Mixed in 1980

Chapter 311 Desiring to Take It
"Comrade Chen, what are our specific goals?"

He spoke in a vague and ambiguous manner, never getting to the point. It was only then that Hua Sanshao asked for details on how to conquer Britain.

Chen Fan took out a cigarette, lit it, and his eyes flashed with cold light: "Short the pound, kick the British out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism, and make them lose all face."

Hua Sanshao loosened his grip on the cigarette, and as the butt fell to the ground, he couldn't help but gasp: "The British will see you as their number one enemy!"

Joining the European Exchange Rate Mechanism was a prerequisite for Britain's accession to the European Union, and it concerned the long-term strategy of the entire United Kingdom.

Historically, Britain has always pursued a strategy of independence from Europe and has not wanted European countries to unite, as it would also act as a troublemaker.

After the two world wars, the United States rose to become a superpower, and Britain, the former hegemon, was naturally unwilling to be a subordinate to its former ally.

Therefore, Britain set its sights on the European continent and united various countries to form the European Community.

The EU's preparations are now complete.

All member states, including the United Kingdom, had one condition: their currencies must be pegged to the German mark with limited fluctuation.

The exchange rate of the pound sterling to the mark must be stable at 1:2.778 or higher.

If the exchange rate of the pound is driven down, Britain will be forced to withdraw from the European Exchange Rate Mechanism, and will face huge economic losses.

Its political, social, and international influence will all suffer setbacks.

It's tantamount to rubbing the British in the ground.

The impact of doing something like this on the British people far exceeds that of Chen Fan's previous extortion of British people through real estate and the purchase of multiple companies.

"We need to make them hate us, otherwise they'll really think I'm easy to manipulate and will jump out to annoy us every now and then."

Chen Fan took a deep drag on his cigarette and slowly exhaled the smoke: "Damn it, Hong Kong's security is already bad, and with them doing this, we have to be extra careful when we go out."

"If I'm not happy, why should they be?"

Upon hearing this, Hua Sanshao slightly curled the corners of his mouth. As expected, he was still as petty as ever. It was no wonder that the British were so unlucky.

Thinking of this, I couldn't help but look at Liu Jianxiong.

This guy got really badly beaten back then.

Liu Jianxiong rolled his eyes at him and quickly changed the subject: "When you said we needed to integrate resources, which area were you referring to?"

"Public opinion, major media outlets in Hong Kong, and some media outlets in Europe and America."

Chen Fan flicked away the cigarette ash and pondered, "Once we start shorting, we must exert pressure on public opinion to cause market panic and get retail investors to sell in order to succeed."

"It's not difficult in Europe and America. Those people on Wall Street have their eyes on the pound. Once we make a move, they will definitely follow suit."

Soros' Quantum Fund is also doing this.

Once this is launched, financial giants from all walks of life will take action, and Britain will not be facing just one person or one investment institution.

They're a group of financial tycoons!
Chen Fan had planned long ago to cut a hole in the pound and get all the money he had spent on acquiring the port and other companies back.

The original plan was to sneak in and make a quick buck by following Soros.

Unexpectedly, the British pulled this stunt, using public opinion to put themselves in the spotlight and become mobile currency in the eyes of the robbers.

Then don't blame Chen Fan for being ruthless: "We can't control what Europe and America do, but this time we're going to be the main force in short selling and make the biggest profits."

"We must make those British scream in pain."

"Also, let's include Italy. They have their own problems too, so let's take advantage of that as well."

Upon hearing this, the two began to cough incessantly.

Is this even human language? Taking over a country is just a side effect? ​​If the people of Italy heard this, they'd probably be furious.

Chen Fan disagreed, believing that Italy, like England, had the same problem.

Hanscat's economy has developed extremely rapidly in recent years. In contrast, the economies of Britain and Italy are not doing well, and inflation is still very serious. The fixed exchange rate is bound to cause problems.

"As for the rest, I don't need to teach you how to do it, do I?"

"Who do you think you are?" Young Master Hua said irritably.

Short selling involves borrowing an asset, immediately selling it, and then buying it back at a lower price after the price drops, in order to profit from the difference.

It was similar to the harvesting of the Soviet Union.

The difference is that when they borrowed money from the Soviet Union, it was mostly for acquiring Soviet assets, but this time they had no intention of acquiring assets; they wanted to make a quick profit.

The operational methods are not as diverse as those in the Soviet Union, and since Britain will not disintegrate, if the Soviet methods were to be applied, they would definitely be investigated.

To borrow money in the UK, you have to actually use assets as collateral to borrow pounds, and then exchange the pounds for strong currencies such as US dollars or German marks.

After a large-scale sell-off, in order to stabilize the exchange rate, the British had to use foreign exchange to buy back pounds. Once the foreign exchange reserves were insufficient, they could not maintain the exchange rate.

The devaluation of the pound is inevitable.

Once the pound depreciates, you can simply exchange the cashed-out dollars and marks for pounds to pay off the debt, and the rest will be profit.

"If you want to get a loan from Britain, you have to build a good relationship with Britain before you can reap the rewards." Liu Jianxiong flicked his cigarette ash and looked at Chen Fan with a mocking expression.

Chen Fan said irritably, "You're just being hypocritical. You two should make some arrangements, like a cocktail party or something. I'll bring people over then."

