The birth of the Hong Kong Island family

During the Spring Festival, Lin Zhichao visited Sir Robert Ho Tung.

In fact, Ho Tung is an unsmiling and authoritative person, even when facing Hong Kong Governor Gregory Hung, it can be said that he is not easy to deal with.

But every time Lin Zhichao visited, He Dong was always very welcoming and talked about many things. Lin Zhichao also cherishes this network of connections. Although Ho Tung is already very old and only seems to have a life span of five or six years, he feels that he can learn a lot from such a mature person.

The important thing is that He Dong's age will definitely not harm him.

"Now that you have done so much in shipping and industry, you haven't considered increasing your social honor and status?" He Dong said suddenly.

Lin Chi-chao immediately became interested. Ho Tung was elected as the chairman of the founding meeting of the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Prime Ministers Association in June last year. He is very knowledgeable in this regard. On the contrary, besides being a member of Tung Wah Group of Hospitals and Po Leung Kuk, Lin Zhichao is not even a director.

There is no way, in the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals and Po Leung Kuk, there are quite a few people who donate 40,000 to 50,000 yuan every year, and one or two donate nearly one million yuan. The reason why everyone donates is not only for charity, but also for social status. Not only are the positions of directors, prime ministers, and chairmen of these two Chinese charitable organizations alluring, but also the "justice of the peace" appointed by the Hong Kong government is beckoning.

"I think it just so happens that I have some strength now and plan to donate 500,000 to 1 million Hong Kong dollars for charity this year. But when it comes to charity, I am a little confused and have limited energy, so I can only entrust Tung Wah Group of Hospitals and Po Leung Kuk. "

If the current contracts and operating conditions of Global Shipping are followed, the profit in 1951 would be around US$6 to 7 million, which is approximately HK$35 to 40 million. This is an astronomical figure. Since receiving support from HSBC, Lin Zhichao's career has expanded several times at once.

Of course, this is also the reason why the market broke out.

Therefore, donating 1 million Hong Kong dollars is like sprinkling water for Lin Zhichao. Of course, in fact, the debt of Global Shipping is nearly 5 million US dollars (about 28 million Hong Kong dollars).

He Dong is very satisfied with Lin Zhichao's "motivation".

Later, he said: "Ge Lianghong's wife, Ge Mulian, intends to build a 'health center' (a small hospital type). She came to me to beg for alms, but I only agreed to donate a small amount. Because I have my own donation channels and ideas. .”

Last year, after Ho Tung was elected as the chairman of the founding meeting of the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Prime Ministers Association, he donated HK$1 million to the University of Hong Kong to build a library named after his wife.

When Lin Zhichao heard the news, he immediately felt good. He knew that Ge Lianghong and Ge Mulian were a relatively 'money-greedy' couple of Hong Kong governors; later generations even rumored that during the Peninsular War, Ge Mulian's bank deposits had been soaring, and there were rumors of smuggling. .

"This is good! If there is no site, I will support her to establish a hospital in Tsuen Wan. There are already 100,000 people there, but there is no hospital. It is quite bad."

If Lin Zhichao makes a donation, whether it is the government or the media, the details will be recorded in the future; while Ge Mulian will only use one name at most, which is 'Ge Mulian Hospital' or 'Ge Mulian Health Center'.

After all, everyone knows that it is 'impossible' for the Governor and his wife to be so rich.

Ho Tung continued: "Based on your achievements in business, if you maintain a good relationship with the Hong Kong Governor, it is still possible to obtain a Justice of the Peace in one or two years. We are all in our thirties and only received this honor. We have some family backgrounds. A prominent person must be almost thirty years old to obtain it.”

He pointed out Lin Zhichao's actions in this regard because he felt that Lin Zhichao had such strong strength. In fact, in his opinion, as long as Lin Zhichao works hard for social status and honor, he may inherit his status as the "Hong Kong Chinese leader" by the age of thirty.

Lin Zhichao said: "This matter is not urgent. Of course it is good if you can get it, but it doesn't matter if you don't get it. But I am quite happy to be able to make some contributions to Hong Kong."

Ho Tung said with a smile: "In this society, just having money is not enough. Without certain social honor and status, it is easy to be jealous. If you donate to the health center in Tsuen Wan, you can run for the Prime Minister of the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals next year (equivalent to Director, with the Chairman of the Board above).”

