Chapter 342: You must control your own security forces

"Uncle, you're looking for me?"

Li Changhe walked into Bao Yugang's office at the headquarters of Global Shipping.

"Here you go, sit down!"

Bao Yugang saw Li Changhe coming in and waved at him.

"Shen Bi came to see me this morning."

"Is it about the land purchase?"

After hearing Bao Yugang's words, Li Changhe asked curiously.

"Not entirely. He was frightened by the one you posted, that Rockefeller wanted to use Hong Kong Island as a springboard."

"He was afraid that the Manhattan Bank was just the beginning, and that financial forces from Wall Street would move into Hong Kong Island and become the backbone of cooperation with our country."

After listening to this, Li Changhe smiled and shook his head.

I have to say that Shen Bi is looking at the long term, and the situation he described is not impossible to happen.

In the future, HSBC will be able to use Hong Kong Island to become a world-class banking force, and the power behind this is not simply the power of the British.

We also have support behind this.

It can be said that for a long time, HSBC has taken on the role of intermediary at the intersection of Eastern and Western finance and has gained huge profits from it.

It can be said that if we open the door, Hong Kong's financial industry will definitely not be able to withstand the destruction of Wall Street.

However, the country also has a bottom line on this point, and between two evils, choose the lesser of two evils.

Rather than being controlled by the power of Wall Street, it is better to let HSBC be the middleman. Although it is a scam, the power behind HSBC is ultimately weaker than that of Wall Street.

Therefore, HSBC remained stable for decades, until the future, when it bowed to the United States and stabbed a certain China in the back.

"But I told Shen Bi."

Bao Yugang recounted his conversation with Shen Bi to Li Changhe. After listening, Li Changhe looked at Bao Yugang with gratitude.

"Uncle, thank you!"

Bao Yugang's move not only helped him solve the hidden danger of his identity, but more importantly, helped him prevent HSBC from joining the battlefield.

Shen Bi's statement to Bao Yugang not only meant that HSBC would not support Jardine Matheson, but more importantly, it also meant that HSBC would prevent the Hong Kong government from providing assistance to Jardine Matheson.

Because if nothing unexpected happens, Jardine Matheson will definitely seek help from the Hong Kong government at a critical moment.

It is hard to say how much political power the Keswick family has in London, but they still have a lot of face in the Hong Kong government.

The Hong Kong government will probably not ignore Hong Kong Land and will definitely intervene.

However, as an administrative agency, it is impossible for it to intervene directly, so the Hong Kong government’s method must be to hint to HSBC to help Jardine Matheson.

Shen Bi's statement actually shows that when the time comes, he will withstand the pressure from the Hong Kong government and refuse to enter.

Another benefit of HSBC's refusal to enter the market is that it will cut off Jardine Matheson's funding chain.

There are many banks in Hong Kong Island, but only a few of them are able to intervene at the financial level in the battle for Landmark Land.

All in all, HSBC, Standard Chartered and Hang Seng are the three most powerful banks.

Among them, Hang Seng Bank is also a bank controlled by HSBC. Although Hang Seng Bank operates independently, it does not mean that HSBC has no influence on it.

At least HSBC will definitely leak some information to Hang Seng.

Therefore, HSBC’s rejection basically also represents Hang Seng’s rejection.

The remaining Standard Chartered, if it relies on itself, may not dare to put so much money into Jardine Matheson.

Of course, Jardine Matheson could also look for a few more banks. American banks like Citibank also have branches in Hong Kong Island.

But as the saying goes, time waits for no one.

If Jardine Matheson wants to get a quick loan from a bank, it either needs to maintain good relationships or have collateral of great value.

Given Jardine Matheson's current debt, it would be very difficult for it to quickly mortgage the money.

Besides, there are comparisons between banks. Even HSBC does not take action, so other banks will only be more cautious.

And in the stock market, this is also helpful to Li Changhe.

If the news that HSBC refused to take action got out, it would only increase Jardine Matheson's decline and strengthen shareholders' confidence in Orient International.

So, although Bao Yugang's move seemed to have only stabilized HSBC, it actually provided a great help to Li Changhe.

"I also told Shen Bi about the Jianing Group and reminded him. It was also a wake-up call for him."

"Shen Bi wants to see you in a few days, I agreed for you."

"On Hong Kong Island, HSBC is a mountain that cannot be avoided."

"Whether you like it or not, for now, you have to build a good relationship with HSBC."

At this time, Bao Yugang gave Li Changhe a few more instructions. He could see that Li Changhe was not very fond of HSBC.

"Don't worry, uncle, I understand!"

