yournovel Chapter 113 Dogs and Friendships in Adversity
Chapter 113 Dogs and Friendships in Adversity
Huo Yingdong was truly impressed by these heartfelt words. He never expected that a young man from a humble background would have such a clear understanding of the international situation.
In this way, it saves the trouble of talking. Chen Guanjiang has already firmly decided on his allegiance, so he naturally knows which side to choose.
Huo Yingdong, however, had one question he didn't understand and asked, "You're very smart, so you must be able to see the problem behind Ding Quan. Why do you still want to acquire so much land? This is detrimental to Dongda University."
“…………”
After a moment's thought, Chen Guanjiang asked, "Mr. Huo, may I ask you a question?"
"What's the problem?"
"Are you the only person in all of Hong Kong who is willing to risk his life and spare no expense to help his country?"
"Of course not!"
"Then...why are you the only one who received the title of 'friends in adversity'?"
“…………”
Huo Yingdong was taken aback, unsure how to respond.
Since Hong Kong opened to foreign trade, countless people have followed one after another, choosing to sacrifice their lives in order to return to China and escape the oppression of foreigners.
These people's sacrifices will be remembered by history, but he is the only one who deserves the title of "friend in adversity".
"Because you stepped in to help at the most critical time, and you were the one who offered the strongest support among all those who were willing to pay any price, the timing and the strength of your support were both very important..."
Chen Guanjiang continued, "The timing is not yet ripe, and I need to strengthen myself first. Otherwise, when the time comes, all I will have left to offer is a burning passion."
"So even if I don't eat these lands in the New Territories, someone else will. Rather than letting others eat them, I might as well eat them myself. I don't have the appetite to eat them all."
"Words are like the wind, actions speak louder than words. You won't believe me just because I say these things, and I don't expect to move you with a few words. When the time comes, I will take the necessary actions... but not to prove anything to you."
If it weren't for the money and ships back then, Huo Yingdong wouldn't have been able to purchase supplies or transport them there.
With money, a boat, and a willingness to make sacrifices, Huo Yingdong truly deserves the title of "a friend in need."
Just as a gentle heart that achieves nothing will not be cherished, even if you give your heart to someone, it will be treated like a pile of trash.
Pure enthusiasm is meaningless; mere words cannot provide any real help and are therefore useless.
Although sincerity should not be ridiculed and dedication should not be mocked, in fact everyone has given the most genuine response to this, hasn't that right?
Ultimately, it all comes down to money and business!
He sang generously in the Yan market, and calmly became a prisoner of Chu;
To draw the knife and die a swift death is a fitting end to one's youthful aspirations.
The young man who resolutely faced death for his ideals and beliefs underwent a change in mentality in his later years as time and circumstances changed, and he chose to betray his country.
He eventually succumbed to osteomyelitis caused by shrapnel lodged in his back, suffering excruciating pain for two and a half years before dying in his hospital bed. His last words were, "I want to go back to Tokyo University."
Those who readily speak of lofty ideals will surely betray their cause in battle.
Although Chen Guanjiang said nice things, he genuinely wanted to become someone like Huo Yingdong.
But if he were robbed of his head, stabbed in the thigh with a knife, had his collarbone pierced by chains, or was tempted and driven by huge profits, Chen Guanjiang could not be sure if he would change his mind.
The right time and circumstances cannot determine the truest choice, because humans are animals that tend to romanticize and deceive themselves.
In addition... there's something else I haven't mentioned.
Chen Guanjiang did not dare to single-handedly swallow the entire New Territories, Shen Wansan's fate was not good, and Hu Xueyan's ending was also not good.
Monopolies are acceptable, but they should be applied to different industries. Land is a nerve of Dongda University. It's one thing to take advantage of the situation to gain some benefits, but to really go all out is suicidal.
Huo Yingdong remained silent for a long time.
"So damn clear-headed, so damn realistic," was Huo Yingdong's most direct impression of Chen Guanjiang. It was hard to imagine what kind of environment or upbringing had shaped this young man into this.
"Why…"
Huo Yingdong sighed and said, "I will report back every word that was said today."
Chen Guanjiang nodded and said, "These words are only for you and the people behind you. Once we leave this door, I will not acknowledge a single word of them."
"Will they continue to fawn over British capital in order to strengthen themselves?"
"yes!"
Chen Guanjiang readily admitted it, without any embarrassment, since Hong Kong is still in the other party's hands.
Even if they eventually withdraw, they won't be able to move all those high-rise buildings.
Construction, ports, electricity, communications, energy, water power, and transportation—all of these were controlled by British capital.
The University of Tokyo would not allow British capital to control these vital resources. Of course, the British capital also knew that they would have to give them up, but they still had a great deal of autonomy over who to sell to and who not to sell to.