Liu Jianxiong teased, "What a coincidence! There's a cocktail party tomorrow, and a lot of British people will be there. If it's convenient, how about we go together tomorrow?"

"Where?" Chen Fan asked. "It's at the Repulse Bay Hotel, not far from you."

"That!"

After seeing the two off, Chen Fan called Zhou Wenya, Yu Jing, and Wu Zhijie in and told them to prepare for the party the next day.

The goal was singular: to cultivate good relations with bankers in England and obtain sufficient pounds in loans from England under the guise of various investments.

After leaving the company, Chen Fan went to Li Hongying's house in Repulse Bay. Unexpectedly, Gu Xiaoxiao was there too. The mother and daughter were arguing, neither willing to give in.

"Xiao Fan, Yuan Yuan, you've arrived."

Li Hongying suppressed her anger and welcomed the two in, then glared at her daughter: "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and make some tea."

Gu Xiaoxiao pouted and started making tea.

Chen Fan teased, "What's going on? I heard you two arguing before the car even stopped. Xiaoxiao just started taking over, she's improved a lot over the years."

Li Hongying gritted her teeth: "That brat is already twenty-six and still doesn't know how to get married. In a few more years she'll be an old maid."

"Mom, can't you be reasonable?"

While making tea, Gu Xiaoxiao muttered, "Is it that I don't want to talk? It's that there aren't any suitable ones, and the ones you introduced are all ugly and undesirable."

Li Hongying retorted angrily, "How are they ugly? Every one of the men I introduced to you was from a distinguished family and was young and promising."

"Uncle Chen, Sister Yuanyuan, have some tea!"

Gu Xiaoxiao brewed the tea and poured another cup for her mother: "Please, don't come here so often. It's true they're all young masters from wealthy families, but these wealthy families... well..."

"They all put profit first, but they talk a big game and are incredibly hypocritical. It's better to stay single than to marry someone like that."

“Uncle Chen, you can understand. Over the years, you’ve never gotten along with those people and you must disapprove of their behavior.”

"Stop bringing up your Uncle Chen!"

Li Hongying took the teacup, took a sip, and said, "If you don't like rich young masters, then go find one yourself. I don't object to you finding an ordinary person."

Gu Xiaoxiao chuckled awkwardly, "I didn't run into them!"

Li Hongying glared at her daughter: "If you can't find one, can't you take the initiative to look for one? Are you waiting for a man to fall from the sky? If all else fails, I'll stop your job and make you go on blind dates every day."

puff...

Chen Fan put down his teacup, coughed lightly, and said, "Xiaoxiao, that's a good idea. If you go on more dates, you'll eventually find someone suitable. In a few years, you'll really become a leftover woman."

Gu Xiaoxiao said irritably, "Uncle Chen, you're being sarcastic. There are plenty of people in Hong Kong who get married in their thirties, not in their forties or fifties."

Chen Fan laughed and said, "That's different. The younger you are, the easier it is to find love. Once you get older, many things start to become materialistic, and it becomes difficult to find love!"

Li Hongying snorted, "Did you hear that?"

Gu Xiaoxiao reluctantly said, "Okay, I'll go find one. Let's make it clear first, if I find an ordinary family, don't get upset."

"I don't care about your background, but you have to be a good person!"

"As you say!"

"That's pretty much it."

Li Hongying was finally satisfied. She picked up her teacup and took another sip: "You two, hurry back to Beijing after you're done with your work. Someone is deliberately targeting you."

"I know it was the British who did it; that's why they're here today."

Chen Fan told the servant to leave first, and then explained his plan to short the British pound: "It is only polite to retaliate. They won't stop until they are thoroughly beaten."

Gu Xiaoxiao gave a thumbs up: "Uncle Chen, you're amazing. If you can pull this off, even the British will have to be three points lower in your eyes."

"Don't interrupt, stop rambling."

Li Hongying glared at her daughter and said, "Xiao Fan, what do you need me to do? This time, the Li family will join in the shorting of the British pound."

Chen Fan replied, "I just wanted to bring you along. Hua San and Da Liu will also be coming. I plan to bring Lao Hu and the mainland officials as well."

"If we join forces with a few of us, plus those people on Wall Street, we can drive down the exchange rate of the pound. Right now, the most important thing is to speed up the loan process."

"An attack must be launched within six months."

"We have to act before those people on Wall Street. Whoever sells the pound first will make the biggest profit. Once the pound can't hold up and a floating exchange rate is implemented, the profit margin will be much smaller."

Upon hearing this, Li Hongying expressed her agreement.

Chen Fan raised the corners of his mouth slightly. Making money was one thing, but he had a bigger plan: to take an even bigger slice of the flesh from the British.

Profiting from exchange rate fluctuations is only a small part of the strategy.

However, before reaping the rewards, one must act humble once. To take something, one must first give something. It's not shameful to act humble once in order to reap the rewards later.

Tomorrow's cocktail party will be a grand stage!

Chen Fan reiterated the details of the party, and Li Hongying readily agreed, saying that they could go together tomorrow and bring Gu Xiaoxiao along as well.

"Get to know more people, and while you're at it, see if there's anyone suitable at the party."

Upon hearing this, Gu Xiaoxiao made a bitter face.

(End of this chapter)