After returning to Hong Kong, Lin Zhichao immediately inspected the companies, and only after making sure that everything was stable did he start to fly to Japan to sell his cargo ship.

Although the cargo ship has not yet arrived in Hong Kong, it can be approached first, and after reaching a preliminary intention, you can rest easy.

After arriving in Japan, Lin Zhichao and Gao Qiqiang went to visit Yamashitoro, and Gao Qiqiang went to large shipping companies such as the 'Japan Steamship Company' to submit information on cargo ships and make an appointment to meet.

Yamaguchi Steamship Company.

"We have leased all three ships, but the price is a little more favorable, and we are only willing to sign a lease for three years." After seeing the information handed over by Lin Zhichao, Yamasha Lang flashed a trace of joy, and then resumed like this.

They are short of merchant ships, and even the whole of Japan is short of merchant ships, and if they buy a large number of second-hand ships from overseas, they will need a lot of foreign exchange; In a short period of time, it is difficult to pass all government approvals.

So, he likes to rent boats.

Lin Zhichao did not give all the information about the seven ships of Yayama Tatsuro, he only gave one 15,000-ton victory ship and two 10,000-ton cargo ships.

Because he probably knew the freight business volume of the Yamaguchi steamer, he was worried about giving too much information, so he used it to blackmail and bargain; At the same time, Lin Zhichao also does not want to concentrate too many large customers, and Global Shipping needs another large customer, and at least two large customers are maintained in Japan, so as not to be manipulated.

Lin Zhichao said happily this time: "There is no problem in signing a contract for three years, and I believe that the prospect of shipping will last for a long time." As for the price, to be honest, the price of second-hand ships in Europe has risen by more than 20%. But after President Yamashita did me a great favor, I signed it for $2.9 million a year. ”

Sign a contract for three years, and after three years, sign a cheap contract for two years.

In short, he could never have allowed his ship to be a long-term contract in mid-1956, because then he would have suffered heavy losses!

Yamashitoro was overjoyed, and with the same tonnage, the contract was reduced by two years, and the price was saved by $100,000 per year.

Sure enough, the young man was cheerful enough to help him last time (in fact, he got more than that).

With the shrewdness of a Japanese businessman, Yamashataro waved the dragon slayer knife again and said: "How about 2.8 million US dollars a year, your other two 10,000-ton freighters are a little old." ”

The age of the ship means that the rent is cheap, and this is indeed there.

But in fact, the price comes and goes not very much.

Lin Zhichao happily gave a compromise plan: "In this way, I am more sincere, the price is still 2.9 million US dollars a year, but we can accept 30% of the Japanese yen and 70% of the US dollars." In this way, I believe that Yamaguchi Steamer will be able to see our sincerity. ”

He accepted the yen because the Japanese repair shops are now good, and warships can be repaired. There are 12 cargo ships of 10,000 tons around the world, and there are many old ships, so it may be inevitable that there will be situations throughout the year.

When Japan can build ships in the future, global shipping can increase the proportion of yen payments; The important thing is that the yen is very preserved, and is currently pegged to the US dollar (1 dollar is equal to 360 yen), and probably in the 70s, the yen began to appreciate, and it is better to stick to the yen settlement.

Yamashitoro was overjoyed, saying that if he paid 30 percent yen, he would be able to reduce his spending by 870,000 US dollars in foreign exchange a year, which was a good thing for the company.

"That's it! When your ship arrives in Hong Kong, we will officially sign the contract. ”

“OK”

After that, Lin Zhichao and Gao Qiqiang went to a Japanese steamship company to discuss cooperation.

Due to the high freight rates and the large number of goods to be shipped, the Japanese steamship company also attached great importance to this, and finally decided to charter all four freighters of the world in one go.

However, they are more cautious, and are only willing to sign a contract for three years, with a rent of 3 million US dollars a year (with a total load of 36,000 tons).

Lin Zhichao still chose to agree!

The price of the ship soared this time, and the freight was not very strong because of the long-term lease.

The annual rent of the seven ships is only 5.9 million US dollars, and the theoretical profit is more than 4 million yuan (depending on the maintenance of the ship), which is equivalent to taking more than a year (14 months) to pay back.

Although it seems to be a loss, after all, many shipping companies can earn back an old ship in less than a year.

In fact, it is not the case, signing a contract for three years can maintain the same profit every year, not affected by market fluctuations, and may end up being not much different from a one-way short-term rental, after all, Lin Zhichao signed a long-term contract at the peak of the market, which is obviously very beneficial.

