Return to Hong Kong Island for a Century

Chapter 304 Crowdfunding Club?
“Nick, if this crowdfunding goes well, then next time we can crowdfund yachts, cars, and some utility vehicles,” Li Song said, having tasted success.

Li Song's idea was simple: he would do this even if it meant losing money, because there was no better advertisement.

Li Song knew that it would be very difficult for mainland Chinese cars to enter Western markets.

Why can Japan and South Korea so easily dominate the American market? On the one hand, their technology does have certain advantages, but on the other hand, and most importantly, the United States has troops stationed in both countries.

Moreover, Aramco can harvest the wealth of these two countries at any time, so no matter how much these two countries earn in Aramco, it will eventually return to Aramco's pocket.

Mainland China?

How can it be?

The US has a deep-seated grudge against the mainland. After World War II, its post-war glory was shattered by a slap from the mainland on the peninsula, leaving it reeling.

Then, from then on, he suffered a series of defeats, defeats in the southeastern peninsula and in Tokharistan.

Even Iraq, which was touted as a victorious nation, ultimately became a mess.

Moreover, every time Amy tries to take advantage of the mainland, she gets choked by the mainland.

Don't assume that Amy's family's financial companies, like Ross's, are actually deeply intertwined with Amy's politics.

Therefore, when Amer International Holdings was exploiting Hong Kong during the financial crisis, it was directly countered by mainland China.

Then it set a bad precedent: when America tried to cause trouble in other people's financial markets, those governments would directly intervene.

Of course, intervention from weaker, smaller countries is useless, but what about other countries?
How much did this cost Amei?
How much profit can a small country make?
Moreover, during the subsequent trade war, Aramco's trade rules only included mainland China and others, because mainland China, with its huge market size, was able to stand up to Aramco.

This way, others will allow cars from mainland China to enter their market, because if the money is made in mainland China, it truly belongs to mainland China; the others are merely being held in trust.

Moreover, the honeymoon period only lasts a few years, so Li Song has no intention of opening up Amei's car market.

But you can cause trouble yourself! You can crowdfund tens of thousands of cars at a cheap price and then dump the stock. How would that make you feel?
Even if the crowdfunding is stopped, they won't suffer any losses. Instead, it will leave the America citizens who didn't get any benefits feeling resentful.

Moreover, one can stand on the moral high ground, condemn them, and even support Aramco citizens in launching lawsuits against the Aramco government; winning or losing is not important.

Because regardless of winning or losing, I've become famous.

“Great!” Nick’s eyes lit up. If they crowdfunded cars, wouldn’t he be able to own a car too? If they crowdfunded yachts, he could have one too…

"Of course, our crowdfunding campaign isn't going to be about ordinary cars, but rather road-going sports cars. We can use the six-cylinder horizontally opposed engine from the Panda aircraft, which makes overall maintenance easier. We can also use this engine to build yachts, which will reduce costs. Plus, 200 horsepower is enough to build a relatively medium-sized yacht," Li Song continued.

"Mr. Li's idea is great!" Nick's eyes lit up when he realized that Li Song was crowdfunding a small fishing boat or something similar, but it turned out to be a medium-sized yacht.

“Nick, I think we should start a crowdfunding club. I really enjoy doing things like this.”

"Of course, neither I nor anyone from my companies participates in this crowdfunding club."

“Whether it’s cars, airplanes, or yachts in the future, they may all encounter some trouble. The area around Amei is vast and sparsely populated, so we can set up a club to facilitate rescue or repairs. I can donate some helicopters and other means of transportation to the club, and of course, we can also crowdfund small helicopters later.” Li Song knew that he needed to bring the people around Amei together so that they could play a greater role.

"Mr. Li, I must say, your idea is excellent."

“Actually, I’ve had the same idea, but funding…” Nick had also considered it, but everything in America required money.

"Can I donate some money, like half a million dollars, or even a million dollars?"

“Anyway, my novels bring in a considerable amount of income from Amei,” Li Song said.

Thank you for your generosity.

“I will prepare for this as soon as possible. I think the club can hire some consultants who have worked in the Department of Justice or other departments,” Nick said excitedly upon hearing Li Song’s words.

