Mixed in 1980

Chapter 334 HSBC Bows Down
After reading the news, Peng Dingkang sat down listlessly.

Was Chen Fan's operation particularly clever? Not at all; it was just standard short-selling tactic in the stock market.

But the more conventional it is, the more effective it is. Chen Fan's true brilliance lies in his ability to accurately identify the bank's vulnerabilities and integrate vast resources.

Just like the big players on Wall Street, when they face their prey, they swarm in and leave the prey with no chance to struggle.

British banks are now the prey.

A run on the bank and a wave of sell-offs had already begun. HSBC's CEO, Shen, smiled bitterly and inexplicably developed a deep hatred for Governor Peng Dingkang.

Her hatred for him was even greater than that for Chen Fan.

If Pengdingkang hadn't proposed the "Global Partnership Program" and used the media and robbers to put pressure on Chen Fan, there wouldn't have been the pound sterling exchange rate war.

In a currency war, HSBC also suffered heavy losses!
If Peng Dingkang hadn't been so persistent, returning to China to push for legislation to ban the sale of Feixing and using public opinion to vandalize and loot supermarkets in Chinatown, Chen Fan wouldn't have launched another attack.

All of this was caused by Pengdingkang!

"Fuck... The last governor of Hong Kong was a good-for-nothing, just like the last emperor of China, good for nothing." Shen Bi gritted his teeth.

If we have the chance, we must replace Pengdingkang.

There are still several years until 1997. If we leave this guy in Hong Kong, who knows what trouble he might cause? We have to get him out of here.

Taking a deep breath, Shen Bi calmed down after a while and dialed his subordinate's number: "Drawing funds and recovering loans, these two things cannot be stopped."

"Then sort out the assets invested by the bank, and immediately contact foreign banks. If they can be mortgaged, then mortgage them; if they can't be mortgaged, then sell them!"

After hanging up the phone, Shen Bi closed his eyes in anguish.

The assets under the bank are all extremely high-quality assets that HSBC has accumulated or plundered over the years.

Now we have no choice but to sell it!

The first to be affected are the stocks of other companies held by HSBC, as these are the easiest assets to sell. The second is the shares of some companies.

The phone rang; it was Hang Seng Bank calling for help. Shen Bi could only smile bitterly; he had no other options.

Faced with the run on its banks, HSBC is already struggling to survive.

Hang Seng Bank, to put it nicely, is on its own; to put it bluntly, it's left to fend for itself. Shen Bi can only treat it as a piece of rotten meat, to be cut off when necessary.

"Cut it off and sell it?" Shen Bi's eyes suddenly lit up. If they could sell Hengsheng, they could free up some funds.

Who will take over? Who dares to take over?
The sell-off continues. Once an acquisition is made, a large amount of capital must be injected to stabilize the situation. There are only a handful of companies in Hong Kong that have the ability to acquire Hang Seng.

Thinking of this, Shen Bi couldn't help but sigh. Most of those companies were Chen Fan's allies, and the remaining companies didn't dare to acquire Hengsheng.

That would only offend Chen Fan and make him hate you.

Everyone in Hong Kong knows how ruthless and petty Chen Fan is.
The best solution was to contact foreign banks or conglomerates. Shen Bi immediately picked up the phone and dialed several numbers, but was rejected by all of them.

Acquire a bank that is experiencing a run on deposits?

Are you out of your mind?

Even if they were to acquire it, they would have to wait for the share price to hit rock bottom before buying. However, given the current environment, even if the share price falls to its lowest point, foreign banks and conglomerates would not dare to take over Hang Seng.

If Chen Fan doesn't agree, acquiring Hengsheng is a dead end.

This statement is not an exaggeration. What kind of companies does Chen Fan control? Real estate, shipping, retail, telecommunications, electricity, gas...

And his allies are Hong Kong's top tycoons, who control most of Hong Kong's wealth. If they unite to boycott a company, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Isn't that how it is now?
Shen Bi knew very well that Chen Fan still had a trump card up his sleeve, which was also his most powerful card. Once this card was played, its power would be earth-shattering.

Chen Fan simply didn't intend to play this card.

If Chen Fan and his allies wished, they could easily mobilize their companies and employees to target HSBC, Standard Chartered, and Hang Seng Bank.

For example, a supermarket in Chinatown can threaten its downstream suppliers to avoid three banks; electricity and gas companies can ask users to avoid...

They also have a huge number of employees, and they can ask their employees to do the same.

It's no exaggeration to say that when they unite, they can influence Hong Kong's economy, and even the British have to avoid their advance.

However, once this is done, it will no longer be a simple financial war; the event will inevitably escalate, become politically intertwined, and become extremely troublesome.

"Mr. Chen, Hang Seng's stock price has halved."

Yu Jing came in with the latest report: "Without HSBC's support, Hang Seng is unable to pay cash or come up with money to stabilize its share price."

"It's inevitable!"

Chen Fan leaned back, shifting to a more comfortable position: "What about HSBC and Standard Chartered? Have their shareholders followed suit and started selling their shares?"

Yu Jing handed over the report: "HSBC's share price has fallen by 15%, and Standard Chartered's by 18%. However, as global banks, they have a strong ability to mobilize funds, so they can stabilize the situation for the time being."

Chen Fan took the report and glanced at it briefly: "The real show has just begun. Our allies only applied to withdraw funds today. The funds will be withdrawn the day after tomorrow. They'll be in for a world of hurt."

