The birth of the Hong Kong Island family

Father and son Lin Zhichao and Lin Ruihai attended the board meeting of the Wharf Group.

At this time, Niubijian didn't even give up the basic face to the father and son, and simply refused to give them a good look.

Lin Zhishan ignored it, pretended not to know that Niubijian existed, and greeted the directors of the Wharf Group. Other directors include Jardine Matheson, external directors, and directors who are concurrently appointed by Wharf senior executives.

In addition to the directors of Jardine Matheson, external directors and Wharf executives naturally would not ignore Lin Zhichao, but were more polite. Among the external directors of Wharf, Xu Shixun, Chen Detai, and Li Mingze are all old acquaintances. They exchanged a few words before the meeting. Senior executives and directors of Wharf also took the initiative to say hello. They were worried that Lin Zhichao would gain from acquiring Wharf. If now If you have raised eyebrows and raised eyes, how will you deal with yourself in the future?

The meeting begins.

Niubijian said some extravagant words, and added a few yin and yang remarks. Lin Zhichao and his son came uninvited, and the meeting room was full of gunpowder for a while.

Lin Zhichao just knew that the more fierce he screamed, the more frightened he felt.

Since Newbigan came to the Jardines Department, he has already lost the development rights on Central Station and Admiralty Station, which made the Keswick family dissatisfied with him. And if the Wharf Group is lost now, it is certainly not Newbijian's fault (it is the fault of the Keswick family's general policy), but it will also be a reason for him to step down in the future.

Therefore, it is conceivable that Niubijian was angry at this time. If it were not for his identity, he would have wanted to kill Lin Zhichao.

Of course Lin Zhichao was not afraid of him. He had been through so many swords and fires. How could a mere part-timer have the qualifications to compete with him?

He found the right moment and said: "I have a suggestion here, because our Asia Shipping Group holds about 20% of the shares of Wharf Group, which should exceed the shareholding of Jardine Matheson Group. And currently there are only two board seats. , obviously does not meet the shareholding ratio, I recommend adding two more board seats to Asia Shipping.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Niubijian immediately objected: "No! The specific shareholding amount of Asia Shipping has not been officially announced. How dare we say it exceeds our Jardine Group. Moreover, Asia Shipping has just joined the board of directors, and it is completely greedy to make this request. "

Lin Zhichao said calmly: "I guess the Jardine Matheson Group's shareholding will not exceed 15%. If you want to control the Wharf Group with just this small share, then what is the point of a listed company?"

Newbrick responded: "The Wharf Group was jointly established by Sir Paul Chater and Jardine Matheson. After many years of development at Jardine, we have achieved today's achievements."

Lin Zhichao continued his attack: "Facts have proved that the development of the Wharf Group under the leadership of Jardine Matheson is completely backward, otherwise I would not have the opportunity to join the Wharf Board of Directors. The development of the Wharf Group to this day is based on 'renting' and Between 'sale' and 'sale', the company chose to lease all, and the construction funds were all its own funds, resulting in the group's high debt, declining credibility, and devaluation of the stock. If it does not change, how can it bring generous returns to shareholders."

Niubijian hit back: "Land and Wharf have stood in Hong Kong for nearly a hundred years. Not only is there no problem with their business methods, but it fully demonstrates their excellence. The Cheung Kong Holdings represented by Mr. Lin has only been in development for thirty years. To say this about a century-old enterprise is obviously It makes no sense.”

The two people were full of antagonism, and everyone in the conference room could feel it.

Lin Zhichao proposed adding four board seats to Asia Shipping. In fact, he wanted to increase his background. After all, it would be difficult for him to stay in Hong Kong. Since Newbijian disagreed, he could only seize the time to acquire it.

Newbijian then also suggested: "I also have a suggestion. Vice President of Real Estate, Bailey Ford, who is good at real estate development, joins the Wharf Group as a director and executive director to strengthen the real estate development of the Wharf Group."

Lin Zhichao immediately objected: "No! The problem of Wharf cannot be solved by just one senior executive, and it is not a lack of real estate development capabilities, but there are some problems in financial arrangements. If our Universal Group adds four directors, we can solve this problem."