It is important to build a trust with Japanese business, which is conducive to the future development of business.

After returning to Hong Kong.

Lin Zhichao reported the recent development of global shipping to Sundash.

At present, although Lin Zhichao is not worried that HSBC will not borrow (it has already borrowed), he is worried that HSBC will suddenly collect debts; In that case, Lin Zhichao will fall short.

Of course, this kind of thing does not exist in theory, but Lin Zhichao needs to get Sandash to firmly support himself.

After hearing this, Sandas was amazed at Lin Zhichao's audacity and took a loan of $3 million to buy seven cargo ships worth $4.5 million.

"After you officially sign a contract with Yamaguchi steamship and Japan Steamship, you must notify me. To be honest, I had to see the contract to really put my mind at ease. ”

No wonder he was nervous, in the eyes of bankers, a ship could not be regarded as an 'asset', at least it was difficult to mortgage it.

Lin Zhichao nodded and said, "Once the ship arrives in Hong Kong, I will go to Japan to officially sign the contract." The Japanese side has a large number of goods waiting to be shipped overseas, and they are also in a hurry to use ships. ”

Sandas did not let down his guard because of Lin Zhichao's analysis.

But since Lin Zhichao has already bought the boat, he will naturally not interfere.

Sandas then said with a smile: "Many people now think that only smuggling ships from China is the most profitable in the Far East. However, you can see best that Japan's demand for shipping is also a huge market. There are also shipowners in Hong Kong who charter their ships to Japanese merchants, but they are all one-way short-term charters, and although the prices are high, it is inevitable that the business may be sluggish. At the end of the day, you have avoided the risk of shipping, admire! ”

It was as if he had discovered a jade, and he slowly admired Lin Zhichao's shipping business methods. Sandas believes that if Lin Zhichao develops like he does now, he will still be able to become the king of world ships like Olasis in the future.

HSBC's support for global shipping can also benefit immensely.

Lin Zhichao said modestly: "I also do everything possible to consider stability, so as to gain the trust of the bank." Otherwise, it is very difficult to develop rapidly by relying on its own funds. ”

Sandas nodded! It is precisely because of such difficulties that this young man came up with a good trick, just like Lin Zhichao did buying a house, and he also came up with a phased stratification because of financial problems.

The two chatted for a while, and Lin Zhichao left. As long as Sundash vouches for him, global shipping is worry-free.

As soon as the contract is finalized, the monthly profits of Worldwide Shipping can be used to repay the loan and the final payment.

Saturday, January 27, 1951.

On this day, the weather in Hong Kong is clear, and the sea is full of blue water.

A Victory Ship is anchored in Victoria Harbour, as mighty as a warship. In fact, when the Victory Wheel was produced, it had artillery and other weapons and devices, and it had a certain defensive capability. Therefore, it is reasonable to say that it is a warship.

The Victory ship has a load of 15,000 tons, and the entire hull is quite large, and people standing on it look very small. The deck area is quite large, and the deck is equipped with several crane units. The large merchant ships of this era were equipped with self-hoisting rods on the deck, unlike the container era in later generations, and the lifting devices were basically docked.

Today is a good day, Lin Zhichao will marry the daughter of the Xu family, Xu Caiying, and he moved the wedding to the victory wheel.

Therefore, as soon as the victory ship entered Hong Kong, it was immediately arranged, and it took two days to finally set up the wedding scene and luncheon scene, and invited a total of more than 300 people to attend.

Dinner will also be held at the Hong Kong Hotel (Pedder Street) for a grand wedding.

Because it is a 'bungalow', it is held according to the scale of the main room, and this time the specifications are even a little larger, of course, this is due to the increase in Lin Zhichao's status.

For example, at this wedding, Lin Zhichao tentatively sent an invitation to Hong Kong Governor Ge Lianghong and Ge Mulian couple, and they have been responded. As for Sir Ho Tung, because of his age, he sent his children to participate.

At 10:30 a.m., the guests arrived one after another, and Lin Zhichao, Xu Caiying and his wife, as well as their parents, adoptive parents, and Tang Caiyun in the main room greeted them at the entrance.

"Xu Lao, Xu Sheng, welcome to come!" Lin Zhichao welcomed Xu Aizhou and his third son Xu Shixun.

Xu Aizhou inquired about the victory wheel a little, and then said: "This wedding is unique, you can have such strength, it really makes everyone feel ashamed, it is really the back waves of the Yangtze River that push the front waves!" ”

Victory Wheel, except for government enterprises, the Chinese have never heard of such a big ship owned by a private person.