Lin Zhichao said happily: "Thank you Sir Ho Tung for your guidance." These public welfare positions will not waste time. In this era, Hong Kong businessmen have a good reputation. Some people work hard to build themselves into 'good people', but they are actually doing it for honor. and Lord. At Tung Wah Group of Hospitals and Po Leung Kuk, hundreds of Chinese businessmen participate in donations every year. Some people even ostentatiously donate hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong dollars for positions such as "Justice of the Peace" and "Po Leung Kuk Prime Minister". .

After the Spring Festival, Lin Zhichao's career has stabilized. In the week before this year, Lin Zhichao signed formal contracts with two major Japanese customers, Yamaguchi Steamship and Nippon Steamship.

It also means that global shipping will have a steady stream of profits in the next three to five years.

Because of this, Lin Zhichao felt that what He Dong said was very reasonable, he should increase the honor and status of the society.

One of the reasons why Wang Dehui, the boss of Chinachem in his previous life, was frequently kidnapped was because he had a lot of money but never donated money or participated in social activities. Some people describe him as rich but not powerful, making him the best target for kidnappers.

In Hong Kong, if you obtain a Justice of the Peace, you will have many substantive rights. Even the court will regard the thoughts and opinions of the Justice of the Peace as a reference. For example, if a certain justice of the peace jointly guarantees a certain suspect, then the suspect will most likely be released on bail. Just "inspecting any detention facility or visiting any detainee" is a great right.

As for the higher 'Medal of the British Empire, Fifth Class' (GBE, KBE, CBE, OBE, MBE), it is a symbol of power. Even if it is the lowest member of the Order of the British Empire, the phone number can be called directly to the Governor's Office; and The top GBE and KBE medals are even more difficult to obtain.

Before returning, having these honors and medals is still very useful. What's more, the British Empire is one of the countries with the best business environment in the world. It is always in the top five of the list and its business environment is much better than that of the United States. This will become the bridgehead for Lin Zhichao to enter European business.

Of course, Lin Zhichao would not deliberately obtain these, it can only be said that he did it casually.

In the back garden of the Hong Kong Governor's House, Grantham and Karen Graham were pacing.

"Mu Lian, that Lin Zhichao came to visit me today and said that he intends to sponsor you to establish a health center in Tsuen Wan." Grantham said in a gentle tone.

As for this American wife, the two have been married for twenty-five years and are still very loving.

Ge Mulian was a little surprised, and then said: "The Chinese Deng Shiu-kin has been interested in funding the Tsuen Wan Health Center. Unexpectedly, a Chinese giant has been added this time. It seems that they are really rich." After speaking, he showed an envious expression.

Grantham saw his wife acting like this and knew what she was thinking. His wife was an American girl who enjoyed and wore luxury goods, jewelry, etc. But his governor's salary, although very high, is still inferior to that of doing business. Therefore, he also supported Ge Mulian in doing some business and subsidized their expenses.

"Then have you thought about who to accept funding from?"

Ge Mulian's eyes revealed the shrewdness of a businessman, and then she said: "Of course it's Lin Zhichao, a Chinese! However, I want to meet him in private first. Please invite the couple, dear, of course I won't let you come forward, and I won't affect you. .”

Grantham knew that his wife was very smart and would not leave any excuses to others; what's more, he was the emperor of the country in the Far East, and the United Kingdom was also the emperor of the country, and he had great power.

"Well, I'll ask my assistant to make an appointment for you. If he can help you, I will appoint him as this year's Justice of the Peace." As the Governor of Hong Kong, Grantham has the direct right to appoint Justices of the Peace every year. Of course Generally, only one person will be appointed directly, and the others will be discussed through discussion.

Ge Mulian said unexpectedly: "Isn't he too young, so people will gossip about him?"

Grantham said with a smile: "Although he is young, he has achieved high business achievements and also made great social contributions. His industrial factories employ thousands of workers and hundreds of people in shipping, which has created many jobs for Hong Kong. What's more, he also solved the confusion about Hong Kong's living environment and took the lead in selling houses in 'tiered installments', which is an amazing pioneering move."

Ge Mulian nodded and said, "In that case, I hope he won't disappoint me!"

Her idea is very simple. Lin Zhichao has such a huge fleet. Is it possible that he will really rent it to Japanese merchants honestly? She has recently become interested in the smuggling business in the mainland and wants to get involved to earn some living expenses.