For a time, the entire conference room became a place where Niu Bijian and Lin Zhichao 'quarreled'.

In the end, of course, they broke up on bad terms.

The content of the meeting that day was captured by the media for the first time. The two parties were unhappy in the boardroom, so they wrote a big book about it and made the city full of uproar.

“British capital versus Chinese capital, whether the old British capital is better or the big Chinese capital has the upper hand, we’ll have to wait and see!”

"We still have to wait and see. Mr. Lin Zhichao is not short of money. Jardine Matheson and HSBC are not necessarily opponents; not to mention, HSBC may be helping Mr. Lin Zhichao."

"I don't care which company wins, as long as I make a profit at Wharf Group."

After dinner, people always talk about the recent ‘Huayang War’.

The golden autumn of October brings fruitful results.

In just twenty days, Universal Group increased its stake to 30% (20% is held by its listed company Asia Shipping); at the same time, Wharf's stock also climbed to HK$45 per share.

The small market drove the big market, and the Hang Seng Index actually rose to a high of 470 points, returning to its highest level at the beginning of the year, changing the historical trajectory.

Landmark meeting room.

Niubijian was very shocked and said: "Lin Zhichao's sale of 20% equity to Asia Shipping was completely deceptive and made us lower our guard. His determination to acquire Wharf must be very strong."

Faced with the skyrocketing stock price of Wharf Group, how could Newbrick not understand the truth? That is, Universal Group continues to secretly purchase Wharf stocks, and the actions are very large and the determination is strong.

Bellefort said: "Now, I'm afraid Lin Zhichao's equity has reached about 30%, which is twice as much as ours. However, if Lin Zhichao wants to win, he still needs 20% of the equity, and the cost is huge."

Newbijian reacted at this time: "He is rich, absolutely rich! At the beginning, he sold 20% of the equity to Asia Shipping, which could not only withdraw the capital of 800 million Hong Kong dollars (I don't know that it was not actually paid), but also avoid legal action Risk. This will make it easier for Universal Group to fully acquire Wharf Group."

There is no need to question Lin Zhichao's strength. Even if Universal Group is not listed, everyone knows that Lin Zhichao is definitely not short of money. For example, Cheung Kong Industries Group has more than 30,000 workers and annual profits of hundreds of millions of Hong Kong dollars; and Lin Zhichao owns multiple buildings but is not listed on the market.

These funds can all be coordinated with each other, which allows Lin Zhichao to raise considerable funds in a short period of time.

What's more, HSBC's attitude shows that they will give Lin Zhichao a loan, after all, the assets of Universal Group are there.

Bao Fuda said: "It is a pity that Land's shares are currently underperforming. Otherwise, increasing our holdings of Wharf Group's shares through share swaps will definitely relieve our financial pressure."

Niubijian said: "Then join forces with Jardine Matheson! If a comprehensive takeover breaks out, Jardine Matheson and Land will increase their holdings of Wharf shares through share swaps at the same time. I believe we can still fight." He gritted his teeth.

This is a problem left to him by the Keswick family. Land holds too little Wharf shares, at the lowest period it was only 11%, and now it only increases its holdings to just over 13%.

Now that a comprehensive takeover is coming at any time, how to face it is to be well prepared!

Three days later.

Lin Zhichao and Niu Bijian once again had a heated argument at the Wharf Group's board of directors, and everyone continued the topic from last time.

Lin Zhichao wants to send two people from Universal Group to serve as directors in Wharf, which means increasing the number of board seats to four.

Newbijian wanted to appoint Bailey Ford to the board of directors and serve as executive director of Wharf Group.

In the end, both parties compromised and each achieved their goals.

The incident was again reported by the media.

Wharf Group's shares are looming soaring again, reaching over HK$50.

At this time, neither party dared to make large-scale acquisitions in the stock market. Because of such a large transaction volume, there was no telling how high the stock price could rise. It could be 100 or 200.

