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British Petroleum - British Petroleum Company (BP), formerly known as Anglo-Persian Oil Company, founded in 1908 - Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC). Its initial interest came from obtaining the approval of the king of Persia, now Iran, to develop the oil resources discovered in the Persian Gulf.

Anglo-Persian Oil Company had a lackluster beginning, but at the outbreak of World War I, the British government recognized the importance of oil resources and began to acquire a stake in the company, which allowed it to supply fuel to the Royal Navy.

By the end of the First World War, the British government had a 51 percent stake, and Anglo-Persian Oil was expanding across Europe. But the company's focus remains on the Persian Gulf.

As a result of rising discontent with imperialism, there were also conflicts of interest over the Anglo-Persian oil company. Especially after the Second World War, national sentiment in the Middle East was high.

In 1951, nationalist ruler Mohammad Mossadegh became the new prime minister, prompting the Iranian parliament to pass a bill to nationalize the Anglo-Iranian oil company.

Mohammad Mossadegh believed that the Anglo-Iranian oil company was a representative of imperialist exploitation of Iran, and that only a policy of nationalization could give the Iranian people their rightful rights.

As the largest shareholder for a long time, how could Britain have seen this huge overseas interest lost, and then succeeded in persuading the United States to jointly defend Western interests in the Gulf, to resist the possible increasing influence from the Soviet Union, and to put the pro-communist hat on the head of the Mohammad Mossadegh regime.

In August 1953, MI6 and the CIA jointly staged a coup d'état codenamed "Operation Ajax", which overthrew the Mohammad Mossadeh government and installed a pro-Western New government, which lasted until the outbreak of the Iranian revolution in 1979.

In this way, the Anglo-Iranian oil company returned to the hands of Western interest groups, resumed operations in Iran with a 40% foreign shareholding, and officially changed its name to the current "British Petroleum Company".

As a result of these changes, BP's business inevitably suffered, but its background was stronger, and with the help of the World Bank, it was able to secure investment plans in other Gulf countries and keep its profits from falling.

From the 1960s, BP began to focus on the development of oil sources in Alaska in the United States and the North Sea in Europe, and achieved mass production in the 1970s.

These business developments have virtually strengthened BP's ability to resist attacks. In addition to the two world energy crises in the 1970s, since 1971, Gain's stake in the Middle Eastern National Oil Company has been partially or fully nationalized by the local government; The revolution in Iran in 1979 marked the end of its hegemony in Iran.

In fact, not only BP, but also the entire Western consortium's traditional monopoly in the oil sector is being gradually dismantled by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), which was founded in 1960.

Another point that cannot be ignored is that while the British Petroleum Company maintains its bright performance, it has repeatedly suffered safety accidents, causing environmental pollution, and is under considerable pressure from public opinion.

With these changes, the UK government no longer wants to be the largest shareholder of BP.

Margaret Thatcher began her first term as prime minister in 1979 and began the privatization process, selling the first batch of 80 million BP shares to the market that year, reducing her shareholding to 46 percent.

Of course, the process is gradual. The British are experienced and know what they do to maximize their benefits.

Tang Huan's formal establishment of internationally recognized wealth credit began when he deliberately hitched a ride on Apple's IPO and became a billionaire at a rocket speed of more than a year, and the privatization process in Britain naturally became an investment direction for him.

The gradual sale of BP's shares by the British government is mainly due to political considerations, and does not mean that BP is losing money like Japan's privatized Japan National Railway. The oil industry is still a gold mountain, and two of the top 10 companies in the United States by market capitalization this year are oil companies: Exxon and Royal Dutch Petroleum.

Tang Huan's investment in BP can not only take advantage of this good opportunity to preserve the value of assets, but also get some side benefits, such as helping the female ship king Christina balance the family's traditional industry - shipping, and helping the development of Heung Kong Electric in Canada, Australia and other places.