“I will not interfere with the club’s operations; this is entirely your Amerindian citizens’ club.” Li Songcai will not get involved.

"Okay." Nick didn't know why Li Song said that; perhaps he was trying to avoid suspicion?

Li Song has even more preparations in store; he plans to crowdfund computers and mobile phones.

Of course, Li Song also knew that this method was not sustainable, because when the US government lost its influence, it would certainly not allow him to continue doing this.

I might be able to use this persona to attract a lot of talented Amis people.

In fact, many highly educated people in the world are still very socially responsible. Many people don't know that before the 1960s and 70s, Fat Bear was a utopia in the minds of the Amis.

It goes without saying how destructive the concept of utopia is to Americans and Westerners.

It was only after a series of events in the 1960s and 70s that the American or Western people's idealized view of the fat bear shattered.

The main issue was the great famine in the UAE, because neither the US nor the West could have imagined such a thing would happen.

It was all fabricated by Da Linzi. Fortunately, we in the mainland saw through these people's true colors long ago.

Furthermore, when Fat Bear came to power and directly opposed Da Linzi, even more things were revealed...

Later, Amei's people turned their attention to other places, such as the snowy region of the Third Boss, to purify their souls and such.

Of course, most people who yearn for utopia are highly educated intellectuals, because they no longer need to struggle for a living and have social status, so they seek spiritual fulfillment.

Ordinary workers simply don't have time to think about those things, because their minds are full of bills or work.

As for how to develop this persona further, Li Song needs to think it over carefully before making a decision.

"Nick, once the aircraft engine is successfully manufactured, I will invite you to interview me," Li Song said, bidding Nick farewell.

"Thank you, Mr. Li." Nick had a fruitful day and needed to hurry back to Ame to prepare for club matters.

As a journalist, Nick is very knowledgeable about club affairs; each club is essentially a platform for maintaining relationships.

Moreover, the first batch of members of the crowdfunding club were all people who bought airplanes. Most of these people were middle-class or farmers, and their influence was considerable.

The sports cars and yachts in the background are not things that ordinary people can own; it can be said that this is an elite club.

Once I establish this club, I won't have to worry about the rest of my life.

Of course, Nick couldn't have imagined that Li Song had no intention of doing this for the long term.

"Boss." Tian Jiahui came to Li Song's office after seeing Nick leave.

"The International Motorcycle Racing Federation (FISM) wants to include the Tour of Taihu Lake motocross in its championship program."

“However, this involves many things. First, the mainland needs to join the motorcycle association, and second, our BMW motorcycle company also needs to join, of course, we need to sponsor a fee every year.” “In addition, they are also very interested in the Taihu Lake Cycling Race you mentioned earlier, but I think they are more interested in making money from it,” Tian Jiahui said.

Li Song knew, of course, that the higher-ups in these associations were also making a fortune, because standards and such were involved in a very complex and murky business.

If you find the wrong person, they will have many ways to make you fail to meet the standards. But if you find the right person, it will be easy to meet the standards.

Otherwise, how did all those fabrications exposed in Western countries come about?
Even hemp leaves are legal, yet some people still praise Western food safety?

5% of the world's population consumes 70% of opioids and 60% of drugs. How can you say that healthcare is good?
With such good medical care, how can someone take so many painkillers? Surely a healthy Amis person wouldn't just take them like sugar pills?

Another incident involved a train derailment in Ame, which caused a chemical pollution accident, and the helicopter sent to investigate crashed.

There are many things about Amy that no one dares to reveal, not even the president. Anyone who tries to lift the lid will have their plane crash.

"You can talk to the people on the mainland about this. We have no problem with investing."

"Does the area around the road race feel more densely populated?" Li Song asked.

“Boss, the Motorcycle Racing Association came up with this idea after seeing so many spectators. According to incomplete statistics, the largest number of people at a race on a single day could be over a million, or even more, which has shocked the people at the Motorcycle Racing Association,” Tian Jiahui said.

"..." Li Song knew, of course, that the number was much larger than expected.