If you don't flatter British capital, you'll end up like Huo Yingdong, getting nothing to eat at the upcoming feast and ultimately being surpassed by several younger generations.
Of course, this does not erase Huo Yingdong's achievements, but it means that only by becoming strong can one be truly useful. A heart full of passion cannot buy the "friendship in adversity".
During his past life as a lackey, Chen Guanjiang endured being verbally abused by celebrities in the street and chased and beaten by bodyguards or fans. He had long since given up on any semblance of dignity.
Later, the celebrities, having given up all hope, took up legal weapons to sue those whose privacy had been exposed. Burdened with debt, they could only work to pay off their loans, and they no longer knew what self-respect was.
It's business! It's about making money! There's nothing shameful about it.
Do you want me to cooperate?
"It's good that it ended badly."
Overacting is not good; a state of being neither too close nor too distant is best. Being able to get along with both sides is the way to benefit from the middle, rather than completely siding with or offending one side.
What the British company wanted was Er Gouzi, but not a pet dog, because Er Gouzi would be useful if kept, while a pet dog would only be taken home and raised.
The best are pure businessmen who only care about interests and have no principles, regardless of whether they are British, Dongda, or any other country; monsters devoured by capital and only pursuing growth...the most reliable.
During this period, there was no shortage of observation and probing, and all Chen Guanjiang could do was be prepared at all times.
"Ha ha ha ha…"
Huo Yingdong couldn't remember the last time he'd met someone so interesting, and he couldn't help but burst into laughter, saying, "Alright! I'll wait and see what you choose."
After saying that, Huo Yingdong got up, pretended to be displeased, and walked away, preparing to send a signal to the outside world that the communication between the two sides had failed.
"Mr. Huo..."
"President Huo!"
“…………”
Everyone greeted him, but Huo Yingdong only nodded in acknowledgment, his face expressionless. After a few casual words, he left, citing feeling unwell.
Not long after, Chen Guanjiang also came out, his face as steady as an old dog, revealing no emotion whatsoever. He plunged into the database, frantically studying the development history of Hong Kong real estate.
The Hong Kong Real Estate and Construction Association was established in 1965.
This group of real estate developers, including Fok Ying-tung, all grew up under the new post-war landscape, and their most detailed real estate history is concentrated in the post-war period.
First, why was it the 65 banking stock crash that triggered a large number of real estate developers to crash?
The most direct incentive was that the Hong Kong government amended the Building Ordinance, which was promulgated in 62, in 55.
The new regulations mainly stipulate the land plot ratio for various uses; that is, the ratio of the land area to the total building area that can be built on the land plot, which is reduced by 20% compared to the previous regulations.
Although the new regulations will not take effect until January 1, 1966, the land acquired before then is now truly stuck in their hands.
The deadline is like a noose around the neck of real estate developers, forcing them to finish building before the new regulations take effect.
As a result, real estate developers who owned large amounts of land worked frantically to develop the land and build buildings within three years.
62年香江落成的私人住宅单位约有11300个，而这个数字到了65年增加到了29000个，3年增幅1.6倍着实让人心惊肉跳。
As more buildings were constructed in a short period of time, housing prices plummeted, and both land and buildings became worthless. Banks, fearing they would be dragged down, demanded loan recovery, further tightening the noose around the necks of real estate developers.
In addition, the Banking Ordinance passed in 64 stipulated that its working capital must not be less than 25%, and its investment in stocks must not exceed 25% of its share capital and reserve funds.
Most critically, banks are prohibited from lending more than 25% of their equity and reserves to a single customer for mortgage loans.
Thus began a vicious cycle: many real estate developers collapsed before the new regulations took effect, and banks unable to recover loans also met their demise.
Yongye Company, which pioneered the "sale of floors in sections" model, and Lixin Company, which pioneered the "sale of pre-sale apartments" model, were lucky enough to escape being caught because they received advance deposits and installment payments in advance.
Strangely, British real estate developers and banks were not affected; instead, they took advantage of the banking stock crash to aggressively acquire Chinese banks and real estate developers.
Among them, HSBC and Hutchison Whampoa are the most prominent.
HSBC's acquisition of Hang Seng Bank, the second largest bank in Hong Kong, solidified its dominant position in the Hong Kong banking industry.
Hutchison Whampoa then embarked on a path of mergers and acquisitions, establishing its position as the second largest of the four major British trading companies.
By issuing these two regulations, one after the other, the wealth accumulated by Chinese capital over decades could be plundered in a legitimate and legal manner. Before this, there were three more rounds of such plundering.
Where there is oppression, there is resistance, so the incident that broke out six years ago was not surprising at all; there were three similar incidents before that.