Now, the Kuwaiti royal family has finally tried to tell its true goal in an exhaustive way -- waiting for an opportunity to seize the controlling stake in the British Petroleum Company, and Tang Huan, who knows a lot about the situation, reacted directly: "It's true that you, a former British colony, are not short of money in your hands, but can you afford the British Petroleum Corporation, a behemoth involving many interests, on your small shoulders?" Beware of being pressed down! ”

However, Tang Huan immediately thought about it: "If you don't try it, how do you know if it's feasible?" This tentative act alone is worth enough! After all, finding out the bottom line of the UK is of extraordinary significance. ”

Seeing that Tang Huan was silent, Prince Sabah said confidently: "The shares of the two of us combined, more than ten percent, are enough to form the largest shareholding institution, and then further operations on this basis will definitely get twice the result with half the effort." ”

"What I'm worried about is that the British government won't agree, and then just flip the table." Tang Huan said slowly.

"It's very unlikely." Prince Sabah shook his head disappreciatively, "The British still respect the rules of business, and the privatization process of BP was also started by themselves. ”

Seeing that the Kuwaiti royal family represented by Prince Al-Sabah was so optimistic, Tang Huan no longer wasted spittle, "Then try it, I also want to see how the British government reacts, and where the bottom line is." ”

"Now that you've made up your mind, I'm interested in the idea." Tang Huan immediately made it clear, "However, I suggest that you must make a careful layout, especially the right time." There shouldn't be the right conditions this year, so let's wait until next year. ”

"The strong growth of the U.S. economy has led to a boom in global stock markets. Take your Fangyuan computer company, for example, since becoming the world's most valuable company, its market value has climbed all the way up, and now it has exceeded $90 billion. Judging from BP's current performance, the further it drags on, the higher the cost will be. Prince Sabah's tone was a bit of a seizing day.

"The trajectory of the financial market always follows a wavy line, and it is beneficial to observe it for a while." Tang Huan insisted on his opinion this time.

He thought that if he participated, he would wait until next year to see if the global stock market shock happened as scheduled; If you don't even have the patience to do so, then it's better to just break up in two, which is good for everyone.

"What do you think is the right time, what kind of criteria do you think? Could it be the Great Depression in the global stock market, or the sudden drop in BP's share price? Prince Sabah asked unconvinced.

Tang Huan smiled, "As the prince said, we should find a time to enter the market in the downward direction. ”

Seeing that the situation was a bit deadlocked, Prince Fahd hurriedly interjected and asked tentatively, "Tang is so cautious, is he taking into account the investment in California high-speed rail?" ”

Tang Huan said modestly on the donkey under the slope: "There is indeed a reason for this. ”

"Otherwise, our side will act according to the original plan, and your side will act as a dark move and a surprise army, waiting for the right opportunity you say, or our request to launch." Prince Fahd offered a compromise proposal.

Of course, Tang Huan would not refuse such a plan for his own sake, and he immediately reciprocated with sincerity, "I am willing to ensure a stable relationship between us in this cooperation in the form of an agreement." If I don't want to get involved, I'm going to sell my BP shares to the Kuwait Investment Authority at least no higher than the market price. ”

……

At this meeting, the Kuwaiti royal family revealed a grand plan, and Tang Huan wanted to provide them with the most advanced IT solutions and serve as unexpected rear reinforcements, so the discussion was particularly laborious.

It was not until the afternoon of the next day that the two sides exchanged cherished each other with satisfaction and waved goodbye.

Tang Huan let out a sigh of relief, asked Masako Wada to bring a cup of hot milk, and planned to leave for England after a short rest.

As a result, half of the milk was drunk, and the assistant hurriedly took a document and walked in to report: "Cheng Long, who was filming the movie "Dragon Brother and Tiger Brother" in Yugoslavia, had an accident and fell from a 5-meter-high tree and suffered a serious head injury. This is a fax from Golden Harvest from Xiangjiang, and I implore us to help as soon as possible. ”

Tang Huan hurriedly put down the cup, took the fax, and scanned it ten lines at a glance, between the lines, it was full of Zou Wenhuai's anxiety, for fear that he would be like the Shaw Brothers lost Fu Sheng, and there was no pillar.