However, in order not to attract the attention of the United States and Britain, she certainly did not want to be directly involved so as not to affect her husband. Therefore, he needs someone he trusts as his agent.

Now that the Chinese businessman is taking the initiative to get closer to his husband, it is perfect for him to take advantage of.

Lin Zhichao and Xu Caiying came to the Hong Kong Association and accepted Ge Mulian's invitation.

This invitation was a private invitation from Ge Mulian in the name of gratitude, but Lin Zhichao had already smelled something different.

In a private room, Lin Zhichao and his wife saw the fat Ge Mulian, who was very luxuriously dressed and had expensive necklaces around her neck. This further confirmed the rumors from the previous life that this couple had a greater desire for wealth.

In fact, the salary of the Governor of Hong Kong is quite high. In the 1980s and 1990s, the salary of the Governor of Hong Kong was equivalent to that of the top executives of listed companies in Hong Kong, about HK$10 to 20 million per year. In fact, the salaries of British officials in the entire Hong Kong government are very high.

"Mr. Lin, Mrs. Lin, I didn't expect us to meet again so soon!" Ge Mulian said enthusiastically.

Lin Zhichao said very gentlemanly: "It's our honor!"

Xu Caiying also acted gracefully and without any stage fright. As Lin Zhichao said beforehand, with his current social wealth and status, the Hong Kong governor has nothing to do with him.

Lin Zhichao expressed his goodwill to the Hong Kong governor, not because he wanted to curry favor with him, but just because he said that if we can be friends, of course we should be friends. Make many friends and few enemies.

After a few people sat down, Ge Mulian first thanked Lin Zhichao for sponsoring the "Tsuen Wan Lady Grantham Health Center", and then soon showed her greed for money.

"Mr. Lin, I heard that you are an expert in business. I also have some savings and want to start a business. I wonder if we can invest together!"

Lin Zhichao was stunned and then said: "I'm afraid I can't! It's not that I don't want to cooperate with Mrs. Ge, but I don't have good channels and I'm worried about causing you losses."

Ge Mulian was also stunned. He did not expect Lin Zhichao to refuse so decisively, and suddenly felt that he had underestimated Lin Zhichao.

Immediately, she directly used her magic weapon: "I believe that with so many shipping ships, Mr. Lin must be doing business in transporting goods to the other side! I am not trying to take advantage of Mr. Lin, I have some capital, and If the connections in the Hong Kong government were to form a partnership, they would also be powerful, right?"

It turns out that the wife of the Hong Kong governor thought he was smuggling, so she wanted to buy a share.

Lin Zhichao is not worried about offending the Hong Kong Governor and his wife. Hong Kong is a liberal area, and Lin Zhichao has great influence on major Chinese groups, so he is not worried about being expelled from Hong Kong.

However, it is actually a good thing that the Hong Kong governor's wife wants to smuggle. After all, it is also beneficial to the other side.

But Lin Zhichao didn't want to get involved, so he said: "Each of my ships is nearly 10,000 tons. If this kind of transportation is really carried out, it will be a living target. So if Madam wants to do this kind of business, I'm afraid she has to find someone." Cooperate, buy a smuggling boat, and specialize in pulling goods."

Ge Mulian did not intend to be secretive at this time, and immediately asked: "Mr. Lin must know such a connection, right?"

Lin Zhichao nodded and said, "We know you! I can introduce you to Madam, but I won't participate."

This time it was Ge Mulian's turn to worry. She only trusted Lin Zhichao but not the other partners.

"Is it credible?"

"I will give you private compensation for your loss. But there is one condition. If Madam can provide some help, of course it would be best."

"no problem!"

Lin Zhichao plans to introduce Li Gaofu to Ge Mulian, and the two parties will cooperate to purchase a smuggling boat to specialize in this area of ​​business. As for Ge Mulian, there is probably no problem with her actions in providing the Industrial and Commercial Office.

In this way, Lin Zhichao does not need to participate, and Li Gaofu can also have an additional spy.

Next, the two parties no longer mentioned the matter of smuggling, but discussed funding the "Tsuen Wan Lady Grantham Health Center". This health center is equivalent to a public health center. It can vaccinate and treat common minor illnesses. It is inferior to hospitals.

