had already been revealed: the return of Hong Kong Island to China was a foregone conclusion, and what the British were now fighting for was nothing more than the various interests of British capital in Hong Kong Island.

Therefore, business people in Hong Kong Island also took action at this moment, and delegations began to travel to the mainland in batches to contact leaders of various industries, either to inquire about their intentions or to express their loyalty, and so on.

Li Changhe received quite a few invitations, many of which were extended to him by various delegations, but he remained in the United States and didn't respond much.

This delegation is the highest-level delegation ever sent to Hong Kong Island, including not only major Chinese tycoons but also many political figures.

Li Changhe didn't refuse this time either, after all, his actions often represented a certain stance.

However, the delegation would not depart until June, and after attending a few meetings, Li Changhe became too lazy to participate.

The purpose of the delegation meeting was simply to first unify internal understanding and demands before reporting back to the capital. Li Changhe had absolutely no interest in these matters, since he had no demands whatsoever.

He may seem to have a large business empire on Hong Kong Island, but in reality, it's mostly real estate, and the rest will eventually be moved to the mainland.

In May, inside the club building in the southern part of Deep Water Bay, Li Changhe was looking at documents with He Houzhao.

This document contains information on their club's new members this year.

The club that Li Changhe started is now gradually getting on the right track. For example, when recruiting new members, the materials are submitted every March, and the official recruitment is in September. The six months in between are the club's review period for investigating and verifying new members.

Soon, Li Changhe saw a rather familiar name among the applicants.

"Qiu Daxin? Recommended by Xie Chen?"

"Is this Xie Chen from Thailand's Charoen Pokphand Group?"

Li Changhe asked curiously at this moment.

He Houzhao nodded: "Yes, it's the CP Group. They are currently the largest Chinese family business in Thailand. As for Qiu Daxin, their business is not doing very well at the moment, but according to Xie Chen, they have a lot of local political influence in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand."

"The Qiu family has connections in all aspects of Chiang Mai province. They have members in the military, police, and government, and have woven a large local network. They can be considered one of the ethnic Chinese lords in Thailand."

"You think he's not qualified?"

He Houzhao asked curiously at this moment.

Li Changhe smiled and said, "As things stand, Qiu Daxin isn't quite qualified yet. But since he belongs to the political forces, it doesn't matter. There aren't many Chinese forces in Thailand that can become powerful. I think we can absorb and support him."

"Perfect timing, Chiang Mai province is quite useful to me."

Li Changhe didn't point it out directly. People might be unfamiliar with the name Qiu Daxin, but many people know his other name.

Thaksin Shinawatra!
That's right, Qiu Daxin is the Chinese name of the future top figure in Thailand.

Li Changhe also knew that the reason why the Shinawatra family would be able to maintain its influence in Thai politics for a long time was because the family was deeply rooted in Chiang Mai and had not only money but also an army.

This is also why the Thai military has staged several coups but has not completely wiped out the Shinawatra family, instead maintaining a certain pattern of struggle.

They have soldiers too!
Li Changhe values ​​Qiu Daxin not only because of his future achievements, but more importantly, because Chiang Mai Province is adjacent to Myanmar, which is a place that Li Changhe values ​​highly.

Putting aside other things, the core area for jade trading in Myanmar is now in Chiang Mai, and jade jewelry is one of the key areas that Li Changhe plans to develop next.

In addition to that, there is another point: Li Changhe can set up a school there.

Blackwater was able to set up a hunter school in South America, and Li Changhe was also considering setting up a school in the border region there to get some manpower for himself and, incidentally, to exert some influence.

However, this matter could not be accomplished without the help of the local strongmen. Putting aside everything else, logistics and supplies are a problem; it's impossible to keep spending money to purchase them from the market.

Therefore, Qiu Daxin's appearance this time is actually a good thing for Li Changhe.

"Then should we approve it for him?"

He Houzhao then said with a smile.

Li Changhe nodded: "Okay, approve it. Also, invite him to Hong Kong Island. I plan to meet him."

"Fourth Brother, I actually have an idea. I want to expand this security company in Hong Kong Island!"

After thinking it over, Li Changhe decided to give He Houzhao a heads-up first.

"Isn't your security company big enough by now? I bet it's practically all over Hong Kong Island."

He Houzhao said, somewhat speechless.

Nowadays, with the support of their club, Li Changhe's security company has spread all over Hong Kong Island, and many companies use people from this security company for their security personnel.

Their business has even expanded to many countries in Southeast Asia.

Of course, many of these jobs are ordinary security jobs, and the personnel are recruited locally. For example, in Hong Kong Island, many places recruit locally and then provide standardized training.

The core personnel have not been fully dispersed.

"Fourth Brother, I'm talking about elite personnel. I want to train some elite bodyguards, the kind of high-end bodyguards like the Flying Tigers." "But such a security company can't be run by me alone. I want the club to become one of the shareholders of the security company."

Li Changhe said softly.

He Houzhao was genuinely surprised to hear Li Changhe's words.

"Vic, your idea is a bit too ambitious."

"It's not that big. I've seen it over the years. Whether it's in Europe and America or Southeast Asia, there's a kind of prejudice against Chinese people. Even though we have money, it's often useless."

"Actually, I know quite a few arms dealers in the United States who also provide security services, but to be honest, I don't really dare to use many of them. To be honest, I don't trust the integrity of those white or black people."