Yu Jing brewed a cup of tea and placed it in front of Chen Fan: "Our allies have also started selling their stocks today, and the stock price will definitely plummet in the next few days."

After thinking for a moment, he added, "It's the stock exchanges and financial companies that are suffering terribly, and they've been calling us bloodsuckers a lot lately."

Chen Fan chuckled. The main players in short selling are stock exchanges and financial companies; with the three major banks' stocks plummeting, their losses are undoubtedly substantial.

He took a sip of tea, picked up the documents, and said, "Keep an eye on things from here on out. I'm going home now."

Back in the Suzhou-style garden in Deep Water Bay, Xu Jinqiu was watching TV in the living room. The business drama "The Great Era" was playing.

Seeing her husband return, Xu Jinqiu teased, "The business battles in the drama aren't as ruthless as yours."

Sitting down next to her, Chen Fan smiled and said, "The scale is different. Whether it's Ding Xie or Fang Zhanbo, they control too few assets and resources."

At this point, Chen Fan couldn't help but smugly say, "They are just figures in a great era, while you and I, men, are the ones who lead a great era."

"You're not humble at all when you're praising yourself."

Xu Jinqiu turned her head and looked at her husband carefully, teasingly saying, "You have no manners at all, you look more like a bandit."

Chen Fan flicked her nose and said smugly, "A man should have a bandit's spirit. Only with a bandit's spirit can you conquer all. Our son will probably be a little bandit in the future."

Xu Jinqiu rubbed her forehead, her head aching at the thought of her son.

The little guy is only three years old and he's already showing a lot of bad traits. In a few years, he'll probably be climbing on the roof and tearing the tiles off the house, saying things like, "From now on, you're in charge of our son. Whether he's good or bad, don't blame me."

"Don't worry, our son is no bad."

Holding his wife in his arms and inhaling her delicate fragrance, Chen Fan's mind stirred slightly: "Teacher Xu, since it's just the two of us, why don't we catch up on some lessons?"

Xu Jinqiu rolled her eyes at him and pointed to the clock on the wall: "Stop fooling around, it's almost dinner time. I have a question for you, when are we going back?"

"Missing your son?" Chen Fan asked.

Xu Jinqiu nodded and said, "I have no real business in Hong Kong. I'd rather stay at home all day than go back to Beijing to be with the kids."

"In a couple of days, it should be soon!"

The goal has been set, and the action has begun. So far, everything is going smoothly. The next step is to completely crush Hang Seng's stock price.

Hang Seng is beyond saving.

Shen Bi contacted many people, but no one was willing to take over. After a busy day, he sat helplessly in his office smoking: "I'm afraid the only one who can take over Hengsheng is Chen Fan."

If Chen Fan takes over, the crisis can be overcome.

But will Chen Fan stop?
This person is extremely vengeful. He banned Flying Star in England and drove away the supermarket in Chinatown. The two sides have become enemies. It will probably not be so easy to make Chen Fan stop.

"From a business perspective, if the profits are large enough, it's not impossible to get Chen Fan to back down."

"The key is to see the attitude from above!"

The above refers to HSBC's shareholders and the official stance; the sale of a large bank cannot be decided in a single statement.

If the British authorities don't agree, it can't be sold!

There's something called censorship!
Shen Bi could even imagine that if he proposed selling Hang Seng to Chen Fan, the first person to object would definitely be Governor Peng Dingkang, followed by Ambassador Richard.

Both men were ambitious and wanted to make a name for themselves in Hong Kong, but they ran into the British pound exchange rate war, which forced Britain to sign an agreement with China, preventing them from acting recklessly in Hong Kong.

For this reason, the two men harbored deep hatred for Chen Fan. If it weren't for Chen Fan's tight security and reclusive lifestyle, they would have even considered killing him.

"Fuck... These two bastards, they have no ability but they still insisted on provoking Chen Fan, why should HSBC bear the losses?"

Taking a deep drag of his cigarette, a resolute glint flashed in Shen Bi's eyes. He was determined to make this happen, even if it meant offending the governor and the ambassador.

HSBC cannot afford such a large loss.

The Huo family, Li Hongying, Li Zhaoji, Hu Yingxiang, Liu Jianxiong and others have all submitted applications, and the funds are due to arrive the day after tomorrow, which will be a huge test for HSBC.

And these people also caused the bank run.

Ignoring that he had already finished get off work and that it was already dark, Shen Bi picked up the phone and called each of the shareholders to convene a shareholders' meeting overnight.

Either Hang Seng is sacrificed, or HSBC is also severely damaged. For a shrewd businessman, the choice is not difficult, and the shareholders' meeting proceeded smoothly.

However, when the application was submitted for approval, an unexpected situation arose. Peng Dingkang and Richard jumped out to object one after another, and their reason was simple: Chen Fan was an enemy of Britain.

Selling Hang Seng to Chen Fan is tantamount to bowing down to Chen Fan.

This would lead to a situation where Britain's influence in Hong Kong would decline significantly, even falling below that of Chen Fan.

"You can object!"

"But can you afford HSBC's losses?"

"A run on the bank has already begun. In less than a week, HSBC's share price will drop by 50%. Can you afford that?"

"If you can bring in enough cash, I will support you and resolutely refuse to sell Hang Seng. We will fight Chen Fan to the death."

Shen Bi practically shouted it out.

P.S.: First update is here~ It's almost the end of the month, do you guys still have any votes? Thanks!!

(End of this chapter)