Therefore, things became calm for a while, and everyone was preparing for the final public takeover.

Universal Group.

Shen Bi came to Lin Zhichao's office and was first concerned about the affairs of World Shipping.

This part of the assets is still HK$1 billion, equivalent to two years of HSBC's profits, so HSBC attaches great importance to it.

For this reason, HSBC has clearly told Lin Zhichao before that if he needs a loan, it can provide it at any time, even if the funds are used for the acquisition of Wharf Group.

This means that HSBC is more willing to support Universal Group.

In fact, HSBC is worried about the rise of Lin Zhichao.

But now, they have to support Lin Zhichao.

First, both parties have common interests. How the cooperating World Shipping can safely disembark is a matter of concern to HSBC.

Second, the changes in the situation in the mainland have led HSBC to decide to recruit a Chinese as its "backer", and Lin Zhichao is undoubtedly the best candidate.

As for Lin Zhichao, in fact, the Wharf Group does not need help from HSBC at all. Of course, there is a small favor to do, that is, don’t support Jardine Matheson and go against yourself.

At present, it seems that Jardine Matheson does not have the full support of HSBC, otherwise it would not be so weak.

Lin Zhichao clearly told Shen Bidao this time: "In recent times, we have sold many oil tankers of 100,000 to 150,000 tons; and in the next year, we will continue to sell oil tankers and cargo ships with great intensity - just With a load capacity equivalent to more than 6 million for World Shipping, only 10 VLCC oil tankers were left in the end.”

Shen Bi was shocked, and he couldn't help but said: "Doesn't it mean that you plan to give up your position as the world's shipping king!"

Lin Zhichao smiled and said: "In a few years, the shipping king will be the debt-ridden shipping king. Why should I fight for that one?"

Shen Bi immediately said: "We at HSBC support your decision, Mr. Lin. With your vision in shipping, we support it unconditionally."

As a banker, of course he is best at avoiding risks, so he chose to trust Lin Zhichao without hesitation.

If the boat is successfully sold, HSBC will also receive a generous cash flow. If it doesn't go well, those ships will be nothing more than a pile of junk.

Lin Zhichao nodded and said: "Don't worry, Chief Shen Bi. In shipping, we will both prosper and suffer losses. I will definitely make a choice calmly."

Later, Lin Zhichao also directly said tentatively: "Sen Bi, I have one more thing to ask!"

Shen Bi nodded and said, "Mr. Lin, please speak."

Lin Zhichao said: "As far as I know, although HSBC is the major shareholder of Hutchison Whampoa, HSBC cannot directly operate Hutchison Whampoa, nor can it hold a large number of shares for too long."

Shen Bi's heart suddenly surged. This Chinese man was indeed 'insatiable'. Originally, Lin Zhichao's ability was the best choice to take over Hutchison Whampoa. If such a capable and courageous person took charge of Hutchison Whampoa, HSBC would be able to obtain higher profits from the remaining stocks in its hands.

However, Lin Zhichao's influence in Hong Kong is too great and has made HSBC very afraid.

In terms of industry, Cheung Kong Industries Group has more than 30,000 workers, and indirectly employs 20,000 workers. Fully 50,000 workers rely on Cheung Kong Industries Group for their livelihood, accounting for nearly 10% of Hong Kong's GDP; and it is now developing into the technology industry. .

Thanks to the Cheung Kong Industrial Group alone, Lin Chi-chao is already the most influential businessman in Hong Kong. After all, it is related to the jobs of 50,000 people, that is, the families behind it.

Secondly, Cheung Kong Holdings has now surpassed Land and is the largest real estate company in Hong Kong. As the group has grown in size, it has thousands of employees. In addition to its construction workers, it is a large enterprise employing tens of thousands of people. More importantly, Cheung Kong Holdings has become integrated and is one of the three major retail groups in Hong Kong, a giant beverage and food company, and also indirectly controls the largest catering group in Hong Kong.

Secondly, Universal Group, which needless to say, was the largest company in Hong Kong in its early years, and was already majestic in the world ten years ago. It currently employs tens of thousands of workers and hundreds of ships.