"Hurry up and contact the best medical team so that Silicon Valley One can be delivered to Yugoslavia as quickly as possible." Tang Huan was also anxious, and hurriedly ordered to go down, "If there are conditions for surgery in the local area, it will be done locally, but it really can't be done, and it will be shipped back to Paris." ”

The assistant reminded while recording quickly: "The filming location is a small local town, I'm afraid the traffic conditions are a little limited, and a large jet like Silicon Valley One ......"

"Then find a local helicopter, the government, the military...... Our network needs to move! Tang Huan stopped the other party's words and made a decisive gesture to emphasize.

After the assistant took the order, Masako Wada asked with concern, "Is it the Xiangjiang movie kung fu star who is very popular in Japan?" ”

"yes. This unexpected ......" Tang Huan shook his head in annoyance.

The production level of "Dragon Brother and Tiger Brother" is the highest among Cheng Long's works in recent years, and Tang Huan also plans to take advantage of the gap when Hollywood's decline is more obvious this year to make a turnaround, but he didn't expect an accident and a chain drop.

The reason for this result is that Cheng Long insists on pursuing the shooting effect, and the crew is even more negligent and responsible for not doing their job properly.

Tang Huan was very unhappy about this, he was in the same mood as Zou Wenhuai, he didn't want to lose a star like Cheng Long, and it was difficult to find someone to replace him because of his position.

Fortunately, fortunately, the eight-hour operation in the local area was very successful, Cheng Long's life was saved, and he could return to film work after recovery.

Of course, in the next year, Cheng Long can only honestly recuperate from his injuries.

The next day, Cheng Long, who was lying on a stretcher, was transported back to Paris by Silicon Valley One, and Tang Huan personally went to the airport to greet him.

After meeting, Cheng Long thanked him gratefully, Tang Huan waved his hand and comforted: "Recuperate with peace of mind, everyone still has high hopes for you." ”

After arranging Cheng Long's special illness, Tang Huan asked Zeng Zhiwei and Chen Kexin, "Where is the progress of "Dragon Brother and Tiger Brother"?" ”

"It's basically done, the scene where Brother Long had an accident is the second time he has filmed because he is not satisfied with the results." Zeng Zhiwei, who received a big project like "Dragon Brother and Tiger Brother" for the first time, replied depressedly.

Tang Huan was also speechless for a while - the filming of the movie is about to be completed, but as a result, there is such a scene, it can only be said that God is not beautiful, and creation makes people.

……

Due to Cheng Long's accidental injury, Tang Huan's trip to the UK was slightly delayed.

When he went to the UK this time, the main business was to talk about the call to buy Li, that is, the parent company of Li's TV, which was renamed Media Asia TV, was already terminally ill in business, and was trying to sell himself to the richest man through his previous good relationship to survive.

However, before that, Tang Huan wants to meet the British royal family first. Because in more than two months, Queen Elizabeth II will visit China, and she will visit Hong Kong by the way

Elizabeth II, who has always tried her best to maintain the public image of the British royal family, is afraid that there will be a mistake in any link and lead to loss of face, so she wants to find some reference suggestions from Mr. The richest man through personal relationships.

Since Charles and Diana's luxurious wedding of the century, he advertised his office software with hundreds of millions of viewers, Tang Huan has never forgotten the advertising value of the British royal family.

Don't look at Elizabeth II's efforts to avoid royal and commercial endorsements in various details, it is because the bid is not satisfied, people's expenses are large, and the small money is naturally not visible.

Tang Huan plans to take the opportunity of the British royal family's trip to continue to take advantage of the possible commercial publicity effect.

It was on the basis of this trust that Elizabeth II invited the richest man to a royal family dinner at Windsor Castle.

During the banquet, Tang Huan was asking Charles about the quality of the ten racehorses he sent from the Hunter Family Racecourse in the United States, and if it was good, he would put the horse farm in financial crisis to the end.

But suddenly, Tang Huan felt a warm foot rubbing his calf. After he glanced at it quietly, he suddenly had goosebumps on his back, and he secretly exclaimed, "Or! Or! (To be continued.) )