“In Europe and America, they only follow me to be responsible for the outermost security forces. For the core forces, I still rely on Ah Hu and his Chinese team.”

“I think that since that’s the case, why don’t we create an industry that trains our own core bodyguards?”

"Actually, this kind of company doesn't cost much money. The main problem is the training location. Although training is possible here in Australia, it's still not secluded enough."

"I actually have my eye on the Myanmar-Thailand border. It's a battlefield where government forces and local warlords fight from time to time. It's also mountainous and densely forested, making it a natural training base."

“We could easily set up a training school there and train our own security team.”

Li Changhe pondered for a moment and then said.

After listening, He Houzhao suddenly realized: "So you approved Qiu Daxin because you saw his advantages in Chiang Mai?"

“Yes, if Qiu Daxin’s family is really that powerful in Chiang Mai, we can use their influence to stabilize our school. With the Xie family’s CP Group transporting supplies, we only need to arrange some manpower.”

"This kind of school isn't a large-scale military academy, with at most two or three hundred people. In a place like the border, it wouldn't be difficult to hide."

"Moreover, I think the Chinese warlords over there would really like such schools, since in a sense, we can train some people for them for free."

After listening to Li Changhe's words, He Houzhao fell into deep thought.

Li Changhe's suggestion to him was indeed unprecedented, but he had to admit that he found it very novel.

He does have bodyguards, but they're just some boxers he found at the gym. Overall, he hasn't really considered them much.

"Ah Yang, why did you suddenly want to do this?"

He Houzhao asked curiously at this moment.

Li Changhe then said softly, "Fourth Brother, have you ever thought about this question: once the Hong Kong issue is resolved, how will Hong Kong survive the next thirteen years, from next year to 97?"

He Houzhao was startled upon hearing Li Changhe's words.

"Vic, what do you mean?"

Li Changhe looked at He Houzhao: "Actually, you should know this very well, Fourth Brother. After the Portuguese Governor's Office lost its authority, you can imagine what the environment on Macau Island was like."

"In fact, in my opinion, Hong Kong Island is similar. Once the agreement is reached, the deterrent power of the Governor's Office will definitely decrease, and the mainland will also have administrative power. Under such circumstances, the British will inevitably think about how to make money, while the mainland will want to take control but will not have the time. On Hong Kong Island, the underground forces will definitely expand."

“In the past, the wealthy families in Hong Kong simply kept some triads around and used them as their manpower and security personnel. But now, we can’t go back to running triads, and those people won’t listen to us completely.”

"So I think that instead of passively waiting for this kind of chaos to happen, we should take precautions in advance and train our own suitable security personnel."

"Look how many more ruthless gangsters there are on Hong Kong Island this year. They're even using submachine guns. Do you expect the so-called Royal Hong Kong Police, who use .38 revolvers, to fight them off? Their firepower isn't even in the same league; they're using AKs."

"If these people can rob jewelry stores, why can't they resort to kidnapping?"

After hearing Li Changhe's explanation, the fog in He Houzhao's mind cleared up.

No wonder Bao Zeyang suddenly did this; it turns out he had these concerns.

“Ah Yang, what you said makes sense. This kind of thing doesn’t actually cost much money, and having the club invest in the security company is profitable for us. After all, security companies are profitable, and when everyone uses the people from these security companies, the funds just end up in our own hands.”

"However, I think we should at least hold a members' meeting to let everyone know about this."

He Houzhao said earnestly.

Li Changhe nodded: "Okay, you can arrange the time. I'll tell you when it's time, but it's best if it's before I go to the capital."

"Don't worry, I'll send out a notice. We'll meet around the end of April, and I reckon no one will object if you bring it up."

He Houzhao knew very well that Li Changhe now held considerable influence within the club. After all, he had just led this group of people to make a fortune. Not to mention that these people now had money in their hands, the influence brought about by this successful investment alone was enough to win over these members.

After all, if these people succeed in their investments, it will increase their influence within their families. This is especially true for members who are heirs, as it undoubtedly brings them a lot of prestige, not to mention the resource exchange that the club, as a platform, can provide.

After He Houzhao left, Li Changhe continued to ponder.

The involvement of clubs in security companies is actually aimed at strengthening the security companies' backing.

The bigger the security system, the more conspicuous it becomes. It's impossible to expect a single family or company to control it; there must be a powerful force behind it.

Blackwater's future backer is the US military-industrial complex, which Li Changhe can't handle, but he can turn his security company into an armed backer for overseas Chinese.

With these resources, not to mention large countries, even small Southeast Asian nations often have to think twice before dealing with these Chinese businessmen.

Moreover, the security company is just the beginning. In the future, Li Changhe will gradually expand the business empire controlled by this club, making it a significant force in the Asian business market, especially in Southeast Asia, and thereby indirectly integrating this group of people together.

Sure enough, by the end of April, no one objected to Li Changhe's proposal at the meeting. They might not care about security companies, but if the club could train its own security team, the wealthy would feel more at ease using it.

As for where and how to train, they don't care; that's naturally handled by Bao Zeyang, the initiator.

Following the club meeting resolution, Qiu Daxin arrived in Hong Kong Island quietly, arranged by He Houzhao, and met with Li Changhe at the club.

(End of this chapter)