Li Changhe nodded and said.

"Well, Shen Bi doesn't have many hobbies, but one thing he likes is watches."

"I have a few high-end watches given to me by others. Pick one and take it away. Then give it to Shen Bi."

"Even if you don't like him in your heart, you still have to do the job to save face."

Bao Yugang was afraid that Li Changhe would not take it seriously, so he continued to give him a few more instructions.

Li Changhe smiled and said, "Don't worry, uncle. I understand all this. No matter what, HSBC is now a giant in Hong Kong Island. Both I and the country must consider its weight. I will not let my emotions get in the way here."

Many times, we cannot simply rely on personal preferences and ideology to distinguish between friends and enemies. Li Changhe understood this very early on.

Otherwise, why do we have the concept of united front work? Our goal is to drag the enemy into our own trenches.

Hearing Li Changhe's words, Bao Yugang nodded with relief: "I feel relieved when you say that."

"Oh, there's one more thing you need to pay attention to."

"From a business perspective, Jardine Matheson is probably doomed to fail this time, and there is no hope of a comeback."

"But that's why you have to be careful, or they might become desperate and attack you."

"We have to be on guard against this kind of thing. Sometimes, getting rid of the person behind the scenes can also help us get rid of their predicament."

"If Jardine Matheson knew that you were the leader, they might take action against you. After all, if they kill you, they think Rockefeller might no longer be interested in the land."

"So, you have to be careful here. In my opinion, it would be best to find some bodyguards."

Bao Yugang thought of these things at this time and reminded Li Changhe.

Hearing this, Li Changhe chuckled and said, "Uncle, I have already prepared for this."

"I've already found a few bodyguards here."

"Oh? Did you find one? Which security company did you find?"

Bao Yugang asked curiously after hearing what Li Changhe said.

Li Changhe shook his head: "They are not from the security company, but from our side. However, I changed their identities and changed them to Vietnamese refugees."

"Change to Vietnamese refugee status? That's a good idea."

After listening to this, Bao Yugang nodded in admiration. Hong Kong Island is a place where all kinds of people come together, including foreigners, Japanese businessmen, Indian military police, Filipino maids, Vietnamese refugees, and Chinese people. It can be said that there are all kinds of people here except black people. It is a complete hodgepodge.

So here, no matter who you look for, it won't be awkward. What's more, Vietnamese and Chinese people are very similar in facial features, and ordinary people can hardly tell them apart.

"Uncle, what do you think if we open a security company here?"

At this time, Li Changhe spoke again to Bao Yugang.

Bao Yugang was a little surprised. He felt that Li Changhe really had a new idea every now and then.

"Why do you suddenly want to open a security company?"

"Uncle, Hong Kong Island is a mixed bag, with many powerful societies, so it's inevitable that some of them are short-sighted."

"I think opening a security company will help us gain some mobility, and I think the security market here is huge."

"Besides other things, there are so many wealthy Chinese in Hong Kong Island, and many wealthy Chinese in Southeast Asia are also moving to Hong Kong Island. They are actually very good customers."

"In addition, we have taken over Wharf Holdings and Hong Kong Land, which means we will control a lot of office buildings, shopping malls and shops."

“And these places are also where security teams are needed.”

"Another thing is that whether it is Hong Kong Land or Wharf Holdings, we will also get involved in residential real estate in the future. I think a residential community with excellent security forces can also become a highlight of our publicity."

Li Changhe said thoughtfully.

He knew that Hong Kong would be in chaos in the next few years, especially as the power of the social groups would expand rapidly.

If Li Changhe was from Hong Kong Island, he would have boldly supported a Hong Kong community force and then exported it to the outside world.

Unfortunately, he is not, and there are some things he cannot do, at least not now.

So Li Changhe wanted to use the name of the security company to set up a security force of his own, and it would be best if he could later build it to the same level as Blackwater Security.

Of course, he doesn't need to be global. Li Changhe's goal is to maintain the business in Hong Kong Island and Southeast Asia.

After listening to him, Bao Yugang smiled and looked at him: "What you said is not bad, but there is a prerequisite, which is that you need a lot of high-quality employees. If you want to recruit and train them in Hong Kong Island, it will not be that easy."

"Uncle, to be honest, I want to recruit from the mainland."

"As far as I know, the mainland is preparing to disarm, and many high-quality soldiers will be discharged and transformed into ordinary people."

“This is actually a huge human resource advantage for us.”

"I can even say that they are a ready-made security force."

Li Changhe said seriously.

After listening to this, Bao Yugang shook his head solemnly.