Unwilling to repeat the bloody and tearful journey of their predecessors, and unwilling to have their hard-earned wealth legally plundered, Hong Kong must return to the East Lake High School to truly be its own master.
In an attempt to curry favor and demonstrate his competence, Chen Guanjiang revealed the oil crisis to Dongda University in the form of a premonition.
Whether Dongda University believes it or not, Chen Guanjiang's goal will be achieved once the oil crisis erupts as scheduled.
At that time, their status in the eyes of Southeast University will be elevated, and they will be able to develop more easily in the face of challenges.
Ring ring ring…
A waiter from the Land Construction Chamber of Commerce came over with a phone. Chen Guanjiang was surprised that someone looking for his phone could find him here. He took the phone and said, "Hello, who is this? This is Chen Guanjiang."
"Mr. Chen, the stock price has gone up! It's rising against the odds!"
"What stock price went up?"
Chen Guanjiang recognized the voice as Tang Yufei's, but he couldn't help but feel even more puzzled. He had already sold off all the random stocks he had in hand, so it didn't matter whether the company's stock price went up or down.
"Our company is the Yanxun News Agency..." Tang Yufei explained excitedly.
It turns out that Shaw Brothers wanted to be the first to release their martial arts film, "The Fist Within," in the United States before Golden Harvest.
Where have American audiences ever seen this before?
"The World's Number One Fist" grossed over $420 million on its opening day, prompting Warner Bros. to urgently increase the number of theaters to 1000 for simultaneous release and predicting that the final box office would be around $2000 million.
20 million US dollars is 100 million Hong Kong dollars!!
The Koo News holds the rights to five of Bruce Lee's films, which means they're guaranteed a box office of at least $100 million from the start.
According to Hollywood's tiered box office revenue sharing system, the production company can receive approximately 35% of the total box office revenue.
35% of one hundred million dollars is 3500 million dollars.
Based on the exchange rate of 1 US dollar to 5.085 Hong Kong dollars in February, that's 1.78 million Hong Kong dollars.
What is the current market capitalization of The News Network?
HK$3 billion!!
A single Kowloon Club is enough to support a market value of HK$100 million, HK$30 million in Hutchison Whampoa corporate debt, a 25% stake in TVB, plus newspapers, distribution channels, and printing plants—all combined, it's easily worth HK$100 million.
Based on this calculation, the actual assets of the Koo News Corporation are as high as HK$2 million? Is buying shares for less than HK$8 a guaranteed profit?
As a result, the news agency bucked the trend during the stock market crash, rising from HK$6 per share to HK$14 per share, with its market capitalization exceeding HK$7 million and continuing to climb.
Because Hong Kong stock market investors know what "The Number One Fist Under Heaven" is—a thing that was beaten to a pulp by Bruce Lee's "Fist of Fury" last year.
Action films of this caliber can earn $2000 million in North America, which shows that the pigs in America have never eaten fine food.
Following closely behind, "The Big Boss," which landed in North America, shouldn't be expected to receive $3000 million, right? Some investors are even predicting it will reach $5000 million!
“…………”
Chen Guanjiang was at a loss for words to express his feelings at that moment, and all he could do was advise these people to really stop investing in stocks.
The director of "The Fist Within" is South Korean, although it follows the typical Hong Kong-style narrative formula of martial arts, revenge, sects, hard-hitting action, and training and leveling up.
However, the action, camera work, editing techniques, character development, heroism, and audiovisual language are all distinctly Hollywood narrative styles.
Last year, this movie flopped at the Hong Kong box office because it wasn't really made for Hong Kong audiences; it was purely designed to be released in North America before "The Big Boss."
With a projected box office of $2000 million, this film certainly has something special, but the biggest factor in its success is that it is the first martial arts film to be released in Europe and America.
In contrast, consider "The Big Boss"!
With extremely low production costs, rudimentary sets, and an overly simplistic plot, this film is entirely in Bruce Lee's personal style and is the kind of movie that Westerners simply cannot understand.
In fact, the two sides had already clashed in England. "The Greatest Fist" was very well received, while "The Big Boss" suffered a crushing defeat.
The same goes for "Fist of Fury," so we'll have to wait for "Enter the Dragon" to be released. "No Brains and No Joy" is the true Hollywood narrative style.
Unfortunately, Hong Kong stock market investors do not study the market, or rather, they only study what they perceive as the market based on their own subjective desires.
It's likely that Shao Yifu couldn't have predicted that the success of "The World's Number One Fist" would not only fail to suppress Golden Harvest, but would instead become a boost to the stock price of the Kenneth Flint newspaper.
What God does not take, is to be blamed.
Faced with the unexpected joy from the shareholders and Uncle Liu, Chen Guanjiang could only politely decline...