Finally, there are hotels, clothing, and media, which will be the leaders in this industry in Hong Kong.

If Hutchison Whampoa is handed over to Lin Zhichao, Shen Bi believes that in the Hong Kong business community, HSBC can only be Lin Zhichao's younger brother. If we don't choose Lin Zhichao, who can hold up the big ship of Hutchison Whampoa!

Not yet, but it doesn't look like HSBC needs to rush into making a decision.

"Mr. Lin, Wei Li is currently in charge of the Hutchison Whampoa matter very well, and there are no plans to release it for the time being!" Shen Bi declined.

Hutchison Whampoa was merged just last month and was formerly Hutchison International Holdings Whampoa Dockyard.

Lin Zhichao thought to himself, fortunately, he had already made plans. Not counting this matter, it was really complicated.

He smiled and said: "Weili is very good in financial skills at most, but he has no management experience in large enterprises. So far, Hutchison Whampoa can be said to be out of trouble, but it cannot be said to have better development. If you want to truly For Hutchison Whampoa to develop, it depends on management!”

In fact, in the past two years or so, Wei Li has at most made financial and technical arrangements, selling and dissolving some companies, acquiring some core companies, merging subsidiary Huangpu Shipyard, etc. These are all financial and technical arrangements.

However, Hutchison Whampoa has a huge foundation and advantages, and it has not expanded through operations to obtain higher profits.

Shen Bi nodded and said: "Mr. Lin hit the nail on the head! It's just the matter of Hutchison Whampoa. It's a big deal and we need to discuss it carefully before making a decision. Moreover, even if we give it up in the future, it won't be about selling shares for arbitrage, but hoping to Hutchison Whampoa is doing well. I am aware of Mr. Lin’s thoughts, but it is not time to sell Hutchison Whampoa.”

Drag word trick?

This would not work. If it were delayed until the early 1980s, it would be troublesome if Bao Yugang and Li Jiacheng came into Shen Bi's eyes.

Lin Zhichao then said easily: "I believe that HSBC should consider going overseas now rather than sticking to Hong Kong, because the situation in the mainland is changing rapidly. I have a bargaining chip in my hand. In exchange for the Hutchison Whampoa in your hands, it should be More than enough.”

Shen Bi was stunned, Lin Zhichao's words made sense. With the coming to power of the pragmatists, HSBC really needs to develop in the European and American markets and ensure that it is not limited to Hong Kong.

"What's Mr. Lin's bargaining chip?"

"51% stake in a bank in the United States, and this bank ranks among the top 20 banks in the United States."

Shen Bi almost stood up in surprise, and said with disbelief on his face: "Mr. Lin controls 51% of this bank? Which bank is it?"

Lin Zhichao laughed 'haha', and then said: "We will discuss this later. After I have completed the acquisition of the Wharf Group, I will discuss it with you."

He was not in a hurry anyway. Lin Zhichao had already exposed Shen Bi's series of actions just now. He determined that HSBC was worried that the pragmatist faction would come to power and Hong Kong's status would be in jeopardy, so it was eager to develop business in Europe and the United States.

You know, even if HSBC is British-owned, it is nothing in the UK. Therefore, Shen Bi urgently needs to develop in the United Kingdom and the United States. It can be said that he will do so at all costs.

In comparison, a mere Hutchison Whampoa is nothing!

Shen Bi immediately understood that Lin Zhichao was far-sighted and might have been planning for a long time, and everything was under his control. For the first time, he deeply experienced the power of such a person, and he even did not dare to offend Lin Zhichao.

He didn't doubt that Lin Zhichao was lying to him, because there was no point in doing so. In other words, Lin Zhichao really controls one of the top 20 banks in the United States.

This is not difficult to investigate. You only need to investigate the banks in the United States to find out who has changed rapidly in recent years.

Therefore, Shen Bi then said: "If Mr. Lin really helps us with this, not to mention Hutchison Whampoa transferring it to you, even HSBC will be willing to cooperate more closely with Mr. Lin in the future."