Because the competition is held before and after the Lunar New Year, which is the off-season for farmers, and the competition venue is large, spanning two provinces and several cities, not to mention it is close to Shanghai.

Moreover, it's an international competition with dozens of countries and over a hundred teams participating. Who wouldn't want to come and watch the excitement?

And there are also cheap imported instant noodles.

"The cumulative number of spectators is arguably the largest in the history of the International Motorcycle Sports Federation," Tian Jiahui added.

“Okay, then let’s communicate with the mainland.” Li Song knew that the mainland had been working hard to increase its international reputation in recent years, and they certainly wouldn’t let such an opportunity slip by.

"There's not much of a problem on the mainland, it's just the location of the road race. It seems the mainland is interested in holding it near Kyoto," Tian Jiahui said.

"Then let the mainland choose for itself."

"it is good!"

"In addition, the mainland has expressed interest in inviting us to set up an instant noodle factory there."

"That's fine too. You can talk to them on the mainland side. Instant noodles and cosmetics can be brought under the management of Parkson and upgraded to subsidiaries." Currently, instant noodles and cosmetics are just a department within Parkson.

"Okay!" Tian Jiahui nodded.

"In addition, orders for outboard motors are increasing rapidly, mainly from some countries in South Asia and Southeast Asia in preparation for the rainy season."

"However, they want us to invest and build a factory there."

"It seems like the people from the small notebook are interested in investing and building a factory there." Tian Jiahui took out a document.

"Let's forget about it." Li Song knew that the supporting infrastructure in South Asia was not very mature, and the factory needed a stable power supply.

Moreover, aluminum production requires a lot of electricity, and materials will need to be imported, coupled with unstable power supply and an unstable workforce.

"Our company will not participate in the investment. If there are factories in the mainland that are willing to invest in the future, we will let them go."

"We can just collect a patent fee," Li Song said after thinking for a moment.

Li Song himself doesn't invest, but other factories in mainland China can, because those factories are not only motivated by profit, but also by influence.

Of course, when mainland motorcycle manufacturers build factories overseas, they don't hold shares; they just collect patent fees directly.

"Okay." Tian Jiahui nodded.

"In addition, the market demand for large outboard motors is also growing rapidly."

“Especially for outboard motors with over 400 horsepower, mainland outboard motor manufacturers have orders booked for six months.”

"We'll license this technology to other companies later and let them rebrand it," Li Song said, glancing at the market for this type of outboard motor.

The increase is more significant in Southeast Asia, the Mediterranean, South America, and North America.

There is also a significant demand for large aircraft in the Mediterranean region, primarily for cargo transport, but even more so for passenger transport.

European countries like Italy, which are close to the Mediterranean, are the destinations for most Africans.

They transported people to North Africa, and returned to collect scrap metal.

Because cars that have been scrapped in the European market are brought back to Africa for repairs and continued service.

"it is good!"

"In addition, the progress at the car factory is very fast, and the head office's finance, logistics, and supervision must keep up."

"No matter who is involved, handle it as appropriate." Li Song's move was actually quite good; headquarters sent people from Hong Kong to rotate over there.

The people sent from headquarters do not interfere with technology, production, or operations; they are only responsible for finance, logistics, and the supervision and reporting departments.

Since these people were sent by headquarters for rotation, the possibility of them colluding with those on the mainland is very low.

This can effectively prevent certain things from happening.

“Our headquarters has been recruiting talent in this area.” Tian Jiahui nodded.

"Boss, MTU said in the media that if we lose the case, they will sue us in the international court," Tian Jiahui continued.

"Let them sue us, we have the money to pay them in court."

“You have to be careful what you say when you’re in contact with them. Sometimes those Westerners pretend to want to reconcile with you, but they’re actually recording you or something.”

“Leave everything to the lawyers; we won’t have any contact,” Li Song advised Tian Jiahui.

"Boss, don't worry, our company has already instructed employees not to comment on this matter to outsiders." Tian Jiahui had been a lawyer, so of course he knew what lawyers did.

To put it bluntly, lawyers make a living by litigating cases, so it's perfectly normal for them to use tactics to win.

(End of this chapter)