"This matter is not as simple as you think."

"Besides, the Hong Kong government will be very strict in this kind of review. Even if they have retired, they were once soldiers. You don't know that the Hong Kong government respects and fears you."

"If you really bring so many people into Hong Kong Island, it will definitely arouse the vigilance and alertness of the Hong Kong government."

"They will not allow so many people with military backgrounds to enter Hong Kong Island."

"I have thought about this!"

Li Changhe then continued to say to Bao Yugang: "The Hong Kong government won't allow it now, but we can set up the company first."

"Uncle, to be honest with you, I think the two countries will soon start negotiations on the ownership of Hong Kong Island."

"The China-UK Civil Aviation Agreement is a very clear signal. Neither side mentioned the position of Hong Kong Island."

"This also means that the issue of the ownership of Hong Kong Island will definitely be put on the table."

"Oh? Then what do you think will happen to its owner?"

At this moment, Bao Yugang asked Li Changhe seriously.

"There is no doubt that we will take back Hong Kong Island. The issue of sovereignty is not negotiable."

Li Changhe said firmly at this moment.

When Bao Yugang saw Li Changhe's appearance, he couldn't help but be stunned for a moment. After a moment, he sighed deeply.

"To be honest, Murray MacLehose actually went to Beijing last March."

Murray MacLehose is the current British Governor of Hong Kong and the highest official in Hong Kong Island.

"He was terrified by the mainland's attitude at the time."

"Otherwise, why is Yihe so worried all day long? Because they know some things."

"It's just that the Hong Kong government has not released this news to the outside world, so most of the Chinese community is unaware of it."

Li Changhe smiled and nodded.

Not to mention MacLehose, Li Changhe estimated that even when Lao Bao went there, it was probably not just a simple visit to relatives.

Apart from anything else, Bao Yugang was awarded the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by the Queen of England several years ago. This is not only an honor, but also represents political status. The Hong Kong government and even Downing Street are obviously trying to win over such prominent figures among the Chinese in Hong Kong.

Therefore, although Li Changhe did not point it out, judging from the current situation, Bao Yugang’s trip to the mainland may have political considerations.

After all, he is considered the most influential figure among the Chinese in Hong Kong today.

If we think about it more deeply, could it be that Hutchison Whampoa is the bargaining chip used by Britain and the Hong Kong government to win over Pao Yu-kong?
In fact, Li Changhe did not rule out this possibility in his heart.

However, many things in previous history have proved that Lao Bao still has his heart set on the mainland. At least, unlike another traitor named Li, in addition to donating money, he also actually helps the mainland in the shipbuilding industry.

As for the mentality problem, Li Changhe thinks this is normal. After all, not everyone has the ability to see through the third eye. Many wealthy people actually have a very complicated mentality when they first come into contact with the mainland.

Fear and patriotism are mixed together, and it is hard to say which is more important.

Therefore, the ancients said, judge by actions, not by heart, because no one is perfect if you judge by the heart.

If you only evaluate and judge based on your thoughts, it will be difficult to find someone who completely meets your needs.

Therefore, when countries often cooperate, including with foreign countries, they think and evaluate their "traces" rather than their "hearts".

"Uncle, so both sides will have to talk about this matter sooner or later, and on this point, I think the British have no room for negotiation at all."

"To put it bluntly, Hong Kong Island is so close to Shenzhen. If we wanted to, it would be effortless to retake it. We could have retaken it that year."

"When the British talked about it, the best we could do was to give them some respect."

"Of course, I think they will try their best to fight for some of their own interests, such as the current business gains of Jardine Matheson and Swire."

“But by then, I think we can also talk about, for example, relaxing restrictions on mainland workers.”

"You mean? Then use official power to force the Hong Kong government to open this gap?"

Bao Yugang looked at Li Changhe in surprise and asked.

In fact, this was the first time he discussed the issue of integrity in Hong Kong with Li Changhe.

"Yes, for example, we want the Hong Kong government to agree to open up official employment vacancies of 3,000 or 5,000 people every year. That's what we mean."

"When the time comes, we will take the initiative to lead people over here, that's it!"

"But I'm afraid this matter will require my uncle and I to work together. I will go to negotiate with the mainland, and only my uncle can come forward with the Hong Kong government."

At this moment, Li Changhe solemnly said to Bao Yugang that Li Changhe was confident that he could convince the mainland, but as for the Hong Kong government, to be honest, Bao Yugang would have to step forward.

Just as Li Changhe and Bao Yugang were having a great conversation, Zhu Lin, who was far away in Beijing, also ran into trouble.

(End of this chapter)