Now it is rumored in Hong Kong business circles that Lin Zhichao has received the support of HSBC, and it is even more prosperous.

"You're serious, two of you, please!"

"Good!"

Soon, Chinese relatives, friends, and partners arrived, and everyone sighed that Lin Zhichao's strength was strong, and now he has received a loan from HSBC, which is even more amazing.

Of course, except for HSBC, no one else in Hong Kong knows how many boats Lin Zhichao has; One thing is certain, that is, with Lin Zhichao recruiting hundreds of seafarers, some people speculate that Lin Zhichao has a fleet of about 50,000 tons.

Even so, this strength is second only to the existence of Xu Aizhou's fleet, not to mention that Lin Zhichao is only in his twenties and has the support of the bank.

"The Governor is here!"

I don't know who shouted, but I found that Grantham and his wife were on the yacht of the Hong Kong government and approached the Victory. At this time, everyone also found a problem, the yacht of the Hong Kong government looked a little small under the victory wheel.

Fortunately, one is a cargo puller, and the other is a yacht.

After a while, Grantham landed on the deck, surrounded by several foreigners.

"Welcome to Governor Ge and Lady Grace Grace!" Lin Zhichao greeted very gentlemanly.

Grantham and his wife looked at Lin Zhichao and his wife, and then Grantham said with a smile: "The wedding is very new! I heard that you own a lot of 10,000-ton ships, and it seems to be true. ”

Lin Zhichao said with a smile: "There are indeed a few ships, thanks to the support of HSBC, these ships are currently being repaid." However, fortunately, these ships are leased to Japanese shipping companies for a long time, so there is no problem in repaying the loan. ”

There are many meanings in what he said, first, he is grateful for the support of HSBC, which is equivalent to moving closer to the Hong Kong government; Second, he has chartered the ship to Japanese customers for a long time and will not be involved in smuggling.

"I see! However, if you can get a loan from HSBC, you must be running a very good business, but I understand that it is difficult to get a bank loan for shipping. ”

"Governor Ge has won the award, please here!"

At this time, the Chinese people lamented that Lin Zhichao had a deep relationship with the Hong Kong government, and even the governor and his wife participated in the wedding.

As everyone knows, when he received Lin Zhichao's invitation, Ge Lianghong was also a little surprised.

Although he has paid attention to Lin Zhichao, he rarely communicates, so he is not familiar with him.

However, after receiving the invitation, he immediately asked the secretary to give him all the information about Lin Zhichao, and he was shocked by this understanding.

The twenty-three-year-old self-made business tycoon, real estate tycoon, industrial tycoon, and shipping tycoon have all achieved remarkable results. In particular, in the recent shipping industry, more than 200 seafarers have been recruited (more than 300 in fact), and with loans from HSBC, it is said that it has more than five 10,000-ton cargo ships under its umbrella.

Such a business elite, he immediately decided to woo him.

In fact, Alexander Grantham and Mrs. Mullen Graham are the kind of Hong Kong governors and their wives who love money, and they not only represent chaebols in Hong Kong, but are said to have been involved in smuggling in their previous lives.

Next is the time for the wedding ceremony, this time a Western-style wedding.

"Empress E, Lin Sheng is a double harvest of career and family!"

"Not really! In a few years, I am afraid that Lin Sheng will become the business leader of our Chinese! ”

The people around me were incredible.

As a result, after thinking about it, I have to admit that the victory ship under their feet alone is said to be worth four or five million Hong Kong dollars, and it is rumored that Lin Zhichao owns four or five 10,000-ton cargo ships. With the support of HSBC, the future is really limitless.

Under the auspices of the priest, the wedding scene was very romantic, Lin Zhichao looked at Xu Caiying, who was captivating the country and the city, and felt very proud, this life is worth it.

Then the main meal begins, and the Western food is used, because the evening is Chinese food.

During the dinner, Ge Lianghong asked Sandas: "How many ships are there in the global shipping?" How much tonnage? ”

He knew that Sandash was an HSBC executive, so he planned to know Lin Zhichao's specific strength.

Sandas kept an eye on it, because he was a businessman, not a politician.

"There were five ships in front, and now I have bought this Victory ship, which already has a deadweight of more than 60,000 tons."

Grantham, Ge Mulian and his assistants are all incredible, mainly because Lin Zhichao is too young.

Next, Grantham learned about other situations and found that the information of the Hong Kong government had already underestimated Lin Zhichao, a potential businessman.