Lin Zhichao only donates money and supervises, and does not need to actually participate, because it is managed by the Hong Kong Department of Health.

In the private room of Lu Yu Tea House, Lin Zhichao, Li Gaofu and Huang Tinggui were sitting together chatting.

"Oriental Trader, what are you doing recently?" Lin Zhichao asked casually after taking a sip of tea.

Li Gaofu said generously: "During this period, frontline materials are tight, and black iron sheets are particularly scarce. The freight to the north has risen to 120 US dollars per ton, so we plan to take risks. During the Spring Festival, most of the goods loaded are black iron sheets and a small amount. The gasoline is now heading to the high seas."

Huang Tinggui on the side was not surprised. He had worked with Li Gaofu for so long and knew that Lin Zhichao was the noble man of the entire Fuhe Bank. Without Lin Zhichao, there would be no northern trade, nor the current inland smuggling and other businesses.

Lin Zhichao nodded. He knew the importance of the black iron sheet because it was a means of transportation for gasoline and diesel. If there is not enough black iron sheet, some front-line tanks, cars and other facilities will have to stop. This means that the army loses its powerful firepower and mobility.

The price of black iron has been rising all the way in recent years.

Currently, black iron sheets cost only HK$800 per ton. Japanese black iron sheets are the cheapest and are of course more difficult to smuggle. In another year, the price of black iron sheets in Hong Kong will reach HK$2,000, while the price of black iron sheets in Guangdong Province on the opposite side will be 20 million RMB (approximately 1:5000 to Hong Kong dollars), or 4,000 Hong Kong dollars per ton.

Across the river, the price doubled.

"How are you feeling?" Lin Zhichao asked with a smile.

At this time, Huang Tinggui said: "I can't wait to go to the port every day and look forward to their successful return. Even if I succeed once, I won't be as nervous as I am now. Every day."

Lin Zhichao said: "This trip will take two months, right?"

Since we need to avoid mines and warships, we cannot cross the Taiwan Strait, which naturally takes a long time.

"Yes, including loading, liaison, etc., we can make a trip in about three months."

Although I make one trip every three months, I can earn HK$600,000 per trip, which is obviously a temptation.

Later, Lin Zhichao asked: "How are you doing with your smuggling business to Austria?"

Li Gaofu said: "Currently we own a 100-ton speedboat. We have informants at the port and the industrial and commercial office, and we are well organized, so it goes smoothly. However, this route is not very profitable. It only counts if it can be transported to the other side. Get more.”

One is a direct transaction and the other is a transaction with a third party, obviously the profits are different. There is also a trading company like Bao Yugang. They even need to rent smuggling boats, so they make even less money.

At the same time, Lin Zhichao suddenly discovered a problem. The ship shortage in the Far East was actually a ship shortage in the Mainland and Japan. If Hong Kong shipowners did not do these businesses, it would not be considered a major shipping cycle.

After learning about Fuhe Bank's business, Lin Zhichao knew what he was doing, and then said: "There is someone who also wants to do business in this area, so I plan to cooperate with you."

Li Gaofu immediately said: "Who?"

Lin Zhichao said with a smile: "She is the wife of a high-ranking official, a very tall one is fine. So I want to help you work together to buy a smuggling boat. She can also provide you with some contacts and information in the industrial and commercial office."

Upon hearing this, Li Gaofu and Huang Tinggui agreed to cooperate without hesitation. After all, they were originally engaged in smuggling, and now joining a powerful partner was not a problem at all.

Later, Lin Zhichao arranged time and planned to bring everyone together to sit down and talk one day.

Ge Mulian also said that she did not want to name her directly, so she asked Lin Zhichao to guarantee Li Gaofu's trustworthiness. To this, Lin Zhishenshan agreed without hesitation.

Because this kind of guarantee will not involve him personally. At most, if he loses money, Lin Zhichao will just subsidize Ge Mulian some money.

Throughout the entire cooperation, Ge Mulian and Lin Zhichao were not involved, and Fuhe Bank was specifically involved in the management.

Finally, Lin Zhichao said to Li Gaofu and Huang Tinggui: "Oriental traders had better run twice before running away. That would be very lucky."

"That's what Lin Sheng said!"

This is a warning!

Once bombarded by a warship, the people on board may also be tortured by Taiwanese spies to extract confessions, and betraying their masters is inevitable. In this way, the blacklist period will be longer in the future.