Ge Mulian asked, "Then did his fleet transport goods to the opposite side?" ”

Sandas glanced at the Governor's wife, not knowing why, then he shook his head and said, "If this young man does this, he will not get a loan from HSBC, because we feel that it is risky." On the contrary, he chartered most of the ships to Japanese merchants for a long time, so that we did not have to worry about repaying the loans. ”

Ge Lianghong understood, nodded and said, "Sure enough, he is very shrewd, he knows how to gain the trust of bankers first." ”

He was also wondering if he should have more contact with Lin Zhichao, a young businessman with a simple background, which was exactly what the British Empire needed; Moreover, Lin Zhichao has no honor in his body, and he should be encouraged to do more charity, and then strive for the title of Justice of the Peace for two years.

Late that night, the Lin family, who had ended their wedding, finally all lived in a three-story bungalow on Conduit Road.

The third floor of the house is the bedroom of Wu Wenying, Lin Zhichao, Tang Caiyun and Xu Caiying, and there is a living room and a study;

The second floor of the bungalow is the living area of Lin Xin'er, Lin Ruihuan and their future children, as well as a living room and study;

On the first floor of the bungalow, there is a dining room, etc., and a live-in nanny room.

On the whole, the space is still very large, said to be a bungalow, in fact, it covers an area similar to that of a villa, with an independent yard.

"Husband, I'm so happy today!" Xu Caiying said affectionately.

At today's wedding, she received a lot of blessings, and even Tang Caiyun doted on her second sister, and there was no trace of jealousy.

Lin Zhichao hugged her and said, "Just be happy!" The days are like this, they will get better and better in the future, and after a while, I will take you to the United States for a vacation. ”

Every year, two holidays are still arranged, and the money can be earned slowly.

Many of the wealthy people in this era like to live in Europe and the United States for a period of time before returning to Hong Kong to live. Of course, this kind of big family is generally rich, at least after the children grow up and pass it on.

"Hmm. Then it's time for me to serve my husband and rest? Xu Caiying blinked and said mischievously.

Lin Zhichao asked rhetorically: "Are you sure you can eat alone?" ”

Xu Caiying immediately gave Lin Zhichao a powder punch, and then said: "I can't eat tonight, and I have to hold on, so I have to win once." ”

Then, she squatted down directly, planning to take the lead first and consume Lin Zhichao's energy.

Tear!

The next morning, Xu Caiying happily gave Wu Wenying tea.

Later, he also said to Tang Caiyun: "Eldest sister, it's your turn, I also have to offer you tea!" ”

Tang Caiyun held up her five-month pregnant belly and said with a smile: "What do you say, I am not an elder, and you are not a concubine, what kind of tea do you worship." ”

The two sisters laughed and joked, and they really saluted.

Seeing this scene, whether it was Wu Wenying or Lin Zhichao, they were naturally very happy.

Although Tang Caiyun and Xu Caiying are not sisters, they are better than sisters, as the so-called family and everything is prosperous, Lin Zhichao has them in the rear, and he can also be more assured to fight in the shopping mall.

When eating breakfast, Lin Zhichao said: "There is still a week to go before the Spring Festival, you can buy whatever you want to buy as soon as possible, our family's living conditions have improved, and you don't need to think too much about spending money in the future." ”

"Well, there are a few of us women in charge of the house, so my son can rest assured. I, a mother, am not an antique, and I know that my daughter-in-law and daughter love beauty, and I will not interfere with your expenses. Wu Wenying took the initiative to say.

She fully supports her son's idea and resolutely refuses to be an evil mother-in-law, after all, she never dreamed that she could marry two daughters-in-law like this.

And Lin Zhichao doesn't advocate being too frugal, unless he needs to set up a personal design in the future.

Tang Caiyun and other women were also shocked by Lin Zhichao's handwriting recently, 12 10,000-ton cargo ships, with a total value of 8 million US dollars, equivalent to nearly 50 million Hong Kong dollars. Although the debt is 5 million US dollars, just like Lin Zhichao said, it was earned back in less than a year.

By this time, Lin Zhichao had already distanced himself from other wealthy people in Hong Kong, and he really had to do everything possible to rely on HSBC.

At present, Xu Aizhou's fleet is only 5~100,000 tons, it seems that there are many ships, but in fact, they are all cargo ships with a deadweight of 1000~5000 tons.

In fact, in terms of the tonnage of cargo ships owned by Chinese privately, Lin Zhichao is already NO.1 and a veritable 'Chinese ship king'.

This is related to his bold style and courage to dare to take out a total loan of nearly $5 million.

(End of chapter)